Epic Southwest Change Policy for Summer Travel (6/7 - 8/10) EXPIRED AGAIN

NOTE: This deal is no longer active. Announcements regarding Boeing 737 MAX delays seem to trigger these rebooking windows as @srentmee indicated in post 97 below, so be on the lookout for the next update.


If you have a flight booked or planning on booking a flight on SW between the dates of 6/7 and 8/10 this could save you a lot of money/points.

Typically, when you change a flight with Southwest and the new flight is more/less expensive you pay or are refunded the difference. However, as of right now Southwest is allowing those travelling between the dates of 6/7 and 8/10 to change their flight +/- 14 days from the original travel dates at no additional cost.

[The below example shows dates of 5/1-5/4 which applied to the spring version of this same policy. The current policy is only for travel from 6/7 through 8/10.]

For example, my original flight was 5/1-5/4 and when I click the change button on my reservation I get the below message:

Best of all, this applies to new bookings. So, find the lowest cost fare possible within 14 days of your desired travel date, book it, and then change to your desired travel date. I can’t see this lasting very long, so act fast!

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The good news is, they have been doing this since the beginning of the Max 8 (I think that’s the plane) issues. I have been able to change my flight in August, November, February and now April. I hope they keep this policy up - it saved me over $1000 for April. The flight time I wanted was $499 and there was no way I was paying that for one way per person. But it’s now my flight as of yesterday!

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I am looking at flights for 3/7 and 3/14. I waited too long to book. Are you saying that I can book a cheaper flight today within a 14 day period of my travel dates, and change my flights to the ones I want with no upcharge?

I can’t speak to the immediate piece. Mine were always flights I booked well in advance (usually opening day) and when they alter the schedule, they automatically become available for booking to any other flight at no additional cost. I literally have been opening the app and looking for the red bar that indicates I can change flights for free for about 2 weeks - but this appears on the flight I already have booked.

I love this forum!! Thank you so much for the tip-it worked!!

I was confused by this, so I called Southwest. If I understand this correctly, this applies only if you book your flight well in advance and there is some sort of change to the flight schedule (flight number, times, etc.). If there is such a change, they will offer you the opportunity to change to another flight (same departing and arriving destinations) within a 14 day window at no additional cost. Do I have this right? So, there would have to be some sort of change in the flight schedule after you book the original flight, right?

@PrincipalTinker do you know anything about this?

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Hmm also wondering…

About to book flights… can I book the cheap flight next day switch to the flight I want for no upcharge??

Or do I have this wrong?

That is how it typically works. However right now, this policy applies to all flights booked from 4/14-6/6–whether booked well in advanced or you just booked 5 minutes ago.

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That should work. My flight is still showing the ability to change it with no additional cost.

No. This will not work for you. Your dates don’t fall between 4/14 and 6/6.

Ah actually the dates I was wondering are in March! Bummer

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The Wanna Get Away fares from Southwest are non-refundable. If you switch to a lower priced flight, you will receive a credit toward future travel within a one year period. Only the full-priced fares are fully refundable.

Where is this deal published or advertised? The SW rep I talked to (and she seemed pretty knowledgeable) was not aware of any recent policy changes with respect to changing flights at no additional cost.

My bad about the refundable part. Forgot it was Southwest credit for the Wanna Get Away when paying cash. I always pay with points.

It’s not a published or advertised deal, but it does work.

Was your flight previously booked well in advance, or did you just book it and change it right away?

In short, yes I booked a flight this morning for 4/21 and then immediately changed it to 4/19 for no extra charge.

Long story, I had previously booked a 4/19 flight on points and meant to use SW credits I have for the other direction. Found a better deal/time for the other flight on Frontier. However the price of the 4/19 flight had gone up significantly. With this tip I was able to rebook using my credits for a much lower price and cancel the points booking.

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For anyone who is wondering where I am going with this conversation, I am trying to ascertain whether the reason all of you were able to change to a more expensive flight at no additional cost was because there was some sort of change in the flight schedule since the time of your original booking. SW policy is that when there is a change in the flight schedule, they offer customers the opportunity to re-book any flight to/from the same locations within a 14 day period of the original flight.
I am thinking that if I book a cheaper flight today and turn around and try to book a more expensive flight, I will be charged for the more expensive flight because there will have been no change in the SW flight schedule since the time of my original booking.

You are correct that is typically how it works. That is not how it is working at the moment for the dates I mentioned.

This is what my app currently says about the flight I just booked today:

Here’s a blog post about it: Southwest Allowing Customers To Change All Flights For Free (Including Cost Difference Between Flights) - Doctor Of Credit

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You will not be charged to change if it is within the affected dates. I just did it again for both legs of a May trip. Try it if you are within the dates; if it doesn’t work you can always get a refund for the flight booked within 24 hours of booking.

OMG thank you so much for posting this. I have been obsessively checking every day for a fare drop on a later morning return flight (10 am departure much more desirable than 8 am) but the fare was over $300 one way. My original return trip fare was $168, so it was almost twice as expensive. I was just able to change it at no cost.

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I was able to change fights today for an April and May trip. I’m super excited!! Got much better flights for no additional cost. Thanks for posting!

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