Here’s the warning message I received after selecting my cheaper flight option: Now, there’s one important item to keep in mind when changing a flight in this way: Modifying a refundable ticket (including those booked with points) automatically changes it to a non-refundable ticket. These points are worth $55.11 based on TPG’s most recent valuations, and they’ll come in handy for my next trip. This was the end of the price drops on this particular itinerary, but I was able to save 3,674 Rapid Rewards points thanks to Southwest’s no-fee change policy and my diligence in checking the carrier’s website regularly. After a few minutes and a handful of clicks, I was able to rebook the exact same flights at an even cheaper redemption cost: In fact, the day after making this first change I noticed that my outbound flight had dropped in price again. The whole process takes just a few minutes, and the best part is that you can repeat it an unlimited number of times.
The points should be immediately credited back to your account, though you may need to log out and then back in to see the balance reflected. Review the itinerary one more time, then click I Want To Make These Changes. Review the fare difference, then click Continue.ħ. Find your new (or cheaper) flight, then click Continue.Ħ. Change your search criteria (if needed), then click Select New Flights.ĥ. Select the flight(s) you’d like to change, then click Continue.Ĥ. Find your itinerary and click Change at the top.ģ. Log in to your Southwest Rapid Rewards cccount.Ģ. As soon as I saw that the price of my return flight had dropped, I was ready to go. Since Southwest is so generous with this policy, I recommend doing what I do: Regularly check your flights in the months and weeks leading up to departure. For my flight, I was scheduled to fly nonstop from Orlando (MCO) to Denver (DEN) in early October, and I redeemed just over 24,000 Rapid Rewards points for the flight: It doesn’t matter if you paid cash out of pocket or redeemed points this fee-free change process only applies to existing reservations. This probably goes without saying, but the first thing you’ll need is a confirmed Southwest booking. I was recently able to do this twice with a Southwest award flight, so let’s take a look at the exact process for utilizing this strategy. Since the Rapid Rewards program follows a revenue-based redemption scheme rather than a traditional award chart, when a flight drops by just $10 or $15, you should be able to get a corresponding number of points back in your account. The second possibility is probably most appealing to many readers, especially those (like me) who fly Southwest every once in a while and find it much easier to use points rather than a voucher. However, with American, Delta or United, you’ll need to pay a $200 change fee before the $30 is credited, resulting in an additional out-of-pocket charge of $170. With Southwest, you can rebook the exact same itinerary and have $30 to spend later when you need another Southwest flight. For example, let’s say that the price of your flight drops by $30. The first one in particular stands in sharp contrast to the legacy carriers. Award booking: You receive an immediate credit of the point differential to your Rapid Rewards account.Paid booking: You receive a credit back as a Southwest voucher to be used toward a new flight (valid for one year from the original purchase date).There are two possibilities for how this plays out:
But things get interesting when your new flights are cheaper in price. If your new itinerary is priced the same as your old one, you don’t pay anything. If you move to a later one or switch to a completely different date, the only thing you have to pay is the difference in fare if the new ticket is more expensive.
In short, the carrier never tacks on a fee when you change your flight. Let’s start with a quick overview of the carrier’s policy, which it touts in virtually all of its advertisements with the “Trans farency” moniker. Today I want to go through the process of rebooking an already confirmed Southwest ticket to get a refund of either points or money. However, there is one airline in the US that stands about the others when it comes to these awful fees: Southwest. The legacy carriers typically charge at least $200 when you need to modify your itinerary, and most others follow the same general approach. If you’ve ever needed to adjust your travel plans, you’re probably familiar with the dreaded phenomenon of airline change fees.
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