Travelers often fall into a situation where they become compelled to change or even cancel their bookings. Needless to say, canceling a flight can also result in complete money loss since many airlines do not offer a refund for canceled flights, but Southwest Airlines makes a big difference by offering a refund for canceled flights.
It won’t be wrong to say at all that Southwest Airlines cancellation policy never leaves the travelers in dire straits, as the cancellation policy for Southwest is as smooth as butter because the airline does not charge a fee to cancel the flight. Yes, you read that right, and you can find out more about the Southwest flight cancellation policy in the following segments.
What Is Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy?
Southwest cancellation policy dictates guidelines and rules for all the possible circumstances where a traveler can cancel a flight ticket and request a refund. Without further ado, kindly note that Southwest Airlines allows ticket purchasers to cancel their tickets at any time prior to the flight’s departure.
Furthermore, the Southwest Airlines flight cancellation policy also promises to offer free cancellation if the ticket is canceled within 24 hours of the booking. About this, we have elaborated more details in the Southwest 24 hour cancellation policy segment.
What Are Southwest Cancellation Rules?
- Southwest Airlines offers two types of tickets, refundable and non-refundable. Business Select and Anytime fares are the refundable tickets, while Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ are non-refundable tickets.
- The airline offers a full refund via the original payment method if a refundable fare is requested to cancel, given that the cancellation request must be made at least 10 minutes prior to the flight departure.
- The non-refundable tickets can not be canceled to get a refund, but they can be reused through the travel credit program of Southwest Airlines.
- A Southwest Airlines flight ticket can be reused within the period of one year from the purchase date.
- If a passenger wants to cancel Southwest flight ticket bought with travel credits or fare points, the airline will restore the credit to the account.
- A full refund may be issued if you cancel Southwest Airlines flight ticket within 24 hours of the booking.
- As per the Southwest Covid cancellation policy, the Southwest Airlines cancellation fee has been waived.
Does Southwest Have 24 Hour Cancellation?
The airline mapped out a separate policy for cancelling Southwest flight within 24 hours. Therefore, we have separately explained the rules for Southwest 24 hour cancellation. Take a look below:
- A refund will be issued only if the flight was booked in advance for at least 7 days and requested to cancel within 24 hours of the purchase time.
- The refund will be issued to the same method that was used during the ticket booking.
- Whether a refund or travel credit is issued depends on the fare type.
What Is The Wanna Get Away Cancellation Policy?
Southwest Airlines cancellation policy Wanna Get Away is basically for non-refundable fares. Note that Southwest wanna get away cancellation policy has different rules from the refundable fare policy.
- Upon cancelling the Wanna Get Away fare (non-refundable) up to 10 minutes before the flight’s departure, the airline offers travel credit instead of the refund amount, which can be used for another booking in the future.
- A cash refund can not be issued under any circumstances for canceling a Wanna Get Away ticket.
What Is Southwest Weather Cancellation Policy?
Travelers often show their frenzy over the weather cancellation policy by asking what happens if Southwest flights cancelled today due to weather. For the unversed, there is also a Southwest weather cancellation policy that answers all the questions that might be popping up in a traveler’s mind.
- Generally, Southwest arranges the next available flight for the passengers if a flight is canceled due to weather conditions.
- Passengers can also opt for changing their cancelled flight to a new flight within 14 days of the original flight’s date at no additional charge.
- If a flight is significantly delayed (over 3 hours for a domestic flight and over 6 hours for an international flight) and passengers are no longer interested in traveling, a refund can be obtained.
See this also: How to Book a Southwest Airlines Group Travel Flight?
How Does Southwest Airlines Cancellation Refund Policy Work?
Undoubtedly, Southwest Airlines forged its refund policy intending to offer all the possible flexibilities to its passengers when they need to cancel their flight and request a refund. For the convenience of the travelers, the Southwest cancel policy has been kept very straightforward, as flights can be canceled without penalties for all fares, barring the Basic fare for which the airline offers travel credit. Let’s take a look at the rules dictated for the Southwest Airlines cancel flight refund.
- Basic fare is the only fare for which Southwest compensation for cancelled flight can not be obtained, as the airline offers a refund for all fares except Basic fare.
- For Basic fare, Southwest offers travel credits that can be reused to book another flight.
