Hey there! I’ve actually had quite a bit of experience with Southwest’s Wanna Get Away fares, and while they’re technically not “refundable” in the traditional sense, they’re still pretty flexible — way more than I expected when I first booked one.
A few months ago, I grabbed a Wanna Get Away fare for a quick trip to Nashville because the price was just too good to pass up. Of course, life had other plans, and a few days before my flight, something came up at work and I couldn’t go. I was worried I’d lose the money completely since it wasn’t one of their refundable fares, but I decided to log into my account and see what could be done.
To my surprise, canceling was really easy. When I canceled the flight, Southwest didn’t refund the cash to my card, but they instantly turned the full amount into travel funds. Those funds stayed in my account, and a couple of months later, I used them to fly to Denver instead — no extra fees, no hassle. It felt like I hadn’t really lost anything, just postponed the trip.
What I like most about Southwest is how transparent they are with this policy. They make it clear upfront that Wanna Get Away fares don’t go back to your card, but you still get the full value to use later. And now that they’ve made travel funds valid indefinitely (and tied to your Rapid Rewards account), it’s even more convenient.
So, while Wanna Get Away fares aren’t “refundable” in the strict sense, they’re definitely forgiving. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to Southwest — they make changing or canceling plans way less stressful than other airlines do.
