Merchant: Southwest Airlines · What this page covers: how Southwest promo codes work, fare sales, the four fare types, bag fees, Companion Pass, travel funds, and the Low Fare Calendar · Sources: Southwest’s own pages, listed under Offer provenance.
Is there a Southwest Airlines coupon code right now? Not a public one we could find. When we reviewed southwest.com, no current promo code was posted for anyone to use. Southwest’s help center says codes reach people individually and some show up inside your Rapid Rewards account under “Promo Codes” (or “My Promo Codes” in the app). The fare sale on its flight deals page needed no code at all, and its booking window had already closed.
Real Southwest savings rarely come from a code. They come from booking during fare sales, choosing the right fare type, avoiding checked bag fees, rebooking when a fare drops, and, for frequent flyers, the Companion Pass. Southwest now sells four fare types with assigned seats and bag fees on most fares, so older advice often no longer holds.
Southwest Airlines savings at a glance
| Offer | Code needed? | Status | Expiration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal promo codes saved to your Rapid Rewards account (“Promo Codes” / “My Promo Codes”) | Yes, the code you were sent | merchant_direct | Set per event | Help center: How to Use Promo Codes |
| Fare sale: “Up to 40% off base fares” on select flights | No, discount applied automatically | expired | Booking ended 10/8 (as printed) | Flight Deals and Offers page |
| Getaways by Southwest: up to $250 off select domestic packages, up to $500 off select international packages, two checked bags free | None stated | merchant-listed · last seen active | None published | Flight Deals and Offers page |
| Text deal alerts (text FLYDEALS to 70139) | No | merchant_direct | Standing program | Email Signup page |
| Lower fare after booking a Choice fare, with the difference returned as a Transferable Flight Credit | No | merchant_direct | Standing program | Help center: Finding the Lowest Fares |
| Companion Pass: a designated companion flies free of airline charges (taxes and fees still apply) | No | merchant_direct | Standing program | Companion Pass page |
| Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember: first checked bag free for the cardmember and up to eight others on the reservation | No | merchant_direct | Standing program | Optional Travel Charges page |
| Active-duty military with valid military ID: free checked bags and Priority Boarding | No | merchant_direct | Standing program | Optional Travel Charges and Assigned Seating pages |
| SAVE25NOW: 25% off base fares on points bookings | Yes, SAVE25NOW | expired | Booking ended April 15, 2024 | southwest.com/SAVE25NOW/ |
How Southwest promo codes actually work
Southwest’s help article on promo codes is short. It says to enter a code in the “Promo Code field” on Southwest.com or in the Southwest app, and that each code is “subject to the terms and conditions, including any expiration dates, included with the code.” Some codes are stored in your account, so before you search the web for one, log in and check “Promo Codes” on the website or “My Promo Codes” in the app.
The article does not say whether codes combine, which fares they cover, or how to get one; each code carries its own terms. One old example still on southwest.com, the SAVE25NOW points sale (booking April 12 through April 15, 2024, long ended), shows the usual pattern: the discount applied “before taxes and fees,” was valid on “new reservations only,” and could not be combined with other promo codes.
Treat any Southwest “code” on a third-party site as expired or account-specific until southwest.com accepts it. Our guide to spotting fake coupon sites explains why.
Fare sales: where the real discounts show up
Most Southwest discounts are fare sales, not codes. When we reviewed the flight deals page, it showed “Up to 40% off base fares” on select flights, applied automatically, before government taxes and fees, with restrictions, blackout dates, and limited seats, days, and markets. Its printed deadline was “Book by 10/8,” so it had already ended.
The help center adds that “Sale fares are limited,” that some offers apply only to new reservations (read the details before cancelling, since “availability can change quickly”), and that “Basic fares cannot be changed” without first upgrading.
