Originally Posted by
jtaft
I called SWA and asked if free nights at hotels paid for with hotel points will count towards the bonus.
I guess it's not crystal clear, but it seems pretty obvious to me that if you stay at a partner hotel for it to count you must receive Rapid Rewards credits for the stay, which typically is not the case on award stays.
As competent as WN/RR CSR's are compared to those of other airlines, I really doubt they have much idea how such promotions work in reality.