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Southwest Airlines Military Discount

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Southwest Airlines has a Military Discount. I had read about this discount for a while now but never actually tried to use it until this weekend. THE DISCOUNT IS AWESOME!!!! (It saved me 40%)

Here is my experience:

ME: Hi I’m looking for a flight from Denver to Portland for me and my spouse. Do you have a military discount?
SWA: Yes we do. It is only available for active duty however.
ME: Great, can my wife use the discount also?
SWA: Yes, dependents get the discount also for active duty military. They need a valid dependent ID card however.
ME: Awesome. Can you tell me how much the discount is?
SWA: The Military Discount Price for the day you want is $92 ($113 with all taxes and fees).
ME: Fantastic that is over $80 cheaper than buying it on southwest.com. Thank you, I’ll go ahead and buy them now.

Soutwest.com price – $182 before taxes vs. $92 (Military Fare)

How do you get the discount

  • It’s simple. Just call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA and ask about their military discount.

Other questions

  1. Can I use rapid reward points to pay for the tickets?
    • No, you have to buy them with a credit card
  2. Are the military fares refundable?
    • Yes
  3. Can dependents travel solo without the active duty member?
    1. Yes, all they need is their dependent ID card
    Sadly I couldn’t really find any other real life experiences about this discount from other sites. Maybe its because we are really the only military discount blog that is written by military members. I did read on one post that someone mentioned that the military fares are not always cheaper. Therefore make sure to verify beforehand what the online price is before calling. Obviously in my case the Military Fare was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper ($113 vs $200)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    2. Military Veteran says

      My husband is a disabled vet who did 2 tours in Iraq. Served our country for 14 years but because he's not active he can't get a military discount? He didn't pick and choose who he protected while serving so how is it fair that you guys get to pick and choose who gets the discount. I think all active and former military should get the discount. Southwest is our airline of choice but I think we might just go with another one from now on.

    3. Bobby Rampton says

      I don't work for southwest, I work for the US Army. As far as I am aware the discount is only available to Active Duty Military and their dependants, it is not available to retired or reserve. If you have more questions just call southwest

    5. Christina says

      It is a good deal for last minute flights. If you or buying months in advance, you normally get a better deal online.

    6. Bobby Rampton says

      Thanks Christina. The flight I booked was within 2 weeks so that was true in my scenario. I just looked on Southwest.com and the cheapest flights were about 4 weeks out and were around $114 so still more expensive than the military fare in my case but still a lot closer.

    7. Military Veteran says

      I'm a Southwest employee (13) years &retired / disabled military vet…I get more of a discount with places like Lowe's, Home Depot, & Auto zone than I do with my own employer…I didn't even hear from my Company when I was deployed to Iraq. Thank for nothing Southwest!