Can I Change My Flight Date Southwest? | Fees, Fares, Steps

Yes, Southwest lets you move to a new travel date on most fares, though Basic bookings need an upgrade and any fare gap still applies.

Southwest has long been one of the easier U.S. airlines for date changes, and that’s still true. If your plans shift, you can usually move your trip online or in the app without paying a separate airline change fee. The catch is that the fare type matters, the timing matters, and the new flight may cost more than the one you booked.

That mix is what trips people up. Many travelers hear “no change fees” and assume every Southwest ticket can be moved the same way. That’s not how it works. Some fares let you change with only the fare difference. Basic fares are tighter. Same-day switches have their own rules. And if you wait too long, you can lose the ticket value.

This article walks through what you can change, what you may have to pay, how to do it, and where travelers get stuck. By the end, you’ll know whether you should change the date, cancel and rebook, or try a same-day move.

Can I Change My Flight Date Southwest? What The Rule Means

Yes, in most cases you can change a Southwest flight date. Southwest states that most flights can be changed through its website or app, with no separate airline change fee on eligible fares. What changes is the price gap between your old flight and the new one. If the new flight costs more, you pay the difference. If it costs less, the leftover value usually turns into flight credit or is handled under the rules of your fare.

That sounds simple, yet one fare stands apart: Basic. Southwest says Basic fares cannot be changed in the same way as its higher fare bundles. To make a voluntary change on a Basic booking, you’ll need to upgrade the fare first. That can turn a cheap ticket into a pricier one, so it’s smart to check the math before you click anything.

Timing also matters. Southwest requires you to change or cancel before the flight’s original departure. Miss that cutoff and the no-show rule can wipe out the value of the reservation. That’s why date changes are easiest when you act as soon as your plans shift, not on the drive to the airport.

How Southwest Date Changes Usually Work

For most travelers, the process is straightforward. You pull up the reservation, pick a new date, compare flight options, and accept any price difference. If the new itinerary is cheaper, Southwest will apply the remaining value based on the fare rules tied to your booking.

In plain English, Southwest doesn’t usually charge a stand-alone “change fee.” Your cost comes from the new fare. If flights on your new dates are higher, you pay more. If they’re lower, you don’t want that extra value to vanish, so check what form it will return in before you confirm.

This is where travelers make the wrong call. They rush into the first new flight they see. Then they find out the next day had a lower price, or a same-day shift would have worked better. Slow down, compare a few dates, and check whether canceling and rebooking gives you a cleaner result than editing the reservation.

What You Can Usually Change

You can often adjust the travel date, the flight time, and sometimes the routing if Southwest is selling a valid alternative for your trip. Same-day changes are narrower. Those usually require the same origin and destination airports and travel on the same calendar day.

If Southwest changes your own schedule first, the flexibility can widen. The airline says that when its schedule shift no longer fits, travelers may be able to move their flight date or time within a set window without extra cost. That’s a different situation from a voluntary change, so don’t lump the two together.

What You Can’t Ignore

The no-show rule is the big one. If you do nothing and the flight departs, the value of the reservation may be forfeited. Southwest’s Change Flight page spells out that most flights can be changed online or in the app, while Basic fares cannot be changed the same way. That page is worth checking before you lock in a new plan.

You also need to watch linked reservations. Companion bookings, points bookings made from another person’s account, and vacation packages can involve extra steps. In those cases, the change itself may still be allowed, though the person who made the booking may need to handle it.

Fare Type Makes The Biggest Difference

Southwest now uses fare bundles such as Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. Older names still pop up in blogs and forum posts, which can confuse people reading advice from last year. Stick to Southwest’s current fare labels when you check your booking.

Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra are the simpler options for date changes. These fares let you change an upcoming itinerary and pay only the fare difference when one applies. Basic is the outlier. It is the fare most likely to create friction when your plans move.

That difference matters more than most travelers expect. A Basic fare may look cheap on day one, though it can become the most costly option once you need a different date. If your trip has any wobble at all, paying a bit more upfront for a more flexible fare can save money later.

When A Basic Fare Stops Being Cheap

Say you booked a Basic ticket for a Tuesday. Then your meeting slides to Thursday. On Southwest, you may need to upgrade the fare before changing the date. That upgrade plus any fare gap on the new flight can erase the money you saved at checkout.

That doesn’t mean Basic is bad. It just means Basic works best when your plans are close to fixed. If there’s a decent chance of change, a higher fare may be the safer buy.

What You May Pay When You Change

Think of your cost in three buckets: fare difference, fare upgrade, and taxes or fees tied to the new itinerary. The first bucket is the one most travelers see. If the new flight is pricier, you pay more. If the new flight is cheaper, the leftover value is handled under your fare’s rules.

The second bucket shows up on Basic fares. You may have to move out of Basic before the date change can go through. The third bucket is smaller, though it appears more often on same-day switches and certain itinerary changes.

