Yes! You CAN still change a Southwest Basic fare with my insider “trick”. I’ve figured it out personally so you don’t have to and have already done this technique many times. Watch the 1-minute video or read the article below to learn more.

How to Change a Southwest Basic Fare

If you’re planning a trip and want to stretch your points (or dollars) further, Southwest Airlines is hands down one the best deals going. But like with any airline, snagging the lowest fares takes a bit of strategy.

If you’ve booked one of Southwest’s Basic fares (a new fare introduced in 2025), you may be wondering how to change a basic fare. The short answer is: you can’t directly.

Unlike the previous Wanna Get Away fare, Basic fares are locked — there’s no easy “Change” option to see if the price has gone up or down. But don’t worry, there’s a workaround.

In this post (and video above), I’ll show you exactly how to handle Basic fares so you don’t miss out on savings.

Why Basic Fares Are Tricky

The biggest drawback of Basic fares is that Southwest has removed the ability to make changes, especially when booking in points, and I always advise booking Southwest in points to get maximum flexibility and the BEST deals. This inability to change means you lose one of the best perks of booking with points: the ability to get points back if the price drops.

Step 1: Write down your point costs

When you book, make a note of how many points you paid for each leg (outbound and return). Otherwise, you’ll only see the total round-trip cost going forward, which makes it tough to compare if the price changes.

Inside my Families Fly Free membership, all members get my Get Organized: Miles & Points Toolkit with many different spreadsheets that help make keeping track of miles and points easier. It includes my Southwest Flight Tracker spreadsheet for exactly this purpose.

Step 2: Check to see if the fare price has dropped

You want to regularly check to see if the fare you originally paid has dropped. In fact, I recommend checking AT LEAST once a week, ideally on Tuesdays when prices tend to be at their lowest.

To check pricing, you will have to run a brand-new search for the same flight. Compare the new cost with what you wrote down. For example, if you paid 10,000 points and now see 8,000 points, you know you should be able to save.

Step 3: Upgrade temporarily to Choice

Here’s the secret to changing a Southwest Basic fare: while you can’t change it directly, you can upgrade to a higher fare like Choice using extra points. Once upgraded, you gain the flexibility to make changes. From there, rebook at the lower fare and then switch it back down to Basic.

Yes, it requires a few extra steps and some extra points in your account, but it ensures you’re not stuck overpaying.

To get more insider tips like this, join my Families Fly Free membership where members get access to ALL my tricks and the always-changing information you need to know to make flying FREE with miles and points simple and easy.

Final Thoughts

So, can you change a Southwest Basic fare? Not directly. But by upgrading temporarily to Choice, you can unlock the ability to rebook and then drop it back down. This little trick is the best way to handle Southwest Basic fares and still maximize your Southwest points.

If you decide to book Basic, remember: track your point costs, run fresh searches and use the upgrade strategy when needed. That’s how to change a Basic fare — and make sure you’re always getting the best deal.

FAQs

Read More:

• ARTICLE: 7 Consistently Cheap Fares on Southwest
• PODCAST: Comparing the Southwest, Alaska and Delta Companion Pass
• ARTICLE: 101 Ways to Earn Southwest Points