How to Make the Most of a Southwest Fare Sale

Are you making the most of Southwest Airlines fare sales? Major Southwest flight sales only happen a couple of times a year (with more minor ones in the mix regularly), so it's really important for travelers to know how to take full advantage of the savings when they pop up.

Whenever a Southwest sale is released, it's so easy to maximize value if you know how to really make the most of the system. I love flying Southwest for family travel, but I love it even more when I can save money flying the airline at the same time! And even if you are reading this after just missing a major sale, you should learn how to prepare yourself to fully pounce on the next one.

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Tips to Maximize Southwest Airlines Sales

1. Book Early

As you can probably imagine, seats are limited in all airline fare sales. The early bird gets the worm! Although Southwest fare sales often extend three and four days long, you will find the most availability on the first day. Southwest almost always announces major fare sales on Tuesday mornings, so be on the lookout and clear your calendar to start the hunt when the prices drop.

Sale fares usually only are available on advance purchase tickets that are advertised as Southwest's "Wanna Get Away" fares. Although these fares are Southwest's cheapest, do not worry! They are not the disadvantaged "basic economy" fares that some airlines offer. They are a regular advanced purchase economy ticket. You still get free checked bags, a free carry on and a personal item, and a fair shake in Southwest's unique boarding process to select your seats. I purchase Wanna Get Away Fares almost exclusively myself and can recommend them highly.

2. Claim Fare Drop Credits

So many people groan when they see that their airline of choice is having a fare sale not long after they booked flights, thinking they missed out on the deal. With Southwest, however, there is no need to despair!

Believe it or not, Southwest will give you a credit back on all pre-existing reservations if the price drops later on your booking. So many infrequent travelers don't know about this option, so I'm definitely making it my mission to spread the word.

Worried that this credit will be something you will never use? Don't be! While Southwest credits used to expire after one year, Southwest recently made a very customer-friendly change: credits no longer expire... ever!

That means it always pays to check your Southwest flight reservation regularly, but especially so during major fare sales. I personally have three friends who told me during the last sale that they got substantial credits back on flights they had already booked. I personally have save thousands of dollars in claiming fare credits like this for my family the last few years.

If this feature is news to you, how does the process work? It's not automatic so you have to pay attention and take the right steps to claim the credit. If you are skittish, you can always call Southwest's phone representatives to have them do it for you if you are concerned you can't navigate it yourself.

But the online process for claiming a fare credit is quite quick and easy. In fact, it has gotten even more user friendly as Southwest has improved its website in the last few years. Simply log into your Rapid Rewards account, go to My Account and then scroll to My Trips. Go into your itinerary in question and click the "change flight" link. Then search for your same flight or flights again to see the fare drop. You can claim the credit (or points refund) by simply completing the process to book the same flights at the reduced price. The website will show you the credit in dollars or in points at the final step before rebooking. You can also use this process to change to a different flight, perhaps if you see that a flight at a different time of day is a lot cheaper.

While the credits you get from this process no longer expire, it is important to remember that these fare credits are not transferable to other people (unless you booked Southwest's new Wanna Get Away Plus fare announced in 2022). So they have to be used by the same person whose name was on the original ticket.

3. Go Crazy with Tentative Points Bookings!

When Southwest sales happen, it's important to book now and ask questions later. You should absolutely feel ok making tentative bookings with Southwest because of its fare drop credits and generous cancellation rules.

But if you are making more speculative and tentative bookings, fare sales are the best times to use your Rapid Rewards points. Why? Because points reservations are fully refundable with no credits to keep track of or try to combine down the road. If you book a flight with points during a sale and later cancel it, those points will be redeposited to your account with no restrictions (and the $5.60 per flight airport security fee that you must pay with money can be refunded directly to your credit card too). I find using Rapid Rewards points easier to track when I'm changing and rebooking flights multiple times.

Of course, if you don't have points, by all means make those cash bookings - even tentative ones - knowing you can take advantage of Southwest's price drop fare credit policy. And remember also that all fares, whether booked with points or cash, are fully refundable for 24 hours. So if I think a deal will go fast, I book it right away, take the day to talk it over with my husband or other family members, and cancel if needed before the 24 hours expires.

4. Use the Low Fare Calendar to Find Deals

I see regularly on social media that so many travelers plug date after date into Southwest's booking engine only to become frustrated and say they cannot find the advertised fares for the sale. So I thought I'd publicize a little pro tip so you aren't one of those people.

There is no need to waste this kind of time! Why? Because Southwest has a tool that lets you easily see the dates where the prices are lowest for any route of your choice. Look for the little box that says "Low Fare Calendar" and use it as a starting point for a lot of searches very quickly.

For example, I always check my home airport of Oakland down to Long Beach for last-minute Disneyland vacations. Here is what the search results look like for me using this tool. During a recent sale, there was lots of midweek April availability at the $59 sale fare and even more at a pretty solid discounted rate of $89.

5. Always Be Planning for the Next Big Sale

Even if you can't take advantage of the current fare sale, I want you to be ready for the next one! I always am and want to share my secrets for how you can do that too.

First, always have a healthy stash of Southwest points in your Rapid Rewards account. One easy way to earn points is getting a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase. These cards regularly have big signup bonuses for new customers and, of course, you earn Rapid Rewards points on all spending you put on the card (2x for Southwest spending!).

Be sure to read my guide to which Southwest credit card is right for you for all the details on specific card choices.

Second, always make sure you are earning points for all the travels you are already doing. So many family travelers forget to sign their kids up for frequent flyer accounts. You and everyone in your family - even babies! - can have a Rapid Rewards account.

Third, consider other ways to earn Southwest points. I am personally a fan of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for example, which transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Southwest points whenever my balance gets a tad low. That way, I always have enough points to be able to take advantage quickly when sales are announced (and I can also use these points for other airlines or hotels as needed). The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an excellent choice for many family travelers to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. My family has had this card or its higher annual fee cousin the Chase Sapphire Reserve card in our wallets for nearly a decade now (find out why it makes my list of the Top Credit Cards for Family Travelers).

Finally, make sure you are subscribed to all Southwest Airlines email alerts. I know we all hate getting extra email in our inboxes, but I find the Southwest emails often save me big money. They alert me to these fare sales (there was one in my inbox before I even woke up this morning!), let me know when there are special promotions that help me earn more miles, and keep me aware of new routes that might allow me to fly Southwest to destinations I previously could not.

The Bottom Line

Southwest fare sales are an excellent opportunity for traveling families to save big. With a little preparation and know-how, you can make the most of these deals to fly more often for less!

Want even more Southwest Airlines tips and tricks? Read these related posts:

• 7 Things That Are Totally Free on Southwest Airlines
• What It's Like Flying Southwest to Hawaii
• Complete Guide to Flying Southwest with Kids

Did you snag some deals in a recent Southwest sale? How are you preparing to take advantage of the next one?

Disclosure: I was a paid #SouthwestStorytellers brand ambassador for the airline in 2018. This post has been updated multiple times independent of that relationship. All opinions are my own.