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Southwest Airlines offers a variety of free beverages in-flight, including soft drinks, tea, hot chocolate and coffee. Beer, wine and spirits, on the other hand, typically cost more than $7 per drink.
Scoring Southwest drink coupons can save you money on those purchases. Here are some tips for getting free drinks on Southwest.
How do I get Southwest drink coupons?
At the moment, there is only one way to get free drink coupons from Southwest:
Book a Choice Extra fare. When you fly Choice Extra (formerly known as Business Select), you get a coupon that's good for one free premium drink in-flight, along with priority boarding and Fly By check-in. Your drink coupon may be electronic (especially if you check in through the app), or it may be a printed coupon with your boarding pass.
But what about drink coupons in the past?
Previously, you could sometimes get drink coupons when you booked 10 qualifying flights with Southwest, paid for in real money rather than with Southwest Rapid Rewards points. Those loyal customers typically received physical coupons in the mail. When Southwest temporarily suspended in-flight alcoholic drink service during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also stopped sending out those coupons (and never resumed the perk).
» Learn more: How to rebook and save when Southwest prices drop
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Southwest offers a variety of free nonalcoholic beverages, along with complimentary in-flight snacks. Drink coupons are meant for beverages that you'd ordinarily have to pay for.
Beverages that aren't free include:
- Beer.
- Wine.
- Individual spirits.
According to the in-flight menu, all of these options can be purchased using Rapid Rewards or Southwest Business Select drink coupons. If you're flying between Hawaiian Islands, Southwest limits service to water and juice. But the airline will still honor drink coupons if you're flying Business Select.
» Learn more: How to visit Hawaii on a budget
Do Southwest drink coupons expire?
Business Select drink coupons are valid only on the day of travel.
Save on drinks without Southwest drink coupons
If you don't have any drink coupons, here are some other tips you can try to save money on beer, wine and cocktail purchases.
Book with the right card: You can get 25% back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi when you use one of these four Southwest credit cards to make a purchase on a flight. You'll also earn Rapid Rewards points on those purchases, which you can use toward future flights.
Annual fee
$99.
$229.
$149.
Welcome offer
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Learn more
Look for free drinks on holidays: Southwest offers complimentary drinks to travelers on selected holidays, which are:
- Valentine's Day: 2/14.
- St. Patrick's Day: 3/17.
- Southwest Birthday: 6/18.
- Halloween: 10/31.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
You may be able to get a free drink just by asking. For example, if your flight's been delayed, Southwest may be willing to offer a free drink as partial compensation. The worst that can happen is they say no. If you want to use Southwest Airlines drink coupons
Southwest drink coupons can save money on in-flight purchases. If you don't have any coupons on hand, you may be able to save on in-flight drinks by paying with a Rapid Rewards credit card and earning 25% back on those purchases. Be aware that Southwest's in-flight drink menu can change regularly, so pay attention to any price updates if you're paying for alcoholic beverages out of pocket.
» Learn more: Is a Southwest credit card worth it?
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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