Q: How much does Southwest® charge to change a flight?

Southwest never charges fees to change your flights because we understand plans change. Sometimes, you may be asked to pay a difference in fare if the new flight you’re choosing costs more than your original itinerary. The good news? If your new flight costs less, we’ll refund the difference to the original form of payment (if applicable) or the difference will be held for future use in the form of a flight credit for the originally ticketed Passenger(s), as long as travel is completed by the expiration date, which is typically one year from the date of your original booking.

Q: Is there a time limit on changes or cancelations?

Yes. You can change or cancel your flight up until 10 minutes before your scheduled departure time . For example, if you had a flight scheduled to depart at 8 a.m., you’d have until 7:50 a.m. to make changes or cancel the flight. If for some reason you forget to change or cancel, it may result in your flight credit for that flight being forfeited. For example, if you paid $79 for a one-way Wanna Get Away ® ticket and you didn’t make the flight or cancel it, you may forfeit the $79 you paid. If you cancel before the “10 minutes before departure” mark, you will receive $79 as a flight credit for future use. When you make a change extremely close-in (for example, if you were supposed to fly at 8 a.m. but then changed your flight that morning to 10 a.m.), your boarding position will change based on your new time of check-in.

Question 1

Southwest changed my flight. How do I rebook or cancel?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes we need to change our flight schedule, and we’re sorry if your travel plans have been impacted.

If Southwest called or emailed you with a new itinerary, your new reservation is confirmed and you don’t need to do anything else. If your new trip does not work, you have the option to change or cancel your flight.

Change your flight
If you have been affected by an involuntary change, you can change your flight date/time by up to 14 days from your original travel date at no additional cost.

Change flight

Cancel your flight
If you decide not to travel, our normal cancellation policy applies.

Business Select/Anytime tickets are refundable. You can choose to either a) receive a method-of-payment refund or b) hold the value of the ticket as a flight credit that you can use to buy a future flight. Learn more about refunds.
Wanna Get Away tickets and Wanna Get Away Plus are non-refundable. The value of the ticket will be converted to a flight credit that you can use to buy a future flight. Learn more about flight credit.

Cancel flight

Still have questions? Please call us at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA.

Question 2

How much does Southwest® charge to change a flight?

Accepted Answer

Southwest never charges fees to change your flights because we understand plans change. Sometimes, you may be asked to pay a difference in fare if the new flight you’re choosing costs more than your original itinerary.

The good news? If your new flight costs less, we’ll refund the difference to the original form of payment (if applicable) or the difference will be held for future use in the form of a flight credit for the originally ticketed Passenger(s), as long as travel is completed by the expiration date, which is typically one year from the date of your original booking.

Question 3

What do the pluses and minuses mean on the Select New Flights page when I change my flight on Southwest.com®?

Accepted Answer

What do the pluses and minuses mean on the Select New Flights page when I change my flight on Southwest.com®?

A flight with a “+” by the price indicates the new flight costs that amount more (e.g.,+$29) than your original itinerary and you’ll be charged an additional $29. If there’s a “-” by the price, it means your new flight costs that amount less (e.g., -$15) and you’ll be refunded $15 to the original form of payment (if applicable) or to a flight credit.

If the flight says $0, that means the new flight costs the same as the original flight you booked on Southwest.com and you can switch without paying more or receiving a refund.

Question 4

Is there a limit on how many changes I can make?

Accepted Answer

No, you can change your flight as many times as you want, but you may be asked to pay a fare difference if the flight you’re changing to costs more than your previous itinerary.

Question 5

Does Southwest charge to add extra bags?

Accepted Answer

Your first two checked bags (and your carryon and personal item) fly free on Southwest, but regular size and weight limits apply (50 lbs. and 62 in.).

Each checked bag after the first two will cost $75 each. For a breakdown of other optional fees, click here. There are instances where embargoes may be placed on extra baggage for certain countries; if you’re flying to a destination impacted by an embargo, we will notify you.

Question 6

Is there a time limit on changes or cancelations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can change or cancel your flight up until 10 minutes before your scheduled departure time. For example, if you had a flight scheduled to depart at 8 a.m., you’d have until 7:50 a.m. to make changes or cancel the flight. If for some reason you forget to change or cancel, it may result in your flight credit for that flight being forfeited.

For example, if you paid $79 for a one-way Wanna Get Away^® ticket and you didn’t make the flight or cancel it, you may forfeit the $79 you paid. If you cancel before the “10 minutes before departure” mark, you will receive $79 as a flight credit for future use. When you make a change extremely close-in (for example, if you were supposed to fly at 8 a.m. but then changed your flight that morning to 10 a.m.), your boarding position will change based on your new time of check-in.

Question 7

What’s a fare upgrade?

Accepted Answer

If you originally purchased a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus ticket and you’d like to upgrade to a refundable fare (like Anytime or Business Select^®), you can select a different fare by going through the Change Flight process.

The fare difference between your originally purchased Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus (non-refundable) fare and your new Anytime or Business Select fare is refundable. For example, if you purchased a Wanna Get Away fare for $100 then upgraded it to a refundable Anytime or Business Select fare that costs $300, the $200 difference would be refundable outright and the original $100 would be eligible for use as a flight credit in the future.

Click here to learn more about Business Select and the benefits of upgrading.

Question 8

Can I make changes to my flight after I’ve already checked in for my flight?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can make changes to your flight up until 10 minutes before scheduled departure time, even if you’ve already checked in. If you’re changing to a flight within 24 hours, be sure to check in for your new flight after you make the change.

But remember, if you forget to successfully change or cancel the flight before 10 minutes before scheduled departure, you may forfeit the flight credit.

Question 9

My lap child/infant no longer meets the requirements (under 2 years of age). What do I do?

Accepted Answer

For a change of this nature, you have a few options. If you want to call Customer Service, you can speak to a Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) and explain that your lap child has aged out of the requirements. The Representative will walk you through the next steps of purchasing an additional seat for your child.

If you don’t want to call Customer Service & Support and would like to handle your situation digitally instead, you can always cancel your reservation and receive flight credit (i.e., store credit) with which to rebook another reservation that adds your child as a Passenger. If you choose to do this, be sure to check prices first to see if the cost of your flight hasn’t gone up since your original booking.

Another option is to simply buy a ticket for your child separately, but keep in mind he or she will have a different confirmation number.

Change or cancel your flight