If you have one of Chase’s five Southwest Airlines credit cards, chances are you may not be aware of a little-known promo code that allows cardholders to get 20% off a last-minute flight redemption.
We first reported on this benefit a year ago and thought it was a one-time deal, but AwardWallet has reported that it has been extended for another year.
Offer details
To qualify for the promotional discount, you must have one of the following cards:
Log into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account and go to the payment section, where you can find your personalized promo code for a one-time 20% discount on any one-way or round-trip flight booked with Rapid Rewards points within 14 days of departure. These codes are valid through January 11, 2025, and if you have more than one Southwest card, you must have a separate promotional code for each card.
We contacted TPG employees who have one of these cards, and they all confirmed they have promotional codes in their accounts.
Here are some important terms to keep in mind:
- This is a one-time use promotional code. So save this for an expensive trip where your discount will save you the most points.
- It is only valid for a flight booked within 14 days before departure. So you may want to save it for an emergency or a spontaneous trip.
- It looks like you can use one promo code to book up to eight people on the same itinerary. To earn the most points, you can bring a maximum of seven people.
- You must redeem points for your ticket. This discount does not apply to cash rates.
- This is a personalized promotional code; it cannot be transferred to another person.
- The code is valid for the Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime and Business Select fares for a single trip or return, so it is quite extensive.
Here are the full terms and conditions:
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20 percent promo code savings valid on Wanna Get Away®, Wanna Get Away plus®, Anytime and Business Select® fares (one way or round trip) booked with Rapid Rewards points on Southwest.com® from January 12, 2024 through January 11. 2025 11:59 PM Central Time (the “Booking Period”) and flown within 14 days of the date you book your ticket (“Travel Period”). Promo code savings are applied before government taxes and fees. Enter your unique promotional code in the Promo Code field when booking during the Booking Period.
If you entered your single-use promotional code in the Promo Code field on Southwest.com, when you select your flights, the base fare savings will appear as a rollover from the original fare. After you select your flights, savings will be reflected in the base fare when you enter your single-use promotional code in the Promo Code field on Southwest.com when booking for travel during the Travel Period during the Booking Period. Please note that the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that advertised rates include all government taxes and fees. However, these promo code savings only apply to the base rate. Discount is only valid on new reservations.
The discount only applies to flights booked within the Booking Period and to trips flown within the Travel Period. If one direction of the trip falls outside the Travel Period and one direction falls within the Travel Period, only the portion of the trip that falls within the Travel Period will be discounted. Any changes made to the itinerary after purchase will eliminate qualifications for this promotion and will result in the forfeiture of any promotional codes. The discount is only valid with the specified promotional code and cannot be combined with other promotional codes or rates.
All reward trips are subject to taxes, fees and other government or airport imposed fees of a minimum of $5.60 each way. Applicable taxes, fees and other government or airport imposed charges may vary significantly depending on your arrival and departure destination. Payment of any taxes, fees or other government or airport imposed charges is the responsibility of the Passenger and must be paid at the time the reward trip is booked using a credit card, travel fund or Southwest gift card. Fares are subject to change until a ticket is booked. Offer applies to published scheduled services only. Chase is not responsible for providing or failing to provide the stated benefits and services. The offer cannot be redeemed for cash and cannot be used in conjunction with other special offers, or towards the purchase of a gift voucher or previously booked flight, or to change a previously booked flight. Discount is valid on Southwest.com only and is not valid on group travel or Southwest Vacations®, rates booked through SWABIZ.com, our Southwest Partner Services API or through Global Distribution Systems, or special rates such as military and government rates.
Southwest 20% discount example
I have the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card and made a sample booking to fly from Austin to Honolulu next week. The ticket would have cost 16,759 Rapid Rewards points, but with my discount I was able to save over 3,300 points:
To get the most out of it, I could take seven people on a tour to Hawaii, bringing the total price down from 338,544 points plus $90 in taxes:
Down to just 270,824 points (plus the same amount in taxes), saving me over 67,000 points:
While it’s unrealistic to expect seven of my friends to drop everything and fly to Hawaii with me in a week (although maybe not, if you knew my friends), you might want to keep this promo code in mind in case something arises an emergency arises and you have no choice but to book a last-minute trip.
Or consider a spontaneous outing that you can enjoy with your loved ones. Make sure to use your discount code before it expires on January 11, 2025.
In short
You can maximize this Southwest credit card benefit by using it on a tour booked with points for up to eight people within two weeks of departure. Although the booking period may limit the usefulness of the promotional code, it is worth taking into account if the need for last-minute travel arises and you can use it to earn a large number of points for a trip in the upcoming months.