Southwest Gift Cards, Flight Credits & LUV Vouchers [Everything You Need To Know]

Key Takeaways

• Southwest gift cards can be purchased directly or from various retailers and can only be used for flights, including taxes and fees.
• Southwest Flight Credits are digitally issued for flight cancellations or changes and expire within 6-12 months.
• LUV Vouchers can be used for future travel but cannot cover taxes and fees. They also have an expiration date of 6 months to a year from the issue date.

Southwest Airlines offers lots of customer-friendly policies, including the ability to change your flight with no fee. Plus, Southwest’s frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards, is straightforward and simple to use.

However, one thing that can get a little confusing with Southwest is all the different forms of payment — there are gift cards, Flight Credits (formerly called Travel Funds), and LUV Vouchers.

While these might all seem similar, they have very different rules. Specifically, Flight Credits and LUV Vouchers can get a little tricky to use if you aren’t sure how.

In this post, we’ll go over each of these so you know exactly how to use Southwest gift cards, Flight Credits, and LUV Vouchers successfully!

Southwest Gift Cards

Where To Buy Southwest Gift Cards

Southwest gift cards can be purchased online and at many retailers, including:

How To Purchase a Southwest Gift Card on Southwest.com

1. Go to Southwest.com and scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under “Southwest Products,” click on “Southwest gift card.”
   

2. Click on “Buy a gift card.”

3. Choose any amount from $50 to $1,000 and then choose your delivery method — there’s a charge to ship a physical gift card. Click on “Personalize” to add personalization and to enter the recipient’s email address for digital gift cards.

4. After adding a personalization and email address, if needed, click on “Payment” to enter your credit card information and then “Purchase” to finalize the transaction.

Hot Tip: Buying a gift card through Southwest.com counts as a travel purchase, so be sure to use a credit card that offers bonus points on travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card earns 2x points on travel, while the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card earns 3x points! Southwest Rapid Rewards cards earn 2x to 4x points on gift cards purchased through Southwest Airlines.

Purchasing a Large Volume of Gift Cards Online

Southwest.com only allows $1,000 per transaction for gift card purchases. If you want to purchase multiple gift cards that exceed the $1,000 limit, you can use the corporate and volume sales order form.

1. Go to Southwest.com and scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under “Southwest Products“, click on “Southwest gift card.”
2. Click the “Corporate and Volume sales” button to access the order form.
   

How To Earn Tons of Points Buying Gift Cards

Whether buying a gift card for yourself or as a gift for someone else, they can be a great way to earn tons of Southwest Rapid Rewards points! The key is using the right credit card at the right retailer.

Here are a couple of strategies to help you maximize your points-earning when purchasing Southwest gift cards:

• Use the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card at office supply stores to earn 5% cash-back.
• Use the Chase Freedom Flex℠ at Sam’s Club during a warehouse store bonus period — you’ll earn 5% cash-back and purchase the gift cards at a slight discount. Watch for other Freedom Flex card 5x bonus categories that include stores that sell gift cards.
• Keep an eye on Amex Offers and Chase Offers. You can often find discounts or offers for bonus points on stores that sell gift cards.

Using Southwest Gift Cards

Southwest gift cards can only be used for flights (including taxes and fees) purchased directly through Southwest Airlines — online, by phone at 800-435-9792 (800-I-FLY-SWA), or at a Southwest ticket counter.

Hot Tip: There are no fees to purchase Southwest gift cards. They never expire and are fully transferable.

Flights purchased with Southwest gift cards are nonrefundable. If you’re a no-show or the flight is canceled, the funds are held as a flight credit to be used on a future flight. These credits expire within 6 months on Basic fares or 12 months on Wanna Get Away Plus fares.

How To Use a Southwest Gift Card Online

Using a gift card to purchase a flight online doesn’t really differ much from purchasing a flight with a credit card.

1. Go to Southwest.com and search for a flight as you normally would.
2. Once you reach the “Payment method” section, click on “Apply Gift Cards” and enter the card number and security code.
   

Hot Tip: You can use 3 forms of payment, including Southwest gift cards, LUV Vouchers, and flight credits, per person on each reservation.

What Can You Buy With a Southwest Gift Card?

Southwest gift cards are good for the purchase of flights booked directly with Southwest. You can use gift cards online, over the phone, or in person at a Southwest ticket counter. You can also apply gift cards to taxes and fees associated with your ticket.

The list of things you can’t use gift cards on is a little longer. The following are items you cannot pay for with a Southwest gift card:

Bottom Line: Southwest gift cards can be applied to your flight cost plus any taxes and fees associated with your flight.

How To Check Your Gift Card Balance

1. Go to Southwest.com and scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under “Southwest Products,” click on “Southwest gift card.”
2. Then click on the “Check Your Balance” tab. You need to enter the gift card number and security code to check the balance.
   

Southwest Flight Credits

Southwest Flight Credits, formerly called Travel Funds, are what you get if you cancel a flight or change a flight to a lower-priced itinerary. They only exist digitally — you won’t get a card, certificate, or voucher for these funds.

They can be redeemed through Southwest.com, over the phone, and at Southwest Airlines ticket counters.

Flight Credits are tied to your original itinerary. For example, let’s say you cancel Flight No. 1212 and receive a Southwest Flight Credit for the price you paid. When you go to book a new flight, you need to pull up your Flight Credit using the confirmation number from Flight No. 1212.

You can see what Southwest Flight Credits you have by looking at “My Account” and then “Payment.”

How To Use a Southwest Flight Credit on Southwest.com

1. Go to the Southwest website and search for a flight as you normally would.
2. Once you get to the “Payment method” section, click on “Apply Flight Credits,” enter the confirmation number (from the original flight) along with the passenger’s first and last name, and click “Apply funds.”
   

Hot Tip: Southwest Flight Credits that are issued for a Basic fare are not transferable and expire within 6 months. Southwest Flight Credits that are created from a Wanna Get Away Plus fare are transferable and expire in 12 months.

How To Check the Balance of Your Southwest Flight Credits

You can easily see what Southwest Flight Credits you have in your Rapid Rewards account. After logging in to your Southwest account, click on “My Account” in the upper right corner. You’ll see an at-a-glance look at the total number of flight credits you have. Click on “Payment” to see more details.

Bottom Line: Southwest Flight Credits are what you get if you cancel a flight or change a flight to a lower-priced itinerary. These credits expire within 6-12 months.

Southwest LUV Vouchers

So now that you’re up to speed on Southwest gift cards and Southwest Flight Credits, let’s talk about Southwest LUV Vouchers!

What’s a LUV Voucher, you ask? It’s a voucher you get as compensation for a delayed flight, missing baggage, or volunteering to get bumped from a flight.

Southwest used to issue paper LUV Vouchers, but you’re more likely to receive an email with your LUV Voucher information.

Southwest LUV Vouchers are valid at Southwest.com, by calling 800-I-FLY-SWA, or at any Southwest Airlines ticket counter. You need the voucher number and security code to complete a purchase.

Your travel must be completed by the voucher’s expiration date (usually 6 months to 1 year from the date of issue). The LUV Voucher can be applied toward your flight cost but not any taxes or fees associated with your ticket.

Hot Tip: If you have a physical Southwest LUV Voucher, take a photo of it. This ensures you’ll still be able to use it even if you lose the paper voucher.

How To Use a Southwest LUV Voucher on Southwest.com

1. Go to Southwest.com and search for a flight as you normally would.
2. Once you get to the “Payment method“ section, click on “Apply LUV Vouchers” and enter your voucher number and security code.

Hot Tip: You can use up to 3 forms of payment per person per reservation. This can include any combination of gift cards, Southwest Flight Credits, and LUV Vouchers plus 1 credit card or PayPal account per transaction. 

How To Check the Balance of Your LUV Voucher

Checking your LUV Voucher balance on Southwest.com is easy, but it’s a bit tricky to find. You can click here or follow the instructions below.

1. To check the balance on your Southwest LUV Voucher, click on “Flight” in the top menu, then click “Manage Reservations.”

2. Then click “View travel funds.”

3. Input the voucher number and security code to see the balance of your Southwest LUV Voucher.

Hot Tip: If you cancel a flight that you paid for with a LUV Voucher, the balance will be refunded in the form of a Southwest Flight Credit.

Final Thoughts

Southwest Airlines offers 3 distinct forms of payment that require a little know-how to use: gift cards, Southwest Flight Credits, and LUV Vouchers. All 3 can be used to purchase Southwest flights online, over the phone, or at a ticket counter. However, they all have different rules for expiration dates, what they can be applied to, and who can use them.

Luckily, these rules stem from Southwest’s customer-friendly policies — including Southwest Flight Credits for canceled flights and even LUV Vouchers if something goes wrong. Once you know the basics, you will be the master of your Rapid Rewards account in no time!