Southwest Airlines is one of the few major U.S. carriers that simplifies flight changes and cancellations — even at the last minute. If your situation changes, you won't be surprised with additional fees or lose your entire investment. Nice, right?
Below is a quick breakdown of Southwest Airlines' refund and cancellation rules so you'll know exactly what to expect.
Yes, seriously! Southwest has no cancellation or change fees, no matter the ticket you bought.
You can:
- Cancel your flight at any time before flying
- Change your flight at no cost
- Receive travel credit or a refund (depending on your ticket)
Simply make sure you cancel at least 10 minutes before your flight departure time — otherwise, you'll lose the whole cost of the ticket.
Southwest offers three basic fare types, and your refund or credit option is determined by what you've bought:
Credits never expire — use them whenever you'd like
Cancel and receive a full cash refund or exchange for a Travel Credit
Earn a cash refund, Travel Credit, or Rapid Rewards points (when bought with points)
It's extremely simple to cancel or change a Southwest flight and can be completed on southwest.com:
Visit southwest.com
Click "Manage Reservations"
Type in your name and confirmation number
Select "Change" or "Cancel"
Fill out the prompts to acknowledge your change
You can also do it with the Southwest mobile app — fast and convenient!
When you cancel a refundable fare:
You'll get your money back to the original form of payment
For non-refundable fares:
If Southwest cancels your flight (due to weather, mechanical issues, etc.),
you can:
They can also help you rebook on another airline in extreme situations or refund lodging/food, depending on the situation.
With no cancelation charges, flexible fares, and easy online management, Southwest Airlines makes changing or cancelling a flight as easy as flying should be. Just be sure to cancel before takeoff and know your fare type — the rest is smooth sailing.