Does Southwest refund the difference if the price drops?
Yes — and more straightforwardly than on any other US airline. Southwest lets you rebook the same flights at a lower fare and keeps the difference for you as flight credit, on everything except its Basic fares. The catch is on our side rather than theirs: Southwest does not publish its fares to the comparison services Farewatch prices from, so Southwest is the one airline here we cannot watch for you. The steps below are how to do it yourself.
How to claim it
Open Manage Reservation on southwest.com and rebook the same flights at the lower fare. The difference is issued as flight credit.
- You get back
- flight credit
- Does not apply to
- Basic fares purchased under the 2025 fare structure
- Phone
- +1 800 435 9792
Farewatch is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Southwest Airlines.
Common questions
Is the difference paid back in cash?
No. Southwest issues it as flight credit toward a future booking rather than refunding your card.
Which Southwest fares are excluded?
Basic fares, introduced under the 2025 fare structure, are the exception — they are the restricted brand and do not permit this. Southwest’s other fare types are the reason it has long been the easiest airline to do this on.
Does Southwest charge a change fee?
Southwest has long been the outlier among US airlines in not charging change fees on its standard fares, which is what makes rebooking at a lower price so routine there. Your own ticket’s rules are shown in Manage Reservation before you confirm, so check them rather than assuming.
Why can Farewatch not monitor my Southwest fare?
Because Southwest does not distribute its fares to the metasearch and travel-agency systems the rest of the industry publishes to, and those are what we read prices from. We would rather say that plainly than sell you a watch that could never fire. We do monitor American, Delta, United, JetBlue and Alaska.
How often should I check it myself?
Fares move continuously and a drop can vanish within hours, so there is no reliably "right" moment. Checking when you think of it — and particularly a few weeks out, when leisure fares are often repriced — is better than not checking at all.
How long does Southwest flight credit last?
Flight credit carries an expiry that Southwest states when it is issued. Note the date at the time, since the credit is only worth what you spend before it lapses.