United Airlines First Class Review [Domestic Flights]

May 23, 2021 by Lauren Graves

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United Airlines is one of the most popular airlines today and the fourth-largest U.S. airline overall by the number of passengers carried annually. And while most people flying domestic opt for basic economy or coach seating, there are plenty of flyers that want a more luxurious and comfortable flying experience both when they’re in the air and before they get there. First-class fare is the way to achieve this.

United First is one of a few different premium seat options available on United flights. The other options are United Business and United Polaris (first or business). All premium seats include the following:

Priority boarding and security
Ultra-comfortable and larger seating
A free checked bag
Complimentary alcoholic beverages

Of these, United First is generally considered to be the best. Here’s everything you can expect when flying domestic first-class through United Airlines.

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What to Expect When Flying Domestic First Class with United Airlines

United First Class customers can check 2 bags free of charge.

Your United first-class flying experience begins before you even take flight.

Before you check-in, you’ll get to take advantage of United Premier Access benefits (more on these to follow). United First customers may check two standard-sized bags free of charge and their luggage should be among the first checked and loaded onto and off of the plane.

And once you’re on the plane as a United first-class flyer, your flight will be more comfortable and spacious than it would be in another cabin. In a United First cabin, there is ample space between every seat, more legroom than the average passenger generally needs (more on seat specs below), and cushioned leather seats that recline. There are other storage, entertainment, and food and beverage perks as well. Here’s exactly what’s in store for United Flight passengers.

Privileges and Perks

The three primary upgrades that first-class flyers experience on United flights have to do with seat options, dining, and overall service accommodations. Take a look at the breakdown of a standard United First flight.

It’s worth noting that United First seats are not offered on all flights, but that there is premier seating available on every plane.

Seat Options

The exact size and configurations of your seats when you fly first-class with any airline, United included, depend on the type of plane you’re flying. But as you will see, the specs are very similar across all flights.

United offers first-class domestic flights on a couple of its airplanes: the Boeing 737 and 757. To know how much legroom you can count on having or how much space there will be between first-class seats, see your plane below. Configuration represents how many seats are grouped together, pitch is the distance between rows of seats (which includes legroom), recline is how far back your seat will go, and the width listed is for each individual seat.

The seat specs for 737-700 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 38”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.4”

The seat specs for 737-800 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 37”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.5”

The seat specs for 737-900 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 37”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20”

The seat specs for 757-300 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 38”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.4”

If United First is not available on your flight, then another premier cabin option such as Polaris business or first class most likely will be. On some planes, United First seats are being replaced by Polaris seating, which is different from first-class seating in shape and configuration.

All first-class seats on United flights feature personal storage spaces, an in-arm slot for electronic devices that includes a universal charger, a cup holder, and double pockets in the seat in front of you. In addition, there is an extendable granite cocktail table that can be accessed from the center console between seats.

Dining

[Update on Meals and Snacks for Domestic First Class Flights on United May 2021

For flights in United First under 1 hour, United won’t have snacks available, but you are allowed to bring your own.

For flights between 1 and 2 hours and 20 minutes, United will provide you an “all-in-one” snack bag with sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks.

For flights over 2 hours and 20 minutes, you will have a choice of various sandwiches and one of their snack boxes on flights from:

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago O’Hare
Cleveland
Denver
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Myers
Honolulu to Los Angeles and San Francisco
Houston Intercontinental
Kahului to Los Angeles
Los Angeles
New York/Newark
Orlando
San Francisco
Tampa
Washington Dulles
West Palm Beach

On domestic flights from all other airports, only their snack box is offered. For those traveling on flights to Hawaii, United will offer the following:

Main meal: packaged nuts, hot meal, packaged bread and butter, salad and salad dressing, and a sealed, single-serve cup of ice cream with a wrapped cookie.
Pre-arrival: assortment of snacks from the snack basket

*One exception is flights to Hawaii from Los Angeles or San Francisco, which only receive a choice of sandwich or snack box.]

United First Class Dining Continued…

What’s first-class without premium dining? With United Airlines, however, “premium dining” is likely more of a subjective term. If your flying experience and expectations are set to the level of, say, Singapore Airlines, you will probably be let down. That said, many regulars on the FlyerTalk forums say the quality is above average and that the food, at the very least, tastes better than it appears.

United First Class Breakfast Example [2020]

Posted by FlyerTalk user Krazykanuck in January of 2020. He notes “the biscuit was warm and delicious.”

United First Class Dinner Example [2020]

Posted by FlyerTalk user st530 in January of 2020. He notes “despite the small portion size it tasted very fresh and crispy.”

United First flights offer multi-course meals for flights longer than two hours and 20 minutes and smaller snack options for flight durations of less than this. If your flight is less than two hours and 20 minutes, you are eligible to receive only light refreshments such as pretzels, muffins, and fruit. If your flight is longer than four hours, you may receive full meal service including two entree choices as well as a snack including a hot sandwich and chocolate. Multi-course meals with two entree choices are offered on flights of five hours and 20 minutes and longer. Certain flights are eligible for multi-course meals with three entrees.

The menu is always changing, but sample menus are available through the United site. Multi-course meals include appetizers, a salad course, however many entrees you are eligible for, and dessert.

As for beverages, many types are offered free of charge to United First flyers. These include:

Water
Soft drinks
Juice
Tea
illy Coffee
Beer (domestic and craft)
Wine
Spirits
On The Rocks Cocktails

All of your food and beverage choices will be brought to you at no extra charge, some of which you’ll be able to enjoy before the plane even takes off.

Service

Aside from full-service meal accommodations and everything that that entails, first-class United passengers receive United Premier Access when they fly. The perks of this include designated check-in lanes at the airport, exclusive security lanes, priority boarding, and priority baggage handling. These perks are subject to availability and eligibility for each will be determined on the day of your flight. You pay nothing for these services when you are a First Class passenger with United.

Cost

Flying first-class is significantly more costly than flying Basic Economy.

One of the most popular flight routes in the U.S., LAX to JFK, currently costs $189 round-trip for United Basic Economy and $877 round-trip for United First. To fly from Atlanta to Orlando, you’d pay $354 to fly Basic economy and $870 to fly first-class. Finally, from New York LaGuardia to Chicago O’Hare, a Basic Economy ticket will cost $157 while a first-class ticket will cost $415.

As you can see, upgrading from an economy to a first-class United ticket is a big deal. These prices are obviously drastically different from each other—and first-class prices are most likely very much out of reach for many—, but paying for first-class fare outright isn’t the only way to access it. Also, United first-class can be more affordable than other airlines in many instances.

And of course, even though first-class does increase the price of your ticket by quite a bit, it also cuts down incidental fees for checked baggage, inflight accommodations, etc., so this should be considered.

Fly First Class on Rewards

A tight travel budget doesn’t have to stop you from experiencing first-class flying. You can use miles, points, and rewards to upgrade your seat to a United First flight seat. You can search any flight by how much it will cost in dollars or award points.

Award travel can be purchased with miles earned through United’s frequent flyer program, MileagePlus. Just know that you will almost always have to pay additional cash fees on top of this unless you are a Premier Elite flyer. Award flights, like any other flight, are priced by distance traveled. The cost in miles for a domestic flight could be anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 miles, depending on the value of the flight and the distance.

Use caution when booking award travel. In some cases, using miles to buy flights ends up costing more than it would if you were to just use money. Sometimes, the value of what you pay in miles exceeds the price of a ticket and effectively loses you money. The cost breakdown of cents per miles when paying and when using points is definitely something to consider no matter how many miles you have in your account. There will also be times when award seats are not available, so don’t count on them always being an option.

Another way to get a spot in first-class is through complimentary seat upgrades. Premier upgrades, which can only be applied to tickets that are Economy (not Basic) or higher, are given to those with elite or Premier status through United’s loyalty program.

United Premier status is determined by the number of Premier qualifying points and Premier qualifying flights in your account. Anyone enrolled in PlusPoints can earn points. Those with United-branded credit cards can earn even more points and flight miles toward their award status.

To reach Silver status, you need to have completed six flights and earned 2,000 points or earned 2,500 points. To reach Gold status, you need to have completed 12 flights and earned 4,000 points or earned 5,000 points. To reach Platinum status, you need to have completed 18 flights and earned 6,000 points or earned 7,500 points. Finally, to reach 1K status (the top status), you need to have completed 26 flights and earned 9,000 points or earned 12,000 points.

