(EXPIRED) Southwest: Save up to 50% on base fares with promo code BDAY (mobile & app bookings only)

Southwest launched a new airfare deal yesterday and it has the potential to be an excellent offer. By using promo code BDAY you can save up to 50% on base fares, but there are a few hoops you might have to jump through.

The Deal

• Save 50% on Southwest base fares when using promo code BDAY.
• Direct link to offer terms.

Key Terms

• Up to 50% off promotion code savings valid for one-way or round trip Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares booked on Southwest.com from June 10-13, 2024 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (the “Booking Period”) and flown between August 6-December 18, 2024 for continental U.S. travel and August 20-December 17, 2024 for international/Hawaii/Puerto Rico travel (the “Travel Period”).
• Interisland Hawaii travel and Orange County (SNA) travel excluded.
• Continental U.S. travel blacked out August 30, September 2, November 22-27, and November 29-December 2, 2024.
• Travel to international/Hawaii/Puerto Rico blacked out August 29-September 3 and November 21-25, 2024.
• Travel from international/Hawaii/Puerto Rico blacked out August 29-September 3 and November 29-December 3, 2024.
• Promotion code savings are applied before government taxes and fees.
• Enter promotion code BDAY in the Promo Code box when booking during the Booking Period.
• Seats and days are limited.
• If you have entered the promotion code BDAY in the Promo Code box on Southwest.com or swabiz.com during the Booking Period, then while selecting your flights, savings in the base fare will be visible as a strike-through of the original fare on eligible flights.
• Discount availability may vary by destination, flight, and day of the week, and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
• Please note that the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires advertised fares to include all government taxes and fees; however, this promotion applies to the base fare only.
• Discount is valid on new reservations only.
• Discount will apply only for select flights booked within the Booking Period while supplies last for travel flown within the Travel Period.
• Changes made to the itinerary after purchase will eliminate qualifications for this promotion and will result in forfeiture of any promotion code savings.
• The discount is only valid with the provided promotion code and is not combinable with other promotion codes or fares.
• All reward travel is subject to taxes, fees, and other government or airport-imposed charges of at least $5.60 per one-way trip.
• Applicable taxes, fees, and other government or airport-imposed charges can vary significantly based on your arrival and departure destination.
• The payment of any taxes, fees, and other government or airport-imposed charges is the responsibility of the Passenger and must be paid at the time reward travel is booked with a credit card, flight credit, or Southwest gift card.
• Fares are subject to change until ticketed.
• Offer applies only to published, scheduled service.

Quick Thoughts

If you find eligible flights when using promo code BDAY, that doesn’t mean you’ll save up to 50% on the total cost. That’s because the code only discounts the base fare, not any of the taxes and fees associated with your flight.

There are quite a few other terms to bear in mind with this promotion. The first is that you need to book on their mobile site or using the Southwest app. If you prefer using desktop though, there is a workaround. If you go to this link, that’s like booking on their mobile site and so you’ll be able to see the discounts available if applicable. Just be sure to enter the BDAY promo code when conducting your search.

When doing a search, you should see the lower price beneath the pre-discounted price which is struck through. For example, this is what it looks like for Phoenix to San Francisco on September 12. As you can see, there are several discounted flights, but it should be noted that not all of them are that day.

The cost of award flights with Southwest are tied to the price of a cash ticket. That means that when there are promo codes lowering the cost of airfare, the award pricing drops accordingly. Here’s those same PHX-SFO flights when booking with Rapid Rewards points when also using the promo code:

Note that you have to book by June 13 and that travel has to be between August 6 and December 18, with a bunch of blackout dates thrown in for good measure.

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