Southwest Early Check In vs Upgraded Boarding

 

Wow! Summer travel this year has been crazy! And if you travel on Southwest Airlines, then you know the value of the A boarding group. No middle seat! And if you are taking a carry one bag, then you are guaranteed a spot for it on the plane. 

I've seen more than a few people in that C group end up having to gate check their bag. It's still FREE, but it means you are delayed on the arrival waiting for that bag. And then, they end up sitting in the middle seat! 

So what can you do? Well, if you follow this blog, chances are you already have your Southwest Companion Pass, which means you have several options. 

Depending on how you earned your pass, you have one of the personal Southwest credit cards and a Southwest business card. Now each card comes with its own benefits of either FREE Early Bird Check In or FREE Upgraded Boarding. Both can help you!

First, the Southwest credit cards that come with 

• 2 FREE Early Bird Check In:
• Plus
• Premier
• Premier Business 
• 4 FREE Upgraded Boarding:
• Priority 
• Performance Business 

So what's the difference between the two and how do you use them?

Early Bird Check In - add this to your reservation at least a few days before your flight. The system will automatically check you in 36 hours before your flight which means you will get a great boarding position. Price starts at $15. 

Upgraded Boarding - purchase this after you check in to change your boarding position to A1-A15 depending on what's available. The price varies depending on your flight. 

To use either of these benefits: 

• login to your Southwest account via the website or app
• retrieve your reservation or click on my trips or click on check in (to use upgraded boarding)
• check the option and purchase with the credit card that has that benefit! 

Be sure to use the right credit card so you get the credit! The credit card will be charged and then you will see a credit applied within a few days.

Right now, the Southwest Premier Business credit card is offering 120,000 bonus points if you spend $3,000 in the first three months and then $15,000 in the first 9 months. It's a hefty spend, but you will also qualify for the companion pass. The pass is good through Dec. 2024 if you earn it now.