Situation	What Southwest Usually Allows	What You May Owe
Choice fare date change	Change online or in app before departure	Any fare difference
Choice Preferred fare date change	Change online or in app before departure	Any fare difference
Choice Extra fare date change	Change online or in app before departure	Any fare difference
Basic fare voluntary change	Requires fare upgrade before change	Upgrade cost plus any fare difference
New flight is cheaper	Change still allowed on eligible fare	No extra charge; leftover value handled by fare rules
Same-day confirmed change	Available on eligible fares if seat is open	Usually no airline change charge; taxes may apply
Same-day standby	Available on eligible fares for an earlier flight	Usually no fare difference; taxes may apply then refund
Missed cutoff before departure	No-show rule may apply	Ticket value may be lost

The table shows why there isn’t one flat answer to the price question. Some travelers change for nothing extra. Others pay a lot. The fare you bought and the price of the new date decide the outcome.

How To Change Your Southwest Flight Date Step By Step

Start with the reservation itself. Pull it up on Southwest.com or in the app. Then compare new travel dates before you commit. You want the total cost, not just the flight time, to guide the move.

Step 1: Open The Trip Details

Use your confirmation number and name if you’re not logged in. Check the fare type first. That tells you whether the change will be smooth or whether a Basic upgrade is waiting around the corner.

Step 2: Scan New Dates Before Clicking Through

Look at the day before and the day after, not just the target date. Southwest pricing can jump hard from one day to the next. A small shift may cut the extra cost by a lot.

Step 3: Read The Price Breakdown

If Southwest shows a higher amount, that’s your fare difference or your fare upgrade plus the new fare gap. If it shows a lower amount, check how the value returns. You don’t want to assume it comes back as a cash refund when your fare only allows credit.

Step 4: Finish The Change Before The Cutoff

Do not wait until the last few minutes. Southwest says you must change or cancel before the original departure time, and same-day moves have tighter timing rules on top of that. Leave yourself room in case the app freezes or the payment page stalls.

If your change is for the day of travel, Southwest’s same-day change and standby rules lay out the extra details. For app or mobile web use, the airline says you must act at least 60 minutes before a domestic flight and 90 minutes before an international one when listing for a new same-day option.

Same-Day Change Vs Date Change

A regular date change and a same-day change are not the same thing. A regular change can move you to a different day on the calendar, as long as the fare rules allow it and the flight is on sale. A same-day confirmed change is for travelers who want an earlier or later flight on the day they’re already flying.

That same-day option is narrower. Southwest limits it to eligible fares, the same origin and destination airports, and open seats on the replacement flight. If you want a whole new travel date next week, that’s a standard change, not a same-day one.

Same-day standby is different again. You keep your current booking while asking for a seat on an earlier flight. If a seat opens, you may be cleared. If not, you still have the original reservation. That can be handy when you get to the airport early and want to try your luck without tossing away the flight you already hold.

Option	Best For	Main Limitation
Regular date change	Moving travel to another day	Fare rules and fare difference still apply
Same-day confirmed change	Taking an earlier or later flight on travel day	Eligible fare, same airports, open seat needed
Same-day standby	Trying for an earlier flight without dropping current booking	No seat guarantee; timing rules apply

When Canceling And Rebooking Makes More Sense

Changing the flight date is not always the cleanest move. At times, canceling first and then booking a fresh itinerary is easier to read and easier to price. That’s often true when you want to compare several dates, swap airports, or split a round trip into two one-ways.

It can also help when the return is staying put but the outbound needs work. Southwest’s fare setup can make mixed itineraries messy, especially if Basic is involved in one direction. Running the numbers both ways can show you which path costs less.

Still, do not cancel before checking the credit and refund rules tied to your fare. If your reservation is eligible for a refund to the original payment method, that’s one thing. If the value will come back as flight credit with a set expiration, that’s another.

Common Mistakes That Cost Travelers Money

The first mistake is assuming “no change fees” means “free change.” You may skip an airline penalty and still pay a hefty fare gap. The second mistake is ignoring the fare type. Basic can change the whole equation.

The third mistake is acting too late. If your plans wobble, fix the booking while the reservation still has value. Once the original departure passes, you may be out of luck. Another common slip is failing to compare same-day options with a full date change. On busy routes, one may be far cheaper than the other.

Travelers also forget to check baggage and seat details after a switch. A new flight may have a new boarding position or a new seat assignment process tied to the fare. It takes a minute to review, and that minute can save a rough airport surprise.

Best Times To Change A Southwest Flight Date

The cheapest time to change is often as soon as you know your plans have shifted. Waiting can push you into higher fares. Southwest pricing moves with demand, and close-in travel is often pricier than dates booked further out.

If your travel day is still close, scan nearby dates and nearby departure times before you confirm. Midweek shifts can price lower than weekend moves. Early morning and late evening flights can also come in lower than the most popular midday departures.

If Southwest changes your flight first, act quickly there too. Airline-initiated schedule revisions can open extra flexibility, though that window is not something you should assume will sit there forever.

What Most Travelers Should Do

If you booked Choice, Choice Preferred, or Choice Extra, pull up the reservation and compare new dates right away. If the fare difference looks fair, change it online and move on. That’s the easy lane.

If you booked Basic, stop and compare three paths: upgrade and change, cancel and rebook, or keep the trip as is. One of those will usually stand out once you see the full cost on screen. The best move is the one that leaves you with the lowest total cost and the fewest restrictions, not the one that sounds simplest at first glance.

So, can I change my flight date Southwest? Yes, most travelers can, and Southwest is still friendlier than many airlines on this point. Just read the fare type, act before departure, and compare the numbers before you lock in the new date.