If you are within any Premier tier, you are eligible for complimentary upgrades subject to availability. United Premier members can also receive complimentary Premier Upgrades if they have one of the following United travel cards (offered through Chase):

United℠ Explorer Card
United Club℠ Infinite Card
United Explorer Business Card
United Club Business Card
United Presidential Plus Card
United Presidential Plus Business Card

Understand, however, that simply having the right rewards status and credit card doesn’t automatically guarantee you a first-class seat. It simply makes you eligible for upgrades when they are available and prioritizes your upgrades over others—basically, it just increases your odds of being upgraded. Your upgrade status could be confirmed anywhere from four days prior to departure (for Premier level 1K) right up to the day your flight takes off (for Premier level Silver).

How Does United First Class Compare to Other Airlines

United First domestic is largely regarded as one of the best first-class flying experiences available in the U.S. Although some may disagree, a major advantage that United First has going for it is the food. United Airlines partners with reputable chefs through The Trotter Project to offer its first-class passengers gourmet menu items and an exciting range of options. So naturally, the food is above average.

One of the potential downsides of United First is that it does not provide lounge access on domestic flights. Inflight entertainment is also somewhat lacking compared to other carriers. United provides complimentary DIRECTV to all first-class passengers (on select flights), but you must pay for WiFi. The seat-back entertainment systems available for first-class passenger use, however, are fairly robust and United Private Screening offers a wide range of viewing and listening options.

If you value lounge access and all-inclusive IFE, know that United doesn’t offer these on first-class domestic flights. United First might not give you quite as much value as what other airlines will on all flights, but it’s not bad and many flyers have found United first-class to be one of the most affordable domestic first-class options.

Final Thoughts

Overall, United First domestic flights are comfortable and accommodating. They come with many complimentary perks and advantages and they can be snagged with points and rewards. So as far as domestic first-class goes, United Airlines seems to do pretty well. Unless you happen to have an unlimited amount of money to spend on travel, United First is going to be best for those that are loyal to United and already have points or rewards racked up that can be put toward seat upgrades.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

14 Simple Ways to Keep Your American Airlines Points Active

May 22, 2021 by Lauren Graves

The American Airlines points program, called AAdvantage, is how American Airlines thanks its customers for continued loyalty and how frequent flyers can earn miles that stretch their money farther. If you qualify for the AAdvantage program and want to know how to keep your account active, find out how to prevent your miles from expiring.

In a nut shell, you need to earn more miles or redeem what you already have to keep your points active. Flying is just one way to earn and keep miles from expiring, but it might not be the most convenient choice. There are countless other ways to earn miles through American Airlines that don’t involve boarding a plane at all, and plenty of ways to redeem miles too. Keep reading for 14 simple tips that will keep your points active.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Do American Airlines Miles Expire?

Yes, American Airlines miles do expire, but it takes 18 months of inactivity for this to happen. This is a relatively short expiration period, but it can easily be reset (an option that not all airlines offer).

Qualifying activity includes earning or redeeming miles, so all you have to do to keep the miles in your account from lapsing is to use miles or get more. And as soon as activity is registered on your account, the expiration date is automatically reset to 18 months from the time of most recent activity.

At this time, American Airlines is extending the expiration period for miles set to expire between April 2nd and June 30 of 2020 to July 1st due to travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders that make it harder to get and use points. So you might not have to worry about keeping your miles just yet, but you’ll want to know how to when that time comes.

Here’s how.

Fly

You don’t have to fly to earn miles, and you don’t even have to fly American if you are going somewhere. A trip through any of American Airlines’ one world or other partner airlines counts and will help you get points. Your miles can then be put toward American or partner flights, once you have enough.

So if you’re already planning to go somewhere, make sure you maximize your spending—and reset your account—by flying American or an American partner.

Use Your Miles to Shop

The AAdvantage e-shopping mall provides an opportunity for members to earn points per dollar spent at over 950 online stores. There are many participating stores to choose from, and the portal lets you sort these by name or earn rate, top stores, featured deals, store type (including at home comforts, food and drink, entertainment and education, and more), and trending stores.

But don’t think that shopping through a portal means your options are limited. This is far from the case, as you’ll have access to popular brands and companies like Apple, Nike, and Target. Some places will only give you a point per dollar spent, but some will give you seven. Keep in mind that earning even just a few miles is enough to prevent your balance from expiring.

Your first thought when you need new clothes, tech, or other household essentials might not be to make your purchases through American Airlines, but as long as this thought occurs to you at least once every 18 months, you could keep your American points active through online shopping alone.

Enroll in the AAdvantage Dining Program

Just like everyone has to shop, everyone has to eat, and American Airlines is prepared to reward you with more than just a full stomach when you dine at any of their 10,000 restaurant partners. AAdvantage Dining lets you earn miles per dollar when you eat out at thousands of local and nationwide establishments that you probably already eat at anyway. You won’t earn a whole lot unless you do this often, but at least your points won’t expire.

Just input your location into the search tool to see your options and find out how many miles you can expect to earn.

Transfer Miles

More miles than you know what to do with? Share them with someone else. Transferring miles to another person’s AAdvantage account will incur fees of $20 or more per 1,000 miles (login here for current rates) and processing fees on top of that, but it’ll also keep your points active, so it may or may not be worth it. You may transfer no more than 200,000 per year and transfers are not reversible or refundable. Keep this option in mind for when other methods, for whatever reason, aren’t going to work.

Buy Miles

Use the BGT Portal to buy, gift, or transfer miles.

Full disclosure: this is not the most practical or economical way to keep your points active, but it’s a choice nonetheless. Buying more miles will cost upwards of $30 per 1,000 miles and at least as much in processing, but you can do this quickly and easily in a pinch and it’s better than coughing up the cash to have miles reactivated if they expire. Plus, there are often promotions that’ll essentially match the miles you buy, making the fees more worthwhile.

Get (And USE) an AAdvantage Credit Card

Using an American Airlines branded travel credit card is one of the easiest ways to earn miles without having to remember to do anything special. With one of the following four CitiBank / AAdvantage credit cards, you can earn miles for everyday spending on groceries, American Airlines purchases, food and drink, gas, and nearly anything else.

American Airlines credit cards include the:

Each card has its own unique perks, but all of them have mileage benefits (as well as travel discounts and perks). The MileUp card, for example, earns 2X miles at grocery stores. The Platinum Select earns 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations. The Executive card earns 2X miles on American Airlines purchases, and the Platinum Select business card earns 2X miles on cable and satellite purchases. No matter how you do most of your spending, one of these is likely to fit your lifestyle.

You probably don’t need to be told to not get credit cards you don’t need or for the miles alone, but one of these travel cards may just be right up your alley. And because there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn, spending with one of these cards might also be the perfect way to not only keep your points active but earn rewards effortlessly. Just be aware that some of these cards have annual fees.

Book a Hotel Stay

image credit: hyatt.com (AAdvantage hotel partner)

If using your credit card isn’t simple enough, the AAdvantage program makes it possible to earn miles in your sleep—as long as you’re sleeping in an American Airlines partner hotel. With big-name partners like Hyatt, Marriott, and Best Western, you can find a participating hotel just about anywhere in the world.

You can either stay at a partner hotel to earn miles—either flat rate or per dollar miles—or convert hotel points to American miles, and both of these actions count as qualifying activity on an account. You’ll maximize your return by staying at a partner hotel, so if you know ahead of time that you’ll be traveling, do this rather than converting points afterward (hotel points are not redeemable for an equal amount of airline points, so converting should be a last resort).

Book a Cruise

You might not associate cruises and flying with each other, but maybe you should. Similar to the partner hotel program, the American Airlines cruise program grants members miles when they take to the seas. Earn bonus miles well into the thousands per cruise when you book through American Airlines Cruises, with fares backed by a 110% best price guarantee (if you find a better price somewhere else within two days of booking through American, you’ll be refunded 110% of the difference).

Cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and even Disney participate in this program, so don’t worry about not finding the trip you’re looking for. Tickets are sold at exclusive American Airlines discounted rates and, of course, earn major miles. Through June 30, 2022, earn one AAdvantage mile per $1 spent on cruises up to 10,000 miles.

Rent a Car

AAdvantage members can also earn when renting cars—at least 500 miles per rental day, in fact. When you book a car with American Airlines, you can rent through car rental programs including but not limited to Budget, National, Avis, and Hertz. Today’s featured deals, valid through May 31, 2020, include:

Save up to 35% and earn 1,000 bonus miles through Avis
Save up to 30% and earn 1,000 bonus miles through Budget

Save With Bask Bank

Want a way to earn miles while saving money? Bask Bank—an online, FDIC-insured bank that offers the only savings account that earns miles instead of interest—can make that happen. Right now, they are offering 5,000 miles when you deposit $5,000 into a savings account and maintain this balance for at least 30 days. Rather than an interest rate, you’ll earn a mile on the dollar with this account.

