The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is an easy-to-use widget on the Southwest site that filters your search to find the lowest fares per month for your desired trip. This helpful tool is a favorite among deal hounds, especially those that are already Rapid Rewards members (more on how to use your loyalty status to save even more later).

It’s no secret that Southwest, as one of the nation’s most popular budget airlines, offers great value on its tickets. However, this makes it that much harder to know when you’re getting the absolute lowest price available, and filtering through all search results can be a hassle.

Fortunately, the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar does the work of finding the best deals for you.

Here’s how to use it to book cheap flights year-round with Southwest Airlines. 

How to Use the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar

Using the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is very straightforward. Simply select the bubble at the upper righthand corner of the screen for “Dollars” or “Points” to determine what unit ticket values will be shown in. You can then toggle your search to see round trips, one-way, and multi-city prices.

Choose the number of people in your party from the Passengers box and then fill in the departure and arrival destinations as you normally would. It might be worth it to try a few different locations if you are able to.

Please note, that the Low Fare Calendar can only be used for groups of one to nine people. If you are traveling in a group of 10 or more, you will need to book a flight through Southwest’s Group Travel Program. This program gives group discounts and more booking flexibility on flights. For example, no upfront payment is required (except for possibly a per person deposit) and names can be changed as little as 72 hours before departure. This is a good option for business groups, but it does unfortunately mean that you can’t use the Low Fare Calendar. Contact Southwest Airlines directly if you’re interested in making a group booking.

Prices shown on the calendar itself reflect discounted Anytime prices per person. Some flights are available for as little as $49 a piece. Actual prices may not be exactly what is shown on the calendar, as fares are subject to change until you purchase a ticket. If all of the available flights at the calendar’s price have been snagged by other customers, you will be shown the next best prices.

If Southwest is running a sale on flights, and they are just about every week, you’ll find these prices through the Low Fare Calendar. Just keep in mind that promotions like this are often popular and many other people are likely to have the same idea.

Some frequent fliers also like to use the Low Fare Calendar to get an idea of what tickets are going for in general during a given time. Not many airlines have a tool like this, so using the calendar offered by Southwest is a good way to find out roughly what budget airlines may charge for a flight you’re looking to take even if you aren’t necessarily planning to travel with this airline.

Benefits of Using the Low Fare Calendar vs. Booking Online

While there is nothing wrong with booking travel online through the Southwest website or mobile app, the Low Fare Calendar makes it easier to book a flight if your number one priority is finding the best price. The calendar simplifies the process of saving money.

But if you do need to filter your search further and are unwilling or unable to have a little wiggle room with dates or flight types, booking online may be your only option for getting exactly what you’re looking for.

Another advantage to using the Low Fare Calendar is that Southwest flights don’t actually show up on a lot of third-party flight booking websites. So if it’s good deals you’re after, this is very likely is the only way to find them at Southwest.

Can You Earn Rapid Rewards Through Low Fare Calendar Bookings?

Just as you would normally earn points for booking travel online through Southwest, flights booked through the Low Fare Calendar also qualify to earn points when you pay with cash. However, travel booked with points does not qualify to earn points.

And Southwest does have a decent loyalty program. In 2020, a WalletHub study estimated that the Rapid Rewards program awards an average member about $10 per $100 spent, putting it in the top five airline loyalty programs. Plus, points do not expire as long as you complete at least one points-earning activity (through Southwest or a partner) every 24 months.

Rapid Rewards Credit Card

Another surefire way to save more on flights is with a travel card. Here is what each Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers.

Priority (annual fee of $69)

• 5 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases made between December 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (valid up to $2,000 per month or $8,000 total)
• 2 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases, including Rapid Rewards hotels and car rentals
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Bonus 3,000 points for every year you are a cardmember

Premier (annual fee of $99)

• 5 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases made between December 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (valid up to $2,000 per month or $8,000 total)
• 2 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases, including Rapid Rewards hotels and car rentals
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Waived foreign transaction fees
• 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List and A-List Preferred for every $10,000 you spend (up to and including $100,000)
• Bonus 6,000 points for every year you are a cardmember

Plus (annual fee of $149)

• 5 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases made between December 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (valid up to $2,000 per month or $8,000 total)
• 2 points per $1 on all Southwest purchases, including Rapid Rewards hotels and car rentals
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Bonus 7,500 points for every year you are a cardmember (or $75 Southwest annual travel credit)
• Four upgraded boardings per year (subject to availability)
• 20% cashback on inflight purchases
• Waived foreign transaction fees
• 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List and A-List Preferred for every $10,000 you spend (up to and including $100,000)

For more information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business credit card, go here.

