Tip for Booking Cheap Flights with Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has been a go-to for many people because of its low prices and the many perks that come with every ticket, such as the fact that you get to check two bags at no extra cost. We’re great admirers of the airline, especially for their exceptionally Southwest Low Fare Calendar flights to Hawaii.

 

The lack of assigned seating and the freedom to take any available seat upon boarding may surprise Southwest passengers. There is no difference between seats (the whole plane is economy class), however those who pay more for “Business Select” can board the plane first.

 

We mention this a lot when talking about Southwest (and sure, you will see it later in this piece), but it’s crucial enough that we’re going to stress it right from the get.

 

To avoid getting in trouble, do not use any “automatic device, software, algorithm, or methodology” to scrape data from Southwest’s website and utilize it elsewhere.

 

So, Southwest Low Fare Calendar will never appear anywhere, but the official Southwest Airlines site and OTAs will never be able to use the tools they employ to acquire and display ticket information to you.

 

The good news is actually twofold. First, this post will show you where to look and what to do to find the lowest possible Southwest airfares. Additionally, Southwest Low Fare Calendar makes it simple to locate Southwest offers by including them in member emails.

 

What To Do To Get The Cheapest Southwest Airlines Deals

 

It’s easy to forget that a major player, Southwest Airlines, isn’t included in any of the search results since we’ve become so accustomed to seeing several ticket options at once on a wide variety of airlines by looking at online travel agencies (OTA) sites.

 

As previously established, Southwest doesn’t provide fares to any online travel agencies (OTAs) or metasearch engines like Google Flights. Although it may take a bit more digging than usual, Southwest’s low fares are easily discoverable on the airline’s website.

 

Also, while most airlines publish their flight schedules up to 11 months in advance, Southwest operates somewhat differently. They don’t have a hard and fast rule about how long in advance you can book, but the earliest departure date is typically seven months away, and new tickets are released in batches at regular intervals. The screenshots below show that the Southwest booking window is clearly displayed on the search screen, so you can easily determine the date range you need to fly.

 

Where Can I Find Southwest Low Fare Calendar?

 

The Low Fare Calendar on Southwest Airlines functions similarly to calendar search tools on other OTAs in that it lists the cheapest day of the month to purchase airline tickets. By doing so, you can quickly determine which days offer the best overall fare.

 

Tips For Navigating Southwest Low Fare Calendar To Find The Best Deals

 

The Low Fare Calendar can be accessed in two different ways. To find the Low Fare Calendar, just use the “Depart” and “Arrive” search boxes on the main Southwest page.

If you click that link, a new browser tab will be created. If it is not already populated based on your current location, please enter the airport and city where you will be departing from and arriving. When choosing your departure and return dates, you will only be able to choose from dates within a month of each other. It’s as simple as clicking the “Depart Month” drop-down menu to select a new first month.

 

Make sure you read the fine print to the left of the big yellow “Search” button. If your desired travel date is beyond the date displayed, please come back at a later time to see if Southwest is accepting new reservations for that date.

 

The number of travelers can be modified in Southwest Low Fare Calendar window. You can also change your trip type from a round trip to a one-way or multi-city itinerary by using the drop-down menus above the search columns. After refining your search criteria to your satisfaction, you may initiate your query by clicking the “Search” button (shown in yellow).

 

The first page of the results shows the calendar months you selected for your departure and return dates, together with the cheapest fare available for each day of that month. Each calendar features a month-select bar at the top that you can use to switch between views quickly.

A typical flight search on Southwest’s webpage will also reveal the Low Fare Calendar. The flight possibilities for both the outbound and inbound directions can be narrowed down by selecting the appropriate date range from the drop-down menus that appear when you click the yellow “Search” button. A green tab labeled “Low Fare Calendar” on the right side of the tabs leads to the same information.

 

Instead of seeing the price of a ticket, you may see how many Southwest points it would take to fly on a given day.

 

To begin your trip on a specific day, go to the “Departs” calendar and click the appropriate day. Because of this, the “depart date” is also included in the “Returns” calendar.

