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One in every of Southwest Airways’ finest options is the flexibility to vary or cancel flight bookings with out charges. I usually e book Southwest flights once I study I’d must journey someplace in North America that Southwest serves. Then, I change my Southwest flights as I discover decrease costs; I additionally cancel my flights if I determine I gained’t go on the journey or discover a flight on one other airline that works higher.
I modify or cancel a minimum of one Southwest flight most weeks. So right here’s what it’s best to find out about altering or canceling Southwest flights.
Canceling a Southwest flight
Southwest gives 4 fare varieties, every of which you’ll cancel with out charges. Nonetheless, the kind of refund you obtain should you cancel a minimum of 10 minutes earlier than the flight’s unique scheduled departure time will depend on the fare you booked:
- Wanna Get Away: You’ll get a flight credit score should you initially booked a paid fare. If you happen to redeemed factors for an award ticket, the factors you redeemed will probably be redeposited again to the Fast Rewards account they have been initially taken from. You’ll be able to choose to get the taxes and costs in your award ticket again as a flight credit score or a method-of-payment refund.
- Wanna Get Away Plus: You’ll get a transferable flight credit score should you initially booked a paid fare. If you happen to redeemed factors for an award ticket, the factors you redeemed will probably be redeposited again to the Fast Rewards account they have been initially taken from. You’ll be able to choose to get the taxes and costs in your award ticket again as a transferable flight credit score or a method-of-payment refund.
- Anytime and Enterprise Choose: You’ll be able to obtain the fare again as a method-of-payment refund or settle for a flight credit score.
If you happen to e book a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare and cancel inside 10 minutes of your flight’s unique scheduled departure, you’ll forfeit your fare. Nonetheless, suppose you cancel an Anytime and Enterprise Choose fare lower than 10 minutes earlier than the flight’s unique scheduled departure time. In that case, you’ll obtain any money you paid again as a transferable flight credit score and any factors you redeemed will probably be redeposited again to the Southwest Fast Rewards account they have been initially taken from.
Flight credit by no means expire now, so there’s little threat in having some flight credit in your account should you count on to fly Southwest sooner or later.
Associated: 12 simple methods to earn Southwest Fast Rewards factors
How one can cancel a Southwest flight
It’s fast and simple to cancel Southwest flights on the Southwest web site or by way of the Southwest app. To cancel a Southwest flight on-line, log into your account and have a look at your upcoming journeys. Discover the journey you wish to cancel and click on the “Cancel flight” textual content.
Scroll right down to the “Evaluation funds” part to see the way you’ll be refunded should you cancel your flight. For this flight, I’d get Southwest flight credit if I made a decision to cancel. If you wish to cancel your Southwest flight, click on “Cancel flight.”
You might even see different refund choices relying on the way you booked and the fare you booked. For instance, if I canceled this award flight, I may select to get a refund despatched to my unique methodology reasonably than get a flight credit score for the taxes and costs I’d paid.
Suppose you solely must cancel the reservation for a number of the vacationers in your reservation. In that case, you may often divide your reservation or change the variety of folks flying by means of the Southwest web site or app. In case you have the Southwest Companion Cross and wish to cancel a flight for which you’ve already added your companion, you’ll must cancel the linked companion flight after which cancel your flight.
Lastly, if Southwest considerably adjustments your journey after you e book and also you determine to not journey, you might be eligible for a refund primarily based in your fee methodology.
Associated: Greatest Southwest Airways bank cards
Altering a Southwest flight
You might wish to change your Southwest flight for quite a lot of causes. For instance, I’ve lately modified Southwest flights to safe a decrease charge on the identical flight. However I’ve additionally modified Southwest flights once I found I wanted to reach at my vacation spot earlier within the day and even on a unique date.
Whenever you change a Southwest flight, you’ll often pay or obtain the distinction in fare. Nonetheless, you may change your origin, vacation spot, fare class and flight quantity. As such, altering as an alternative of canceling a Southwest flight generally is a good option to hold nonrefundable add-on merchandise similar to EarlyBird Test-in tied to a ticket.
Associated: Southwest baggage charges and how one can keep away from paying them
How one can change a Southwest flight
To vary a Southwest flight on-line, log into your account and have a look at your upcoming journeys. Discover the journey you wish to change and click on the “Change flight” textual content.
Then, choose the field subsequent to the flight you wish to change.
By choosing the field, an space to replace the chosen flight will populate. That is the place you’ll change your departure metropolis, arrival metropolis and departure date if you wish to change extra than simply your flight time or fare. Click on “Discover choices” when you’re able to see your choices.
This web page reveals your flight choices and the way way more (or much less) they value than your unique journey. You’ll be able to test close by dates by choosing them within the bar above the outcomes. You too can filter to only nonstop flights if you would like.
If I have been to vary a unique flight I’d booked with Southwest factors, my nonstop flight choices look as follows:
As soon as you choose a brand new flight possibility and click on “Evaluation adjustments,” you’ll click on by means of just a few pages till you get to a web page the place you should affirm your adjustments and enter a fee methodology in case you are altering to a costlier possibility.
As with canceling a Southwest flight, should you solely want to vary the reservation for a number of the vacationers in your reservation, you’ll must divide your reservation. In case you have the Southwest Companion Cross and wish to change a flight for which you’ve already added your companion, you’ll must cancel the linked companion flight, change your flight and re-add your companion.
Lastly, if Southwest considerably adjustments your journey after you e book, you could possibly change your flight date and time by as much as 14 days at no extra value. Nonetheless, your origin and vacation spot usually should stay the identical. You’ll be able to change the reservation as much as two instances.
Associated: How one can snag the most effective seats on Southwest Airways
Southwest same-day change
Beginning at midnight in your flight’s scheduled departure date, you may affirm a change to a unique flight for no extra value if in case you have A-Checklist standing or booked a Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime or Enterprise Choose fare. If you happen to booked a Wanna Get Away fare and don’t have A-Checklist standing, you’d must pay the fare distinction; this often gained’t be worthwhile.
Vacationers can use the same-day change profit till 10 minutes earlier than their flight’s scheduled departure if there’s an open seat and the origin and vacation spot airports are the identical. In case you have the Southwest Companion Cross and have a companion tied to your reservation, you’ll must take away your companion, change your flight after which re-add your companion.
Associated: Free luggage and open seating: Why I select Southwest each time
Backside line
As you may see, altering or canceling Southwest flights is simple and fee-free. You’ll usually must pay the fare distinction when altering Southwest flights, nevertheless it’s additionally doable to seize decrease fares. If you happen to steadily fly Southwest, it’s value understanding how versatile change and cancellation insurance policies can profit you.