A single AAdvantage mile is estimated to be worth 1.4 cents, so you’re looking at sizable returns if you go this route. However, unless you fly a lot, you probably don’t want all of your interest in the form of miles; but if you do, this is an easy way to keep the deposits coming and your points active.

Sign up for e-Rewards or Miles for Options

American Airlines and other companies want your feedback, and they want it so badly that they’re willing to give you miles for it. Get 250 AAdvantage miles just for signing up with e-Rewards, an online market research community, then keep answering surveys of your choice (they don’t all have to be about flying) to earn e-Rewards currency that can be converted into miles. You’ll need a balance of $12 or more in e-Rewards to redeem, and these can be redeemed as miles.

You can also (or instead) sign up for Miles for Opinions, an American Airlines partner with a similar program. Participate in any surveys, panels, or focus groups you’d like to and receive miles deposited directly into your AAdvantage account.

Enroll in LifeLock

Protect yourself from identity theft and get 12,000 miles by enrolling in a LifeLock membership. You’ll need to be an active member for 31 days before the miles are yours, but then you’ll get even more (dependent on membership plan) in the second and third years of your membership if you choose to continue your LifeLock protection.

LifeLock will monitor your SSN and credit activity and scan for potential threats for $8.99/month (standard) and bank and investment activity on top of that for $22.49/month (ultimate plus). Obviously, signing up for a new identity theft protection service isn’t exactly going to save you money, but it’s something to consider if you want this type of insurance anyway.

Donate to Charity

If you’re feeling charitable, consider donating to an organization in collaboration with American: Stand Up to Cancer. This charity is committed to researching cancer treatments and cures, and American Airlines is committed to helping them do that by presenting members with the option of donating to earn miles. You’ll get 10 miles for every dollar you give over $25, and this action can be performed at any time. Just make sure to donate through American Airlines to get your miles.

Donate Some Miles

If you don’t want to donate cash for miles, you can go a slightly different route and donate your miles. This is an especially good option if you don’t have enough points to help with flight costs and/or want to support a worthy cause for no additional cost.

Donate miles to any of the following programs:

Miles for Our Well-Being, which supports the health and wellness of patients in partnership with Stand Up to Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Make-A-Wish
Miles for Our Heroes, which honors American military service members in partnership with Medal of Honor, the George W. Bush Institute, and the Gary Sinise Foundation
Miles for Our Social Good, which performs humanitarian work in partnership with the Red Cross, Feeding America, and UNICEF.

There is no minimum donation required and donations made in this fashion are not tax-deductible.

How to Reactivate your AA Miles

You can reactivate your AA miles if they’ve expired, however American Airlines will charge a fee to do so.

If you decide to go this route, you have one of two options:

Online by logging in to your account.
By calling customer service at 800-882-8880 or your elite reservation number. Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (CT).

You can reactivate up to 500,000 miles within 18 months of their expiration.

Final Thoughts

Since there are so many ways to earn and redeem miles, there’s no reason that your AAdvantage points need to expire before you can use them—to let this happen is not only wasteful but entirely avoidable. If you follow these tips and tricks, it’s easy to keep your account active and maximize your earnings.

But if you regularly come close to letting your points expire, keep in mind that adding more points to your account is only going to drive your total miles up and you’ll still have to use them at some point. There are certainly worse problems to have than too many miles, but the AAdvantage loyalty program isn’t going to do you much good if you’re not using your points.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Using the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar to Book Cheap Flights

May 3, 2021 by Lauren Graves

The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is an easy-to-use widget on the Southwest site that filters your search to find the lowest fares per month for your desired trip. This helpful tool is a favorite among deal hounds, especially those that are already Rapid Rewards members (more on how to use your loyalty status to save even more later).

It’s no secret that Southwest, as one of the nation’s most popular budget airlines, offers great value on its tickets. However, this makes it that much harder to know when you’re getting the absolute lowest price available, and filtering through all search results can be a hassle.

Fortunately, the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar does the work of finding the best deals for you.

Here’s how to use it to book cheap flights year-round with Southwest Airlines.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

How to Use the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar

Using the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is very straightforward. Simply select the bubble at the upper righthand corner of the screen for “Dollars” or “Points” to determine which unit ticket values will be shown in. You can then toggle your search to see round trips, one-way, and multi-city prices.

Choose the number of people in your party from the Passengers box and then fill in the departure and arrival destinations as you normally would. It might be worth it to try a few different locations if you are able to.

Please note that the Low Fare Calendar can only be used for groups of one to nine people. If you are traveling in a group of 10 or more, you will need to book a flight through Southwest’s Group Travel Program. This program gives group discounts and more booking flexibility on flights. For example, no upfront payment is required (except for possibly a per person deposit) and names can be changed as little as 72 hours before departure. This is a good option for business groups, but it does unfortunately mean that you can’t use the Low Fare Calendar. Contact Southwest Airlines directly if you’re interested in making a group booking.

Examples of Low Fare Deals we found (Round Trip for 1 passenger July, 2021):

Departing City	Destination	Fare
San Diego	New York City LaGuardia	as low as $264
San Jose	New York City LaGuardia	as low as $265
San Antonio	Boston	as low as $204
San Antonio	Los Cabos, Mexico	as low as $229
Chicago	Miami	as low as $78
Seattle	Chicago	as low as $166
Seattle	New Orleans	as low as $164
Denver	West Palm Beach	as low as $187
Los Angeles	Atlanta	as low as $264

Prices shown on the calendar itself reflect discounted Anytime prices per person. Some flights are available for as little as $49 a piece. Actual prices may not be exactly what is shown on the calendar, as fares are subject to change until you purchase a ticket. If all of the available flights at the calendar’s price have been snagged by other customers, you will be shown the next best prices.

If Southwest is running a sale on flights, and they are just about every week, you’ll find these prices through the Low Fare Calendar. Just keep in mind that promotions like this are often popular and many other people are likely to have the same idea.

Some frequent fliers also like to use the Low Fare Calendar to get an idea of what tickets are going for in general during a given time. Not many airlines have a tool like this, so using the calendar offered by Southwest is a good way to find out roughly what budget airlines may charge for a flight you’re looking to take even if you aren’t necessarily planning to travel with this airline.

Benefits of Using the Low Fare Calendar vs. Booking Online

While there is nothing wrong with booking travel online through the Southwest website or mobile app, the Low Fare Calendar makes it easier to book a flight if your number one priority is finding the best price. The calendar simplifies the process of saving money.

But if you do need to filter your search further and are unwilling or unable to have a little wiggle room with dates or flight types, booking online may be your only option for getting exactly what you’re looking for.

Another advantage to using the Low Fare Calendar is that Southwest flights don’t actually show up on a lot of third-party flight booking websites. So if it’s good deals you’re after, this is very likely the only way to find them at Southwest.

Can You Earn Rapid Rewards Through Low Fare Calendar Bookings?

Just as you would normally earn points for booking travel online through Southwest, flights booked through the Low Fare Calendar also qualify to earn points when you pay with cash. However, travel booked with points does not qualify to earn points.

And Southwest does have a decent loyalty program. In 2020, a WalletHub study estimated that the Rapid Rewards program awards an average member about $10 per $100 spent, putting it in the top five airline loyalty programs. Plus, points do not expire as long as you complete at least one points-earning activity (through Southwest or a partner) every 24 months.

Rapid Rewards Credit Card

Another surefire way to save more on flights is with a travel card. Here is what each Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers.

Priority (annual fee of $149)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year
3X points on Southwest purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year
3X points on Southwest® purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (annual fee of $69)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

For more information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business credit card, go here.

And of course, all Southwest credit card points can be redeemed for flights—domestic and international—as well as car rentals, hotel stays, cruises, and more with partner companies. You can also use your points to get gift cards.

What Are the Change or Cancellation Fees?

The change or cancellation fees are the same when you book through the Low Fare Calendar as when you book through the Southwest Airlines website.

Southwest Airlines does charge change or cancellation fees. You are only responsible for the difference in fare if you book a new flight that costs more than your previous one.

You can change or cancel as little as 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to leave, even if you’ve already checked in for it. As long as you make a change to or cancel a flight 10 minutes or more before its scheduled departure, you will be eligible for a full refund to the original payment method or travel credit worth the same amount. There is no limit to how many times you can alter your itinerary.

What Flights Are Available?

The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar features all discounted flights.

In addition, all three fare types—Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select—are available when you book through the calendar. Flights shown on the calendar are Anytime prices, but the next screen shows prices for each class.

