Want some free Southwest drink coupons to enjoy a glass of wine, cocktail or beer on your next flight? Unfortunately, drinks are not free on Southwest Airlines (alcohol costs $6-$7 per drink), but there ARE ways you can score a freebie, and it doesn’t require you to have earned any rewards.
5 Ways to Get Southwest Drink Coupons
1. Join Southwest Rapid Rewards
Here are the coupons I got in the mail, much to my surprise and delight!
If you are not yet a member (and you should be if you want to learn how to fly free on Southwest!), join the Southwest frequent flyer program, which is called Rapid Rewards. Sign up at Southwest.com.
Southwest sometimes sends Rapid Rewards members free coupons in the mail after they have flown a set number of flights (the rumor is 10 one-ways in a calendar year). You’ll see the image above shows a letter I received with four coupons, which appears to be because I am a Rapid Rewards member.
2. Apply for a Southwest Chase Rapid Rewards Credit Card
This is also key if you want to fly free on Southwest. To earn the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, which lets one person fly free with you up to two years, you’ll need at least two of Southwest’s travel credit cards (to support the Go to Travel Gal blog, please consider applying for the cards using the Travel Credit Cards link in the main Menu Bar or the links within this post).
The cards include:
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card (70,000-points after meeting the minimum spend! Highest Southwest card offer available)
These cards offer big bonuses when meeting a minimum spend, which count toward the 110,000 Southwest points you will need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass in 2019 or the 125,000 points you’ll need beginning January 1, 2020.
Credit card holders often get free drink tickets as thanks for being a card holder. Plus, your Southwest points never expire as a card holder!
On my second, third and fourth anniversaries of holding the Southwest Rapid Rewards Chase Business Premier card, Southwest sent me four free drink coupons in the mail. Hooray!
3. Ensure You Are Opted in to Receive Free Southwest Drink Coupons
To get any free Southwest drink coupons, you’ll need to be opted in. Here’s how you do it:
- Log in to your Rapid Rewards account at Southwest.com.
- Click on My Account (top right).
- Scroll down to My Preferences/Travel.
- Click on Travel/Extras.
- Click “Yes, send me drink coupons as I earn them.”
4. Sign up for all Southwest Airlines Communications
By ensuring you are receiving all Southwest email communications, you’ll increase your chances of getting these coupons. Sometimes they’ll offer a freebie in one of their emails, plus you’ll also find out about their sales. You can also check the latest Southwest sale on Go to Travel Gal’s Southwest sale page.
On some special occasions, like Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween, they give away free drinks … if you know to ask for them! You’ll find out in the Southwest enewsletter or by reading Go to Travel Gal 🙂 (make sure you have signed up to receive my enewsletter in the lefthand sidebar!). They usually include it on their current drink menu in your seat pocket, as well.
Ensure you are signed up for Southwest emails by logging into your Rapid Rewards Account at Southwest.com, clicking My Account, then Preferences/Communication. Ensure all boxes are checked.
5. Purchase a Southwest Business Select Fare
Credit Southwest Airlines
Business Select tickets cost more, but they do throw in a free drink each direction.
When you buy a Business Select fare, you earn 12 Southwest points per dollar versus 6 points per dollar versus Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away Fares (the cheapest Southwest fares).
You will get your printable drink coupon when you check in at the airport. It will be on the end of your Business Class boarding pass, so don’t lose it!
Here is a good forum post from the Southwest Airlines Community site that discusses free drink coupons.
Learn how easy it is to earn the Southwest Companion Pass by downloading my free cheat sheet on 10 Things You MUST Know to Earn Your Southwest Companion Pass.
Download Your FREE Guide & Start Flying FREE on Southwest!
