Travel before May 28th if you like to check your bags for FREE
Big changes were just announced for Southwest Airlines, dropping free checked bags and other benefits, unless you book the more expensive flight classes, hold one of their credit cards or are an A-list member. Read their email sent out today:
“Today we announced updates to some of our policies and benefits within our fare bundles. Sharing them with you is important to us, as we’re working to offer you more choices to create travel experiences that fit your needs.
Updates to Checked Baggage Policy
We will offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred Members and Customers traveling on Business Select fares. We will also offer one free checked bag to A-List Members and other select Customers. In addition, Southwest will credit one checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers. All remaining Customers will pay to check their first and second bags, and we will continue to charge for the third and fourth checked bags. Changes will apply to flights booked on or after May 28.
Updates to Our Fare Bundles
We’re updating the benefits of our fares bundles in phases. Whether you’re looking for a lower price with fewer perks, or more benefits for added flexibility, you’ll have the choice to pick what works best for your trip.
Phase 1: Beginning this month, we increased our Rapid Rewards earn ratio on our Business Select fares and lowered the earn ratio on our Wanna Get Away® and Wanna Get Away Plus™ fares. We will also begin to vary our redemption rates across our fare products on some high- and low-demand travel periods.
Phase 2: Beginning May 28, we will introduce a new Basic fare. This new Basic fare will be our lowest price point and will have less flexibility than other fares. Additionally, we will be adding expiration dates to our Flight Credits, which will vary based on which fare you choose to purchase.
The chart below gives you a full picture of the revised fare products as of May 28, 2025, ranging from most flexible to value-first.”
For further explanation of the above, see their webpage here.