 

Choose the return date you’d like to make by clicking the calendar’s “Returns” button. The “return date” will be added to the “Departs” calendar without any further action from you. All dates on the “Departs” calendar following your return date will be greyed out as well. However, you can always change your dates by clicking on another date. Click the yellow “Search” button once you’ve settled on the dates you’d want to look at.

 

The following page displays all available flights for the selected departure and returns dates. The list is default arranged according to departure time, but you can change the order by selecting a different option from the drop-down box.

Southwest offers three fare categories for each flight: Business Select, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away. Here, you can get more information about the many ticket options available.

 

A departure flight can be selected by clicking the box corresponding to the desired Southwest Fare category and the corresponding price. The remaining outbound flights will collapse so that you can more clearly identify the available inbound flights. Even if you modify the sorted method for the outbound flight, the options for the return flight remain the same, with “departure time” as the default. Again, you’ll be able to see only the two flights that match the fare type and departure date/time that you select.

 

To see the full ticket price breakdown, click the yellow “Continue” button and go to the purchasing page. The “Save this flight for later” option may be found to the left of the yellow “Continue” button if you aren’t quite ready to buy just yet.

 

The total price of the plan and an arrow pointing to a menu drop-down are displayed in the screen’s top right corner. When you do, you’ll be taken to an overview of the trip, where you may decide whether or not to actually buy the flights and make adjustments to or delete the flights entirely.

 

Extra Southwest Airlines Booking Advice

 

Changes to the Chase Points Transfer to Southwest

 

Southwest, like many airlines, has its own credit card that gives cardholders bonus points toward Southwest airfare. Southwest, unlike other airlines, has an agreement with select Chase credit cards that allow points earned on the Chase card to be transferred to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio.

 

If you have 1,000 Chase points, you can exchange them for the same amount in Southwest Rapid Rewards if you have the right credit card.

 

These Chase credit cards are part of the partnership: Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Chase Ink Business Preferred. You’ll need both a Southwest Rapid Rewards account and at least 1,000 Chase points to make the transfer. You can transfer your points to Southwest from your Chase Ultimate Rewards account by clicking the “Transfer to Travel Partners” button.

 

Despite how simple it is, this may not always be the greatest use of your Chase points. Chase points can be redeemed for more money when used on Chase’s travel site rather than transferred to a travel partner. However, cardholders can still use their Chase points to book Southwest flights by calling the Chase Travel Center at (866) 951-6592. This is despite the fact that Southwest is not listed on Chase’s website (as indicated in the introduction, the airline has a severe prohibition against this). The latter choice also comes with the benefit of accruing Rapid Rewards points.

 

Compare the costs of reserving Southwest through Chase’s Travel Center and transferring Chase points to see which is more affordable. However, most experts believe transferring points to Southwest is the best use for Sapphire Preferred, and Ink Business Preferred cards, while booking through Chase is the best use of points for Sapphire Reserve cardholders.

 

Price Declines Prompt A Rebooking

 

To amend or cancel your reservation with Southwest, there is no cost involved, as is one of their normal practices. The one and only catch being that you’ll only have until 10 minutes before your flight leaves to make any modifications.

 

This strategy provides comfort for those whose trip plans are subject to change and makes it simple to take advantage of a lower-priced airfare after the fact.

 

Southwest Low Fare Calendar allows you to buy a new ticket at a lower price and cancel your old one at no cost if the price drops after you purchase it. What kind of return you get is determined by the fare type you booked and the method of payment. Nonrefundable Wanna Get Away rates on Southwest, for example, are refunded in the form of a Southwest credit called a “Travel Fund.” (However, the credit does have an expiration date, so be sure to check your Southwest account to see when it will expire.) Your refund would be issued as Southwest Rapid Rewards points if you paid for the trip with them.

 

The “Change Flights” button in your Southwest account makes it simple to make adjustments. Multiple flights or a single flight might be changed at once. Keep in mind that the flight alternatives you see will be presented in terms of the cost or points required to upgrade your existing ticket. In this case, a negative price difference indicates that the more recent ticket is the superior buy.

