One of the biggest and famous low-cost airlines operating in the U.S., Southwest Airlines has established itself as a trusted name among millions of travelers. This carrier is a preferred choice for its customer-friendly policies and seamless travel arrangements oriented towards various domestic and international routes. However, certain unforeseen or unanticipated events could occur and force you to change your travel plans. Then you need to postpone or cancel your flight. So, it is important for you to stay familiar with Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy so as to avoid stress or monetary loss in such circumstances.
This elaborated article brings insights into all crucial aspects pertaining to the Cancellation Policy, including the refund options and applicable fees.
Go ahead, explore!
Southwest Cancellation Policy: Discover All Scenarios
The cancellation policy of Southwest Airlines is designed to enable flexibility and convenience for passengers. It also paves the way for the airline to ensure that it can manage its operations efficiently. Understanding the types of cancellations, refund options, and fees helps you make informed decisions.
The airline offers four types of flight booking fares i.e., Business Select®, Anytime, Wanna Get Away®, and Wanna Get Away®. The cancellation policy is set based on these fares.
Here are some of the major scenarios you could face:
What if I Cancel My Southwest Flight?
If you need to cancel your flight due to an emergency or unexpected issues, you may receive a flight credit or Transferable Flight Credit, depending on the type of ticket. Let’s see how this works.
Refundable Tickets
If you have a Business Select® or Anytime ticket then these are refundable. Now you need to select a mode of refund. If this option doesn’t suit you, you may choose to hold the value of the ticket, as you can get it as a flight credit. This credit can be simply used to pay for a flight that you may need to reserve in the future.
Non-Refundable Tickets
If you have a Wanna Get Away® or Wanna Get Away Plus® ticket then you will not get any refund. However, in this case, the airline converts the ticket value into a flight credit or Transferable Flight Credit™. This also depends on the type of fare. The credit can be used to pay for a future flight.
Please Note: You can change your Southwest flight by cancelling your current flight and choosing another flight without any fee. However, you need to make payment if your freshly booked flight is costlier than the previous one. So, the difference in ticket fare is to be paid.
What are the Terms of Cancelling a Southwest Flight?
Although the airline advises you to cancel your flight well in advance, if possible, you can still consider the following cases.
Booking Cancelled Within 24 Hours
You can cancel your flight within 24 hours of its booking. If you do this, you can make a choice from receiving a method-of-payment refund and getting the ticket value converted into a flight credit or Transferable Flight CreditTM. The latter case depends on your fare type, and the credit is accepted by the airline as payment for a future flight reservation.
On the other hand, if you choose to cancel your reservation as a result of a change in schedule or delay then you get a method-of-payment refund. Nevertheless, this completely depends on the airline’s decision considering certain scenarios at that point of time.
Booking Cancelled 10 Minutes Before the Flight’s Departure
You may also choose to cancel your booking at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time of your flight.
- In case of a Business Select fare, the flight charges are 100% refundable to your original mode of payment, if you cancel your booking 10 minutes before the flight. If a flight credit (received from a previous booking) was applied toward a Business Select, it is refunded as a Transferable Flight Credit.™
- The same goes in case of Anytime fare, as explained above in case of a Business Select fare.
- In case of a Wanna Get Away+® fare, you don’t get a refund, but the airline provides you with Transferable Flight Credits™ as part of the value of your unused funds. These flight credits can be transferred to any one person. However, if you wish to do this, make sure that both of you are the members of Rapid Rewards®. Please note that if your booking was made via a Southwest® Business channel then the transfer can only be done between employees within the organization.
- In case of a Wanna Get Away fare also, the ticket value is not refundable. But flight credits will be issued to you.
Booking Not Cancelled 10 Minutes Before the Flight’s Departure
If you don’t make the cancellation before 10 minutes, the ticket value of Business Select and Anytime fares are refunded to you in the form of a Transferable Flight Credit™. However, the Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus funds get forfeited.
If you don’t cancel the Wanna Get Away® or Wanna Get Away Plus™ reward travel booking that was made using points, the points are forfeited. The taxes and fees included as part of the reward travel booking are also forfeited. But if it is Anytime or Business Select® reward travel booking then the points used for booking are redeposited to your Rapid Rewards® account. Also, the associated taxes and fees are converted into a Transferable Flight Credit™ so that they can be used in case of a future booking.