The more flexible you are, the better when using the Low Fare Calendar. Cheap flights go fast, and the prices on the Low Fare Calendar are not guaranteed until you purchase a ticket. If you are alright with making more stops or you are not particular about where exactly you depart from and when, you might be more likely to fly at the price you’re looking for.

On Low Fare Calendar flights (and all other Southwest Airlines flights), you can check up to two bags for free. These must weigh no more than 50 pounds or measure more than 62 linear inches. After these two, bags cost $75 each. See our comprehensive rundown of their baggage policies for more information on excess baggage fees.

Right now, customers can book all the way through April 11, 2021, using the Southwest Low Fare Calendar.

Where Can You Fly for $49 with SouthWest

Southwest has been cutting prices across the country and throughout North America as society gets vaccinated and starts to book vacations again. Back in March of 2021 Southwest started the $49 promotional offers again. Just keep in mind these are typically for short trips and always just one way tickets. Here are the current $49 flights available on Southwest that we’ve seen so far this year:

Departing City	Arrival City	Price
Phoenix	Long Beach, CA	$49
Chicago	Nashville	$49

When to Book Southwest Tickets on the Low Fare Calendar for the Best Deals

A common misconception with booking trips on the Low Fare Calendar from Southwest is that the earlier you book, the better the price. This is not always the case as it generally is with standard airline bookings.

Southwest is one of the most notorious airlines for changing ticket prices. They do it up to several times per week. Using the Low Fare calendar you can watch prices rise and fall regularly, so be sure to monitor this often to lock an optimal price.

COVID-19 Policies

Like most other airlines, Southwest has implemented many new health and safety standards in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in flying with Southwest at any time soon, you will want to know what they are doing to keep you safe and what their updated cancellation policies are.

As much as possible, the airline requires passengers to distance themselves from each other and has increased their cleaning procedures. Masks are required on all flights and in all airports.

As for the thousands of tickets customers have purchased in 2020 and not been able to use, policies have been updated to account for these too.

For all flights canceled by Southwest, customers are refunded the full cost of their ticket to the original form of payment or in the form of travel funds. For all non-refundable Wanna Get Away tickets—a popular choice for passengers of the biggest budget airline in the world—that have been voluntarily canceled by the passenger, customers are eligible to receive a travel credit worth the full value of their flight that is valid for travel until September 7, 2022.

How to Get in Touch With Customer Support

If you hit a snag in the booking process, want to know whether you’re eligible for a ticket refund, or just have a question that’s not addressed in Southwest’s FAQs section, here’s how to get a hold of someone at the airline.

You can call 1-800-435-9792 to reach the general customer service line, open 24/7. Alternatively, you can tweet @Southwestair or message the airline on Facebook messenger. You can also send a secure message right through the Southwest site, which has a guaranteed response time of 48 hours or less, or send a letter to the following address with non-urgent requests:

Southwest Airlines

P.O. Box 36447-1CR

Dallas, Texas 75235

Final Thoughts

If you are able to compromise on certain aspects of your flight such as flight class and departure date in order to score the best deal on your trip, then the Southwest Low Fare Calendar is for people like you. When paired with a Rapid Rewards account or credit card, customers are sure to save big when they use this calendar to book travel.

This tool ensures that you will always be getting the lowest prices Southwest has to offer on flights, but there is not a bottomless stash of dirt cheap tickets. To make the most of this option, try to get to the Low Fare Calendar as soon as you possibly can when booking and remember to be flexible. This tool most benefits those with wiggle room in their schedule and the foresight to book well in advance.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Travel Credit Cards: How to Choose the Right One for You

May 2, 2021 by Rosemarie Clancy

Frequent flyer programs designed to reward loyal airline passengers have been around for over 40 years. Hotel marketers noted the popularity back then and adopted similar marketing strategies. In the early days, these programs were simple. You earned miles for taking flights on a particular airline and earned points for stays at a hotel chain, and those miles or points were redeemed for a free flight or hotel stay with the airline or hotel you earned them with.

Today, these loyalty programs are more popular than ever, largely due to an abundance of credit cards that help travelers earn bonus points and miles by signing up for a credit card and using that card to make purchases to earn more miles and points. The reward programs have also gotten more complex with most having multiple partners, especially credit card issuers, so it’s important to know how it all works.

So how do you pick the right travel rewards credit card? A lot of people that are new to travel hacking make the mistake of signing up for every shiny new credit card that has an attractive offer.

Before you apply for a card just because it is offering a huge sign-up bonus, read on to learn more about how loyalty programs and travel rewards credit cards work so you can choose a card wisely and actually earn a free trip rather than holding a bunch of miles and points that you might not be able to use.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Most Important Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Travel Credit Card

There are a lot of things to think about before you jump on a credit card offer that you see online or get in the mail. You need to consider which travel companies you actually use or could use, and what destinations they serve. You should also be familiar with how the rewards program works since all points and miles are not created equal. And you need to keep in mind that you may or may not be eligible for a particular card based on your credit score.

Why Your Credit Score is Important

Most lucrative travel credit cards require an excellent credit score to be approved. Scores generally range from 300 to 850 depending on the scoring model, but the two most popular ones are FICO and VantageScore and an excellent score is generally 720 or higher.

If you don’t know your credit score, start by requesting a credit report from Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. Or you can use a personal finance service like creditkarma.com, which will tell you your credit score. Many banks also provide your FICO credit score through their online portals.

Most credit card issuers will tell you what score is needed to get approved for a particular credit card, but if you don’t see it on the application that information can be found online through other resources.

Evaluating Sign-up Bonuses

Most card issuers these days attract new customers with a big sign-up bonus offer. Be careful about comparing one sign-up bonus to another though. A 100,000-point sign-up bonus offered by one travel card is not the same as that same number of points or miles from another card issuer. They can vary widely in value and usability depending on redemption possibilities.

You should be familiar with how you redeem your points and miles for a particular card, and how many miles or points it will take to earn free travel. It’s a good idea to set a goal for your travel redemption and determine how the sign-up bonus will help you achieve that goal. If you don’t have a particular destination in mind, check the issuer’s site or travel rewards program to give you an idea of how much travel those points or miles will get you.

Earning Points and Miles

With most co-branded travel cards you earn one point or mile per dollar spent on purchases. But many travel cards offer double or triple points on travel depending on the card. Cards also often have other bonus categories like supermarket or gas station purchases that can earn you up to 4x points. Some cards like Chase Freedom and Discover offer rotating bonus categories that offer 5x points. There are also fixed-point value cards like Barclaycard Arrival or Capital One Venture that can earn you up to 2x on all purchases.

To pick the right card and maximize your earning ability, evaluate your spending patterns and the bonus categories offered by the cards you are considering to find the best fit. You should also evaluate the value of the benefits and perks offered to cardholders to make your final decision, but bonus earning can really boost your miles or points balance and help you achieve your travel goal sooner so it’s definitely a big consideration.

Perks and Benefits

The benefits that come with travel rewards cards can be quite enticing. Some co-branded cards come with automatic elite status in the airline or hotel program. Other benefits can include lounge access, travel insurance for missed or delayed flights, and reimbursement or compensation for lost or delayed baggage.

The list of benefits can be quite long, but be sure to review and compare them if you are considering several cards. Benefits and the cost to hold the card can vary widely so make sure the card perks are ones that you will use before making a decision. Lounge access, for example, is not worth it if you don’t travel often or there are no lounges available in the airports you use. And a co-branded card that offers elite status may not be worth it if you only use that particular hotel or airline once a year.

Credit Card Fees

Fees are another big consideration when deciding which card to apply for. Many travel credit cards carry an annual fee because they offer many benefits and bonus earning opportunities. There are some cards that don’t have an annual fee, but they also don’t offer perks during your flight or hotel stay.

Annual fees

Fees generally range from $95 to $550 or more per year for a premium travel card, while some travel credit cards don’t have an annual fee. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. But if you are not using the extra benefits that come with those fees, then it’s not worth paying to keep the card in your wallet.

The annual fee is often waived the first year as an enticement to sign up, but not on all cards and not all the time, so be sure to check if there is a fee before hitting submit on your application. Also, most co-branded cards have benefits, so check on what you get before signing up to make sure it’s worth it.

If the fee is waived the first year, you can sign up and cancel after the year is up and reap the benefits while you hold it. Be sure to cancel the card before the fee hits or downgrade to another card in the same family to keep the credit line and some of the benefits. Some cards are worth holding as they offer a free hotel night on your anniversary, so keep this in mind when it’s time to pay the annual fee.

Foreign Transaction Fees

When you use your card for travel overseas, there are usually foreign transaction fees of about 3%. The good news with travel credit cards is that many of them waive the foreign transaction fee, but not all. If you travel beyond domestic borders those fess can add up, so this is another thing to be aware of.

