The new Southwest Airlines and how to keep your flight credits

I like the new Southwest, for far. Using the Southwest Priority Visa card, I've been able to book the basic rate and pick a Preferred seat at no extra charge. Then I check the app 48 hours before the flight and upgrade to extra legroom seats at no charge. On the four flights we've taken this year, we've upgraded to extra legroom each time; we'll see how the next six flights we have scheduled work out. 

The card also gets you one free checked bag per person, so I think the annual fee is a good value.

My biggest complaint with Southwest is that the flight credits expire six months after the date you originally booked the flight. I had a $100 flight credit and could not use it for any of my upcoming flights because it would be expired. I was telling a co-worker about it, and she told me a way to turn it into credits that never expire, and it worked!

You buy a Southwest gift card, then book the cheapest flight you can find, choose the Choice Preferred fare, and pay with your flight credit and gift card. Once the flight is confirmed, cancel it, and you get a flight credit that never expires for the full value of the gift card amount used and flight credit.

I booked a one-way to Lubbock, TX, canceled it, and then used the full credit to book Vegas flights in October!

How much is the annual fee?

It's $229/year

  Ths same card used to cost $149/year, plus had 4- free seating upgrades and a $75 refund for any Southwest purchase (including airfare) and of course Southwest used to have 2 free bags for everyone. Now Southwest had morphed into Southworst/Greedwest with increased credit card pricing, only 1 free bag  IF you have their credit card, with assigned seating based upon your credit card status or the price of the ticket. If you like paying more for less, then Greedwest is right for you. I personally changed from Priority to the Basic credit card -($99/year)- in order to get the 1 free checked bag ( bag fees went up to $ 45/bag), therefore flying one round trip almost pays for the card which still accumulates points for purchases that can be used for future flights.

$45 a bag? Jeez. Don't most airlines charge about $30?

 Every airline has raised their bag fees - According to Google today -- Major U.S. airlines have raised checked baggage fees as of April 2026, with most charging $35–$45 for the first bag and $45–$55 for the second for domestic flights. Pre-paying online often offers small discounts, while ultra-low-cost carriers (Frontier, Spirit) have higher, variable fees.Major U.S. Airline Checked Bag Fees (Standard Economy, Domestic)Delta Air Lines: $45 first bag, $55 second bag.United Airlines: $45 first bag, $55 second bag.American Airlines: $35–$40 first bag, $45–$50 second bag.Southwest Airlines: $45 first bag, $55 second bag (new 2026 pricing).JetBlue: $39–$59 first bag, $59–$79 second bag.Alaska Airlines: $45 first bag, $55 second bag

Max, cool little hack to get credits that don't expire. Thanks for sharing. 

I wonder if the same works on Alaska. I lost a $50 credit a couple years ago because it expired. 

I had the card under the old program and now under the new one. I didn't like the 4-free seat upgrades in the last program; you could only book the upgrade 24-hours before the flight, and you only had four for the entire year. That translates into one round-trip flight for a couple per year. I would check in 24 hours before the flight, see what boarding position I was in, and decide if I should upgrade the flight, all the while keeping my future flights in mind. 

The card below the Priority card had a better deal; you could get free early check-in, and you could use it on all your flights. 

The new program on the Priority card lets you pick a seat assignment at the time you book, up to Preferred seating. I book early and always seem to get row eight. Then you can upgrade to extra legroom 48 hours before the flight, which has been successful. I can use it on every flight, and I don't have to worry about saving a benefit for future use. I also prefer the assigned seating.

We tend to only have 1 checked bag for our flights, no matter how long we'll be away, I'd rather send out or do laundry than have a ton of luggage.

Of course, I would love to have the $75 Southwest credit, but I choose to take advantage of what is currently offered and not spend my time ruminating about what has been.

Overall, the card pays for itself based on what's important to me while flying.

Thanks for the update Max

 Raising the Priority card by $80  - from $149 to $229 while taking away the $75 credit AND the 4 upgrades was the last straw for me. I loved the 4 upgrades - I used my last 2 that I had before downgrading my card and the upgrade $ charge for both upgrades was $130 each (if you did not have the upgrade option) - a savings of $260 for me. Seating choice never meant much to me. Boarding and sitting up front, in the middle or in the rear of the aircraft - they are all the same for me. All I care about is reaching Vegas and/or returning home. I prefer the window seat, then the asile and lastly the middle seat. As long as there was no behemoth sitting next to me, I am/was OK. I also only usually check 1 bag, but on occasion I have checked 2 and liked knowing that I would not be charged for either one. Greedwest has taken the joy out of flying with them with their gouging.