To hear about sales, sign up on Southwest’s email signup page for “promotional offers from Southwest.” The long-running Click ‘n Save name still appears in the signup form and unsubscribe page, but the page doesn’t describe the emails’ contents or frequency. Text alerts are also offered: text FLYDEALS to 70139 (“Message frequency varies”).
The four fare types, and why they matter more than a code
Southwest’s Fare Types and Benefits page lists four fares:
- Basic: “Standard seat assigned at check-in,” bag fees may apply, changes only “with fare upgrade,” non-refundable outside the 24-hour policy, credits expire in 6 months, 2 points per dollar, boards in Group 8.
- Choice: pick a Standard seat at booking, bag fees may apply, changes allowed (pay any fare difference), cancelling creates a 12-month Transferable Flight Credit, 6 points per dollar.
- Choice Preferred: pick a Preferred seat at booking, refundable if cancelled at least 10 minutes before departure, 10 points per dollar, bag fees may apply.
- Choice Extra: “Two free checked bags,” Extra Legroom seat, refundable, Group 1 boarding, 14 points per dollar.
Seats are now assigned. The Assigned Seating page lists Extra Legroom seats (with “up to five additional inches” of legroom), Preferred seats near the front, and Standard seats toward the back; on the cheaper fares, the better seats are “At a cost.” The fee page lists paid seat upgrades at $4 to $250 per segment and Priority Boarding at $10 to $75 per segment, per customer.
Bag fees and who skips them
Southwest charges for checked bags on Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred fares. On the current schedule, the Optional Travel Charges page lists $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second on those fares, for travel within the U.S. mainland. Change and cancellation fees are listed as $0.
The same page lists free checked bags for Choice Extra fares (two), A-List Preferred members (two), A-List members (first bag), Getaways by Southwest bookings (two per person), and active-duty military with valid ID. The primary Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember gets the first bag free for themselves and up to eight others on the reservation, if the Rapid Rewards number is on the booking. A Companion Pass holder’s companion gets the member’s bag benefits. None of this applies to partner-carrier flights. More service-member savings are in our military discounts master list.
Example (our math, not a Southwest quote): Two travelers book Choice fares and each checks one bag on a round trip. At the listed $45 first-bag fee, that is 2 people × 2 flights × $45 = $180 in bag fees. If one of them is the primary Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember and their number is on the reservation, both first bags are free on both flights. That saves the full $180, before any card fee, which we did not review.
Companion Pass
The Companion Pass is Southwest’s biggest standing perk. According to its Companion Pass page, you qualify if you “fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points” in a calendar year. The pass is good for the rest of the year in which you earn it plus the following full calendar year. Your designated companion flies free of airline charges on your trips but pays taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 one-way. You can change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year.
Points from Southwest revenue flights, Rapid Rewards credit and debit cards, and partner base points count toward the 135,000. Purchased or transferred points, enrollment points, tier and flight bonus points, and most partner bonuses do not. Companion flights earn no points, and the pass isn’t valid on Getaways by Southwest bookings.
Travel funds, price drops, and the Low Fare Calendar
The help center says that if a fare drops after you book Choice, you can change and keep the difference as a Transferable Flight Credit; refundable tickets can get it back to the original payment. Basic fares can’t be changed until upgraded.
Per the Transferable Flight Credits page, cancelling a Choice, Choice Preferred, or Choice Extra fare at least 10 minutes before departure creates a credit for “the original dollar amount paid for that fare.” It expires 12 months after the fare was booked and ticketed, and it can go to another Rapid Rewards Member in full, with “only one transfer is allowed.”
Example (our math, not a Southwest quote): You book a Choice fare for $180. A week later the same flight shows $140. Under the rule above, you can change to the lower fare and keep $40 as a Transferable Flight Credit good for 12 months from the original booking. Book that flight as Basic instead and you can’t make that change unless you first pay to upgrade.
The Low Fare Calendar shows the lowest fare on each day across a month. The help center notes the lowest numbers are often Basic fares, and that “Our fares can change at any time.”
