It is no surprise that travel reservations are down tremendously due to the Coronavirus. Passengers are worried about booking a flight to then have to cancel their trip and be left dealing with the airline to get their money back. Of course JetBlue, American Airlines and Delta have already issued travel waivers on new bookings, but this doesn’t cover you for previously booked flights.
There is one airline out there, however, that will waive the change or cancelation fee for you on every single reservation you make — Southwest Airlines. If you made your flight months ago or just now, you will never pay a fee if you need to cancel a flight. This is because Southwest never charges you a change fee. Virus or no virus, their friendly policies will always have you covered. Here are the policies if you need to change or cancel a flight, regardless of the reason why:
Southwest paid reservation
Southwest offers three different fare classes — Business Select, Anytime and Wanna Get Away. If you book a Business Select or Anytime fare, your flight is 100% refundable. As long as you cancel your flight 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure, the amount paid will go back onto the credit card you used.
If you booked a Wanna Get Away fare and you want to cancel your flight, you will receive a voucher for the exact amount paid. This Southwest Travel Fund can be used one year from the date the flight was originally purchased — not from the date the flight was canceled. Travel Funds are non-transferable.
This same policy holds true if you change a flight. You will not be charged a change fee, and instead you will just be charged the difference in fare price, if there is one. Now, if your new flight is less in price, you’ll actually get the difference in fare price back in the form of a Southwest Travel Fund.
Southwest point reservations
If you use your Southwest points to book any Southwest flight, your fare is 100% refundable. As long as you cancel at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, all points used will go straight back into the account they came from. And you will not be charged any fee at all. Even the taxes/fees paid will go back to the credit card used.
If you are looking to change your flight, the same policy holds for a paid flight. If the new flight is more expensive, you’ll be charged the additional points. But, if the new flight is less expensive, the difference in points will go back into your account. Again, no fee at all.
Overall…
My family is a huge Southwest Airlines family, especially due to their money-saving Southwest Companion Pass. Their flexible change and cancelation fees as well as the ability to re-price out a fare if the price decreases are some of the reasons I absolutely love Southwest Airlines.
So if you are scared about booking a flight due to the Coronavirus, know that Southwest has you covered.
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