If you're searching for an airline with the most accommodating regulations for altering or cancelling a flight, Southwest is your best option.
Simply put, there are no costs associated with changing or cancelling a Southwest ticket. Southwest Airlines doesn't operate under the same business model as other airlines, which may charge you far over $100 to modify an already-booked itinerary. Additionally, Southwest flight Change credits are now perpetual.
Southwest has some of the most forgiving cancellation and refund policies available. So you're in luck if you need to alter or void a Southwest Change Flight . What you need to know is as follows.
Canceling a Southwest flight
Southwest makes cancelling a flight quite simple. Both paid bookings and award reservations follow a fairly similar procedure.
Canceling a paid Southwest reservation
Southwest provides four distinct categories of fares: Business Select, Wanna Get Away, and Wanna Get Away Plus. For each of these fares, a different Southwest refund policy applies.
Since these are the least expensive price choices, most travellers like to buy Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus flights. Both of these prices are non-refundable.
If you must cancel your Southwest ticket, you will get a credit for the full amount paid as long as you do so more than 10 minutes before the flight's planned departure. The only method to transfer this fare credit to another Rapid Rewards member is if you purchased a Wanna Get Away Plus flight, as it no longer has an expiration date.
Additionally, you are entitled to a full refund (per Department of Transportation regulations) if you cancel a paid reservation within 24 hours of purchasing the flight. You won't need to worry about a flight credit because the money paid is returned to the credit card you used to make the ticket reservation.
The whole refund applies to the Anytime and Business Select rates. You'll get your money refunded on the credit card you used to make the reservation if you have to cancel your flight.
Canceling a Southwest reservation booked with points
Regardless of the booked fare type, this generous Southwest cancellation policy also applies to flights bought using Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Award flights can be cancelled without incurring fees, and the points you used to purchase the flights will be credited back to your original account. Even taxes and other charges made for the award reservation may be refunded to the original credit card.
How to cancel a Southwest flight
You may simply cancel your flight online if you made your reservation directly with Southwest. Even if you reserved a round-trip itinerary, you are still able to change just one way.
Southwest shows all of your upcoming reservations in your account. Click the “Cancel flight” option next to the appropriate flight to make Southwest Change Flight .
Keep in mind that if the flight is cancelled, everyone on the schedule will also be cancelled. If you want to cancel only one traveller from a multi-person reservation, you'll need to contact Southwest for help.
The procedure is the same whether you purchased a paid price or used Southwest points to reserve an award ticket. Southwest will nonetheless ask you how you want the taxes and fees you paid to be returned if your reservation was made using points.
If you want to be sure that the money is returned to your credit card, choose “Refund to method of payment.” You'll wind up with Southwest travel dollars if you don't.
Changing a Southwest flight
It's simple to Change Southwest Flight, and there are no additional fees. If you want to go on a different day, take a different flight on the same day, or go somewhere entirely different, changing a trip might be helpful.
Instead of cancelling and rebooking, altering a flight offers the advantage that, if you booked EarlyBird Check-in, the cost will remain with your reservation. If you purchase this add-on and then need to cancel your flight, you won't get your money back.
Changing a paid Southwest reservation
While there are no penalties for altering a Southwest trip, you may be charged the difference in price if your new itinerary is more expensive.
In contrast, if the cost of your ticket decreases, you will be given the difference as either a travel credit (for Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus prices) or a refund to the original payment method (for Anytime and Business Select fares).
If you book a Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, or Business Select fare and want to make a same-day modification, there is no additional cost. With this choice, Southwest will waive all fees associated with changing your itinerary to another airline departing on the same day and travelling the same route.
Changing a Southwest reservation booked with points
One of the nicest scenarios is changing a Southwest ticket you bought with points. If your new itinerary costs less points than your existing itinerary, the difference in points goes right back to your account. Otherwise, the terms are the same as a paid reservation.
This still applies if the cost of your flight has decreased. You may finally re-price your current fare by going through the “Change flight” procedure, and you'll immediately receive the points difference back in your account.
There's no need to put off booking your flights because of Southwest Flight Change policy. After all, especially during a Southwest sale, you may frequently check to see if the prize price has decreased.
How to change a Southwest flight
You can simply alter a Southwest flight using your Southwest account online, just like you can easily cancel a Southwest ticket. You can alter either the full round journey or just one direction.
Remember that altering your flight online affects everyone else on the itinerary as well. If you need to alter the itinerary of only one person, you must contact Southwest.
You should click the “Change flight” option next to the appropriate flight if you wish to modify your flight.
Your original flight schedule will appear, and you can change the dates or the destination entirely. You may also maintain the information the way it is and choose “Explore options” if you want to re-price your flight.
When you look at the new flight options, it will immediately display how much each option will cost you in comparison to what you had initially paid. Depending on how you paid, Southwest will display the difference in cash or points.
Changing or canceling a Southwest flight during a travel waiver
Southwest is quite accommodating when it comes to letting you pick another flight that works best for you — without charging you more money — in the event of weather delays or schedule adjustments.
When a weather alert is in effect (such as one for a hurricane, snowfall, or other event), the airline is extremely open about adding prospective cities to the list as soon as feasible. By doing this, you may move your flight to a different day in advance to avoid last-minute cancellations.
Southwest gives passengers a longer grace period than any other airline, allowing you to alter your travel for 14 days in either direction.
You may even switch the airport you'll be flying into or out of as long as it's in the same area. For instance, if your flight is scheduled to leave Boston, you might be able to switch it to leave from Providence, Manchester, or Hartford.
Southwest is infamous for altering schedules across the whole system. When this occurs, Southwest will normally send you a “Travel Notice” email with your updated departure and arrival times.
You can switch to a different flight 14 days before or after your original departure date if the new itinerary doesn't work out. And unlike other airlines, Southwest normally doesn't care how little your flight was modified.
How to change or cancel a flight with the Southwest Companion Pass
If you need to alter or cancel your ticket when a friend or family member is travelling with you thanks to the Southwest Companion Pass, you must first cancel your companion's flight.
The companion cannot go on the aircraft after you cancel your reservation. However, there are several steps involved if you want to change the flight. To add the companion back to the reservation, you must first cancel the companion's reservation (which has a different reservation number). Next, alter the flight for the original traveller.
Before changing, be sure there are at least two seats available on the new flight. You don't want to book a new flight just to find out you can't include your buddy.
Bottom line
You may be certain that, according to Southwest's incredibly accommodating policy, no fees will ever be charged if you need to reschedule or cancel a ticket.
Of course, if you wish to switch to a more costly airline, you can wind up having to pay extra for your travel. However, it's comforting to know that Southwest will make it simple for you to instantly reprice your trip within minutes if rates decrease.
Furthermore, if your plans change after redeeming your Southwest points, you may even be able to avoid receiving a Southwest travel credit. In the event that you need to cancel your award, the points are returned to your account and the taxes and fees can be refunded to the original payment method.
As a result, you may book a flight without being certain of your travel arrangements because you can cancel it without suffering any consequences.