Redemptions

When you are considering a new card, you should always check on the program’s redemption options to make sure the points and miles you’re earning give you good value on trade in. Also, while co-branded credit cards transfer the miles and points you earn each month to the program they are affiliated with, points in flexible redemption programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards have to be redeemed within the card issuer’s program so you need to be an active cardholder to do so.

Fixed-point value cards like Barclay Arrival and Capital One Venture cards that allow you to erase travel charges on your card by using points, also require you to be an active cardholder in order to do this so make sure you use those points before you decide to cancel the card.

Co-branded cards can only be redeemed for the airline or chain you have signed up with, but there are airline alliances that allow you to use your miles on multiple carriers, so keep that in mind when setting a travel goal.

Availability is another issue. If you want to use the miles you earn to fly to a popular destination during spring break or the holidays, you may not be able to find an award seat or it may cost a lot more because of dynamic award pricing by the airlines.

If you’re flexible with your award travel plans though, then award pricing might work in your favor as they often offer deals during non-peak travel periods and other times when they have excess inventory.

If you’re not flexible with travel plans, then a flexible points program like Ultimate Rewards or Membership Rewards might be a better choice as you can buy travel through their portal using points. Fixed-point cards are also good if you’re not flexible, because there doesn’t need to be award availability to snag a seat, though you will likely pay a premium if it’s a peak travel period or popular destination.

Points can also be used for gift cards or merchandise, but this is generally not considered a good redemption value as the miles or points are usually worth a penny per point or even less.

Will Opening Multiple Travel Cards Hurt Your Credit?

There are a lot of misconceptions about how your credit score is impacted when it comes to opening a new credit card, so let’s talk about that.

You may have heard that a credit inquiry will cause your credit score to drop, and that opening too many credit cards will also have a negative effect.

But if you use the card responsibly and don’t carry a balance by paying your card off every month, then you’ll see that applying for new lines of credit by opening up travel rewards cards can actually help your credit score.

A credit inquiry will usually lower your credit score by about five points, but that comes off your credit report within a few months so the impact is negligible. Also, the credit limit on the card will increase your overall credit availability and that will help boost your score.

Popular Travel Credit Cards

There is a huge variety of travel credit cards, so it’s important to know the differences before you apply for one. If you fly primarily on one airline because they serve a lot of destinations from your home base, or you stay at one particular hotel brand because of its geographic distribution, then a co-branded credit card might be the best choice.

But if you fly on multiple airlines and stay at different hotel chains, you might want a more flexible card like the popular Chase Sapphire or premium Chase Reserve card, which both earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to hotel and airline programs for redemption or that can be used to book travel through the bank’s booking site. American Express Membership Rewards works in a similar way, as does the Citi ThankYou program.

If you’re a beginner though and all of this is making your head spin, then a fixed-point rate card like Barclaycard Arrival or Capital One Venture might be a good place to start. The earning scheme is simple because everything earns 1.5 or 2x per dollar, and you trade your points in for a penny per dollar after you’ve made your purchase.

Hotel Rewards Credit Cards

Signing up for hotel branded credit cards is the best way to earn free stays and/or upgraded rooms and service!

Major hotel chains like Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott all offer multiple levels of personal cards and business cards as well. If you travel often and stay at brands within the same hotel chain, then getting one of these cards is a no-brainer because of the perks you’ll get and the bonus earning power.

Most hotel chains have multiple brands in their portfolio and they don’t always carry the chain’s name that you may be familiar with, so check the hotel chain’s website to see what properties are included.

Airline Rewards Credit Cards

Most major airlines like American, Delta and United also offer co-branded cards. If you fly the same airline most of the time, it’s a good idea to get the co-branded card affiliated with that carrier.

And similar to hotel chains that have multiple brands where the card will offer perks and earn bonus points, airlines belong to alliances that also allow you to earn and redeem miles with other carriers. There are three major alliances: Oneworld (includes American Airlines and 13 other carriers), SkyTeam (which includes Delta Air Lines and 18 other airlines) and Star Alliance (which includes United Airlines and 25 other carriers).

Also, keep in mind there are usually several different cards for each airline or hotel with different fees and benefits, and they can be offered by different banks with different payment processors like Visa and American Express so keep that in mind if you decide to get a co-branded card.

There are also popular cards like the Capital One Venture card that offer mileage earning abilities, but these are not real miles in an airline program. They are fixed-rate credit cards that let you trade in your “miles” at a penny on the dollar for airline fares and other travel.

How to Keep Your Credit Cards Safe and Accessible When You Travel

Once you’ve taken the plunge and gotten a travel rewards credit card or two, it’s time to channel your spending to those cards. Since many travel credit cards offer bonus points for travel spending as well as other perks on the road, it’s a good idea to take it with you. But it’s also a good idea to keep your card safe as you would at home.

All your credit cards don’t need to go on the trip with you, so choose which ones you need and be sure to bring the ones that offer perks during your flight or stay. Remember to let your card issuer know you are traveling so your travel charges don’t get flagged as fraud. This can lock your card and ruin your vacation, so it’s always a good idea to have an alternate card in case this happens. If you have multiple cards that have different bonus points categories, bring the ones that you think you’ll use on your trip.

Be sure to check the charges on your statement or the bank’s website if you are worried about excess or fraudulent charges. And it’s best to avoid having the restaurant you are dining at or the merchant you are purchasing from bill you in US dollars. You might be tempted to find out on the spot how much something costs in your own currency, but you’ll pay for that privilege as the exchange rate used is generally higher than your bank will charge. And if you have a card with no foreign transaction fees, then there is no fee for the currency conversion.

There are also wallets that have radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that will block your card from being read by scammers, though this kind of crime is not widely reported. And there are mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal for contactless payments that allow you to keep your credit card safe in your wallet.

Final Thoughts

Once you have successfully applied for a credit card, the clock starts ticking on the 90-day window to meet minimum spend to get the sign-up bonus, so be sure to keep track of your spending to ensure you hit the minimum spending requirement to secure the points or miles you were promised when signing up.

If you don’t spend enough monthly to meet the minimum spend required, be realistic about what charges you can put on the card to get the bonus. Minimum spend can be anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the card.

Timing is one consideration when trying to meet minimum spend to earn the bonus. If your spend increases around the holidays, it’s a good idea to apply before you start your holiday shopping. Or time your application so it coincides with big purchases or bills like an annual insurance premium. Also, keep in mind that you can pay a utility bill in advance if you are falling short.

Don’t buy things you can’t afford. If you end up carrying a balance on your card, the interest charges will negate the value of rewards earned. But if you apply for the right card and use it strategically to maximize benefits and earning power, you can be taking a free flight or getting a free hotel stay within months depending on the size of the bonus and how much you spend on the card, which is one of the biggest reasons that travel rewards credit card are so popular these days.

Finally, don’t let your points or miles expire. You can use a service like awardwallet.com to track your reward program miles and points or keep track of them in a spreadsheet. Most loyalty program miles and points will expire in a year or two if you don’t fly or stay at the chain. But if you have a co-branded credit card and make a purchase that will reset your expiration date, which is another good reason to have a co-branded card.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Airlines Baggage Policy, Fees and Exceptions

April 14, 2021 by Rosemarie Clancy

Unlike most domestic airlines, Southwest allows 2 pieces of luggage per ticketed customer for free!

Airline baggage policies can be complicated. A lot depends on which carrier you fly, the route you are taking, your status with the airline, if you carry a particular credit card and even the time of year you are flying.

As a general rule, most major airlines allow passengers to take a carry-on and a personal item on board with them for free, and most currently charge for checked bags, but that varies by airline, destination and type of seat booked.

It gets even trickier though, because all airlines have their own size and weight restrictions when it comes to carry-on and checked baggage. Further complicating the issue is what counts as a personal item and whether things like strollers or sports equipment count as part of your checked bag allowance. You might decide to leave that surfboard at home when you realize how much it is going to cost you to take it on your trip.

If you fly primarily on one airline and travel light, baggage rules may not be an issue, but if you fly multiple carriers, it’s hard to keep track of what is allowed. It’s important to check on the baggage policy requirements for the airline you are flying before you pack.

Be sure to weigh and measure the luggage you plan to check before you get to the airport so you can avoid the extra fees involved or the embarrassing situation of shifting things in your luggage at the check-in counter to avoid baggage fees.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Airlines Luggage Rules

Southwest Airlines, a low-cost airline that primarily flies throughout the US, has one of the most generous policies when it comes to checked bags. They allow two pieces of luggage per ticketed customer for free, while most major domestic carriers charge $30 or more for the first checked bag and even bigger fees for second and third bags.

