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The Great Southwest $49 Sale is Here! Award Prices Start at 2,300!

the front of a blue and red airplane
Written by Charlie

The Southwest $49 sale is here with tickets starting at $49 and award reservations starting at 2,300 points. This is the great sale from them so check now!

A couple of times a year, Southwest runs a sale that starts at $49 and goes up in in $20 and $30 increments from there, depending on the distance. Well, that time is now and the Southwest $49 sale is on!

The Great Southwest $49 Sale is Here!

Southwest $49 sale

Southwest $49 Sale Details:

  • Book from October 4 through October 6, 2016, 11:59 p.m. for the respective time zone of the originating city.
  • Domestic travel valid November 30 through December 20, 2016, and January 4 through February 15, 2017.
  • Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico valid November 30 through December 8, 2016, and January 17 through March 2, 2017. International travel valid November 30 through December 13, 2016, and January 10 through March 2, 2017.
  • Domestic travel is not valid on Fridays and Sundays.
  • Travel to Florida and Nevada and from Florida to Nevada is valid only on Sundays through Wednesdays.
  • Travel from Florida and Nevada and from Nevada to Florida is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays.
  • Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid Monday through Thursday.
  • International travel is valid only on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  • Fares valid on nonstop service only.
  • Displayed prices include all U.S. and international government taxes and fees.
  • Points bookings do not include taxes, fees, and other government/airport charges of at least $5.60 per one way flight.
  • Travel is available for one-way Wanna Get Away® fares.
  • Fares may be combined with other Southwest Airlines® combinable fares. If combining with other fares, the most restrictive fare’s rules apply.
  • Sale fares may be available on other days of week, but not guaranteed.
  • Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines®, so long as you cancel your reservations at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure of your flight. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation.
  • Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare.
  • Fares are subject to change until ticketed.
  • Offer applies to published, scheduled service only.
  • Sale Link

As usual, this sale can be booked using cash or points.

Southwest $49 sale

An example of the wide-open pricing of the $49 deals

Southwest $49 sale

The point cost for those same dates

Good Prices Outside the Mentioned Dates!

Don’t be afraid to look for travel outside of the stated dates for the sale. I was able to reprice a flight I made last week and it was cheaper now – even though it was not during the sale calendar timeframe!

Check Your Reservations to Save Money/Points!

The real benefit of these sales is for you to check your existing Southwest reservation and see if the fare is any cheaper right now. This is very common because many people will book as far out as they can when the schedule opens to ensure they have the flight. Then, with Southwest’s generous cancellation/change policy, you can make changes to the reservation and always make sure you are booked at the lowest price.

Cancellation and Change Policy

If you have already booked your tickets in the past, you can still take advantage of the sale. Southwest has the best cancellation/rebooking policy of the US airlines. Basically, as long as you cancel by 10 minutes before the flight, you get the points back in your account for free and with no penalty. That means you are free to make any changes you want without any problems or loss of points or cash!

Check Your Already-Booked Reservations For Price Difference

So, now is the time to search for your tickets within this sale and see if you have a better price available now than when you had booked it. If the price has dropped, you simply select to change the flight and look at the same dates and flights again. Once you go through and confirm, you will receive a refund of the difference in miles and the cash for the taxes will be transferred for the new ticket.

In 1 Minute, You Can Have Your Points Back!

The whole process takes less than 60 seconds and you could save a lot of money or points! If you had booked your ticket in the past using cash, you will receive a refund in the form of a credit that is usable for 1 year from the time you originally booked the ticket. If you booked it with points, you will receive the points back in your account for the difference.

Summary

This is pretty much the kind of best sale that Southwest runs a couple of times per year. It is a great time to lock in reservations now and then you can always change later (for free) if the dates or travel no longer suits you. If you booked a while ago, you will have a decent shot at getting some money/points back with this sale. That is always a good thing and a great reason to shop with Southwest.

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About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.