Currently, all three of the above credit cards are giving cardholders 50,000 points when they spend $2,000 in the first three months of an account being opened, and 30,000 points on top of that (for a total of 80,000 points possible) when they spend $10,000 in the first nine months. 

And of course, all Southwest credit card points can be redeemed for flights—domestic and international—as well as car rentals, hotel stays, cruises, and more with partner companies. You can also use your points to get gift cards.

What Are the Change or Cancellation Fees?

The change or cancellation fees are the same when you book through the Low Fare Calendar as when you book through the Southwest Airlines website.

Southwest Airlines does charge change or cancellation fees. You are only responsible for the difference in fare if you book a new flight that costs more than your previous one. 

You can change or cancel as little as 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to leave, even if you’ve already checked in for it. As long as you make a change to or cancel a flight 10 minutes or more before its scheduled departure, you will be eligible for a full refund to the original payment method or travel credit worth the same amount. There is no limit to how many times you can alter your itinerary.

What Flights Are Available?

The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar features all discounted flights. 

In addition, all three fare types—Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select—are available when you book through the calendar. Flights shown on the calendar are Anytime prices, but the next screen shows prices for each class.

The more flexible you are, the better when using the Low Fare Calendar. Cheap flights go fast, and the prices on the Low Fare Calendar are not guaranteed until you purchase a ticket. If you are alright with making more stops or you are not particular about where exactly you depart from and when, you might be more likely to fly at the price you’re looking for.

On Low Fare Calendar flights (and all other Southwest Airlines flights), you can check up to two bags for free. These must weigh no more than 50 pounds or measure more than 62 linear inches. After these two, bags cost $75 each. See the complete Baggage Policies section for information about excess baggage fees.

Right now, customers can book all the way through April 11, 2021, using the Southwest Low Fare Calendar.

COVID-19 Policies

Like most other airlines, Southwest has implemented many new health and safety standards in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in flying with Southwest at any time soon, you will want to know what they are doing to keep you safe and what their updated cancellation policies are.

As much as possible, the airline requires passengers to distance themselves from each other and has increased their cleaning procedures. Masks are required on all flights and in all airports. 

As for the thousands of tickets customers have purchased in 2020 and not been able to use, policies have been updated to account for these too. 

For all flights canceled by Southwest, customers are refunded the full cost of their ticket to the original form of payment or in the form of travel funds. For all non-refundable Wanna Get Away tickets—a popular choice for passengers of the biggest budget airline in the world—that have been voluntarily canceled by the passenger, customers are eligible to receive a travel credit worth the full value of their flight that is valid for travel until September 7, 2022.

How to Get in Touch With Customer Support

If you hit a snag in the booking process, want to know whether you’re eligible for a ticket refund, or just have a question that’s not addressed in Southwest’s FAQs section, here’s how to get a hold of someone at the airline.

You can call 1-800-435-9792 to reach the general customer service line, open 24/7. Alternatively, you can tweet @Southwestair or message the airline on Facebook messenger. You can also send a secure message right through the Southwest site, which has a guaranteed response time of 48 hours or less, or send a letter to the following address with non-urgent requests:

Southwest Airlines

P.O. Box 36447-1CR

Dallas, Texas 75235

Final Thoughts

If you are able to compromise on certain aspects of your flight such as flight class and departure date in order to score the best deal on your trip, then the Southwest Low Fare Calendar is for people like you. When paired with a Rapid Rewards account or credit card, customers are sure to save big when they use this calendar to book travel.

This tool ensures that you will always be getting the lowest prices Southwest has to offer on flights, but there is not a bottomless stash of dirt cheap tickets. To make the most of this option, try to get to the Low Fare Calendar as soon as you possibly can when booking and remember to be flexible. This tool most benefits those with wiggle room in their schedule and the foresight to book well in advance.