Southwest "Ding" fares

[Coach Rick]

Wasn't very long ago I was whinning about Airfares on Southwest creaping up. Well I have downloaded "Ding" from their site, and it just dinged me with a cheaper fare. I just got Providence to Olrando for $55 each way. These Ding fares are usually only good for a couple of hours, so you gotta be quick about it. I had booked the $79 fares a couple of weeks ago, so I cancelled, and rebooked my ding rate. Now I got $278 credit to use next year. That along with my free trip that I only need a half a point to achieve should put me in good shape for next year. That is another really neat thing on SWA, Rapid Rewards! If you are in the process to changing cell service they will give you 8 points for signing up off of SWA website, and since you only need 16 points for a free trip it's really easy. Just thought I'd pass it along. One word of advice though. With Ding, be paitient. I have begun to notice a pattern with them, so get it and hang in there.

 

[GoofItUp]

Congrats on a great fare!

 

[Mykelogan]

Ding rocks in my book! Keep watching it, you may find an even lower flight eventually. I'm also flying PVD to MCO and I went from $79 each way to $39 each way a few weeks back.

Congrats!

Mike

 

[simpilotswife]

See now I have to say that I have not seen any DING fares that I thought were cheaper than their regular fares.

 

[Coach Rick]

Ding rocks in my book! Keep watching it, you may find an even lower flight eventually. I'm also flying PVD to MCO and I went from $79 each way to $39 each way a few weeks back.

Congrats!

Mike

Really! Cool, was that a Ding fare? Believe me, I won't stop hunting them down. I was out all day, when I arrived home flipped on my 'puter to check in on DIS, I got dinged, and checked on it. I had 5 minutes to cancel one ressie, and make a brand new one with that fare for 7 of us (mom and dad included). The race was on, and I finished putting in the last rapid rewards number at 6:59, 1 minute to spare. I just love saving money.

 

[barbnbrian]

That's great Coach Rick! I too lowered my fare from Hartford with a DING special. The only problem was I had to fly out a day earlier. Boo Hoo! I'm still watching for DING specials from Hartford because I'm hoping to be able to change my flight out to an earlier one in the a.m. so I can get a full day in rather than arriving later in the day. DING is great!

 

[mking624]

Great fares!! We downloaded DING on our computer a couple of weeks ago and just last week we got fares to Orlando from Indianapolis for only $30 each way (about $40 each way after you figure in tax & fees)! So we wound up booking a flight for me and my husband for a total of $166 (after taxes/fees). We're super excited!

 

[tigger002]

What is this Ding fare? How do you get it?

Thanks

 

[mking624]

DING is a software program from Southwest Airlines that you download and install on your computer. They send special notices to DING users that tells them of any promotions they have for special fares. The promotions are exclusive to DING users and they generally only last a few hours. They never go to the next day. So basically when you find a good fare, you have to get it. There is no set time as to when a promotion will pop up...sometimes it's once a day...sometimes there are a few in a day and they come at any time during the day. For example, I just got a DING notice about 10 minutes ago. Just go to iflyswa.com and you'll see a little graphic that says "DING"...just click on that and they'll give you info on it.

 

[luvdisney14]

barbnbrian - I have been looking for about 2 weeks for a ding from hartford to orlando and haven't gotten one. I just saw one from providence to orlando, good price, but I don't know if I want to drive the extra to providence. Have you see hartford often, if so I might just wait.

 

[Christy]

I'm signin' up!!!
If I can get a good enough fare from Albany, NY to Orlando, I might be able to convince my husband that we should take another trip THIS year instead of next...

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

If you book the same flights at a lower price on SWA, you can get a credit back to your credit card. Just call Customer Service and make the request. We've done it several years in a row.

 

[Soupermom]

Let's say I have airfare for four booked for Sept. If I get dinged a lower rate, how do I go about switching to the lower airfare? TIA!

 

[weregoingtodw]

Ding rocks in my book! Keep watching it, you may find an even lower flight eventually. I'm also flying PVD to MCO and I went from $79 each way to $39 each way a few weeks back.

Congrats!

Mike

Yup - same here! $59 to $39! That was right before the gas started creeping up, and they're now at $90 for the lowest fare. A steal in my book!

 

[kaddjr]

Great fares!! We downloaded DING on our computer a couple of weeks ago and just last week we got fares to Orlando from Indianapolis for only $30 each way (about $40 each way after you figure in tax & fees)! So we wound up booking a flight for me and my husband for a total of $166 (after taxes/fees). We're super excited!

DANG! Was that a non-stop flight? Looks like I need to go do some dowloading...

 

[mking624]

Yep, completely nonstop. We've seen the same fares on Ding just one other time since we booked our flight, so I'm assuming they may do it again. They advertised it as $48 each way which we thought was great...but it came out to be a lot less than that after we booked it. If it was $48 each way, it would have been at least $192 before taxes & fees....but our total came to be $166. So our fare was actually lower than what Ding advertised. However, I don't know if that's always the case, or if they just happened to have cheaper fares left over and just included that. But when we saw it advertised, it was saying $48 each way.

 

[Coach Rick]

Let's say I have airfare for four booked for Sept. If I get dinged a lower rate, how do I go about switching to the lower airfare? TIA!

You first have to cancel you existing fare. I know that sounds scary, but it works. Then you go through the reservation process from Ding, then when it comes time to pay, you click on apply ticketless travel funds, put in the old reservation number, and that's it.

I have done this a few times, and I really don't care that they keep the rest of my money for a little while. I just use that as an incentive to go to WDW again.

Of course if you didn't use any of the "non refudable" rates then you can always just get a refund. (I never tell my wife that part - )

 

[Moose for Sprite]

Ding Fares are great!
Thanks to Ding! my wife and I will enjoy our anniversary in August alone at the AKL- Concierge and our family trip in July.

Now when the release October I hope I can catch cheap fares for our MNSSHP.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

I am having a problem with my DING. I got it back a couple months ago, second DING was what I booked for this trip! Not longer after that though, I have an error. I have uninstalled and reinstalled a few times, even just now and it says there is a communications error. I really think it has something to do with my virus scanning program. Anyone have any clue as to what is going on with it? Maybe I have a security setting that is preventing me from getting my DINGS! I need my DINGS!

 

[Trixiezzz]

I just downloaded Ding, too. I'm interested in a September flight~end of the month. Does anyone know how far in advance they usually list their specials?

All of them right now are for summer.