Key Things to Know About the Southwest Refund Policy

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Southwest Airlines is one of the most prominent U.S. airline companies and the world’s largest low-cost carrier.

Southwest has scheduled services to 103 destinations in the U.S. and ten other countries. In 2018, the company reported having transported 163.6 million passengers that year.

How to Request a Southwest Airlines Refund

Flight cancelations and delays are quite common even on the best of days. In more trying, tumultuous times, our travel plans seem to be changing by the day—if not by the hour.

If you need to make a change to your Southwest Airlines flight or cancel altogether, it’s essential to understand your customer rights. A good place to start is this piece on Southwest flight delays and compensation hacks. Knowing how to deal with Southwest customer service may come in handy, too.

Refer to the table below to find out how you can request your money back from Southwest.

Request a Refund on the Website

If you bought an Anytime or Business Select fare and you canceled your reservation at least ten minutes before your flight was supposed to leave, you can request a full refund of the paid amount. Here is what you need to do:

1. On Southwest Airlines’ homepage and click on the Cancel Flight button at the top right half of the page
2. Type in your confirmation number, first and last name
3. Your available Travel Funds or balances you can ask a refund for will show up next to your confirmation number
4. In case of a refundable amount, you can opt to receive money back to your original method of payment or turn the fare into Travel Funds

Request a Refund Over the Phone

Give a ring to Southwest Airlines at 1-800-435-9792 and explain why you need a refund. You will be asked to provide your confirmation number, ticket number, or flight information (date, origin, and destination), so make sure to have those details at hand.

If you decide to contact Southwest’s customer service by phone, we can help here, too. DoNotPay will do the queueing for you and let you know as soon as one of the representatives answers the phone.

Request a Refund by Letter

Southwest states that you can write to their Refunds Department by sending your letter to this address:

Southwest Airlines

Refunds Department

P.O. Box 36649

Dallas, Texas 75235-1649

All refund requests submitted in writing should include your unused ticket information or proof of purchase, as well as the booking confirmation number.

DoNotPay Can Secure Your Southwest Ticket Refund

If you’ve hit a wall with Southwest Airlines and can’t seem to get your money back, ask DoNotPay to help.

Here’s how to get your Southwest refund through DoNotPay:

1. Open the DoNotPay app in your web browser
2. Hit Get Protected under the File a Chargeback icon
3. Answer our chatbot’s questions
4. Verify your signature
5. Submit the request

DoNotPay will get in touch with your bank and demand your money back. To help you secure the refund, we will also attach any relevant VISA and Mastercard codes and regulations that apply to your case. If you prefer to contact Southwest first, DoNotPay can contact them on your behalf, too.

On a related note—if you recently flew with Southwest and struggled with their in-flight Wi-Fi, find out how to get compensation for your poor experience.

Are You Eligible for a Southwest Refund?

Whether you’ll receive your money back will depend on the type of fare you purchased.

Only the Anytime and Business Select fares are refundable, while the Wanna Get Away fares offer the option of travel credits in lieu of a cash refund. Southwest states that, as long as you cancel your flight more than ten minutes before its scheduled departure time, you will have the option to receive a refund to your original form of payment or Travel Funds for future use.

See the table below for more details:

What Is Southwest’s Refund Policy?

Not all fares are refundable. Business Select and Anytime fares are refundable, but their Wanna Get Away fares are reusable, meaning you can exchange them for travel credit instead of cash.

Southwest Airlines’ current refund policy outlines that nonrefundable tickets that haven’t been used on the travel date but canceled in line with Southwest’s No Show Policy, are valid for future travel up to one year after the initial purchase date. They can be used only by the passenger whose name is on the ticket.

Southwest’s No Show policy

The Purchasing and Refunds page on Southwest’s website says the following about their No Show policy:

• If you don’t intend to travel on any leg of your journey, you ought to cancel your booking at least ten minutes before your flight is scheduled to depart
• If you don’t cancel your reservation for a Wanna Get Away trip segment at least ten minutes before the flight is scheduled to leave and you don’t board the flight, you are considered a no show. This means that your remaining Wanna Get Away funds will be lost
• If you have any unused Business Select and Anytime funds, they will be turned into reusable travel funds
• If you become a “no show” for your reward travel reservation, the travel points will be transferred to the purchaser’s Rapid Rewards account

Southwest’s “Transfarency” Policy

Southwest has dubbed its transparency policy fee “transfarency®.” Their fee transparency promise is all about providing the highest level of flexibility so that their customers are able to change their travel plans without having to incur any fees.

If you have to alter the itinerary of an upcoming flight, you might only have to cover the difference in cost, and not worry about being charged a change fee.

How Long Does a Southwest Refund Take?

The Southwest Refunds Department aims to process an eligible refund within seven business days from the date they receive the request. You will receive your money on the same method you used for payment. Depending on the bank, it could take up to ten business days for the money to show up in your account.

Keeping Things on Track With DoNotPay

Nobody ever succeeds on their own, and when it comes to holding the reins of your busy, hectic life, a smart virtual assistant can make a world of difference.

In addition to helping you with your airfare refund, did you know that DoNotPay can also take care of numerous other chores on your behalf? Not just that, but our app has developed automated processes that are backed by groundbreaking artificial intelligence that saves you money, time, and effort.

We can help you with:

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You can experience these revolutionary features by accessing the DoNotPay app from your web browser.