Ever book an airplane ticket and then the price goes down right after you book. Well, with Southwest, no problem. Southwest is by far my favorite airline. And one of the major reasons is that you can get a refund if your airfare drops in price. This works whether you booked with Southwest Rapid Reward points or if you paid for the ticket outright.
If you book with Southwest Rapid Reward points, the point difference is returned to your account. If you paid for your ticket with a credit card, you receive a travel fund credit for the difference. This voucher must be used within a year of the original purchase date, so watch closely to the dates so these don’t expire. I also record the amount, confirmation number, and expiration date as you dont want to lose the credit.
Travel funds used to be difficult to look up. However, Southwest updated their system in December 2019 and now Southwest will now keep track of your Southwest Travel Funds for you. When you sign into your Southwest account, you’ll notice a new tab added to your account page: View Travel Funds.
Check out this recent example where I saved 52%!
Flight to Chicago from Denver on March 1 -9, 2019. In Sept 2018, I booked a flight between Denver and Chicago. The ticket cost $239.59 or 18,689 points. I used Southwest Rapid Reward points. I also booked a companion pass ticket for my sweetheart. And of course, within 5 days, the ticket drops in price/points.
After booking a Southwest flight, I check back often to see if the price has changed. Many internet resources will tell you that the best flight deals come out on Tuesdays. So Tuesday is a good day to check. I also subscribe to get Southwest fare alerts via email. Whenever I get an email saying there is a sale alert on any flights, I check my already booked flights to see if the prices/points have gone down.
And the best part is that you can do this multiple times on one ticket!
Here is the history of this particular flight to Chicago. I have gotten 5 reductions on this flight since I booked it:
- Sept 17, 2018 – Purchased ticket for $239.59 / 18,689 points.
- Sept 21, 2018 – Reduced fair to $230.29 / 17,964 points.
- Oct 23, 2018 – Reduced fair to $207.04 / 16,150 points.
- Nov 20, 2018 – Reduced fare to $202.37 / 15,787 points.
- Dec 21, 2018 – Reduced far to $174,48 / 13,610 points.
- Jan 16, 2019- Reduced fare to $112.99 / 8,814 points.
By using this method of checking back frequently, I saved over 52% of the original ticket price.
How do you get the refund or reduction?
Simple. Just go to the Southwest.com online website. Click on Change Flight. Enter your confirmation number, and name. When the schedule comes up, just choose the exact flight you were already booked on and submit Change. It will provide a refund of points or cash. It’s just that simple. In the past, you had to cancel one flight then rebook. There was always a risk of the flight selling out in the few moments between canceling and rebooking. But Southwest has eliminated that risk by allowing you to select the flight you are already booked on. Note: if you have a companion attached to your flight, you will not be able to make the change online. You will have to call a Southwest agent to make the change. I have found they have been friendly and I have never had any trouble making the changes.
This is such a simple technique to ensure you get the best price. With savings like this, you can afford to book your next adventure as well!
Wow!!! What an amazing way to save!!! Thank you for sharing!! <3
Thanks Lindsey! I look for everyway possible to save on travel so I can go on more adventures!
Wow, that is a really cool feature! I am going to sign up today! I have been looking for an airline rewards program.
Tricia, There are so many great benefits on Southwest. I absolutely love the companion pass. You can get one right now too pretty easily. Look for this and other great offers. https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/PlusCP30AEP?CELL=6T8S
What a great tip. Southwest is always my airline of choice because of their free luggage, no cancellation fees, and great rewards program. This just makes me like them more!
Thanks Pam. Yes, Southwest has so many great benefits. They are definitely my preferred domestic airline. I just wish they flew to Europe. They are expanding quite a bit into central and south america. Belize, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Cancun, Cabo, I just hope they keep expanding. And I hear Hawaii is coming soon! Yay!
This is amazing. I am getting ready to book a flight with southwest and this is very helpful.
Missy,
Glad you found it useful. You do have to remember to check back often, but you can see it is worth it. I check about once a month!
This is very useful information! Thank you for sharing!!!
You are so welcome Jen. We can all use 50% savings. I mean not every airfare will go down in price, but you want to capitalize when it does!
I love Southwest! I fly with them as often as I can. Thanks for sharing this post.
Wow!! I had no idea!! One of the best tips I’ve seen!!
Thanks Julie. Not many airlines do this, so kudos to Southwest. Key is you just have to remember to check back often!
That is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this great money saving tip!
Thanks Tanya. I hope it will come in handy.
This is good to know, I fly on southwest all the time, and never even know about this.
Oh Ivy, i am so glad that i was able to share this info with you. Hopefully it will save you some money!
This is an amazing tip! Very useful.
Thanks. Hope you can score lower fares! Just remember to check back often.
Definitely saving this page. The only thing I can’t wrap my mind around about Southwest is their seating procedure. You’d think it would be easier for people to pick out their seats ahead of time. That way you don’t have families separated on the flight and flight attendants trying to get people to switch seats.
That’s a cool tip. It definitely doesnt hurt to save!
Great information! I have never flown Southwest before but it looks like I need to check them out!
Wow that’s a huge savings!! We like southwest too, especially since you can bring luggage at no charge!
That’s amazing. Usually airlines would charge you fees for that. Just another reason why southwest is the best.
That is incredible that they offer that travel fund credit! I never knew that. We’ve flown with them before and everything went smoothly. The employees were great also!
Oh my goodness! Great savings right there! I don’t live near an airport where Southwest flies, but maybe I need to consider driving a short distance to a city where they do fly.
Wow! I didn’t know SouthWest did this. I wish there were more SW flights from our local airports.
Yes Tracy. Most airlines charge to change but Southwest gives you refund. I’m very lucky to live in hub city.
I love flying Southwest! I was able to earn the companion pass for a friend to fly free with me!
Yes! Companion pass is the best. Just flew my sweetheart to Cancun with me for free!
Huge fan of Southwest, as well ~ but I had no clue about these tremendous benefits. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks T.M. I love sharing tips like this. The more you save, the more you can travel!
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Wow, I had no idea about this! Thanks for the tip! I just wish southwest had assigned seats. Then they’d be my favorite 😉
Kelsey, I actually like getting to chose my seat when boarding. I pick different seats based on my mood. But the best part is the flexibility of the refunds!