Caveat: If you buy a late night flight and standby for an earlier flight using A-list status, you can expect your ticket to be re-fared at the normal 72 points per dollar, erasing your time of day savings. That's what I recall seeing the time or two I did that last year. You have to admit this is an eminently fair policy, if it's policy and not just a software glitch.
That must be a glitch. Your ticket shouldn't be refared at all. Unless Southwest is using an
alternate version of the word "free."
Are A-List and A-List Preferred Members eligible for same-day standby?
Free same-day standby is not available at Southwest® kiosks. Please see a Customer Service Agent at the airport for this benefit. Free same-day standby will be provided for A-List and A-List Preferred Members traveling prior to the original scheduled departure, between the same city pairs, on the original date of travel, where a seat is available. On flights that do not meet these qualifications, A-List and A-List Preferred Members will receive priority standby and will be required to pay the difference in fare if a seat becomes available. A-List Preferred Members will be prioritized ahead of A-List Members. If an A-List or A-List Preferred Member is traveling on a multiple-Passenger reservation, free same-day standby and priority standby will not be provided for non-A-List or non-A-List Preferred Members in the same reservation. For A-List and A-List Preferred Members who have also qualified for a Companion Pass, A-List and A-List Preferred benefits are not available to the Companion unless the Companion is also an A-List and A-List Preferred Member. A-List and A-List Preferred Members can still make confirmed same-day changes for another flight to their destination, if seats are available, and will only pay the difference in fare.