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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Summer Hull has been covering (and using) travel tips, rewards credit cards and loyalty programs for over a decade. She has flown close to a million miles, often on points and miles and with her family in tow.
Jennifer is a contributing writer to The Points Guy where she focuses on family travel. She is also the founder of Deals We Like where she helps her readers travel on a deal.
also contributed to this story
February 27, 2024 • 9 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
Southwest Airlines uses a unique boarding process based on assigned groups and numbers, with earlier boarding offering better seat choices.
EarlyBird Check-In allows travelers to secure a boarding position automatically up to 36 hours before departure for a fee, potentially improving seat selection and reducing check-in stress.
Family boarding is available for those traveling with young children, making EarlyBird Check-In unnecessary for eligible families.
The EarlyBird Check-In fee is nonrefundable but can transfer to a new flight under certain conditions if the flight is changed in advance.
What to consider
EarlyBird Check-In costs $15 to $25 per person each way, which can add up for groups or families.
Purchasing EarlyBird Check-In does not guarantee a Group A boarding position, as some spots are reserved for higher fare classes and elite status travelers.
The service is best for those unable to check in exactly 24 hours before departure or who place high value on seat selection, especially on longer flights.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of when EarlyBird Check-In is worth the cost and strategies for maximizing seat selection on Southwest.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Southwest Airlines doesn’t have fancy onboard offerings. However, it does have a unique boarding process where you get assigned a specific boarding number that determines when you can board the plane. The order you get on the plane is important since Southwest uses first-come, first-served seating. The earlier you board, the better seat options you’ll have. All of its planes offer a 3-3 seating configuration.
Your Southwest boarding assignment will fall into groups A, B or C, and you will be assigned a number ranging from one to 60 within that group. It feels a bit like you are lining up like cattle to board the plane, but once you get the hang of it, it isn’t that terrible — at least if you have a good boarding group number.
Checking in on time won’t get you the best boarding group
Southwest boarding in St. Louis. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
You'll want to check in for your flight exactly 24 hours before departure because Southwest assigns boarding groups in the order you check in. This means you'll ideally want to set your alarm to remind yourself. However, as with almost everything in the airline industry, it isn’t quite that simple.
The coveted first A1-15 spots go to those who purchase pricier Business Select fares. You can also sometimes upgrade (for a fee) to an A1-15 boarding spot 30 minutes to 24 hours before the flight's scheduled departure time. This option is only available if Business Select customers don't fill the A1-15 slots, and it costs between $30 and $80 (per segment, per customer).
While this can be an incredibly pricey add-on, those with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) receive four upgraded boardings per year (through Dec. 31, 2025). This perk alone is why these two are some of our favorite Southwest cards for families.
SOUTHWEST.COM
Next in the boarding process come those with Southwest A-List or A-List Preferred elite status; these travelers are automatically assigned a boarding number before the 24-hour mark. Checking in precisely 24 hours before your flight won’t get you ahead of those travelers, either.
Finally, there is also the issue of passengers who booked a direct but not a nonstop flight. Unless you are on the first flight of the day, there is a reasonable chance some seats on the plane will go to those passengers even before the first person in Group A gets a chance to board. After all, Southwest regularly sells tickets that require stops without plane changes.
Now, let’s talk about Southwest EarlyBird Check-In itself. The airline's EarlyBird Check-In service allows you to automatically reserve your boarding spot starting 36 hours before your flight.
EarlyBird Check-In serves two obvious purposes. First, it eliminates the human element of forgetting to check in exactly 24 hours before your first flight.
Second, it scores you a boarding assignment that should be better than those available 24 hours before departure. The closer the boarding pass assignment is to A1, the earlier you board. The earlier you board, the better selection of seats and overhead bins you will have.
Southwest plane interior. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
EarlyBird Check-In costs $15 to $25 per person per direction of travel. The price varies by flight and represents a real monetary investment if you have multiple people traveling. For our family of four, we would be out up to $200 by using EarlyBird Check-In on a round-trip Southwest journey.
However, note that several Southwest credit cards offer a few EarlyBird Check-Ins on each card anniversary. For those with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Card (see rates and fees) and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card (see rates and fees), you'll receive two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year (through Dec. 31, 2025).
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Additionally, the EarlyBird Check-In fee should trigger The Platinum Card® from American Express up to $200 annual airline fee credit if you have selected Southwest as your airline for the year (enrollment required).
While Southwest has flexible policies for changing your flight, the money you spend on EarlyBird Check-In is not refundable. If you cancel your flight, Southwest doesn’t refund your EarlyBird Check-In purchase.
If you change your flight at least 25 hours before the original flight’s scheduled departure to a flight that doesn’t depart for at least 25 hours, then the EarlyBird Check-In will transfer — as long as the confirmation number remains the same.
Given all that, is Southwest EarlyBird Check-In worth it?
For some people, this answer will always be no. The exact boarding position isn’t all that important to some travelers, and other passengers may be unable to afford the extra cost. Meanwhile, some family travelers may be okay with family boarding. After all, Southwest offers family boarding where “two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger” can board.
Family boarding takes place between the A and B groups. So, if your family meets the family boarding criteria, a Group A boarding pass will help you, but a Group B boarding pass will hurt you.
In my experience, if you're eligible for family boarding, there is absolutely no reason to purchase EarlyBird Check-In as your family will have no problem sitting together.
Southwest family boarding occurs after Group A. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
If you have the budget to consider buying EarlyBird Check-4n, it might be worth it in a few cases. First, EarlyBird Check-In might be worth it if the flight is especially long, such as a Southwest flight to Hawaii. The length makes seat selection more valuable.
Second, if your family or group must sit all together — and you either don’t qualify for family boarding or you're worried there won’t be enough seats left together — it could be worth it.
The early check-in might be worth it if you know you will be too busy at the 24-hour mark to check in. Last but not least, if having EarlyBird Check-In reduces your stress or anxiety about the flight, that alone can be worth the cost.
Now that my family no longer qualifies for family boarding, we might consider purchasing it for select flights — especially when traveling during popular school break periods.
But typically, I am pretty good with checking in right at the 24-hour mark. I also don't mind sitting in the back of the plane with my family or splitting up into pairs. That might not work for every family, though, making the fee more of a necessity.
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Finally, know that you can purchase EarlyBird Check-In just for one direction of your trip or just for a few travelers. In short, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. If you only want to purchase EarlyBird Check-In for some travelers, purchase the flights for your entire group and then log in to add EarlyBird Check-In to the existing itinerary for the desired travelers.
As mentioned throughout, there are five different credit cards to help offset the cost of EarlyBird Check-In and Upgraded Boarding (through Dec. 31, 2025). So here's a recap of the card benefits and the current welcome offers:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. With this card, you'll receive two EarlyBird Check-Ins per cardmember anniversary year.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Bottom line
At $15 to $25 per person each way, Southwest EarlyBird Check-In can be worth the cost. However, it won’t always be a slam-dunk deal — especially if family boarding is an option for your group. It also won't guarantee a Group A boarding pass.
If you decide to purchase Southwest EarlyBird Check-In, you can earn bonus points by using the right credit card for the purchase. Or, consider picking up a Southwest credit card, since they all offer a set number of Upgraded Boarding or EarlyBird Check-In perks per year. Otherwise, consider putting your EarlyBird Check-In purchase on a card that reimburses miscellaneous airline fees.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
