Changing Your Name on Your Southwest Rapid Rewards Account After Marriage

I got married this past October and it’s taken me a few months to get the name change ball rolling. I have so many hotel and airline loyalty accounts that it’s no small feat! I was mainly worried about how the change would work for Southwest since I’m my husband’s companion on our Companion Pass and we already have several trips booked under my old last name. Luckily, the process was pretty painless. Here’s how to change your legal name on your Southwest Rapid Rewards account and existing reservations after getting married.

Contact Southwest to Change Your Name

I found out the hard way that calling Southwest to change your name won’t get you anywhere. Instead, you can fax (1-877-506-0154) or email (swacss@wnco.com) Southwest with the following information:

• A copy of your old and new government-issued IDs OR your marriage certificate
• Rapid Rewards number
• Current name
• Name as it should appear on your updated account
• Phone number

This change can take up to 30 days. In my experience, it took only five. If you are someone’s companion on the Companion Pass, your name will be updated automatically – no need to call in!

Change Your Name on Existing Southwest Reservations

Once your name change is complete, you have two options for changing the name on your reservations. Here’s the email I received from Southwest explaining the options:

Thank you for your inquiry. We received your request to update the name listed on your reservation. We have two options available to you. If you would like to keep your original confirmation number, the update to the reservation must take place 30 days or less from the date of your return flight. Within the 30-day timeframe, you can either submit another email through the “Contact Us” page on Southwest.com or you can call us at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). If you would prefer to make the name change at this time, give us a call at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792), and we will be happy to rebook your reservation now under a new confirmation number for the same itinerary at no additional cost.

Both of my existing reservations were Companion Pass reservations. Instead of calling, I canceled my original flights and then logged onto my husband’s account to re-add myself as the Companion. Much faster!

Final Thoughts

Getting married is fun, but changing your name on dozens of accounts is not. Once you have your marriage certificate in hand, you can update your Southwest account relatively easily over email. Changing your name on existing reservations also isn’t an issue, but you can avoid this by booking future flights in your new name and adding your Rapid Rewards number at a later date.

Find out how to change your name on other hotel and airline loyalty accounts here.