An Overview of Southwest Refund Policy

You planned well and booked your tickets with Southwest Airlines in time. But as the trip date was approaching, an emergency came up and you have to cancel your booking. Now what? Don’t worry, Southwest Refund Policy covers you. Thanks to its smart and customer-friendly approach, you can easily get a refund on your cancellation.

The airline understands that travelers have to attend to situations that spring up all of a sudden. That’s why it has this policy so that you don’t lose your money. But how does it help? Let’s learn about the refund policy of Southwest, process to request a refund, and more in the account that follows.

Can I Get a Refund from Southwest Airlines?

Yes, Southwest Airlines Refund policy allows you to get a refund if you – 

• Cancel your tickets within 24 hours of booking without any cancelation fee (for every ticket type)
• Have a refundable flight ticket (to cancel after 24 hours of booking)
• You get the refund to the original payment mode used for ticket purchase.

Please note

• For third party reservations, contact the travel agency.

What is Southwest Airlines Refund Policy?

When you fly, there might be situations when you have to cancel your booking. That;s why Southwest has created a customer-friendly policy that helps you get a refund on cancellation. Here are Southwest Refund Policy highlights for your reference – 

The 24-Hour Refund Policy

• You can cancel your tickets within 24 hours of booking, Southwest refunds you the amount. This is applicable on all fare types. 
• Refundable fares get a refund to the original payment form.
• Non-refundable tickets get flight credits for future trips.
• However, if you cancel your tickets after this risk-free 24-hour window, your ticket type determines the cancellation fee and refund amount.

Refund on Ticket Types

• Your Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus tickets are nonrefundable. However, you can still get future travel credits on these.
• The airline gives a full refund on Business Select and Anytime tickets.

Please note

• Southwest flight credits don’t expire.

What is Southwest Airlines Cancelation Policy?

Southwest refund and cancelation policies go hand-hand-hand at many instances. For your reference, here are the Southwest cancellation policy major points – 

• Cancel your booking, irrespective of the ticket type within 24 hours of making it for a full refund.
• The cancellation policy of the airline, however, varies according to the fare type.
• You can cancel a Wanna Get Away ticket up to 10 minutes before your scheduled flight’s departure and reuse it later on.

How to Request a Refund from Southwest Airlines?

Here are various methods to raise a refund request from Southwest when you are eligible for it.

Here are online and offline methods to request your refund – 

Online Refund Request Methods

Through the Website/Mobile App

• Visit the official website of Southwest Airlines.
• Alternatively, you can install its mobile app on your smart device.
• Go to the option of Manage Reservations.
• Click on the Cancel your flight button.
• Once a new page opens as shown below, enter your –
• Confirmation number
• First and last names
• Hit the Continue button.

Once canceled, choose if you want a refund to your original payment mode or as travel funds.

Sending an email

• You can also opt for emailing the airline to get a refund.
• Simply go to the Email Us page of the website.
• Carefully fill in the form there to request a refund.
• Select the nature of your email.
• Choose Travel Disruption > Expense Reimbursement Request for your submission.

Offline Refund Request Methods

On Phone Call

Another way to get a refund from the Southwest Airline is through a phone call. Here’s how – 

• Simply dial, 1-800-435-9792.
• Listen to and follow the IVR instructions.
• Once a live customer service representative connects, request a refund.
• Share the details required.
• Once the representative finds you eligible for the refund, your request is processed.

Does Southwest Refund if I Cancel My Booking?

Yes, you can get a refund from Southwest if you choose to cancel your booking. However, as per Southwest Airlines Refund policy, remember – 

Business Select/Anytime tickets are Refundable

You can select any of the following – 

• Get a method-of-payment refund
• Receive a  flight credit  for your ticket value

Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus tickets are Non-Refundable

• As per the fare type, your ticket value is converted to a  flight credit  or Transferable Flight Credit.
• You can use it for future bookings.

Customer check-in requirements

• Business Select or Anytime ticket value gets converted to a Transferable Flight Credit, if you don’t cancel your booking at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure of your flight.

However, the airline forfeits Any Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus flight credit.

Can I Get a Refund if Southwest Cancels My Flight?

If Southwest cancels your flight and as a result, you cancel your reservation, the airline will  refund –

• You for the unused part of the ticket (all ticket types).
• For bag fee that you have paid
• The extras purchased such as EarlyBird Check-In or Upgrade

To get the refund to your original  form of payment, call the customer service executive or send an Email to the airline.

Please note

If you don’t get in touch with the airline for a refund after it cancels your flight, you get a flight credit.

How Can I Get a Method-Of-Payment Refund from Southwest?

You can get Southwest method-of-payment refunds in the original payment form. Know more about it through the points mentioned below – 

Credit card

The same account gets the refund within 7 business days from the refund request date.

Cash

• You will get a refund by check (cheque) within 20 business days from the refund request date for the domestic trip.
• If you have used local currency for an international trip, visit Southwest’s International Travel page for refund policy.

Southwest gift card or Southwest LUV Vouchers

• For tickets canceled within 24 hours of booking, get in touch with the airline.
• Get a Southwest LUV Voucher or Southwest gift card as flight credit for reservations canceled after 24 hours.

Flight credit

If a Southwest flight credit was used before for a Business Select or Anytime fare, you get a Transferable Flight Credit for it.

Points

The airline returns the points to the Rapid Rewards account through which the booking was made.

In Conclusion

In a nutshell, Southwest refund policy is flexible and customer-friendly. So, don’t worry if you have to cancel your booking. Southwest refunds you the ticket value to the maximum possible as per its refund rules.

Follow the policy and guidelines to claim a refund and you will receive a refund by Southwest within the assured timeframe.

Frequently Asked Questions