Now is a great opportunity to secure Southwest tickets if you haven't yet made travel arrangements for the upcoming months.
Although some airlines let you book flights up to 11 months in advance, Southwest only opens its booking window for a short period of time at a time.
Southwest flights were previously only available through the middle of August.
Southwest has now extended its schedule through October 4, 2023, as of yesterday.
As a result, now is a great opportunity to book a flight with Southwest for this summer or fall.
Here are some tips for making the most of Southwest's most recent schedule extension.
Why book when Southwest extends its schedule
When Southwest expands its schedule, booking flights soon might result in significant savings.
You won't find cheaper prices than what is offered currently for peak travel dates, despite the fact that availability will presumably persist for a while.
Even if you're unsure whether you'll go on the trip, Southwest's change and cancellation policy make it simple to book now.
Southwest's cancellation policies are as follows if you do so at least 10 minutes prior to the departure of a flight:
• You will receive travel funds if you purchased a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare.
• If you purchased a Business Select or Anytime fare, you have the option of accepting travel money or asking for a refund to your original mode of payment.
• If you used Southwest points to make a purchase: Points will automatically be credited to the account from which they were made, and you can ask Southwest to credit taxes and fees back to the original payment method.
Therefore, if the vacation plans for your family change, you are free to cancel your ticket.
Additionally, you can rebook and recover the difference as travel dollars or points if the price drops after you make your initial reservation.
Therefore, it's a quite low risk to book Southwest flights for the vacations you want to take.
How to get the best Southwest deals
Here are five suggestions for obtaining the greatest airfare on Southwest flights.
Book right now
Especially if you wish to fly during busy seasons, I advise buying Southwest flights right away when the booking window opens.
Despite the fact that flights have already become available, you can still find some great offers.
Due to Southwest's accommodating rules, as was already indicated, there is no risk involved in booking flights.
So even if you're not completely sure of your plans, you might want to make a reservation right away.
Book more expensive Anytime or Business Select rates or use Southwest points to pay for your flights if you want a complete return to your original payment method.
Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest
Redeeming Southwest points is my preferred method of purchasing a Southwest flight because of the airline's accommodating award regulations.
You can get the taxes and fees you paid back to your card if you need to cancel a flight that you bought using points. Your points go directly into your Rapid Rewards account.
It will take some time, but getting a sign-up bonus for a new Southwest credit card is a great method to increase your account balance.
If you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio.
Use a Companion Pass, but you can add it later
My favorite perk in the travel sector is the Southwest Companion Pass.
After all, the Companion Pass benefit allows a friend or family member to fly with you for free (plus taxes and fees).
Normally, the pass ends on December 31 of the year after the one in which you received it.
You can still make your reservation now and add your companion's ticket later if you do not yet have a Companion Pass but want to acquire one before your travel.
The only prerequisite for including your companion in your reservation is that there must still be one available seat.
Just keep in mind that if you wait too long, your flight may sell out if you are traveling during peak hours on a popular route.
Consider obtaining one of the following credit cards if you need a Companion Pass right away.
Each of these welcome offers includes a promotional Companion Pass for new cardholders:
• Earn 30,000 bonus points and a companion fare (excluding taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 one-way) good through February 28, 2024, when you use the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card within the first three months of creating your account.
The offer expires on March 13.
• Earn 30,000 bonus points and a companion fare (which costs $5.60 one-way and is valid through February 28, 2024) with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card after making $4,000 in purchases during the first three months of creating your account.
The offer expires on March 13.
• Earn 30,000 bonus points and a companion fare (excluding taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 one-way) with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card after making $4,000 in purchases during the first three months of the account's inception.
Expires on March 13.
Keep other dates in mind.
Use your flexibility to your advantage when making your flight reservations.
To find the cheapest times to take your desired flights, use Southwest's low-fare calendar.
Typically, Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive days to fly.
Therefore, you might find the price to be much lower if you can move your dates up a few days.
Naturally, everyone may not be able to skip work or excuse their children from school, but having backup dates may be advantageous.
Look for price drops
You can easily recover the additional Rapid Rewards points back into your account if the price of your flight drops between the time you book and when you fly.
Naturally, these lenient rules continue to apply if you pay for your ticket in cash, but you'll receive Southwest travel dollars instead.
In conclusion
The greatest tickets for your family can be booked at the lowest prices if you are aware of all the details involved in reserving a Southwest flight.
Travelers should make their reservations as soon as possible to get the cheapest rates on Southwest.
Southwest intends to extend its schedule once more on March 9, 2023, for flights through Nov. 4, 2023, in case you need to make further advance flight reservations.
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