One among Southwest Airways’ greatest options is the power to alter or cancel flight bookings with out charges. I usually ebook Southwest flights after I be taught I’d have to journey someplace in North America that Southwest serves. Then, I alter my Southwest flights as I discover decrease costs; I additionally cancel my flights if I resolve I will not go on the journey or discover a flight on one other airline that works higher.
I alter or cancel no less than one Southwest flight most weeks. So this is what it is 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. Nevertheless, the kind of refund you obtain in case you cancel no less than 10 minutes earlier than the flight’s authentic scheduled departure time relies on the fare you booked:
- Wanna Get Away: You will get a flight credit score in case you initially booked a paid fare. In case you redeemed factors for an award ticket, the factors you redeemed will likely be redeposited again to the Speedy Rewards account they had been initially taken from. You may 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 will get a transferable flight credit score in case you initially booked a paid fare. In case you redeemed factors for an award ticket, the factors you redeemed will likely be redeposited again to the Speedy Rewards account they had been initially taken from. You may 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 may obtain the fare again as a method-of-payment refund or settle for a flight credit score.
In case you ebook a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare and cancel inside 10 minutes of your flight’s authentic scheduled departure, you may forfeit your fare. Nevertheless, suppose you cancel an Anytime and Enterprise Choose fare lower than 10 minutes earlier than the flight’s authentic scheduled departure time. In that case, you may obtain any money you paid again as a transferable flight credit score and any factors you redeemed will likely be redeposited again to the Southwest Speedy Rewards account they had been initially taken from.
Flight credit by no means expire now, so there’s little threat in having some flight credit in your account in case you count on to fly Southwest sooner or later.
Associated: 12 simple methods to earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors
How you can cancel a Southwest flight
It is fast and simple to cancel Southwest flights on the Southwest web site or through 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 need to cancel and click on the “Cancel flight” textual content.
Scroll all the way down to the “Evaluate funds” part to see how you may be refunded in case you cancel your flight. For this flight, I might get Southwest flight credit if I made a decision to cancel. If you wish to cancel your Southwest flight, click on “Cancel flight.”
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You may 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 authentic technique relatively than get a flight credit score for the taxes and costs I might paid.
Suppose you solely have to cancel the reservation for a few of the vacationers in your reservation. In that case, you’ll be able to often divide your reservation or change the variety of individuals flying by means of the Southwest web site or app. When you have the Southwest Companion Go and need to cancel a flight for which you have already added your companion, you may have to cancel the linked companion flight after which cancel your flight.
Lastly, if Southwest considerably modifications your journey after you ebook and also you resolve to not journey, you might be eligible for a refund primarily based in your fee technique.
Associated: Greatest Southwest Airways bank cards
Altering a Southwest flight
You could need to change your Southwest flight for quite a lot of causes. For instance, I’ve just lately modified Southwest flights to safe a decrease price on the identical flight. However I’ve additionally modified Southwest flights after I found I wanted to reach at my vacation spot earlier within the day and even on a special date.
If you change a Southwest flight, you may often pay or obtain the distinction in fare. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to change your origin, vacation spot, fare class and flight quantity. As such, altering as an alternative of canceling a Southwest flight could be a good solution to maintain nonrefundable add-on merchandise akin to EarlyBird Examine-in tied to a ticket.
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How you can change a Southwest flight
To alter a Southwest flight on-line, log into your account and have a look at your upcoming journeys. Discover the journey you need to change and click on the “Change flight” textual content.
Then, choose the field subsequent to the flight you need to change.
By deciding on the field, an space to replace the chosen flight will populate. That is the place you may 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 far more (or much less) they value than your authentic journey. You may test close by dates by deciding on them within the bar above the outcomes. You may also filter to only nonstop flights if you would like.
If I had been to alter a special flight I might booked with Southwest factors, my nonstop flight choices look as follows:
As soon as you choose a brand new flight possibility and click on “Evaluate modifications,” you may click on by means of just a few pages till you get to a web page the place you could verify your modifications and enter a fee technique in case you are altering to a costlier possibility.
As with canceling a Southwest flight, in case you solely want to alter the reservation for a few of the vacationers in your reservation, you may have to divide your reservation. When you have the Southwest Companion Go and need to change a flight for which you have already added your companion, you may have to cancel the linked companion flight, change your flight and re-add your companion.
Lastly, if Southwest considerably modifications your journey after you ebook, you could possibly change your flight date and time by as much as 14 days at no further value. Nevertheless, your origin and vacation spot sometimes should stay the identical. You may change the reservation as much as two occasions.
Associated: How you can snag the very best seats on Southwest Airways
Southwest same-day change
Beginning at midnight in your flight’s scheduled departure date, you’ll be able to verify a change to a special flight for no further value you probably have A-Record standing or booked a Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime or Enterprise Choose fare. In case you booked a Wanna Get Away fare and haven’t got A-Record standing, you’d have to pay the fare distinction; this often will not 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. When you have the Southwest Companion Go and have a companion tied to your reservation, you may have to take away your companion, change your flight after which re-add your companion.
Associated: Free baggage and open seating: Why I select Southwest each time
Backside line
As you’ll be able to see, altering or canceling Southwest flights is straightforward and fee-free. You will usually have to pay the fare distinction when altering Southwest flights, but it surely’s additionally potential to seize decrease fares. In case you incessantly fly Southwest, it is price understanding how versatile change and cancellation insurance policies can profit you.