Please Note: If you cancel your booking and contact the customer care team of the airline to request a refund or ask about funds for a particular ticket type, you are advised to keep your confirmation number, ticket number, or flight information handy. This makes it easier for the team to retrieve your flight details and provide you with speedy assistance.
What if I Cancel a Flight Booked with Cash + Points?
You are allowed to cancel your flight that was reserved with Cash + Points as a method of payment.
Now in this specific scenario, the points will be transferred back to the Rapid Rewards account that was used for reservation. But if any other form of payment was used in a Cash + Points reservation then the refund rules connected with the type of fare will be applicable.
If there will be any unused taxes or fees connected with a Cash + Points booking, they will be provided back to you either as a method-of-payment refund or a flight credit. Now again the credit can be used to book a Southwest flight in future.
What if Southwest Cancels a Flight?
If a flight is cancelled by the airline itself, what happens most of the time is that you are rebooked on another Southwest flight that is routed to your destination. So, in this case, you receive a message, call, or email, detailing the related itinerary, from the airline. This means that you have a fresh booking as confirmed by the airline through its communication, and nothing is required to be done from your end. You can simply prepare yourself to board the mentioned flight, as per its scheduled departure.
Now there is a hitch. If you are not satisfied with the schedule of this new flight, as it does not align with your travel plans, or maybe you are not rebooked on another flight by the airline (as discussed above) then you are allowed to cancel or change your flight, as explained below.
Change or Modify the Flight
If you feel the flight cancelled by Southwest Airlines itself has impacted your travel plans then you can definitely change the date and time of each flight in your original booking. This is valid for both the impacted and non-impacted. This can be done by up to 14 days from the original date of your travel, and that too up to a maximum of two times. You need not pay any extra charges in this case.
Cancel the Flight
On the other hand, if you feel it’s not possible for you to fly on another flight rebooked for you, after the original flight gets cancelled by the airline, you have two options. You may choose to either get a method-of-payment refund or get the ticket value converted into a flight credit, which of course can be applied in case you book a flight in the future.
How Does Southwest Provide a Method-of-payment Refund?
The airline issues these refunds to the mode that you used to make payment for flight booking. Here is the time limit within which the refunds are processed according to each eligible form of payment.
Credit Card – Within 7 business days from the date when the request is received.
Cash – Within 20 business days from the date of request in case of domestic flights; Refund policy is different in case of international flights.
Flight Credit – If you have applied a flight credit (from a previous booking) toward a Wanna Get Away Plus or Wanna Get Away fare, you will get its refund in the form of a flight credit only. If such a flight credit is applied toward a Business Select or Anytime fare, you get the refund as a Transferable Flight Credit.
Points – Transferred back to the Rapid Rewards® account used for flight reservation
Cash + Points – The part of a booking that is purchased using dollars will be taken as per the applicable refund guidelines, based on the payment form used for booking (credit card, Southwest gift card or Southwest LUV Voucher, flight credit). On the other hand, if the other portion was paid using points, it is transferred back to the Rapid Rewards account that you had used to reserve the flight. Besides, if there are any unused taxes or fees included as part of a Cash + Points booking, it will be refunded as a method-of-payment refund or a flight credit.
Credit from Flight Tickets: If there is any change or exchange in the ticket included in the same booking, it means the initial ticket will be considered as the payment form for the fresh ticket. Thus, in case of a Wanna Get Away Plus or Wanna Get Away fare, the refund is issued as a flight credit after a ticket change or exchange. When it comes to a Business Select or Anytime fare, the refund is issued as a Transferable Flight Credit after a ticket change or exchange.
Southwest® Gift Card or Southwest LUV Vouchers® – You can contact the airline if the reservation is not modified and is canceled, within 24 hours of booking. If canceled post 24 hours, you get the Southwest gift card or Southwest LUV Voucher as a flight credit.
Reimbursement of Expenses During Flight Delays
In case, a Southwest flight gets delayed for at least three hours or more despite the factors under control, or if the flight is cancelled by the airline itself due to circumstances that could be controlled, and you are asked to wait at the airport for a minimum of three hours, the airline takes care of your expenses made in case of the following:
Meals – You can ask for a food voucher which can be used at the defined outlets at the airport. However, it could be a scenario that the voucher is not available or it cannot be used at any of the outlets then the airline may consider your request for reimbursement of the price you paid to buy your meal.
Lodging – If the airline is not able to rebook you on another flight that is scheduled to your destination, or to a co-terminal city that same day only, and your booking did not have an overnight layover then you may request for a place to stay. The airline may also consider your request for reimbursement for lodging expenses (if you live at a far location).
