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What happens when I cancel a Southwest flight?

Choose the booking action that matches your request and call an independent travel service directly. You can read the airline guide below instead.

Any telephone options shown here are for new bookings, flight changes or cancellations only. They are not baggage-claim, loyalty-account or refund-status support.

Prefer to read first? Open the guide below

Southwest lists no cancellation fee, but that does not make every fare refundable. Basic is nonrefundable: cancel at least 10 minutes before the flight’s original scheduled departure to preserve an eligible flight credit.

Published by Flight HelpPage revision published September 24, 2026

What happens when I cancel a Southwest flight?

Choice Extra permits a refund when canceled by the cutoff, but value paid with an earlier flight credit returns as a Transferable Flight Credit rather than new cash.

Traveler comparing an original flight plan with changed or cancellation options

Important unknowns

Exact credit expiration, ticket-specific refund total and agency servicing not determined.

What to do next

Review Fare Information and Rules from Southwest Airlines and verify the current page before completing this task.

Sources and last checked

Fare Information and Ruleshttps://www.southwest.com/fare-information/Checked 2026-09-22