Booking a seat in first, business or another premium class or having elite status with an airline will often get you a free checked bag or two. But Southwest doesn’t offer first class on its planes, and its A-List elite status program does not include any extra baggage perks.

Airline co-branded credit cards may also offer extra baggage allowance for the carrier they are affiliated with, but even though Southwest offers a number of personal and business Chase Rapid Rewards Visa credit cards, a luggage benefit is not included on any of them. There are some credit cards that will reimburse you for travel expenses like checked bags, but more on that later.

In this article, we are going to outline what you can and can’t take on board a Southwest flight, what you can check, and what size and weight those items can be. We’ll also discuss the fees for overweight, oversized and excess baggage, and tips on how to avoid paying those charges.

Carry-On Allowance

You are allowed to bring one carry-on suitcase and one personal item on board the plane with you. The carry-on should be stored in the overhead bin, and it can not be bigger than 10 x 16 x 24 inches. If it is larger than that, you will have to check it at the gate, and if you already have two checked bags, you will have to pay an excess baggage fee of $75.

You can bring your liquids, creams, gels and toothpaste in a quart-sized clear bag in your carry-on luggage as long as none are more than 3.4 ounces. You can also bring one lighter, an e-cigarette, 15 electronic devices and up to 20 batteries, but they must all be in your carry-on.

You are also allowed one personal item on board, which might be a purse, backpack, briefcase, laptop/case, camera or food containers. This item should fit under the seat in front of you, and should not be bigger than 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inches.

There are some things you are allowed to bring on board that won’t count as a personal or carry-on item including your coat or jacket, food in disposable packaging, assistive or mobility devices for disabled individuals, canes and umbrellas.

Carry-On Rules for Toddlers and Children

When you travel with your family, that can mean a lot of extra gear. Let’s walk through the rules on what you can bring on board the plane or check when you have kids in tow.

You can check one stroller and one car seat or child restraint system (CRS) per child for free in addition to your free baggage allowance. You can check these curbside, at the ticket counter or at the gate.

You can also bring a safety seat for a child with a reserved seat, but booster seats with no back are not allowed nor are devices that tie the child to a parent because they cannot be used during takeoff and landing.

A CRS is recommended for any child that is under 40 pounds when flying. Southwest plane seats are 15.5-17.8 inches wide depending on the aircraft and seat assignment, so check what equipment you are flying on and measure the child seat to make sure it will fit.

If you plan to bring a harness-type restraint, only the CARES CRS is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for travel on aircraft. Also, when selecting seats, keep in mind that you cannot use a child seat in an aisle seat or one located in an emergency row exit or the row behind or in front of that exit.

If you have a lap infant that does not have a reserved seat (the child must be between two weeks and two years to qualify), you will have to include any carry-on and personal items for the baby in your allowance.

If you are breastfeeding, you can bring a bag containing a breast pump and/or breast milk in addition to your carry-on and personal item, but that’s all that is allowed in that bag. You can also bring baby formula or food in carry-on bags, but be sure to remove it for screening.

Bringing Pets Onboard

You can bring a small vaccinated dog or cat with you in the cabin on domestic flights, but you need to keep the pet in a carrier under the seat in front of you and it is counted as either a personal or carry-on item. You can check a pet crate at no charge, and it is not included in your checked bag allowance.

The carrier can contain two cats or two dogs if there are two passengers, but not one of each. And the animal/s must be able to stand in the carrier and move around in it. They are not allowed on international flights, and are not permitted as checked baggage.

Carriers should not be bigger than 18.5’’ long x 8.5” high x 13.5” wide. Both soft and hard pet carriers are fine, just make sure it’s well ventilated and doesn’t leak. If you don’t have a suitable carrier that will fit under the seat or you forget to bring it to the airport, Southwest has one that goes for $58, and it can be purchased online or at the ticket counter.

Additional Rules and Cost of Pet Fare

Pets must remain in the carrier, including head and tail, prior to boarding and during the flight. Trained service animals traveling with customers with disabilities are not subject to the same rules.

There is a $95 pet fare per animal each way, and you need to check in at the ticket counter and pay that fare even if you already have a boarding pass. Only one pet is allowed per passenger and there is a limit of six per flight. Pets are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You can’t book a seat in an exit row or one that does not have storage under the seat in front of it.

Fragile Items

If you’ve got items that are easily broken like camera equipment and artifacts you’re bringing home from your trip, or if you want to take a garment bag with an outfit for a special occasion like a wedding dress, then you’ll probably want to take them on the plane with you.

Artifacts and other fragile items can go in your carry-on bag, or they might also be carried as your personal item depending on size. A garment bag can count as your carry-on, and you can ask the flight attendant to hang it in a closet.

The screening equipment at the airport can damage undeveloped film, so it’s best to pack that in your carry-on luggage. If you’re toting a camcorder and a carry-on bag, then you need to count the camcorder as a personal item as long as it is not over the size limit.

Media cameras are exempt from the carry-on size restrictions, but if it is going in a seat, a ticket needs to be purchased. A media representative needs to present cameras, film, video, lighting and sound equipment for it to be allowed, and there is a fee of $75 for each piece beyond the free baggage allowance, though there are no oversized or overweight charges.

Checked Baggage Allowance

Passengers ticketed on Southwest for flights to one of the 111 destinations they serve in the US, or flights to its international destinations in the Carribean, Central America and Mexico, are allowed to check two pieces of luggage.

The bag cannot weigh more than 50 pounds or be more than 62 inches when you add the length, width and height of the suitcase together (L+W+H). If your bag weighs more and/or is bigger than what is allowed (but less than 80 inches), you will be charged $75 each way as long as it does not exceed 100 pounds.

You will only get charged one $75 fee if the bag is both overweight and oversized. If it weighs more than 100 pounds though, you need to ship it as air cargo.

Excess Baggage Fees

If you have more than two checked bags, you will pay $75 each way for each extra checked bag. Excess bags must also follow the same rules on weight and size as the first two bags outlined above.

If the third checked bag is also overweight or oversized, you will also be charged a $75 fee for that in addition to the $75 fee for a third bag. Consider using a smaller bag if luggage size is the problem, or swapping heavier items into your carry-on which doesn’t get weighed or into one of your other pieces of luggage that may be under the weight limit of 50 pounds.

Special Luggage

If you’re going camping, hunting, fishing, golfing, surfing, skiing or you are planning other activities that require equipment, you might want to bring your gear with you rather than renting at your destination.

Most sports equipment can be checked instead of a free bag, but if the item is over the size and/or weight limit you might be charged $75. You can bring most balls used for sports like baseballs, basketballs and footballs on the plane or in your checked bag, but baseball bats or golf clubs can not be brought on board and must be stowed in your checked bag.

The following items can be checked with suitable containers as one of the two free checked bags, but if they are over 50 pounds or 62 inches (L+H+W) then the $75 excess weight or size charge will apply.

Archery equipment including bow, arrows and target
Baseball/softball equipment in one bag for one passenger
Boogie board
Bowling bag, ball/s and shoes
Bicycles (single seat and no motor) with pedals and handlebars removed
Fishing rod in a case (can be up to 91 inches in length and three inches in diameter) and tackle box
Golf bag in hard-sided case including clubs, balls and shoes
Hockey and/or lacrosse sticks taped together or stowed with other equipment in a bag (two bags allowed as one bag)
Knives, sabers and swords
Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage
Scuba equipment with empty air tanks
Skateboard may be substituted for a carry-on or checked bag
Snow ski equipment including skis or snowboards, boots, poles (two bags allowed as one bag and they are not subject to excess size charges, but there is a fee if overweight)
Surfboard when traveling on flights between the islands of Hawaii (keels and fins removed and packed in luggage; size restrictions do not apply, but there is a fee if overweight)
Tennis rackets should be carried on the plane as a carry-on or personal item
Water ski equipment including no more than one pair of water skis and one life preserver or vest (no excess size fee, but overweight charges may apply)

Additionally, the following items can be checked for $75 each:

Javelins in a single bag
Kayak with the paddles secured
Kiteboard (keels and fins removed and placed in baggage)
Life Raft (self-inflating cartridges are not allowed)
Surfboard for any flights other than flights between the islands of Hawaii
Vaulting poles in a single bag
Windsurfing board (keels removed and placed in baggage)

Hunting, Guns and Ammunition

If you plan to go hunting or you are bringing guns and ammo for security reasons, they need to go in your checked bags. Firearms must be unloaded and declared at check-in. They also need to be packed in a locked hard-sided container, though that can be packed in soft-sided luggage.