Transportation – If the airline makes arrangements for lodging and it doesn’t have a shuttle to/from the airport then you may ask for a ground transportation voucher. The airline may also accept your request for reimbursement for expenses incurred for a taxi or something similar.
You are advised to refer to the official website of Southwest Airlines to read in detail about the above cases, as you may need to submit a request form for the same within the defined duration.
Compensation in the Form of a Southwest LUV Voucher
Interestingly, in situations where flights are cancelled or significantly delayed by Southwest despite the reasons under their control, the airline may provide you with compensation in the form of a Southwest LUV Voucher.
If the flight gets delayed or cancelled in less than eight days before its scheduled date of departure and you reached your final destination three or more hours later than what was originally planned, you can definitely request for the Southwest LUV Voucher. You need to submit a form for the same, as provided on the website of Southwest Airlines.
Make sure that the form is submitted no later than a year from the date of the flight(s) that were canceled or delayed.
If the airline’s team finds that you are eligible for the voucher, you will receive an email (for each ticketed passenger).
Please note that if you have already been provided with the voucher in the case of a delay or cancellation, you will not get another voucher.
Concluding Words
So, that was a detailed explanation of the Southwest Cancellation Policy, which has been defined keeping in mind the benefit and comfort of passengers. We have discussed all possible cases, including cancellation of flights within 24 hours of bookings, cancellation before 10 minutes of the scheduled departure of flights, and cancellation not done before 10 minutes of the scheduled departures. Scenarios including flight delays and cancellations by the airline itself are also elaborated. Furthermore, what you can expect from the airline as part of compensation, owing to your eligibility, is also a main focus of discussion.
Thus, you can definitely proceed in a stress-free manner and avoid any monetary loss by staying informed about the full policy and preparing yourself accordingly. The availability of options in case of the four main fares of the airline i.e., Business Select®, Anytime, Wanna Get Away+®, and Wanna Get Away® brings flexibility and convenience, as you may choose to make an appropriate decision that goes well with your travel plans.
For more assistance, you can always reach out to the airline’s team and avail customized solutions.
Related FAQ’s!
Find answers to some of the most important queries related to Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy that are usually raised by both business and leisure travelers.
The Southwest cancellation policy goes as per the four main fare types of the airline i.e., Business Select®, Anytime, Wanna Get Away+®, and Wanna Get Away®. Ticket value is refunded, non-refunded, or converted into credits, as per the fare type, and also as per when you cancel your booking, whether within 24 hours of getting a reservation done, 10 minutes before the flight’s departure, and less than 10 minutes before the flight’s departure.
You can get a 100% refund on the cancellation of a Southwest flight only if it was booked on Business Select or Anytime fare type. The refund is applicable if you choose to cancel your booking at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the flight.
Yes! If you cancel a flight within 24 hours of its booking and it was not changed at all, you can choose to get a method-of-payment refund (no matter what the fare type is) or request the airline’s team to get the ticket value converted into a flight credit or Transferable Flight Credit™ (as per the fare type). The credit can be used to pay for a future flight booking.
Yes, you can cancel your flight booked with Southwest Airlines after you mark your check-in at the airport. However, you will get a 100% refund of the ticket value if the flight is cancelled at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure time. Also, it must belong to the Business Select or Anytime fare in order to be eligible for this refund. In case of a flight booked on any other fare type and cancelled 10 minutes before the departure, you will get credits for future use.
Most of the flights can be cancelled through the website or mobile app of Southwest Airlines. You need to go to the Manage Reservations option and click the Cancel button. Interestingly, eligible customers are also allowed to cancel some part of their trip and keep the remaining part of the booking available to fly.
If you cancel your Southwest flight booked on Anytime fare, at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure time, you will get a 100% refund of the ticket value. However, if you don’t cancel the flight for this fare type less than 10 minutes before the flight’s departure, you will get a refund for the ticket value in the form of a Transferable Flight Credit™.
Yes, you are allowed to cancel your Southwest Airlines for free. However, if you choose to book another flight after cancelling your previously booked flight, you need to pay the difference in fare. This is because the new flight may be more expensive than the old one.
The method-of-payment refunds issued by Southwest Airlines are made within 7 days in case the flight booking was done through your credit card. In case of cash payments for domestic flights, the refunds are processed within 20 business days from the date of request. Refund policy may vary in case of international flights.
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