The Rapid Rewards terms say “Points do not expire” (they are forfeited if you close the account). Reward travel earns no points, and taxes and fees on reward flights start at $5.60 per one-way trip.
How to save at Southwest Airlines without a coupon
- Check “Promo Codes” in your Rapid Rewards account, or “My Promo Codes” in the app, before you book.
- Sign up for Southwest’s promotional emails, or text FLYDEALS to 70139, to hear about fare sales. Most sales need no code.
- Use the Low Fare Calendar to compare dates, and remember the cheapest fare shown may be Basic.
- Price the whole trip. A Basic fare plus a checked bag and a seat purchase can cost more than a Choice fare. Choice Extra includes two checked bags.
- Book Choice or higher if prices might drop. If the fare goes down, you can rebook and keep the difference as a credit.
- If you fly often, keep track of your progress toward the Companion Pass. Credit card points count toward the 135,000.
To compare these rules with other airlines, see our guides to Delta flight deals and SkyMiles and Frontier coupons and Discount Den.
What we could not verify
- Whether any promo code is currently being sent to Rapid Rewards members. Codes are personal and live inside accounts we cannot see.
- Whether a given code works on every item in your cart. We did not run a checkout test.
- Whether promo codes can be combined with fare sales or apply to Basic fares. Southwest’s promo code help article does not say.
- What Click ‘n Save emails currently contain or how often they arrive. The signup page doesn’t describe them.
- Whether the Getaways by Southwest package discount was still running, and its booking dates. None were printed.
- The year on the “Book by 10/8” sale deadline, which the page did not print. The listed travel window points to the recent sale.
- The exact yearly Companion Pass point boost for cardholders; Southwest’s page gives different figures for the credit and debit cards.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I enter a Southwest promo code?
In the “Promo Code field” when you book on Southwest.com or in the Southwest app. Codes saved to your account appear under “Promo Codes” on the website or “My Promo Codes” in the app.
Do Southwest fare sales need a code?
Usually not. The most recent sale we saw on the flight deals page applied its discount automatically. The help center says some sales do require a promo code, and the offer details will tell you.
How do I earn the Companion Pass?
Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Rapid Rewards credit card points count. Purchased points, transferred points, and most bonus points don’t.
How long do Southwest flight credits last?
Transferable Flight Credits from Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra fares expire 12 months after booking. Credits from Basic fares expire in 6 months.
Offer provenance
All facts above come from Southwest’s own pages:
- Help Center, How to Use Promo Codes: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/Using-promo-codes
- Help Center, Flight Sale Information: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/flight-sale-information
- Help Center, Finding the Lowest Fares: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/lowest-fare-for-my-flight
- Flight Deals and Offers: southwest.com/special-offers/flight-deals/
- Email Signup: southwest.com/html/email/click_n_save_signup.html
- Fare Types and Benefits: southwest.com/airfare-types-benefits/
- Transferable Flight Credits: southwest.com/airfare-types-benefits/transferable-flight-credits/
- Assigned Seating: southwest.com/customer-enhancements/assigned-seating/
- Optional Travel Charges: southwest.com/html/customer-service/travel-fees.html
- Companion Pass: southwest.com/rapid-rewards/tiers/companion-pass/
- How to Earn Points: southwest.com/rapid-rewards/points/how-to-earn/
- Rapid Rewards Terms and Conditions: southwest.com/about-southwest/terms-and-conditions/rapid-rewards/
- SAVE25NOW promotion terms: southwest.com/SAVE25NOW/
No checkout test was performed. No code on this page was invented, and nothing was sourced from coupon sites. Read how we verify deals and our editorial policy. If a code has ended or something here is wrong, please tell us through our contact page.
Related: Delta flight deals and SkyMiles explained · Frontier Airlines coupons and Discount Den · American Airlines military benefits · Amtrak student, military, and senior discounts · How to spot fake coupon sites
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