Ammunition must be securely packed in fiber, wood or a metal box and limited to 11 pounds.

Holsters can be put in your carry-on or checked luggage. The firearm/s can be counted as one of the two free pieces of baggage.

Camping

Camping gear follows similar rules to sports equipment. You can check your tent as a substitute for a free bag, or carry it on if it’s small enough. Don’t carry the pegs on though, as they will likely be confiscated. Put them in your checked bag.

To light the campfire, you can bring one book of safety matches or a lighter on your person. Strike anywhere matches, torch lighters, lighter fluid and fire starter are prohibited on the aircraft. Stoves and lanterns fueled by flammable liquids or gas can not be brought on board either, unless the equipment is brand new and still in the manufacturers packaging.

Gas-fueled equipment can be checked or carried on the plane as long as there is no fuel cylinder, which is prohibited. Sharp objects like knives and axes can be stored in checked luggage with blades protected.

Musical Instruments

Maybe you want to bring your guitar to play around the campfire. Or perhaps you have a gig and need your brass instrument to perform. If it’s not bigger in its case than 10” x 6” x 24”, you can bring it on board as your carry-on.

If it’s bigger than that and you want to carry it with you on the plane, but it won’t fit in the overhead bin or under a seat, you need to purchase a ticket for the instrument. It must fit in the seat in the first row next to the window and secured with a seatbelt. It also can’t block any signage or customers.

The ticket charge will be no greater than a child’s fare, which is $50 each way, and you do need to make a reservation. A free companion pass will not work to get that extra seat.

Or you can check it as one of your free bags, but if it’s in a soft-sided case the carrier assumes no liability. Some instruments like the double bass or cello cannot be secured in a seat so they must be checked, and the overweight or oversize fee will be charged if it’s between 62-150 inches or weighs between 51-165 pounds including the case.

If the instrument exceeds 150 inches (L+H+W) or is more than 165 pounds, it will not be accepted on the plane.

Prohibited items

Now that we’ve gone over what you can check in your luggage and bring on a Southwest flight and some things that are not allowed, let’s go over some other items that you can’t bring on board or in checked luggage either, according to Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) rules.

Alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol (140 proof) cannot be taken on the plane or checked. You can take up to 5 liters of alcohol under 70% in your checked luggage, but it must be unopened in retail packaging. Wine does not count in this limit. You can take mini-bottles of alcohol on the plane, but it must fit in the quart-sized bag that other liquids and creams are in.

These items are not allowed on board or in checked bags:

Arc, plasma and electric lighters
Butane
Cooking spray
Chlorine for pools and spas
Dynamite
Flares and flare guns
Flammable liquids and other hazardous material
Gun lighters and gunpowder
Gunpowder and primers or percussion caps
Hoverboards
Internal combustion engines
Loose ammunition or loose loaded magazines and/or clips are not allowed
Medical oxygen
Motor oils and fluids
Smart bags with non-removable lithium batteries
Wet cell batteries (except for those used in wheelchairs)

Some other items are allowed, but have restrictions. For example, aerosol insecticide not labeled as hazardous material can go in your checked bag. In general, you can’t bring anything on the plane that can be used as a weapon, but If you’re not sure about an item, you can check the TSA site or @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook.

When to Pay for Baggage

If you follow the rules regarding size and weight of luggage and strategize what you are packing in checked luggage and what you are bringing on board, you should be able to avoid baggage fees since you get two free checked bags, a carry-on and a personal item.

It’s important to plan what you are bringing on board and what you might need to check. For example, if you have a purse, a laptop and a carry-on, you can check the carry-on if you don’t have two other pieces of luggage already, or bring a purse or backpack that is big enough to fit your laptop as long as it is not bigger than the maximum size allowed for a personal item.

Tips on How to Avoid Fees

Be sure to measure your luggage before you pack. You would be better off with two smaller suitcases since both are free, than one big oversized one that will incur a $75 fee.

If your suitcases are jam-packed with gifts/donations on the way to your destination or souvenirs and other purchases on your return fight, you might find yourself facing that same $75 fee for an overweight bag, so weigh the packed suitcase before you get to the airport. Consider getting a second bag if one is overweight, and split the contents, especially if you only have one bag to check since you get two for free.

If you have a lengthy stay and have to pack a lot of clothes and personal items, or if you are traveling with sports equipment like golf clubs or scuba equipment, musical instruments like a guitar, or you have some other reason to pack multiple bags with other equipment or items, you may need more than two checked bags.

Keep in mind that you can always have someone else on your reservation check something like your golf clubs for you if they aren’t using their two-bag allowance. And if you are traveling with your family, be sure to distribute the checked bags, carry-ons and personal items among the family members to meet requirements.

🔎 Related: Remember to check out Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar to get the best deals!

Credit Cards That Reimburse You For Checked Baggage Fees

Even with a generous baggage allowance policy and careful planning, you still might end up with a fee. But if you carry the right card in your wallet, you can get reimbursed for the charge.

In all of the cases outlined below, you need to charge the baggage fees on the credit card with the benefit to get it reimbursed.

There are two main ways to get the charges paid using a credit card. Some premium cards that cost from $450 to $550 a year, offer an annual travel credit that lets you pay for baggage fees, upgrades, and food and beverages. And flexible points cards let you use miles to points you have accrued through sign-up bonuses and spending to remove the airline charges from your statement.

Premium Credit Cards

The personal and business The Platinum Card® from American Express come with a $200 annual credit for airline incidentals. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Ritz Carlton cards each offer a $300 annual travel credit. Citi Prestige offers $250 for either tickets, checked baggage or onboard purchases. You need to charge the fee on the card and call the customer service to apply the travel credit.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Flexible Points Credit Cards

There are also flexible points credit cards like Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Venture Rewards cards, that allow you to use the miles earned by spending on that card to erase the baggage fees on your statement. There is a minimum redemption amount of 2,500 miles which is equal to $25, and you can use miles for a full or partial credit.

Barclays Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is another option that works the same way. The minimum redemption is even less at 1,000 points for $10. For both of these cards, you would need to use 7,500 points to cover a $75 fee on Southwest.

Exclusions & Waivers

There are some exceptions to the Southwest baggage rules. Military service members on active duty or those that are changing stations, can take more than two pieces of luggage as long as they don’t exceed 100 pounds and are no more than 80 inches (L+W+H). They will not be charged fees for excess, overweight and oversized baggage as long as the luggage is under the limits noted.

International travelers that have picked up liquor, perfume or other liquids in a duty-free shop, can bring those items in their carry-on luggage even if they exceed the 3.4 ounce rule as long as they are packaged securely in tamper-evident bags. They can also be put in your checked luggage if you have a connecting flight entering the US where you pick up your checked bags before boarding the next flight.

Final Thoughts

Most business and leisure travelers on Southwest can avoid baggage fees because of the airline’s generous policy of allowing two free checked bags. As long as you make sure those checked bags and your carry-on and personal items don’t exceed the limits, checking your bags should not cost you anything on Southwest Airlines.

But if you know you are going to check more than two bags, or the size or weight are going to be over the limits, then be sure to check the airline credit allowances on credit cards you carry so you can use the right card to pay the fees and get reimbursed for those charges.

Southwest Airlines Elite Status [2022 Ultimate Guide]

April 1, 2021 by Lauren Graves

Southwest may have started as a regional carrier back in the 60s, but today it’s the largest low-cost carrier in the world. It flies primarily in the US serving 111 destinations, but also has service to 10 other countries including destinations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The carrier appeals to budget-minded leisure and business travelers, and elite status will appeal mostly to the carrier’s frequent travelers who want to take advantage of available benefits and point earning bonuses.

Because the perks of status with Southwest are not as robust as those offered by other carriers, you need to determine if you fly enough to achieve elite status and if obtaining that status is worth being loyal to Southwest.

There may be another airline that is a better fit for your travel plans depending on where you are based and where you fly. The domestic legacy carriers have better benefits, though it takes more to achieve elite status with them because Southwest has one of the lowest entry points for status seekers.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Loyalty Program

Like other major airlines, Southwest has a frequent flyer program called Rapid Rewards. It works somewhat differently than other programs, but essentially you earn points toward award travel by flying just like other airlines reward you with miles, and you redeem your points for award flights.

Unlike other airlines though, Southwest doesn’t limit award seats on flights and there are no blackout dates, so as long as there are open seats on a flight you can book award travel on it. Also, points don’t expire as they do with many other airlines, so even if you are not a frequent Southwest flyer, you should sign up for its Rapid Rewards program when traveling on the airline.

