• 06 Mar, 2025
  • Travel tips

How To Cancel Flights On Southwest Airlines With Refund?

Southwest Airlines offers flexible cancellations to their passengers whenever they need it, but some conditions apply. However, you are looking to cancel the flights on the Southwest and get a refund but don't know how to get it and how it's possible so; there are two main scenarios for getting a refund on a Southwest Airlines flight cancellation, which are stated below, you may get it:

You Decide to Cancel Your Flight:

Within 24 Hours of Booking: Southwest allows you to cancel any flight reservation without a fee within 24 hours of booking. You can select between a full refund to your full amount method or a flight credit for future travel.

Outside of 24 Hours: This depends on the type of fare you purchased:

  • Business Select or Anytime Fares: These are refundable anytime, even outside 24 hours. You can again choose between a refund or a flight credit.
  • Want to Get Away Plus or Wanna Get Away Fares: These are generally non-refundable. However, the value of your ticket will be converted to a flight credit you can use for a future Southwest Airlines flight.

Southwest Airlines Cancels Your Flight:

In this case, Southwest will automatically rebook you on the next available flight. If the new flight doesn't work for you, you can prefer to rebook or reschedule on another flight of the airlines, get a travel voucher, or receive a full refund regardless of your fare type.

Steps to cancel a flight on Southwest Airlines

There are two main ways to cancel your Southwest Airlines flight: online or by phone.

Online Cancellation:

  • Go to the Southwest Airlines website (www.southwest.com/).
  • Look for the "Manage Reservations" or "My Trips" option and select it.
  • To obtain your flight information, you should required to enter your confirmation number and the first name of a passenger on the reservation.
  • Once you retrieve your reservation, locate the "Cancel" button and click on it.
  • Review the cancellation details to see if you are suitable for a reimbursement or travel credit.
  • (If your flight is within 24 hours of booking and more than two days away from departure, you should be able to cancel for free and receive a full refund.)
  • (Outside this window, the standard cancellation policy applies, and you may be charged a fee depending on your fare type.)
  • Choose whether you want a "Refund" or hold the credit for "Future Travel" if applicable.
  • Click on "Cancel Flight" to confirm the cancellation.
  • Afterward, you will obtain the confirmation email with full of prior details about your cancellation.

Phone Cancellation:

If you prefer to cancel by phone, call Southwest Airlines customer service at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). You may prepare to provide your confirmation number and the passenger's name on the reservation.  The wait times can vary, so be ready to hold. After connecting it, request flight cancelation and confirm it by paying them the appropriate fares.

Southwest Airlines cancellation policy

  • For canceling Southwest Airlines, it is a must to comprehend the policy, which is located under the given points that are:
  • Cancellation within 24 hours of the booking with Southwest Airlines didn't require paying any cancellation fee.
  • If you cancel the Southwest flight within 24 hours to 7 days of flying it, you must pay the penalty to them.
  • Cancellations due to medical issues, legal issues, or more, you can make free cancellations.
  • Also, you are not required to pay any fees if the airline cancels the flight.
  • If the Southwest Airlines flight is delayed more than 2 or 3 hours of flying, the airline will offer you a new scheduled flight or compensation for this.

How much does it cost to cancel a flight with Southwest Airlines?

Southwest Airlines has an immensely customer-friendly cancellation policy with no direct cancellation fees, so there are a couple of things to keep in mind though:

You won't be charged any fees if you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.  However, you will receive your refund differently depending on the fare type you booked:

  • For refundable Business Select or Anytime tickets, you'll acquire a full refund to your foremost expenditure mode.
  • For Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fares, the value of your flight will be converted into a Travel Fund or Transferable Flight Credit that you can use for a future flight.
  • If you cancel your flight less than 10 minutes before departure, you will forfeit the entire value of your ticket, depending on the fare type.

If you cancel within 24 hours of booking, you have more options:

  • You can get a full refund using your original payment method.
  • You can convert the flight value into a Travel Fund or Transferable Flight Credit.

How late can I cancel a Southwest flight?

You can cancel a Southwest Airlines flight up to 10 minutes before the flying the flight from the original departure time without any cancellation fees. This applies to all fare types except for Show fees, which may apply if you don't cancel or show up for the flight. So, there are some points which states that what happens depending on when you cancel:

  • Within 10 minutes of departure, No cancellation fee, you will receive a full refund in the original form of payment (unless you used a travel credit).
  • Within 24 hours of reserving the Southwest ticket, there is no cancellation fee. You will receive a full refund in the original form of payment (unless you used travel credit).
  • If you cancel outside of these windows, you may still be able to change your flight for a fee or receive a travel credit for the value of your ticket.

What is the Southwest Airlines cancelation phone number?

The Southwest Airlines cancellation phone number is 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792); call the direct person, request for flight cancellation, share the ticket details, and the airline will cancel it, and offer the refund as per your cancelation time which information or confirmation will be sent to you on your registered device.

Can I cancel the Southwest flight freely?

Yes, you can cancel the Southwest flight freely within 24 hours to 7 days of booking the flight.