How to Cancel Southwest Flight Free?

Southwest Airlines is one of the most popular and customer-friendly airlines in the United States. It offers low fares, flexible policies, and free checked bags. One of the best features of Southwest Airlines is its generous cancellation policy. Which allows you to cancel your flight without paying any fees or penalties. In this article, we will explain how to cancel Southwest flight free. And what are the different options and scenarios that you need to consider.

How to Cancel Southwest Flight Within 24 Hours of Booking

The easiest way to cancel Southwest flight free is to do it within 24 hours of booking. According to the Southwest Airlines refund policy. All flights and fare types can be canceled within 24 hours of booking, without penalty, for a full refund to the original form of payment. This applies even if you booked a non-refundable ticket, such as Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus. To cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking, you can follow these steps:

• Visit the Southwest Airlines website and log in to your account.
• Go to the Manage Reservations page and select the flight that you want to cancel.
• Click on the “Cancel Flight” button and confirm your cancellation.
• You will receive a confirmation email with the details of your refund.

How to Cancel Southwest Flight After 24 Hours of Booking

If you missed the 24-hour window to cancel Southwest flight free, don’t worry. You still have some options to cancel your flight without losing your money. Depending on the type of ticket that you booked and the time of your cancellation. You may be eligible for a full or partial refund, a travel credit, or a transferable flight credit. Here are the different scenarios that you need to know:

• If you booked a Business Select or Anytime ticket. You can cancel your flight at any time before departure. And get a full refund to your original form of payment. These are the most flexible and expensive tickets that Southwest Airlines offers. To cancel your flight, you can follow the same steps as above.
• If you booked a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus ticket. You can cancel your flight up until 10 minutes before your scheduled departure time. These are the most popular and cheapest tickets that Southwest Airlines offers, but they are also non-refundable. However, you can still get a travel credit for the amount of your ticket. Which you can use for future travel on Southwest Airlines. The travel credit is valid for one year from the date of purchase. And can only be used by the original passenger. To cancel your flight and get a travel credit. You can follow the same steps as above, but instead of selecting “Refund”, you will select “Travel Funds”.
• If you booked a ticket with Rapid Rewards points. You can cancel your flight at any time before departure and get your points back. Rapid Rewards is the loyalty program of Southwest Airlines, which allows you to earn and redeem points for flights. To cancel your flight and get your points back. Follow the same steps as above, but instead of selecting “Refund” or “Travel Funds”, you will select “Re-deposit Points”.
• If you do not travel and do not cancel or change your flight. Your reservation will be subject to the Southwest Airlines no-show policy. This means that you will lose the value of your ticket. And any extras that you purchased, such as EarlyBird Check-In or Upgraded Boarding. To avoid this, make sure to cancel or change your flight before departure.

How to Change Southwest Flight

If you don’t want to cancel Southwest flight. But you want to change it to a different date, time, or destination, you can do that too. Southwest Airlines allows you to change your flight without paying any change fees. Which is a rare and valuable benefit in the airline industry. However, you may have to pay the difference in fare if the new flight is more expensive than the original one. To change your flight, you can follow these steps:

• Visit the Southwest Airlines website and log in to your account.
• Go to the Manage Reservations page and select the flight that you want to change.
• Click on the “Change Flight” button and select the new flight that you want to book.
• Review the fare difference and confirm your change.
• You will receive a confirmation email with the details of your new flight.

How to Get a Refund for Southwest Flight Cancellation

If you canceled your flight and you are eligible for a refund. You may be wondering how to get your money back. According to the Southwest Airlines refund policy. The method of payment that you used to book your flight will determine how you will receive your refund. Here are the different methods of payment and how they work:

• If you paid with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal. You will receive a refund to your original form of payment within 7 business days.
• If you paid with a Southwest gift card, Southwest LUV voucher, or Southwest travel funds. You will receive a refund in the same form of payment within 14 business days.
• If you paid with cash or check, you will receive a refund in the form of a check within 14 business days.

Conclusion

Southwest Airlines is a great choice for travelers who value flexibility and low fares. It has a generous cancellation policy that allows you to cancel your flight without paying any fees. Or penalties, as long as you do it within the specified time frame. You can also change your flight without paying any change fees, but you may have to pay the fare difference.

Depending on the type of ticket that you booked and the method of payment that you used, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund, a travel credit, or a transferable flight credit. To cancel or change your flight, you can visit the Southwest Airlines website and follow the simple steps that we explained in this article. We hope that this article helped you understand how to cancel Southwest flight free and what are the different options and scenarios that you need to consider. Happy travels!