Southwest Airlines Promo & Discount Codes

1. Rebook when your fare drops

   The difference back as credit or refundLow effortChoice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra bookings

   Southwest charges no change fees, and Choice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fares can be changed freely. If your trip later costs less, switch to the lower fare: on refundable fares (Choice Preferred and Choice Extra) the difference can go back to your original payment or stay as a Transferable Flight Credit, and on Choice it comes back as a credit. On points bookings the points difference returns to your account. Basic fares can't be changed this way.^[7]

   1. Find your reservation on southwest.com.
   2. Search the same flights and compare the price with what you paid.
   3. Change to the lower fare; the difference comes back as a refund or credit, depending on your fare.

2. Search with the Low Fare Calendar

   The cheapest day in your marketLow effortTravelers with flexible dates

   Southwest's Customer Service Plan points shoppers to the Low Fare Calendar for its lowest fares, and its help center suggests the calendar for seeing which discounted fares run on which days in each market. The flight deals page lists "starting at" one-way fares from your departure city to popular destinations, with a maximum-budget filter. Sale fares are limited: they may not cover every flight, date or route, and can sell out.^{[8, 10, 18, 20]}

   1. Open the Low Fare Calendar on southwest.com.
   2. Enter your departure and arrival airports and your travel dates.
   3. Compare the fares day by day and book the lowest one that fits your plans.

3. Get your checked bags free

   $45 each way on the first bagSome effortAnyone checking a bag

   On mainland trips booked or changed since April 9, 2026, Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares pay $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second, each way. Choice Extra includes two bags, A-List members check one free, and Rapid Rewards cardmembers get the first bag free for themselves and up to 8 others on the same reservation; the lowest-fee consumer card on Southwest's card page, the Plus, costs $99 a year. Active-duty military with a valid ID pay no bag fees.^{[1, 11, 14, 17]}

   1. Add the primary cardmember's Rapid Rewards number when you book.
   2. Allow up to 14 days after approval for card status to show in your account.
   3. Check bags as usual: the first one is free for up to 9 travelers on that booking.

4. Join Rapid Rewards before you book

   Points on every fare, free WiFiLow effortEveryone

   A Rapid Rewards account is free, points don't expire, and reward seats have no blackout dates. Paid fares earn 2 points per dollar on Basic, 6 on Choice, 10 on Choice Preferred and 14 on Choice Extra, and members get free inflight WiFi, which otherwise costs $8 per device on select aircraft. Points can pay for any available seat, though taxes and fees from $5.60 each way still apply on reward trips.^{[1, 3, 12, 13, 19]}

5. Active-duty military: ask for a military fare

   Military fares and free bagsSome effortActive-duty US military and authorized dependents

   Southwest sells military fares to active-duty personnel — including reservists, National Guard and Coast Guard members and service-academy cadets — and their authorized dependents, but only by phone or at a Southwest ticket counter, not on southwest.com, and not for points. Active-duty members with a valid Uniformed Services ID also skip bag fees, including overweight and oversize charges on pieces up to 100 pounds and 80 inches, and board before Group 1.^[11]

6. Earn the Companion Pass before 2026 ends

   A companion flies free of airline chargesHigh effortFrequent flyers and heavy card spenders

   Under the 2026 rules, 100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 qualifying points in the calendar year earn a Companion Pass: one designated person flies with you, paying only taxes and fees from $5.60 each way, whenever you buy a flight or book one with points. Qualify in 2026 and you get unlimited Companion trips through December 31, 2027. Card points count, and cardmembers get a 10,000-point boost each year; purchased and transferred points don't count. From January 1, 2027, the pass is earned with tier qualifying points or flights instead: three Companion trips at 95,000 TQPs or 75 flights, unlimited at Platinum.^{[15, 16]}

Codes and offers kept by David Jones, who lists only codes the store makes public.

Southwest's promo codes go in the Promo Code field when you book; some sit in members' accounts and Plus and Premier cardmembers get an anniversary code, and those belong to each member. We list only codes or sales Southwest shows publicly on southwest.com, with their end dates — on October 17, 2026 there were none.

1. A no-show wipes out Basic and Choice fares

   If you don't cancel at least 10 minutes before the original departure time, Basic and Choice funds are forfeited, and on points bookings the points and taxes go too. You can cancel on southwest.com as soon as your plans change.^{[6, 18]}

2. Basic credits only last 6 months

   A Basic fare can't be changed, only upgraded or cancelled for a credit that expires 6 months after the original booking. Rebook with that credit and the new trip inherits its earlier expiry date.^[7]

3. Seats bought separately don't come back as cash

   A paid seat can't be cancelled on its own; cancel the flight and the seat's price becomes a flight credit. A seat goes back to your payment method only when you exchange it for a pricier seat, or when a significant Southwest disruption makes your ticket refundable.^{[3, 5]}

4. The cardmember bag perk needs your number on the booking

   The free first bag applies only when the primary cardmember's Rapid Rewards number is in the reservation, and card status can take up to 14 days to appear. Authorized users don't get it, and it doesn't cover flights booked with a partner airline.^[1]

5. Card bonuses stop counting toward Companion Pass in 2027

   From January 1, 2027, card welcome bonuses, referral and anniversary points, bonus points from spending categories and partner spending no longer help toward a Companion Pass, because they don't earn tier qualifying points. A pass earned under the 2026 rules stays unlimited through December 31, 2027.^[16]