- A full refund is given when the flight is canceled within 24 hours of the booking that was made at least 7 days in advance.
- The airline issues a refund to the same method that was used for booking the flight.
How Much Does It Cost To Cancel A Flight On Southwest?
Whenever travelers find themselves in a situation where they need to cancel their flights, they often wonder about the cancellation fee or penalty that most airlines charge, except Southwest Airlines, which has completely waived the cancellation fee for all fares except for the Basic fare. There is no Southwest Airlines cancellation fee, as the airline does not charge fees for cancelling flights for most fares, including Anytime, Wanna Get Away, and Business Select.
How To Cancel Southwest Flight?
Although canceling a flight on Southwest is a very simple task, many people can get stuck during the process. Therefore, here is the straightforward process to cancel the Southwest flight.
- Visit the official website of Southwest Airlines.
- Go to the Manage Trip option.
- Enter your reservation code and last name to access the reservation details.
- Choose the flight that you want to cancel.
- After accepting the terms and conditions of the airline, click on the Cancel Flight button.
- A confirmation message of flight cancellation will be sent to your registered email address.
Summing Up
Southwest Airlines cancellation policy is built with the intent of providing convenience in the process of cancelling a flight and requesting a refund for the passengers. As Southwest offers a full refund for flight cancellations within 24 hours for most fares and does not charge a fee for the same, it becomes a standout traveling option for frequent travelers who sometimes need to cancel their flights due to unforeseen events.
FAQ’s
What happens if I cancel my Southwest flight?
Upon canceling the Southwest flight, the consequences you may face will depend on the type of fare you had and the time of cancellation. However, tickets can be cancelled at any time up to 10 minutes before departure to get a refund or travel credit.
Are Southwest plane tickets refundable?
Yes, Southwest plane tickets are refundable except for Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus. Anytime and Business Select fares are refundable tickets on Southwest.
When can you cancel Southwest flights?
Southwest flights can be cancelled up to 10 minutes before the departure time of the flight.
Can I cancel a flight on Southwest Airlines?
Yes, you can cancel your flight on Southwest Airlines, but the time of cancellation will decide the fate of your refund, as refunds are issued only for canceling tickets up to 10 minutes before departure.
Can I cancel my Southwest flight and get a refund?
To get a refund for cancelling your Southwest flight, you must cancel the flight as soon as possible because refunds are issued if the ticket is canceled at least 10 minutes prior to departure.
What happens if my Southwest flight gets cancelled?
If your Southwest flight gets canceled, you will get the next available flight for the same destination automatically booked.
Does Southwest have free cancellation?
Yes, Southwest has an absolutely free cancellation policy for all fare types, including non-refundable tickets.
Can you cancel Southwest within 24 hours and get full refund?
Yes, Southwest offers a full refund for flights cancelled within 24 hours of the reservation time if they were at least seven days before the departure time of the flight.
Can I cancel my Southwest flight without penalty?
Yes, there is no penalty or charges for canceling Southwest flight up to 10 minutes before the flight’s schedule.
Are Southwest flights 100% refundable?
Not every flight on Southwest is 100% refundable because it completely depends on the fare type and the time of cancellation.
Can I put a Southwest flight on hold?
Sadly, no, you can not put a Southwest flight on hold but you can cancel a flight up to 10 minutes before the departure.
What happens if you book with Southwest and the price drops?
Southwest offers a fare guarantee, which means passengers can get a refund or travel credit if the price drops after booking.
What is the Southwest vacation cancellation policy?
The vacation cancellation policy of Southwest is for vacation packages that can be canceled to get a full refund, but within a specific time frame.
Does Southwest offer compensation for cancelled flights?
Yes, Southwest offers compensation for cancelled flights if the flight is canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the departure.
Does Southwest give flight credit for cancelled flights?
Yes, Southwest gives flight credits similarly to a refund for cancelled flights.
What is the cancellation fee for Southwest Airlines?
There is no cancellation fee for Southwest Airlines for any fare type.
What is the no show policy for Southwest?
Southwest's no-show policy states that if a passenger with a non-refundable ticket does not cancel or change their flight at least 10 minutes before departure, their booking will be canceled, and the ticket amount will be forfeited. For refundable tickets, the ticket amount will be stored for future flights within one year.