Southwest points are awarded based on the price of the ticket and the type of fare booked. You’ll get six points per dollar spent on its lowest Wanna Get Away fares. Anytime fares earn 10 points per dollar, and Business Select tickets earn 12 points per dollar.

The number of points needed for an award ticket on Southwest vary by destination, demand, fare class and other factors as the amount of points that you need to redeem is tied to the cash price of the ticket.

Southwest elite status is also different from other airlines which have multiple elite status tiers. The airline only has two elite tiers: A-List and A-List Preferred.

How to Get Elite Status

You qualify for A-list and A-List Preferred elite status by flying a particular number of flights or a set number of miles in a calendar year. You earn status the year that you qualify, and you get to keep it the next year as well.

The only other way to help you achieve A-List status on Southwest is by earning elite status points with one of the airline’s co-branded credit cards issued by Chase.

The Rapid Rewards Premier and Priority personal cards, which carry a $99 and $149 annual fee respectively, let you earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward Southwest elite status for every $10,000 spent, up to $100,000 for a total of 15,000 possible points per year. The Premier and Performance business cards also offer the same ability to earn tier qualifying points toward elite status. They carry a $99 and $199 fee respectively.

Status March Promotion

Southwest is also currently running a status match promotion if you have elite status with another domestic airline program. To get the match, enroll in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program if you are not already a member, and register for the match promo on this page before 12/31/21. You will be prompted to send the airline an email with proof of your status with another airline frequent flyer program.

If you fly three roundtrips within 90 days of getting approved, Southwest will extend your A-List status for an extra 12 months. The status match process takes about 12 business days, and you will only get elite benefits on flights booked after you are approved. If you are a current A-List member whose status is expiring, you are not eligible for the match.

Southwest Airlines A-List

This is the first tier of elite status with the airline. To achieve it you must fly 25 one-way revenue flights or fly 35,000 miles in a calendar year. That translates to about one round-trip flight per month if you are going by flight segments. Only segments from the origin city to the destination count, not the legs of a connecting flight. All miles flown count.

You keep your status for the year you earned it and the following year. To maintain status and benefits you need to re-qualify each subsequent calendar year. If you earn more points than you need for A-List, you are elevated to the next and highest tier.

Southwest Airlines A-List Preferred

This is the top tier of the airline’s elite status program. You have to fly 50 one-way flights or 70,000 miles in a calendar year to achieve this level. You also get the status and benefits in the year that you qualify and the following year.

This status level earns you a 100% point bonus, so you get double the points you would have earned without status. This is particularly helpful if you are trying to get a Southwest Companion Pass, a highly coveted benefit that allows you to take a spouse or companion for just the cost of taxes and fees.

Other airlines may offer a single companion pass with a credit card sign-up or companion pass certificates based on status, but the Southwest pass let’s you take someone on any flight including award flights.

Companion Pass

If you earn 125,000 points in a single year or fly 100 one-way trips, you will earn a Companion Pass. Like elite status, It is good the year it is earned as well as the following year. All points earned by using any Southwest co-branded credit card to make purchases count toward this benefit, and points earned through partner promotions also count. The points needed for this benefit do not need to be elite qualifying points.

To quickly boost your points balance to get a Companion Pass, you can apply for one or even two of the airline’s credit cards that offer a sign-up bonus. All three personal credit cards including the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier and the premium Priority card offer a 40,000-point bonus after you spend $1,000 in the first three months after opening the card.

With Southwest Business credit cards you can earn up to 100,000 points as part of the sign-up bonus. You get 70,000 points after spending $5,000 for purchases on the card in the first three months, but you can also get an additional 30,000 points if you spend a total of $25,000 on the card in the first six months.

You can easily earn a Companion Pass if you successfully apply for a personal and business card and meet the minimum spend on each in the allotted time. If you spend the full amount needed to reach the top sign-up bonus on the business card (100,000 points), and add that to the welcome bonus on the personal card (40,000 points), that will give you 140,000 bonus points, which is more than enough to obtain the Companion Pass.

Do Sign-Up Bonus Points Count Toward Elite Status?

Sign-up bonus points will not get you elite status though, unlike some other co-branded airline cards that offer some level of status as part of the welcome package. You still have to fly on Southwest and/or earn elite qualifying points through spend on one of its co-branded cards, and that option is limited to 15,000 points per card, so at least 10,000 more are needed by flying to reach A-list status if you have only one Southwest card.

Bonus points earned by flying with status (25% with A-List status and 100% with A-List Preferred status) will count toward reaching a higher elite status and will also count toward the Companion Pass, so if you do fly the airline regularly and can achieve status, that will help you reach the number of points needed to secure a pass for your companion to fly free with you.

What are the Benefits and Perks

One of the big perks that other airlines offer elite members is the opportunity to upgrade to first class. But Southwest doesn’t offer first class on its planes as most flights are domestic, so this is not part of the A-List program. Likewise, there are no lounge benefits with this status, which is another big perk for elites in other airline programs.

Also, other airlines that charge for extra baggage offer perks like a free second checked bag. But Southwest includes two checked pieces of luggage for each passenger, so that is also not an incentive in its loyalty program.

Priority Check-in and Security Lane

What you do get is Fly By priority check-in and security lane access to get you through that queue faster. You’ll also get priority boarding for yourself and everyone on your reservation. Boarding passes can be issued 36 hours before the flight, but you still need to check-in online 24 hours prior to your flight to get your boarding pass. There’s also a dedicated phone line for A-list members.

Also, If you’re trying to get on an earlier flight, if you have A-List status you can get same-day standby if available. There are no extra airline fees to make this change, but you do have to pay any associated fees and taxes. If you change the date of the flight, you have to pay the difference in fares as well.

A-List status also helps you earn rewards faster, as you get a 25% bonus on points earned, which lets you accumulate enough points the Companion Pass sooner. If you have A-List Preferred status you earn a 100% point bonus, which is double the points per flight. This is the most valuable benefit of A-List status for many.

Obtaining Elite Status by Flying and Spending

If you fly between US cities frequently for work, then you should be able to achieve elite status with Southwest. You only need to fly 25 one-way flights to get A-List status, so that’s an average of one round-trip flight a month, which is not likely for a vacation traveler, but definitely manageable for a business traveler that lives in a city that Southwest serves and travels to the carrier’s destinations. A-List Preferred takes twice as many flights, so you would need to fly about twice a month to get to this level.

The earlier in the year that you qualify for elite status or the Companion Pass, the more valuable the benefit is because you’ll get to use those perks for the remainder of that year you qualify and the following year. If you can achieve either elite status or earn the Companion Pass in the first quarter for example, you will retain it for nearly two years.

Like elite status, you need to re-qualify for the Companion Pass each calendar year after it expires. Keep in mind that the companion must be booked on the same flight, and if the main passenger has elite status not all of the benefits are available to the companion. Early boarding is available for both passengers because they are booked on a single reservation, but your companion won’t get priority check-in and security lane access if you are an A-List elite and they won’t get free wi-fi if you are an A-List Preferred member.

Southwest Credit Cards

As previously noted, Southwest credit cards have limitations on how many qualifying tier points can be awarded to achieve elite status. How much you plan to spend on the card to achieve tier points is another consideration in whether elite status is an achievable goal.

All personal SW credit cards offer bonus spending categories where you can earn 3x per dollar on dining the first year you have the card and 2x on Southwest purchases as long as you hold the card. You earn one point per dollar for all other purchases.

Business cards earn 3x per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases and 2x on every dollar spent on social media and search engine advertising, as well as internet, cable and phone services. But while those bonus points will count toward the Companion Pass if that is your goal, they do not count as elite qualifying points so they will not help you earn elite status.

Is it Worth It?

If you are working toward getting the Companion Pass by flying, you will get elite status on the way and that will help you achieve your goal because the earning bonus on flight purchases will help you accumulate more points.

Because all the points you earn through credit card spending don’t count toward elite status though, you need to do the math to determine if elite status is a realistic goal based on your flying and spending patterns if you have a Southwest credit card or plan to get one, as well as tabulating the points you will earn with the fare class you usually book.

If Southwest is your carrier of choice and you fly on it enough for personal and/or business travel, or you can make up the elite qualifying points needed for status with a co-branded card, then it’s worth shooting for. But if you can find comparable fares on another carrier and you fly enough to get elite status with that airline, then those perks are likely more beneficial as Southwest has limited benefits.

If you already have elite status with another carrier though, it’s a no-brainer to match it with Southwest for the perks even if you don’t fly on the airline much. Because they offer discounted fares that are lower than many other domestic carriers, you may find yourself booking a flight in the future so it’s a good idea to secure status if you qualify.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below: