How Many Times Can You Change a Southwest Flight
How to change or cancel your Southwest flying
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There are a number of reasons our readers (and the MMS team!) love to fly Southwest – their generous free checked baggage policy and the Southwest Companion Pass, to proper name a few. But the airline'southward policies surrounding flight changes and cancellations is at the tiptop of our list. It makes it less stressful to book an upcoming flight knowing y'all won't be hitting with huge fees.
Southwest has also fabricated some policy exceptions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hither's what you lot need to know.
Southwest's COVID-19 changes
Let's look at each pace you need to take to change or cancel a flight on Southwest and the details of these temporary changes.
Flight changes
Southwest's modify and cancellation policies are notoriously customer friendly. Even prior to COVID, you could modify a flight without paying a fee (aside from any deviation in fare).
But their policy changes since the pandemic have made it fifty-fifty easier to salvage on your adjacent Southwest flight. Here are the details most how to go Southwest to give you a cheap fare (Hint: It requires booking so changing your flight — and y'all'll have to book when the advisable promo is bachelor).
Flight cancellations
As a result of COVID, Southwest has extended the expiration date of any travel funds, which usually expire i year from the date of buy.
The validity of any existing travel funds that were set to expire between March 1 and Sept. 7, 2020, was extended until Sept. seven, 2022. And any new credits issued as of Sept. 8, 2020, can be used upwardly to i year from the original purchase date.
In addition, those with travel funds that have an expiration date of Sept. seven, 2022, can convert those funds into Southwest Points at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points today. You must asking the conversion by Dec. fifteen, 2020, and the conversion is non-reversible.
We haven't heard anything well-nigh whether or not Southwest plans to make adjustments in regards to the Companion Pass, but sign-up for our newsletter and we'll let you know if anything changes.
What are Southwest's fees and penalties?
Flight changes
Southwest makes a big deal near not charging its customers change fees. Some airlines charge as much as $150. It's especially family-friendly to accept the congenital-in flexibility of knowing y'all tin can alter your flight when yous're traveling with kids. I tin't tell you how many times my kids have gotten sick correct before a trip.
If you lot book with Southwest points and need to cancel, no trouble. Your points are instantly credited to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. Just, considering you had to pay the ~$6 mandatory government security fee with cash/credit, that refund will come in the class of travel funds. Be sure you note the confirmation number and the person'southward name for each set of travel funds then you tin reuse them later. We'll discuss how to redeem travel funds below.
Flight cancellations
If you want to cancel your flying, whether or not you will go a full refund depends on the type of fare you lot purchased. Most travelers effort to book Wanna Get Away fares considering they're the cheapest, simply a Wanna Get Abroad fare is the just fares blazon that is non fully refundable if yous paid in greenbacks or with a credit card.
Although yous will not get cash dorsum or a credit to your card with Wanna Get Away fares, you will receive what Southwest calls "Travel Funds." These funds, which include taxes and fees, can exist used toward any purchase with Southwest, but they come with an expiration appointment that is typically ane year from the appointment issued.
You can change or cancel a flight upwards to ten minutes prior to your departure time and receive either a full refund for refundable fares or travel funds for Wanna Get Away fares.
How to change or abolish your Southwest flight
Step 1. Sign in to your Southwest account
Information technology's easy to change or cancel a flying on Southwest. To start, go to Southwest.com and click "Log in" at the superlative correct.
Enter your account number or username and your case-sensitive password.
Step two. Manage your reservation
Afterwards you log in, click the "Flight" tab and you'll run across a dropdown menu. From there, you can click "Manage Reservations" and yous'll be able to click through to either the change or abolish reservation screen.
Alternatively, if you're trying to modify a flight, you can click "Change Flight" and skip the side by side step.
Footstep three. Select your self-service option
Side by side, click either "Change reservation" or "Abolish reservation."
Regardless of which you choose, you'll be asked to enter your confirmation number, first and terminal name. And then click "Continue."
Footstep iv. Complete the alter or cancelation
From at that place, you'll be able to either change or abolish your flight.
FAQ about changing and canceling Southwest flights
Tin can y'all change or abolish a flight on the same mean solar day?
It depends on what blazon of fare you booked. If you booked a refundable fare, yous have up until 10 minutes before your flying'south scheduled departure to cancel your fare. In comparison, nonrefundable fares need to be canceled at least 24 hours earlier divergence.
That said, if yous did book a nonrefundable (i.e. Wanna Get Away) fare, you can reuse the fare as long as y'all abolish your reservation at to the lowest degree x minutes prior to deviation (which will upshot in bachelor Travel Funds) and consummate your travel within one yr of the original appointment you purchased your ticket.
