Can you upgrade on Allegiant Air?

Let's face it: You didn't book with Allegiant Air expecting a free upgrade. You bought an Allegiant Air ticket because you wanted to travel without spending much money.

Allegiant doesn't offer a first class section or premium seating comparable to Spirit's Big Front Seat. There is no Allegiant upgrade list, and you won't even be able to recline your seat.

Your best bet for snagging more comfort on Allegiant Air is to fork over some money to select a seat with a few extra inches of legroom. Here's what you need to know about buying an upgraded seat on Allegiant Air.

Buy an Allegiant upgrade with Legroom + seating

Allegiant has two sections of the plane where you can get a bit more legroom. A standard seat on Allegiant has about 30 inches of pitch (one measure of legroom on planes), while a Legroom + seat should have at least 34 inches of pitch.

Four extra inches of legroom may not sound like much, but that will put you comfortably between the standard Southwest Airlines pitch and United Airlines' Economy Plus pitch.

You'll typically find Legroom + seats in the first row and exit rows of Allegiant aircraft.

During the Allegiant Air booking process, you can pay to select a seat assignment (since Allegiant doesn't include a seat choice with its basic fare). Seat assignments start at around $10 and go up as high as $40 per segment. In most cases, you can expect to spend between $30 and $35 per segment to upgrade to a Legroom + seat.

Related: How to change or cancel an Allegiant flight

Buy a bundle for an Allegiant upgrade to Legroom + seating

Bundles are a concept you'll quickly become familiar with if you fly discount carriers regularly. Since pretty much everything on a discount carrier is sold separately for an additional cost, bundles are one of the only ways to save money on extras.

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If you bring a carry-on or checked bag when you travel — two things that will cost you extra on Allegiant — purchasing a bundle may provide a virtually free Allegiant upgrade to Legroom + seating. That's especially true if you need flexibility in your travel plans since Allegiant includes its Trip Flex product in both the Allegiant bonus and total bundles.

Related: Full review of the Allegiant World Mastercard

Bottom line

You may not find yourself on the Allegiant upgrade list for a swanky first class seat, but at least you can't do much damage to your wallet buying a Legroom + seat.

Unfortunately, Allegiant is one of the few airlines in the U.S. not covered by the airline fee credits offered by select Amex cards, so you will be stuck paying for that extra legroom seat if you choose to splurge.

Don't worry, though. You can drown your sorrows in one of those umbrella drinks on your vacation from all that money you saved by flying Allegiant. After a long flight on Allegiant, your knees will appreciate being able to stretch out on a lounge chair.