Are tickets on Southwest transferable?

Unless you purchased Business Select or Anytime fares the tickets and associated funds are tied to the original passenger and cannot be transferred.



In 2026, Southwest Airlines remains unique for its flexible ticketing, but the definition of "transferable" depends on the fare class. While you cannot simply change the name on a ticket to someone else's, the Wanna Get Away Plus, Choice Extra, and Choice Preferred fares include a high-value feature called Transferable Flight Credit™. This allows you to transfer the full value of a cancelled flight to another Rapid Rewards member. Both the sender and recipient must have Rapid Rewards accounts, and only one transfer per credit is permitted. For the base "Wanna Get Away" fares, the credit is usually non-transferable and can only be used by the original passenger. If you booked with Rapid Rewards points and cancel, the points simply return to the original owner's account. This system makes Southwest a favorite for 2026 travelers who want the security of knowing their travel funds won't go to waste if their personal plans change unexpectedly.

People Also Ask

You cannot. Airlines have curbed the possibilities to transfer your ticket to someone due to “security reasons”.

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If you purchased a round-trip flight and need to change the first leg to a different day, your best bet will likely be to pay the change fee and book a new flight. If you only need to change the return portion of a round trip, however, it may be cheaper to book a new one-way flight than to pay the cancellation fee.

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In fact, it costs $10 for every 1,000 Southwest points you want to transfer to someone else!

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If you've purchased your ticket, look for the words “non-refundable and “non-transferable” on it. If you see them, it doesn't matter how valid your reason is for wanting to change your ticket or request a refund, accept the fact that most airlines will apply all penalties, fees, and increased fares.

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If you cancel, you're eligible to receive 100% of your ticket value as a refund to your original form of payment. A Southwest flight credit from a previous reservation that are applied toward a Business Select or Anytime Fare will be refunded as a flight credit.

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Refundable Fares: Anytime and Business Select fares offer full refunds if canceled over 10 minutes before departure. No cancellation fees are charged, maintaining the flexibility you need. Southwest takes pride in not charging fees for changes or cancellations made 10 minutes before departure.

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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.

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It could be for one of these reasons: The venue doesn't offer Ticket Transfer yet (we're working on that). The artist or venue turned Ticket Transfer off for that event/section. The event was canceled (ticket buyers get automatic refunds).

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You can get a full flight ticket refund only if you booked a refundable ticket. However, airline ticket refund rules vary from airline to airline. Thus, it is better to refer to the airline's website or contact it directly for possible airfare reimbursement.

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Yes, if your event is eligible for Ticket Transfer, you're good to go — even if your tickets haven't been delivered to you yet.

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Lack of airline partners. Southwest Airlines does not belong to an airline alliance, nor does it partner with any other airlines independently, so your Rapid Rewards points cannot take you to places such as Europe or Asia when used directly for flights.

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Points will post within 72 hours. Purchased, gifted, transferred, and donated points do not count toward Tier or Companion Pass status. A credit card must be used to complete point purchase, gift, and transfer transactions.

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40,000 Southwest points are worth around $532 when redeemed for airfare. While Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points are most valuable when redeemed for Travel, they're also redeemable for gift cards, hotel stays, merchandise, and more.

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Understanding 'nonrefundable'
Depending on the ticket type, often, 'nonrefundable' simply means: The airline will not give you all of your money back if you cancel (true for most basic economy tickets). The airline will not refund your ticket value as cash (it will be remitted as a voucher instead).

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Every major U.S. airline (except Southwest Airlines) typically charges penalty fees to change or cancel an economy fare flight. The fees, however, can vary from as low as $75 on a domestic flight to more than $400 on an international flight.

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Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date.

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If you have booked a flight with any airline and your plans have been postponed, then the best option you have is to reschedule your flight. If you do it within 24 hours of purchasing the ticket, you can reschedule flight for free, and no charges will be applied.

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