3 Quick tricks for free drinks on Southwest Airlines

June 14, 2020 By Meghan Hunter

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.

Southwest Airlines is famous for cheap flights, two free checked bags per passenger, the best cancelation policy in the business, and no blackout dates when you book flights with points. But you may not know these three Southwest tricks for free drinks!

Along with free drinks, you can earn rewards towards flights with the Southwest credit cards:

Wheels up and bottoms up on Southwest Airlines using these quick tricks for free drinks. (Photo by Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock)

How to get free drink coupons on Southwest Airlines

Trick #1: Take enough paid flights

Southwest will mail you four drink coupons after 10 paid one-way flights (or five round-trip). But…you’ve got to be opted-in. I’ll show you how.

Make sure you’ve opted-in for your drink tickets by first logging into your Southwest account and clicking the “My Preferences” box. Then just scroll down to “Travel.”

From there click the “Extras” box at the top right corner of the page.

Then you’ll have the option to select your free drink preferences.

You can either click “Yes” or “No” to drink vouchers, and save your selection by clicking the “Save” button.

Trick #2: Fly on certain dates

On certain special dates, Southwest treats you to a free beverage. But you may have to know it’s a free drink date and ask. Here are the dates as reported in various forums:

New Year’s Day
Valentine’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day
Mother’s Day
Father’s Day
Southwest’s Birthday – June 18
U.S. Independence Day
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card’s Anniversary — August 7
Halloween
Thanksgiving

Note: Southwest can discontinue any of these dates. They might also add dates.

Trick #3: Hold a Southwest credit card

Southwest credit cardholders have reported getting free drink coupons in the mail on their 2nd card anniversary. On the various forums I’ve read, this one seems to be a bit hit or miss.

Officially, it looks like this doesn’t work any longer based on a tweet from Southwest. But you might get lucky.

Ways to earn Southwest points towards flights

Here are the best Southwest cards:

And don’t forget, the sign-up bonus points on these credit cards count towards earning the best deal in travel — the Southwest Companion Pass!

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

APPLY NOW

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
$300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. From 6/1/20 through 6/30/21, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit
3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 50% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority PassTM Select and up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®
Earn 3x total points on up to $1,000 in grocery store purchases per month from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. Includes eligible pick-up and delivery services

Intro APR on purchases

N/A

Regular APR

16.99%-23.99% Variable

Annual Fee

$550

Balance Transfer Fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater