Southwest Airlines seems to be doing everything it can to be like other carriers. I just wrote about how Southwest will soon start charging for checked bags, but that’s not the only significant change that’s happening.
In this post:
Southwest flight credits will no longer be valid forever
Southwest has long been known for its customer friendly policies. Back in the day, Southwest had no change fees on tickets, even when the competition did. That meant you could book a Southwest ticket without worry, and if you couldn’t take the trip, you’d be issued a flight credit for a future trip.
However, at the start of the pandemic, we saw many other airlines introduce a similar policy, to reflect the situation, and evolving consumer behavior.
So in 2022, Southwest one-upped the competition. The airline changed its policy so that flight credits would no longer expire. Up until that point, Southwest flight credits expired one year after they were issued, but Southwest once again wanted to find a way to differentiate itself.
Well, that will soon no longer be the case. For tickets issued as of May 28, 2025, Southwest flight credits will once again expire. They’ll expire one year after a ticket is issued, except on basic fares, where they’ll expire six months after they’re issued (that’s a whole different topic, as Southwest is also introducing basic economy).
This policy shift will align Southwest with the competition
For so long, Southwest did its own thing, regardless of what the competition was doing. However, with Southwest having activist investors in the form of Elliott Investment Management, the mandate is clear — be just like all the other guys, and somehow that will be the key to profitability.
While I do think there are some areas where Southwest needed to evolve (like introducing premium seating options), I really don’t understand the extreme to which this is being taken.
I get the desire for ancillary revenue and finding ways to generate easy cash, but without the ability to establish a revenue premium in domestic economy, I’m not sure how that’s supposed to result in industry leading profitability, especially when Southwest doesn’t have first class or long haul aircraft, which are the areas where carriers like Delta and United are generating much of their revenue…
Bottom line
For tickets issued as of May 28, 2025, Southwest Airlines flight credits will once again expire. They’ll expire after 12 months for most fares, while they’ll expire after six months for the carrier’s new basic economy fares. Since 2022, Southwest has been leading the industry by having flight credits not expire, and now that’s being reversed.
I can’t say I’m surprised, given the extreme to which the company is going, though of course this is incredibly disappointing.
What do you make of Southwest flight credits expiring once again?
So does that mean my existing flight credits, from pre- May 28, 2025 transactions, will never expire? The transactions were made when the stated policy was, “Flight credits never expire.” Legally, that explicit promise, that contract, is binding, right?
Personally I’m grieving a loss - one of only two commercial firms left that I could trust unquestionably without reservation or qualification to be partners with me: I offer 100% loyalty and fly only Southwest and...
So does that mean my existing flight credits, from pre- May 28, 2025 transactions, will never expire? The transactions were made when the stated policy was, “Flight credits never expire.” Legally, that explicit promise, that contract, is binding, right?
Personally I’m grieving a loss - one of only two commercial firms left that I could trust unquestionably without reservation or qualification to be partners with me: I offer 100% loyalty and fly only Southwest and they are on my side in all the ways they are.
Woe to me.
Non expiring flight credits was the only reason I chose southwest. Now I have no incentive to book with southwest
I never fly Southwest because flying the US legacy airlines is painful enough.
It has become another Spirit but without the low fares! What is the point? They lost what made them distinct and profitable. I forsee a bankruptcy within a decade.
Regardless of what Galileo may have thought about gravity, Southwest has proven that it's possible to fall to the bottom faster than American...
Thanks for the article.
I’ve read the comments and looked at several other travel blogs, and it’s still not clear to me:
1) Whether all pre-existing credits will expire on 5/28/26, or if the expiration date only comes into play if a ticket is booked on or after 5/28/25?
2) Also will Wanna Get Away Plus credits still be transferable to others?
Checked Southwest’s website and it’s crazy but they have nothing about any...
Thanks for the article.
I’ve read the comments and looked at several other travel blogs, and it’s still not clear to me:
1) Whether all pre-existing credits will expire on 5/28/26, or if the expiration date only comes into play if a ticket is booked on or after 5/28/25?
