How to Use Southwest 40% Off: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Saving on Flights

If you’ve seen a Southwest 40% off deal pop up, you’re not imagining it. These discounts are real - but they don’t show up on the homepage. They don’t come in your email inbox unless you know exactly where to look. And if you wait too long, they’re gone. This isn’t a coupon you can just copy-paste. It’s a system. A way of timing, planning, and clicking that lets you save big on flights - sometimes even more than 40%.

What the 40% Off Actually Means

Southwest doesn’t run traditional percentage-off sales like other airlines. When you hear about a 40% off deal, it’s usually tied to a specific fare sale, often called a “Wanna Get Away” promotion. These sales drop prices on select routes for a limited time. The 40% is calculated by comparing the regular fare to the sale fare. So if a round-trip flight normally costs $500 and drops to $300, that’s a 40% savings. It’s not a code you enter. It’s a price you find - if you know when and where to look.

These deals are most common in the spring and fall, but they can pop up any time, especially during slower travel windows. In 2025, Southwest ran a major sale in early January and another in late September, both hitting the 40%+ mark on routes like Chicago to Orlando, Phoenix to Las Vegas, and Baltimore to Atlanta.

How to Find These Deals - No Guesswork

The biggest mistake people make? Waiting for an email or checking the homepage. Southwest’s best deals live in the fare calendar - and only if you know how to use it.

Here’s how to find them:

1. Go to southwest.com and click on “Flights.”
2. Enter your origin and destination, but leave the dates blank.
3. Click “Search.”
4. You’ll see a calendar view with color-coded prices. Green means low fares. Red means high.
5. Look for clusters of green days - especially midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).
6. Click on any green date. If the price is at least 40% lower than the average fare for that route, you’ve found the deal.

Pro tip: Use the “Price Alerts” feature. Set up alerts for your top routes. Southwest will notify you when prices drop below your target - often triggering a 40%+ discount window.

When to Book for the Best Savings

Timing matters more than the code. Southwest’s 40% off deals don’t last long - usually 3 to 7 days. But they tend to follow a pattern.

Based on data from 2024 and early 2025, the best days to book are:

• Tuesdays at 10 a.m. CT - this is when Southwest releases new fares for the next 7 months.
• Wednesdays after 3 p.m. CT - secondary wave of discounted fares for less popular routes.
• First Tuesday of the month - often a surprise sale tied to new route launches.

Book at least 6 weeks in advance for the best selection. But if you see a 40%+ drop on a route you want, book it immediately. These sales sell out fast - especially to beach destinations like Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, and San Juan.

Which Routes Get the Best Discounts

Not all routes get 40% off. Southwest focuses these deals on high-demand, high-competition routes where they want to steal customers from other airlines.

Here are the top 5 routes that consistently see 40%+ discounts in 2025:

These routes have high competition from major carriers like Delta and American. Southwest uses deep discounts to lure travelers who might otherwise pay more. Avoid routes like Los Angeles to New York - those rarely go below 20% off.

How to Stack Savings Even Higher

Want to save more than 40%? Combine the fare sale with other Southwest perks.

• Use Southwest Rapid Rewards points: If you have points, you can pay for part of the ticket with points and the rest with cash. This often cuts your out-of-pocket cost in half.
• Book a Companion Pass: If you’ve flown 100 qualifying one-way flights in a year, you get a Companion Pass. That means a second person flies free - on top of your 40% off. That’s not a deal. That’s a steal.
• Travel on holidays: Yes, you read that right. Southwest often drops prices on days like Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve because fewer people book. A flight from Dallas to Austin on Christmas Eve can be 50% cheaper than on a regular Tuesday.
• Check the “Wanna Get Away Plus” option: Sometimes, the “Plus” fare is only $20 more than the basic fare but includes free same-day changes. That’s worth it if your plans shift.

What Doesn’t Work - Common Mistakes

People try a lot of things that don’t work. Don’t waste your time on these:

• Third-party sites: Google Flights, Kayak, or Expedia won’t show Southwest’s secret sales. You’ll miss them entirely.
• Using promo codes: Southwest doesn’t use promo codes for 40% off deals. If you see a “SW40OFF” code online, it’s fake.
• Waiting for Black Friday: Southwest rarely does Black Friday sales. Their biggest deals are in January and September.
• Booking too late: If you wait until 2 weeks before your trip, you’re not getting 40% off. You’re paying full price.

Real Example: How I Saved 0 on a Family Trip

Last fall, I wanted to fly from Kansas City to Tampa with my two kids. The regular fare was $420 per person. I set a price alert on southwest.com for that route. Three days later, I got an email: $210 per ticket. That’s 50% off. I booked right away. I used my Rapid Rewards points to cover the $50 in taxes and fees. Total out-of-pocket: $160 for three people. That’s $110 less than the lowest fare on any other airline. And I got to pick my seats for free.

That’s not luck. That’s how the system works.

What to Do When You Don’t See a 40% Deal

If you’re reading this and there’s no 40% off sale right now - don’t panic. Southwest runs these sales about 8 to 10 times a year. The next window will open. Here’s what to do:

• Set up price alerts on 3 routes you want to fly.
• Check the fare calendar every Tuesday morning.
• Follow Southwest’s official social media - they sometimes hint at upcoming sales.
• Sign up for their email list - but only if you’re ready to act fast. They send 1-2 deal emails per month.

Remember: the goal isn’t to wait for the perfect deal. It’s to be ready when it drops.

Final Tip: Always Book Direct

Never book Southwest flights through a third-party site. If you do, you lose:

• Free checked bags (you get two with Southwest - no extra fee)
• Free seat selection
• Same-day flight changes
• Access to Rapid Rewards points
• Customer service if something goes wrong

Booking direct gives you the full Southwest experience - and the full savings.