Can a flight exist inverse to another location?
Yep, you can change your flying to another location. Only you'll be responsible for any divergence in fare. On the flip side, yous'll get a credit, in the form of Travel Funds, if the new ticket costs less.
Tin information technology be changed for an indefinite corporeality of times?
Yeah, a Southwest ticket can be changed an indefinite number of times. Just be enlightened that you'll be responsible for whatsoever difference in fare. And so, if your original ticket only cost $200 and the ticket you want costs $300, you lot'll have to pony up the extra $100.
Also, if you lot're rebooking using Travel Funds, in one case the funds are used to make a purchase, the expiration date of the travel funds will then follow our normal ticketing rules and will expire 12 months from the original purchase date.
Do you get your rewards back if the flight was booked with points?
Yes. If yous book a ticket with points and so cancel it, your points will be refunded to the account from which they were booked. You'll also get a refund for any taxes and fees yous may have paid for using cash.
Tips for managing a Southwest flight
After you enter your confirmation number and proper noun, Southwest will find your reservation. Review the data to make 100% sure this is the flight and reservation you desire to alter or abolish. If yous're canceling your flight, yous will be asked if you'd similar a refund credited back to your card or if y'all'd like a Southwest credit in the course of travel funds.
If you have a refundable Southwest fare (which includes Business concern Select or Someday fares) and desire to change your flight, you should cancel the ticket first, request a refund (which you will be prompted to do online or can practise past phone) and then book your new reservation. Changing your refundable reservation turns a refundable fare into a nonrefundable fare, according to Southwest.
If you cancel a non-refundable ticket, you volition not become a refund on your card. Instead, you'll receive a credit in the class of Southwest Travel Funds. The Travel Funds expire i year after they are issued unless there are travel funds from an older ticket associated with this reservation — the new reservation inherits the earliest expiration date from any of those funds. The expiration date will exist in the confirmation email you receive.
If you're changing your flying reservation, y'all'll exist able to search for alternate flights, review the new flights and prices and finally, purchase the ticket you lot desire.
How to redeem travel funds
You will become travel funds if you lot cancel a non-refundable reservation that you paid for in greenbacks or credit. You will become travel funds for the ~$6 security fee portion of a canceled nonrefundable ticket booked with Southwest points. These funds are swell to use in the future on tickets booked with points to comprehend the cost of the security fee for the same person.
To redeem travel funds when booking a flying on Southwest, you'll encounter an option for using them on the purchase folio. You must have the confirmation number of the funds and the proper name of the person they are associated with. You can merely redeem them for that same person.
Once again, they expire within one year of the date of consequence, simply y'all volition receive an email that conspicuously states the expiration engagement.
Ways to earn Southwest points
There are a variety of ways to earn Southwest points, but the fastest way to rack upward points is by earning a nice welcome bonus from Southwest credit cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Carte
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Concern Credit Menu
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Operation Business Credit Card
Currently, the three personal cards have the following welcome bonus:
- Earn Companion Pass® through ii/28/2023 plus thirty,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the showtime 3 months your account is open.
You lot can only hold one Southwest personal credit card at a time, but you can accept one or more business Southwest cards, in add-on to a personal carte. And when you hold a Southwest credit carte du jour, your points volition never expire.
If you need help deciding among the cards, read our Southwest credit card comparing guide. One time y'all've racked up some points, you'll want to dig into the ways to redeem points on the carrier's dynamic honor chart.
Bottom line
The ability to change or cancel a reservation with Southwest is a huge benefit when unforeseen circumstances force you to alter travel plans or when you notice a fare at a lower cash or points price.
It's a simple procedure that can exist completed online in just a few steps, and could potentially save you thousands of points.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Carte du jour
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Limited-time offer: earn Companion Laissez passer® through 2/28/23 plus 30,000 points after y'all spend $5,000 on purchases in the showtime 3 months.
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With Companion Pass®, every fourth dimension you lot fly, your friend can too
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7,500 anniversary points each year.
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New! Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
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New! Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
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New! Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
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$75 Southwest® travel credit each yr.
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iv Upgraded Boardings per year when bachelor.
Intro Apr on purchases
N/A
Regular Apr
fifteen.99% – 22.99% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
Rates & Fees
Annual Fee $149
Other
Credit Needed Excellent / Proficient
Issuer Hunt
Card Blazon Visa
Editorial Notation: We're the Meg Mile Secrets squad. And we're proud of our content, opinions and assay, and of our reader'south comments. These haven't been reviewed, canonical or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which nosotros often write about. And that'south just how we like it! :)
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