Southwest Flight Canceled or Delayed?
You May Be Owed a Cash Refund.
Southwest defaults to travel credits, but DOT requires cash refunds for cancellations and significant delays. We check your flight and handle the claim. No upfront cost.
Check My Southwest Flight$19 flat fee for refund and reimbursement claims. No win, no fee for denied boarding.
How far back can you claim?
US DOT
1 year
Practical filing window for refund and reimbursement claims.
EU261
2-6 years
Varies by EU country. France: 5yr. Germany: 3yr. Netherlands: 2yr.
UK261
6 years
England and Wales: 6yr. Scotland: 5yr.
Past flights qualify. If you have the flight number and date, it is worth checking.
What Southwest passengers are entitled to
Under US DOT rules, your rights do not depend on the reason for the disruption. They are the law.
Refund
100%
If Southwest cancels or significantly delays your flight and you choose not to travel, DOT requires a cash refund to your original payment method, regardless of fare type. Southwest frequently offers travel funds instead; you are not required to accept them. You must explicitly request a cash refund.
Expense reimbursement
Southwest's Customer Commitment covers meal vouchers for controllable delays and limited hotel assistance for controllable overnight situations. Southwest is a point-to-point carrier, overnight stranding is less common but does happen. Keep all receipts and submit through the help center.
Denied boarding (IDB)
Up to $1,950
If Southwest involuntarily bumps you from an oversold flight, DOT mandates cash compensation of up to $1,950 depending on your delay to the destination.
How to claim compensation from Southwest
Check your eligibility
Find your Southwest flight number and date. Significant delays (3+ hours) and cancellations where you chose not to travel qualify for a refund. Denied boarding due to overbooking qualifies for cash compensation.
Gather your documents
You need your booking confirmation or e-ticket number, the flight number and date, any receipts for out-of-pocket expenses (meals, hotel, transport), and your boarding pass if you have it.
Submit to Southwest
Use Southwest's online form to submit your refund or reimbursement claim. Be specific: state the DOT rule, the amount owed, and your original payment method. Vague requests get ignored.
Follow up and escalate if needed
If Southwest ignores your claim, sends a form denial, or offers a voucher instead of cash, you have options. File a complaint with the DOT at transportation.gov/airconsumer. Most airlines respond once a federal complaint is filed.
What to have ready
- ✓Booking confirmation or e-ticket
- ✓Flight number and date
- ✓Receipts for out-of-pocket expenses
- ✓Boarding pass (if available)
Typical response time
Refund requests: 7 business days for card payments once approved. Travel funds are issued immediately, but cash refunds require a formal request and take 7-20 days. Reimbursement: 2-4 weeks.
Note
Southwest defaults to travel funds, you must explicitly select 'refund to original payment method' when submitting. If Southwest only offers travel credits for a DOT-qualifying cancellation or significant delay, they are in violation of federal rules. TravelStacks can formally request a cash refund and escalate to the DOT if Southwest refuses.
Where to file
- →Refunds: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/
- →Expense reimbursement: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/
- →Denied boarding / complaints: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/
Or skip all this.
TravelStacks files directly with Southwest, follows up when they go quiet, escalates denials, and files regulatory complaints when needed. You do not touch a form.
Simple, fair pricing
AirHelp charges 35%. We charge 25%, or $19 flat.
Refunds and reimbursement
$19
flat fee
$19 covers your full DOT-mandated refund and expense reimbursement claim. Flat fee regardless of what you recover.
Denied boarding (IDB)
25%
of recovery
DOT mandates up to $1,950. We take 25% only if we win. Nothing owed if we don't.
EU and UK flights
25%
of recovery
EU261 and UK261 up to €600 / £520. We take 25% only if we win. Nothing owed if we don't.
Southwest compensation, frequently asked questions
Your Southwest flight already happened.
Don’t leave money on the table.
It takes 30 seconds to check. We handle everything else.
Check My Southwest Flight$19 flat fee for refund and reimbursement claims.