Southwest Award Sale: Are Points Fares Really Cheaper? Yes
Offer ended November 9, 2026. Southwest's award sale took a 9,000-point Las Vegas to Denver seat to 6,000 on Nov. 8. Search in points and look for a
By Vamsi, RewardsGuru.club. Published November 8, 2026.
This offer ended on November 9, 2026. Southwest's award sale closed for booking on Monday, November 9, 2026. The prices here were the sale prices on November 8. Southwest's own search shows today's points prices.
Checked on Sunday, November 8, 2026, on Southwest's own flight search, signed out. Points prices and seats change by the hour. The fare rules quoted here are Southwest's own.
The short version: Southwest's award sale puts crossed-out prices on select flights paid with Rapid Rewards points. On a Tuesday, February 9, 2027 flight from Las Vegas to Denver, Basic went from 9,000 points to 6,000, plus $5.60 in taxes. That's 3,000 fewer points for the same seat. We entered no promo code. The sale price showed on its own. The sale's member terms, published November 6, say to book by Monday, November 9.
The sale, on Southwest's own search
We searched Southwest.com in points, one way, signed out, on Sunday, November 8. The route was Las Vegas to Denver on Tuesday, February 9, 2027.
Six of the eight nonstops that day were on sale. Southwest shows the old price crossed out, with the sale price under it:
| Fare | Old price | Sale price | Points saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 9,000 | 6,000 | 3,000 |
| Choice | 11,500 | 9,000 | 2,500 |
| Choice Preferred | 16,500 | 14,000 | 2,500 |
| Choice Extra | 20,000 | 17,000 | 3,000 |
Each price is per person, one way. Each one also costs $5.60 in government taxes and fees, paid in cash. The 6:50 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. nonstops had no sale price at all.
How to spot a sale flight
- Search Southwest.com or the Southwest app with points selected, not dollars. That's the view where we saw the sale prices.
- Look for a crossed-out price. The sale price sits right under it, as in the fare details below.
- No code was needed on our search. We entered none, and the sale prices showed on their own.
- Check each flight. On our route, two of the eight nonstops had no crossed-out price, so sale and full-price flights sat side by side on the same day.
If your plans change
Southwest's fare rules, read the same day, say: "All fare types are eligible for cancellations without a fee." For a trip paid with points, "if canceled, points will be returned to the Rapid Rewards account holder who booked the reservation."
Two limits apply. You have to cancel at least 10 minutes before departure. And on a round trip with a Basic leg, Southwest only allows canceling both legs, or upgrading the Basic leg first.
The catches
- Not every flight is on sale. The crossed-out price is the only sign that a flight is included.
- Seats move. A sale price can disappear when those seats sell.
- Taxes are paid in cash. Every points fare we saw added $5.60 per person, one way.
The dates
Southwest hasn't posted this sale's terms on its website, so we couldn't read them first-hand. The terms Southwest sent to Rapid Rewards members, as published by travel sites on November 6, say:
- Book from November 6 to 9. That makes Monday, November 9, the last day.
- Travel on select flights from November 6, 2026 to March 10, 2027.
- No promo code is needed. The discount shows as a crossed-out price.
- Travel within the continental U.S. is blacked out November 28 and 29, December 26 to 28, and January 2 and 3.
- Trips between the continental U.S. and Hawaii, St. Thomas, San Juan or international destinations have longer blackouts, including December 17 to January 5.
- Flights between the Hawaiian islands aren't included.
What you can trust for sure is the search itself. If a flight shows a crossed-out price, the sale applies to it.
Southwest's Rapid Rewards program also changes next year. Our breakdown of Southwest's new Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers covers what moves in 2027.
Related articles
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- If You Think You Missed Southwest's $59 Holiday Fares on October 12, You May Be Wrong: The Same Sale Is Back Through October 29, and 5,555 of 6,424 Routes Are Within $10
- If You Think Southwest's Up to 40% Off Sale Always Gets You the Cheapest Seat, You May Be Wrong: On Los Angeles to Honolulu, the Regular Nonstop Was Cheaper
- Southwest Is Paying 1 Rapid Rewards Point per Unread Notification, Up to 10,000, Plus 500 for a Quiz: the Terms That Decide Your Count
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