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Southwest Airlines allows travelers to change or cancel flights without paying change or cancellation fees, which can be helpful if the price of your ticket drops after booking. If fares decrease, you may be able to rebook your flight and receive the difference as a flight credit or refund depending on the fare type you purchased.
However, this refund isn’t automatic. You’ll need to keep an eye out for price changes and actively request the fare difference when the price falls. The good news is that the process is relatively easy.
Here's how to rebook so you can snag cheap Southwest flights when prices drop.
On this page
Does Southwest charge to change flights?
Southwest does not charge change or cancellation fees. As long as you modify your reservation at least 10 minutes before departure, you can adjust your itinerary without paying a fee. However, the flexibility you get when making changes depends on the fare class you booked.
Southwest offers four fare types, ranging from the most restrictive (Basic) to the most flexible (Choice Extra).
| Fare | Changes | Cancellations | Credit expiration | Transferrable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Allowed only with fare upgrade. | Refund as flight credit. | Six months. | No. |
| Choice | Allowed. | Refund as flight credit. | 12 months. | Yes. |
| Choice Preferred | Allowed. | Refund to original payment. | N/A. | N/A. |
| Choice Extra | Allowed. | Refund to original payment. | N/A. | N/A. |
If you book a Basic fare, you can change your flight only by upgrading to Choice, Choice Preferred or Choice Extra. For all other fare classes, if the new flight costs more, you’ll pay the fare difference. If the new flight costs less, the difference will be returned as a flight credit or refund depending on the fare class you booked.
These policies apply to cash bookings. For flights booked with Rapid Rewards, as long as you cancel at least 10 minutes before flight departure, you’ll get your points back.
For round-trip tickets that include a Basic fare, you will only be able to cancel if both segments are canceled or the Basic ticket is upgraded to a higher fare. Because of this restriction, it may be better to book one-way tickets instead of a round trip.
» Learn more: Southwest Airlines fare classes: What you need to know
Which Southwest fares can be refunded?
Only Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fares are fully refundable. Basic and Choice fares aren’t technically refundable.
While you can change or cancel Basic and Choice fares, you won’t receive a refund to your credit card. Instead, Southwest will issue a flight credit that can be used to book future flights.
Travel credits issued on Basic fares must be used by the original traveler and expire after six months. On Choice fares, travel credits can be transferred to another Rapid Rewards member and expire after 12 months.
» Learn more: How to cancel a Southwest flight
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When you can change your Southwest flights
Southwest flight bookings can be changed or canceled almost anytime without fees, up until 10 minutes before a flight’s scheduled departure time. That means you can score a price drop credit until 10 minutes before your flight — even if you’ve already checked in.
Though Southwest flights typically get more expensive the closer to departure, if you keep an eye on the airfare price, you might get a deal.
How to rebook your Southwest flight at a cheaper fare
Say you checked the price on your Southwest flight and found that the fare dropped. Congratulations! But what’s the process to claim the fare difference? Let’s show you.
Log into your Southwest account to change your flight
There are a few places where you can start, but it’s probably easiest to log into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account and scroll down to “My upcoming trips.” To get started with the process, click the “Change flight” link on the reservation you'd like to change.
Select your flight and enter your requested changes
On the next page, select the flight that you want to modify. Enter the departure and arrival airports, date and time of day to search for new flights.
Search for a new flight (or new ticket on the same flight)
Southwest will display the flight options available. However, instead of showing the price of a flight, Southwest will list the price or point difference.
On this page, you will be able to select your new flight.
If you want to travel on a different date, you can navigate via the dates at the top of the search results. Once you find the flight and date you want, select the flight option to move forward with the change.
Book your ticket and pay/get credited the difference
Southwest will then confirm the flight option, and at the bottom of this page, you’ll see the total price difference for all passengers that can be credited to your account. If you’re changing to a lower-cost award flight, you'll see the amount of points that will be added back to your Rapid Rewards account.
Pro tip: How to figure out the new ticket cost
Interestingly, Southwest doesn’t show the price of the new flight at any point in this rebooking process. But if you’re changing an award ticket, there’s an easy way to find these prices.
Southwest technically refunds the award price of the old ticket and then pulls the award price of the new ticket from your account. So, you can review the Points Activity page of your Rapid Rewards account to see the old and new prices for this booking.
» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now
How to get cheap Southwest flights when rebooking
If you want the flexibility to rebook when flight prices drop, the most important decision is which fare type you book. Basic fares are the most restrictive and allow changes only if you upgrade to a higher fare class, which means they generally aren’t a good option if you plan to reprice your ticket later.
Instead, consider booking a Choice fare or higher. Choice fares allow you to change your flight and receive the difference as a flight credit if the price drops. Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fares go even further, offering refunds to the original form of payment when canceled.
By booking a more flexible fare and periodically checking prices before departure, you may be able to rebook your flight and save money if fares decrease.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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