Southwest’s Secret Savings: How to Auto-Claim Your Flight Credits Without the Stress
- Refare Team
- Feb 17
- 5 min read
TL;DR
Southwest lets you rebook for free when prices drop, but you have to manually check and rebook yourself. Refare automates the entire process, just forward your confirmation email to flights@refare.com, and we'll monitor your flight 24/7. When the price drops, we handle the rebooking and you get your refund. Keep your Rapid Rewards points and status while saving cash. No credit card required to start.
Southwest's Hidden Advantage (That Most Travelers Don't Use)
Here's something you probably already know: Southwest Airlines doesn't charge change fees. What you might not know? This policy is basically a golden ticket to free money if you know how to use it.
When your Southwest flight drops in price after you book, you can rebook at the lower fare and pocket the difference. Sounds simple, right? Here's the catch: Southwest won't tell you when this happens. You have to manually check your flight every day, rebook it yourself through their website, and repeat this process until the day you fly.
Most travelers book their Southwest flight and forget about it. Meanwhile, they're leaving hundreds of dollars on the table.
The Manual Hassle Nobody Talks About
Let's be real about what Southwest's "free" rebooking policy actually requires:
The Daily Grind:
Log into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account
Navigate to "My upcoming trips"
Check if your flight price has dropped
Click through multiple screens to rebook
Confirm the changes and wait for the credit
Repeat tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.
If you have a flight booked three months out, that's 90+ days of manual checking. Miss a day? You might miss the price drop. Going on vacation before your flight? Better keep checking. Busy at work? Too bad, the savings won't wait for you.
And here's the kicker: Southwest doesn't appear on Google Flights or other price-tracking sites. You're on your own.
Enter Refare: Your Hands-Off Southwest Savings Machine
This is where automatic flight price refund tools change the game. Instead of manually checking Southwest's website every day, Refare does it for you. Automatically. Continuously. Without you lifting a finger.
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Forward Your Confirmation Book your Southwest flight like normal. When you get the confirmation email, forward it to flights@refare.com. That's it. No account setup, no credit card required, no complicated forms.
Step 2: We Monitor 24/7 Our AI watches your flight around the clock. When the price drops, we catch it instantly, even if it's 3 AM on a Tuesday.
Step 3: Automatic Rebooking We handle the entire rebooking process through Southwest's website. You don't have to log in, click through menus, or confirm anything. We do it all.
Step 4: Instant Refund Depending on your fare type, you'll receive:
Wanna Get Away fares: Travel credits for future flights
Wanna Get Away Plus: Transferable flight credits you can share
Anytime or Business Select: Cash refund to your original payment method
Points bookings: Sorry, Refare only works with paid cash fares, we can't monitor or rebook award tickets
The refund hits your account automatically. You get a notification from us, and the savings are already secured.
Why Refare + Southwest = The Perfect Match
Southwest's policies align perfectly with what Refare does best:
No Change Fees = Unlimited Opportunities Since Southwest doesn't charge to rebook, every price drop is pure profit for you. We can rebook your flight as many times as needed with zero downside.
Travel Credits That Don't Expire Southwest eliminated expiration dates on travel credits. Your savings roll over indefinitely, giving you flexibility for future trips.
Keep Your Rapid Rewards Status Here's the magic: When we rebook your flight at a lower price, you keep all your Rapid Rewards points and status. You still get credit for flying, but you save cash. It's the ultimate double-dip.
Up to 10 Minutes Before Departure Southwest allows rebooking right up until 10 minutes before your flight. We monitor until the last possible moment, maximizing your savings window.
Real Scenarios Where This Pays Off
Business Traveler Sarah's Story: Sarah books a round-trip from Chicago to Phoenix three months out: $380. Over the next 90 days, Southwest runs two sales. Refare catches both price drops and rebooks automatically. Final cost: $245. Sarah saves $135 without checking prices once. She keeps her Rapid Rewards points for elite status and uses her travel credit toward a personal trip to Denver.
Budget-Conscious Mike's Approach: Mike books early to lock in his Southwest flight for a family reunion in Dallas: $290. He knows prices might drop, but he doesn't have time to monitor daily. Refare handles it. Two weeks before the trip, Southwest drops the fare to $198. Mike gets $92 back in travel credits automatically. No manual effort required.
The Loyalty Program Pro: Flying Southwest for status? You still earn points and tier-qualifying flights when we rebook at a lower price. The only thing that changes is how much cash you spent. Your loyalty program benefits stay intact while your wallet gets heavier.
How Much Can You Actually Save?
According to our 2025 data, Southwest flights that dropped in price saved customers an average of $34 per rebooking. While that's lower than some other carriers, remember two things:
Southwest's base fares are often already competitive
Every dollar saved is pure profit since there are no change fees
Plus, Southwest runs regular sales. If you're booking months in advance, the odds of catching at least one price drop before you fly are high. Refare makes sure you never miss it.
"But Doesn't This Cost Money?"
Yes: Refare takes a 25% service fee, but only when we save you money. Here's the math:
Without Refare:
You book a Southwest flight for $400
Price drops to $320
You don't notice because you're busy living your life
You pay: $400
Savings: $0
With Refare:
You book the same flight for $400
We catch the drop to $320
We rebook automatically and save you $80
Our 25% fee: $20
Your net savings: $60
You pay effectively: $340
Even after our fee, you're $60 richer than you would have been. And you didn't have to check prices, log into Southwest, or lift a finger.
Getting Started Is Stupid Simple
Ready to stop leaving money on the table? Here's what to do:
Book your Southwest flight through their website or app like you normally would
Forward your confirmation email to flights@refare.com
Sit back and relax while we monitor for price drops
Get notified when we find savings and process your refund
No signup forms, no credit card upfront, no complicated setup. Just forward and forget.
Want to see exactly how it works? Check out our Get Started page for a complete walkthrough.
The Bottom Line on Southwest and Automatic Savings
Southwest's no-change-fee policy is one of the best-kept secrets in air travel. But to actually benefit from it, you need to monitor prices constantly and rebook manually: something most people simply don't have time for.
Flight price refund services in the US like Refare solve this problem completely. We automate the boring, time-consuming work of price monitoring and rebooking so you can focus on planning your trip instead of hunting for savings.
With Southwest, you get to keep your Rapid Rewards benefits while recouping cash. With Refare, you get those savings without the hassle. It's the best of both worlds.
Bottom Line
Southwest Airlines offers free rebooking when prices drop, but requires constant manual monitoring to capture savings. Refare automates this entire process: simply forward your confirmation email to flights@refare.com and we'll track your flight 24/7, rebook automatically when prices fall, and secure your refund instantly. You keep your Rapid Rewards points and elite status while saving cash. With no credit card required to start and a fee-only-when-we-save model, there's zero risk and maximum reward. Stop manually checking prices and start automatically saving on Southwest flights with Refare.