2) Also will Wanna Get Away Plus credits still be transferable to others?
Checked Southwest’s website and it’s crazy but they have nothing about any of these recent changes (unless I’m missing it?). Also haven’t seen any emails from Southwest about any of this.
What about existing flight credits?
Everything Paul Singer of Elliot Management and Southwest are now doing right now is like one great big terrible April 1st joke.
Except it’s March still. Consumer response will be interesting to say the least. Winners will be the ULCC’s which just became mainstream, and Legacies who have capitalized upon competitive responses to the upstarts. Unfortunately now Southwest is chasing both packs.
What do they say… jack of all trades master of none. I’m sure...
Everything Paul Singer of Elliot Management and Southwest are now doing right now is like one great big terrible April 1st joke.
Except it’s March still. Consumer response will be interesting to say the least. Winners will be the ULCC’s which just became mainstream, and Legacies who have capitalized upon competitive responses to the upstarts. Unfortunately now Southwest is chasing both packs.
What do they say… jack of all trades master of none. I’m sure the investors are rebalancing their portfolios to give more credit to those airlines who have survived and thrived as we come to the full scale end of the era of the airline’s transition to deregulation.
Bad news that will drive away frequent flyers. I, for one, will be using up my "forever" flight credits and then checking out other airlines.
What’s the point of t of expiring miles? They already have your $$$. The longer your points sit there the less value they’re worth and if you’re like me you’ve likely forgotten will periodically forget to use those points when booking, thereby putting more $$$ in their coffers. If the object is to force people who don’t have enough points for a trip to either lose those points or use the more expensive “cash +...
What’s the point of t of expiring miles? They already have your $$$. The longer your points sit there the less value they’re worth and if you’re like me you’ve likely forgotten will periodically forget to use those points when booking, thereby putting more $$$ in their coffers. If the object is to force people who don’t have enough points for a trip to either lose those points or use the more expensive “cash + points” offer then I consider that nothing short of extortion and yoive lost my business.
The points are not expiring, it is the flight credits. There is nothing indicating that their Rapid Reward points will expire.
"Southwest Airlines. What are you gonna do, take the intercity bus?"
No...that's still Spirit. This is more like Uber XL, but it's certainly getting close.
For starters, I will be happy if Southwest starts providing power outlets and USB outlets on it's planes. It's surprising how they lack this basic feature in 2025
From other sources I’m pretty sure you meant tickets issued “on or after May 28th” not “as of May 28th”
Yeah that was phrased really poorly.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Southwest could adopt these new policies and stop. Ultimately, it must have some areas that it's better. For example, Alaska has a slightly better ff program and a tiny bit better fight attendant attitude. Maybe Southwest will be 6-12 month flight credits but no free checked bags?
@Lucky: regarding the new expiration policy of 6 or 12 months depending on the type of fare purchased: will the expiration only apply to tickets purchased after May 28, or retroactively as well, like those credits I already have? Thank you
So for those of us who have a few flight credits from 2022 until today, will those credits expire one year from May?
Read what he wrote! For tickets issued as of May 28, 2025, Southwest flight credits will once again expire.
"Tickets issued as of May 28" means nothing. It should say "tickets issued on or after..."
Wow, sure didn't take long for the customer-friendly COVID policies to start getting rolled back.
Obituary #2 of #3 released this morning
When I said I was waiting for a front-page obituary, this wasn't what I meant!
I don't really get it. They have no longhaul aircraft, no premium cabins, and few partners. This makes them unable to compete with the Big Three carriers on equal terms. What they have is a strong domestic route network (which will stay) and their unique identity, which it seems they're actively trying to destroy
For those with Amex plat or similar cards with flight credit and Southwest as selected airline, the time is now to make dummy bookings then cancel for permanent credit, sad to see generous perks that differentiated them going away
Bob Jordan is holding a pit full of Elliott cockpit pissing on Herb's grave.