 

Southwest Rewards

 

The Companion Pass in the Southwest

 

Unlike other airlines, Southwest gives its frequent fliers a complimentary (less taxes and fees) Companion Pass every time they book a flight for an entire year, not just once or twice.

 

You must complete “100 qualifying one-way flights” or earn “125,000 qualifying points” within a calendar year to be eligible for this perk. When you reach this tier, you will receive the Companion Pass for the following calendar year and the rest of the year in which you earned the prize. Using a Southwest credit card, making purchases through Southwest’s website’s partners, eating at Southwest partner restaurants, and booking non-air travel accommodations (like hotels and car rentals) through the Southwest website are all ways to rack up points in addition to actually flying with Southwest.

 

You can designate your travel companion using your Rapid Rewards to account online or over the phone once you have earned the Companion Pass. Booking your flight is required before you may utilize the Companion Pass. Then, in “My Trips,” locate the flight you just booked and select “Add Companion.” Despite the absence of a price tag, you will be asked to provide payment information for taxes and fees associated with the ticket.

 

As the Companion Pass at Southwest Low Fare Calendar is a real card, the person listed on it cannot be changed once a ticket has been purchased. Three changes per calendar year are permitted, after which Southwest will send a new card.

 

Remember that the companion ticket must be the same as the purchased one, and that both passengers must check in at the same time. Your Companion Pass card may also be required for entry.

 

Southwest Airlines Offers Cheap Award Flights To Hawaii

 

Southwest’s legendary low prices aren’t only for domestic travel; you can sometimes find one-way trips from California to Hawaii for less than 10,000 points (or about $200). And once you’re there, you can use Southwest’s inter-island flights to see even more of the islands for less than 5,000 points round trip. It’s a good value whatsoever, but if you have a Companion Pass, it’s even sweeter. Tickets for flights to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue are both more expensive than those on other airlines.

 

Staying At Hotels To Earn Southwest Airlines Points

 

Rapid Rewards points can be easily earned by flying Southwest, but that’s not the only way. Booking a hotel through one of Southwest’s travel partners is a simple method to rack up points, as was discussed in the Companion Pass section.

 

Hotels from chains like Best Western, Radisson, Marriott, and Hyatt are available on Southwest’s website. Southwest also provides more choices through its relationships with Booking.com and RocketMiles.com. There are frequent promotions where you can earn even more Rapid Rewards points on a hotel booking, and the hotel’s website should always include both the room pricing and the number of points you would receive with a booking.

 

It’s important to keep in mind that the lodging rates offered through these agreements aren’t necessarily the lowest you can find, so if saving money is your top priority, you should do your own research.

 

The Ultimate Guide to Earning the Most Southwest Rewards

 

As a refresher, here is a rundown of the article’s information on how to get the most of your Southwest Rapid Rewards points:

 

•         Never miss a low price by keeping an eye on the Low Fare Calendar, where prices are shown in points rather than hard currency.
•         If you have already purchased your flight, check the price again to see if you can save money.
•         Spend money at Southwest’s affiliated stores, restaurants, and travel partners to increase your point total.
•         To transfer points to Southwest, use a Southwest credit card or one of the Chase cards accepted by the airline (but do the math before you transfer those points).
•         If you reach Companion Pass status, you’ll be able to buy a second ticket for next to nothing.

 

Summary of Southwest Low Fare Calendar

 

Since Southwest fares are never displayed in search results on other OTA sites, the only place to look at and purchase Southwest flights is on the Southwest website. Join Scott’s Cheap Flights, and we’ll look for the best Southwest fares available just for you!

 

In order to locate the lowest-priced Southwest ticket, Rapid Rewards members or not, it’s best to be flexible with your travel dates and use the Low Fare Calendar.

 

It’s always a good idea to double-check ticket costs for a trip you’ve already purchased. Most airlines allow you to make modifications or cancel up to 10 minutes before flight departure with no penalties.