Southwest sale: Book by Thursday for one-way flights as low as $49

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.

Summer is nearing, so now is the time to start planning your sunny getaways. With Southwest's "Wanna Get Away" sale, you can save money on your spring, summer and early fall vacation with flights for as little as $49 one-way.

You must book your flights by Thursday to take advantage of this sale for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May 7 and Nov. 20. A 21-day advance purchase is required.

Deal basics

Airline: Southwest.
Routes: Across the Southwest network.
How to book: Directly with the airline; no code is required.
Travel dates: Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May 7 and Nov. 20.
Book by: 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday.
Blackout dates: No specific blackout dates. On select routes, a limited number of seats are available, and a 21-day advance purchase is required.

For this sale, only Wanna Get Away fares are discounted. Wanna Get Away fares are nonrefundable, but you can receive flight credit for future travel if you need to cancel your flight for any reason. All Southwest fare types also include two free checked bags, one free carry-on and personal item, and free inflight entertainment and messaging.

In addition to cash bookings, Rapid Rewards redemptions are discounted, though you will still be responsible for the September 11 Security Fee of $5.60 per one-way flight.

Sample flights

How much you can save depends on your origin and destination cities. Our search found nonstop flights between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) between $50 and $70 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer and early fall.

If you want to visit the East Coast, we found flights between Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) for $89 each way throughout the summer.

If you want to use Southwest Rapid Rewards points, you can book this same flight for 4,971 points each way. According to TPG's Awards vs. Cash Calculator, you can save the equivalent of $8 by booking with points versus cash. If you have Rapid Rewards points, this sale could be a good time to use them.

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To search for these Wanna Get Away deals, enter your desired travel month and departure and arrival airports into Southwest's low-fare calendar. This is the quickest way to see Southwest's lowest daily fares between two airports.

Maximize your purchase

To book this deal (or any flights), use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases. Southwest frequent flyers should use the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) to earn 4 Rapid Rewards points on Southwest purchases, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card to earn 3 Rapid Rewards points on Southwest purchases or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (see rates and fees) to earn 2 points.

Otherwise, consider using:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): 8 points per dollar on all Chase Travel℠ purchases and 4 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline
• Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

You can find some deep discounts on flights this summer and fall with Southwest's Wanna Get Away sale.

If you've already booked travel via Southwest in the coming months, it may be worth re-pricing your reservations since Southwest doesn't apply change fees. You'll receive a flight credit for the difference if you change your existing flights for a lower fare as part of this sale.

Also, this sale is appealing for Southwest travelers with a Companion Pass: A friend or family member can join you on your discounted flights for just the cost of taxes and fees.

To take advantage of this sale, book your flights by the end of the day Thursday.

Related reading:

• How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
• How to use the Southwest Companion Pass
• Is the Southwest Performance Business Card worth the annual fee?
• It just got easier to use your Chase points to book Southwest Airlines flights