13Editor’s notice: This publish has been up to date with new info.
Reserving a flight can really feel like a bet. You by no means know what the worth is perhaps just a few days or months down the road, and it is exhausting to know should you’re reserving the bottom doable fee. Must you ebook now? Maintain off just a few days? A number of months? It may be a traumatic course of, particularly when shopping for tickets for a complete household.
However not with Southwest Airlines. One of many longstanding perks of this airline is that with a push of some buttons, you may rebook any reservation. If the worth has decreased, you will get the distinction again. There isn’t any price to do that, and the airline even permits you to undergo this course of a vast variety of occasions as much as 10 minutes earlier than the flight’s departure.
It is a big perk and an ideal possibility for vacationers who need to cut back their total value, whether or not that be in points or {dollars}.
Associated: Airlines that offer you a credit if the price drops
What occurs whenever you discover a lower cost?
When you’ve already booked your flight, you may need to re-check your flight every so often to see if the worth has dropped. Whether or not it is throughout your morning routine or a selected fare sale, there is a respectable likelihood that you’ll discover your flight for much less — particularly should you booked months previous to touring.
If the fare does drop, you will obtain a Journey Funds credit score or your factors again, relying on the way you initially paid for the fare.
- When you paid for the flight: When you booked the lowest-price Wanna Get Away fare, you’ll obtain a Journey Funds credit score for the distinction within the fare. Thankfully, these credit not expire and can keep in your Southwest account till you redeem them. Journey Funds credit from these fares are nontransferable and might solely be used for a similar passenger. Nevertheless, should you booked a Wanna Get Away Plus fare, you’ll obtain transferable flight credit that let you switch your flight credit score to another person. Word that you need to each be Rapid Rewards members, and just one switch is permitted. For costlier Enterprise Choose and Anytime fares, you will obtain a money refund as an alternative of credit.
- When you used factors for the flight: The distinction in Fast Rewards factors will routinely return into the account from which these factors have been deducted.
Associated: How to redeem points with the Southwest Rapid Rewards program
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Steps to rebook your Southwest flight
Whether or not your flight was booked with factors or money, the method to rebook (and thus re-price) is extraordinarily straightforward.
First, sign up to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. On the “My Account” web page, you will see all your upcoming flights. Discover your flight and click on on “Change flight.”
Your unique departure and arrival airports, in addition to the date, will routinely populate. Click on “Discover choices.”
You may see the quantity that every flight has decreased (or elevated) in factors or money. In case your unique flight has decreased (famous by a minus signal), choose the fare to get a credit score. That is the very same course of you will comply with if you wish to change your flight to a totally totally different flight.
Then, click on “Overview modifications.”
You will notice the credit score you’re receiving on the backside of the web page. If you wish to proceed, click on “Overview Passenger and pricing.”
The passenger info will already be populated on the subsequent web page, and you may simply want to substantiate your modifications.
After confirming, you need to obtain an e mail inside a couple of minutes. You may discover your flight affirmation quantity has stayed the identical.
When you used factors to ebook initially, the distinction can be credited again to your Fast Rewards account instantly. When you had made a money reservation on a nonrefundable fare, you’ll now have Journey Funds obtainable.
Associated: Comparing the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority, Premier and Plus credit cards
If you go to ebook a future flight, choose the “Apply Flight Credit, LUV® Vouchers, and present playing cards” hyperlink within the cost technique part to redeem these Journey Funds.
You may see a brand new part open up. Choose the “Flight Credit score” tab and enter the unique affirmation quantity that the funds are tied to. Then, enter the passenger’s first and final identify.
Re-pricing a flight is a particularly straightforward course of, and when you get the cling of it, it should not take greater than a minute or so to finish.
Associated: How to change or cancel a Southwest Airlines flight
How does rebooking a flight work with the Southwest Companion Move?
If a flight goes down in value and also you rebook at that decrease fee, there are just a few further steps to comply with you probably have added a Companion Pass to your reservation.
As chances are you’ll already know, the Companion Move permits you to deliver a chosen buddy or member of the family for (nearly) free on any Southwest flight you’re taking. You may simply must pay the taxes and fees, like you would on an award ticket. You should utilize the Companion Move on each paid and award tickets; this lets you redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for your self and convey your companion with out utilizing any further factors.
Earlier than you may change your flight to get a less expensive one, you will must cancel your Companion Move reservation. Nevertheless, because you solely paid for the taxes and charges on the companion’s ticket, be sure to request the quantity paid again to your unique type of cost. The credit score will go to the cardboard you used, so you aren’t left with a journey voucher.
When you rebook your flight on the lower cost, you might want to add your companion’s reservation back onto your unique reservation. Don’t forget this step, as you do not need to depart your companion with no seat if the flight sells out.
Associated: Lessons learned from having the Companion Pass for over a decade
What occurs if I paid for EarlyBird Examine-In?
You probably have already paid for EarlyBird Check-In, rebooking your flight won’t cancel this add-on possibility. So long as the affirmation quantity stays the identical, you’re 100% within the clear.
The true problem comes whenever you cancel a reservation after which rebook. For probably the most half, that is primarily a difficulty whenever you rebook a reservation booked with a Companion Move. Since this reservation is canceled and also you obtained a brand new affirmation quantity, your EarlyBird Examine-In is wiped away. The cash you initially paid for this passenger is nonrefundable, and it’ll not be credited again to your account. You may be on the hook once more for the price if you wish to proceed to incorporate this selection on a brand new reservation.
If you wish to buy EarlyBird Examine-In, I recommend you maintain off on paying for the EarlyBird Examine-In add-on for the Companion Move till you are fairly assured that fares won’t go decrease. Have in mind, although, that your boarding place with EarlyBird Examine-In relies on just a few elements, together with how early you add it to your reservation.
Associated: Top Southwest international destinations for families
Backside line
My No. 1 tip for all Southwest vacationers is to periodically examine all upcoming Southwest flight costs — particularly throughout massive gross sales.
Southwest flight costs change very often, and there’s no motive you should not get the perfect value obtainable. The re-pricing course of is very simple, and it might in the end prevent a whole bunch of {dollars} (or the equal quantity in factors) with hardly any further effort.
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