Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy: The Ultimate Guide

Travel plans can unexpectedly change, and it is crucial to know an airline’s cancellation policy. Southwest Airlines has a comfortable, customer-friendly cancellation policy that fits your situation. This is a complete guide to the Southwest Airlines cancellation policy, how to cancel your flight, refund options, and recent policy changes.

🛫 How Can I Cancel a Southwest Flight?

Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy, Cancelling a Southwest Airlines flight is easy and you can do it in more than one way:

• Online: Go to the Southwest Airlines website, log in to your account and click on “Manage Reservations,” pick your flight and click “Cancel.”​
• Mobile App: Open the Southwest app, click “My Trips,” find the flight with the stop you want to cancel and select “Cancel Flight.” ​
• Phone: Contact Southwest Airlines customer service to speak to an agent who can help you cancel your flight. ​

If you want to play safe, it's better to cancel your flight early enough to not get into unnecessary trouble. ​

💰 Refund Options: What to Know

Southwest Airlines refund Southwest Airlines will always issue a refund to the original form of payment or to reusable travel funds for cancelation-eligible fares.

✅ Refundable (Business Select and Anytime).

• Full Refund: Receive a full refund to your original payment method when you cancel. ​
• No cancellation fee: There is no cancellation fee. ​
• Rebooking: Rebooking can be done without incurring any extra charges. ​

🔄 Non-Refundable Fares (Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus)

• Travel Funds: Ticket value converted to Travel Funds to be used later. ​
• Valid for a Year: Generally, travel credits last for one year from the date of booking. ​
• Transferable Credit: A transferable flight credit (the ticket can be used by another Rapid Rewards account holder) for Wanna Get Away Plus fares. ​

Transferable Credits Don’t Expire: Flight credits never expire. ​

🧾 Reimbursements for Other Services

• EarlyBird Check-In: If you choose to cancel your flight, the Early Bird Check-In fee will be forfeited.
• Upgraded Boarding: Fees for upgraded boarding are also nonrefundable if you cancel. ​

⏰ 24-Hour Cancellation Policy

Yes, Southwest has a 24-hour cancellation policy where you can get a full refund as long as you cancel within 24 hours of booking, and if the flight is at least 7 days out. This rule pertains to all fares, including non-refundable fares. Requests to cancel tickets outside of this time frame can be done so with applicable refund policies in place depending on the price category. ​

🔄 Re-booking And After Cancelling

If you decide to cancel your flight but would like to rebook:

• Applying Travel Funds: the value of your travel funds can be applied to a new purchase. ​
• Transferable Credits: The transferable flight credits can be applied by another Rapid Rewards member towards a future reservation. ​
• Booking: You can rebook by signing in to your Southwest account and clicking "Manage Reservations." Use Travel Funds or Use Flight Credit will appear during the booking process. ​

📞 Contacting Southwest Airlines for Help

If you would like to have your cancellation manually processed or have any trouble:

• Customer Service: For help, call Southwest Airlines. ​
• Internet Support: For live chat and other contact options, enter in the Southwest Airlines Contact Us page. ​

🆕 Recent Policy Changes

As of May 28, 2025, Southwest Airlines has four fare bundles with progressives features including Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. Its changes replace the previous fare levels and include some nice features like transferable flight credits and same-day changes. The Basic fare, though, will replace the current Wanna Get Away fare, and free checked bags will no longer be included. The only people continuing to receive free checked bags will be buyers of Southwest’s credit card and those holding A-List loyalty status. ​

✅ Key Takeaways

• 24-Hour Cancellation: Get a full refund on any booking within 24 hours of purchase, provided that your flight is at least seven days away. ​
• Fare Availability: Business Select and Anytime fares are refundable. ​
• Non-Refundable Fares: Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares provide travel funds or transferable flight credits for future trips. ​
• No Cancellation Fees: Southwest Airlines does not charge cancellation fees, whether you’re flying domestically or internationally. ​
• Rebooking Options: Rebook with travel funds or moveable credits for future travel. ​
• What’s New: Notice: New fare packages and bonuses as of May 28, 2015. ​

If you are going to make a change to the flight or cancel it, then you need to know the Southwest Airlines Cancellation Policy so that you can enjoy the experience trouble-free. SWA has since updated its policies to be more flexible, in response to COVID-19 but beforehand you used to have more limited choices for cancellations and refunds used to be impossible. For a complete breakdown and for the most up-to-date information, please see the Ask For Airlines for expert advice and support with your travel.