Alcoholic Drink Options
- Beer (Miller Lite, Dos Equis Special Lager, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy (seasonal), Fat Tire, Lagunitas 12th of Never Ale)
- Wine or sparkling wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sparkling Wine)
- Spirits, including:
- Dewar’s Scotch
- Jack Daniel’s
- Wild Turkey
- Bacardi Rum
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Sauza Gold Tequila
- Deep Eddy Vodka
- Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka
- Tanqueray Gin
- These fun cocktails:
- Vodka and Cran Apple
- Rum and Coke
- Gin and Tonic
- Bloody Mary
- Tequila and OJ
- Vodka and OJ
- Jack and Coke
- St. Roc sparkling wine and Cran Apple – I recently tried this one and it’s super yummy!!
Here is the full Southwest inflight menu, including Southwest Airlines beverages.
In Summary
There are a variety of ways you can score free Southwest drink coupons, so you can toast your travels without spending a dime! They include signing up for Rapid Rewards, holding a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, purchasing a Southwest Business Select fare and signing up for Southwest email communications. Have you found other ways to get free drink coupons?
Good luck!
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Want points to book free flights on Southwest?
Check out the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa cards, which let you earn tens of thousands of points after a low minimum spend to book free flights on Southwest!
They include:
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card (personal)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card (70,000-points after meeting the minimum spend! Highest offer available on a Southwest card)
These points also qualify for the 110,000 points you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass in 2019 or the 125,000 points you need to earn beginning January 1, 2020, so one person can fly free with you for up to two years.
Keep in mind you can only hold ONE personal card at a time, though you can hold two business cards.
My Favorite Travel Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred is my FAVORITE travel credit card and its bonus is now at its HIGHEST EVER
Flexible points transfer to Southwest instantly, 2X points on dining and travel, 60,000 points after meeting the minimum spend and only a $95 annual fee!
Read my full review of this card.
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Read More:
- Southwest Early Bird Check In FAQs
- Southwest Check In Simplified: Everything You Need to Know
- 9 Tips for Traveling on Southwest Airlines
Leah - The Frugal South says
May 27, 2016 at 12:14 pmI’ve received a similar set of coupons for the past two years, so I’m looking for them in the mail now, thanks! I guess they are for being a card holder?
Lyn Mettler says
May 27, 2016 at 12:57 pmAh, maybe that’s it! Hope you get them too!
Sue says
November 3, 2019 at 8:28 pmI havnt received any for years on my anniversary date and I
Have had a card for a long time ! Used to get them once a year well not sure whats happened but its been long time
Since i saw a free coupons!!!
Lyn Mettler says
November 4, 2019 at 9:59 amThat stinks! I think I’d reach out to Southwest and ask :).
Nancy McLaughlin says
May 3, 2017 at 12:38 pmI’ve never received SW drink coupons. Although I hold 2 SW CC and fly them (for free) 6 – 8 time a year. And have the companion pass. I guess they feel like they are giving me enough for free. I’m not complaining.
Vicki Michalek says
December 12, 2017 at 5:59 pmI fly southwest a lot with my husband I also have your credit card but have only got drink tickets once and I have had your card for years We are flying to Phoenix on Jan 5 so would appreciate a few coupons
Thank you
Vicki Michalek
Lyn Mettler says
December 13, 2017 at 8:25 amThanks for your comment Vicki. I’d suggest checking in with Southwest directly about the drink coupons. Here’s how to contact Southwest: https://www.gototravelgal.com/southwest-airlines-contact/
Tsue says
August 5, 2019 at 9:45 pmWe used to always get free drink coupons but I couldnt tell
you the last time that we got any coupons ! Its ashame
you dont get them when you purchase a plane ticket !
My year was up recently and still never got any!!
This is really aggravating!!
Tsue says
October 21, 2019 at 11:17 pmYes I step up last year to the next step and still didnt get no coupons !!! Then my huaband received a companion pass this past year and he never got any!! I just dont understand we do everything on here the only one thing we dont do is the business flights! We been rapid reward members for a long long time ! He and I both have a card Nd now last year we go the business card for our business and still have never saw any coupons at all! Just really upsets me ! Thats one thing we look forward to whe we go and enjoy our ride !!!
Lyn Mettler says
October 22, 2019 at 9:10 amHi Tsue, I’d try giving Southwest a call and asking about this. I bet they will send you some :).