Southwest Airlines: Upgraded Boarding vs EarlyBird (Which Is Better?) [2022]

When you’re trying to get one of the best seats on Southwest, there are two options you might considering: upgraded boarding and EarlyBird.

The two options have different price points and very different effects on your boarding so you definitely want to make sure that you are aware of what each has to offer before choosing one over the other.

In this article, we’ll go over the two options and explain which one might be better for you.

Why would you upgrade or purchase EarlyBird for Southwest?

Before jumping into the differences of these two let’s first briefly discuss why you would even want to upgrade your boarding to Business Select or purchase EarlyBird.

It all comes down to the boarding policy of Southwest.

When you fly Southwest, you do not get to select your seat ahead of time, such as at the time of booking.

Instead, at check-in you will be issued a boarding position and that boarding position will dictate when you get to step on the plane. Once you’re in the cabin, you’ll be able to select any seat that is open so it is essentially a first come, first serve process.

By upgrading or getting EarlyBird, you’ll be among the “first come” crowd so you will be increasing your odds of getting a more desirable seat.

So if you absolutely do not care about where you sit on the plane or if you have a middle seat then there really is no need for you to upgrade or purchase EarlyBird.

But if you were trying to get one of the better seats or perhaps trying to keep your family or group together then upgrading or purchasing EarlyBird makes sense.

There are also a number of specific cases where one makes sense over the other and I’ll go over those further down the article.

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Upgrading to Business Select

Upgrading to Business Select is a nice way to increase your odds of securing one of the best seats on the plane.

Business Select is the most expensive fare offered by Southwest and it provides you with a number of benefits including:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Standby

When you upgrade to Business Select you don’t get all of those benefits but you do get a guaranteed A1-A15 boarding position.

So the main benefit of upgrading to Business Select is to secure a better boarding position, and specifically, to secure one of the best seats on the plane.

The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route. You should be able to upgrade at the check-in counter or at the gate of departure.

Update: You can now upgrade online at check-in!

Southwest EarlyBird

Southwest EarlyBird is going to automatically check you in 36 hours prior to check in. The cost to purchase Southwest EarlyBird is $15 to $25 (one-way) and you can add it on when you check out.

The biggest benefit to EarlyBird is that you don’t have to worry about remembering to check in 24 hours prior to your departure and you get to lock down a pretty good boarding position.

Just how good will that boarding position be?

Well, that is the tricky part because you never really know.

It can depend on a lot of factors like how many other people purchased Southwest EarlyBird, volume of pre-boarding passengers, how many elite A-List members are on your flight, how many people are connecting, etc.

So the point is that it is impossible to know what your boarding position will be when you purchase EarlyBird. It should be good enough for you to get a window or aisle seat depending on your preference.

But if you’re wanting to secure one of the best seats such as a seat in the emergency exit row, Southwest EarlyBird will NOT be able to guarantee that.

Which one should you do: upgrading or EarlyBird?

If you’re trying to decide between upgrading and purchasing EarlyBird, below are a few questions you can ask yourself that may help you make a better decision.

Guaranteed decent seat or take a shot at one of the best seats?

One way to look at the difference between upgrading and purchasing EarlyBird is that purchasing EarlyBird will virtually guarantee that you will have a decent seat whereas going for an upgrade means that you’re taking a chance of getting one of the best seats.

You can always count on EarlyBird being available but you can’t always count on an upgrade being available.

What boarding position will you get when upgrading?

The good thing about upgrading is that you can ask what boarding position you will get before you pay for your upgrade.

A Southwest agent should be able to tell you exactly which position within A1 to A15 you will be receiving.

(There have been occasions where an agent acts like they don’t know but that has been rare).

Once you know what your boarding position will be, you can then make an informed decision on if you think it is worth it to upgrade.

It’s worth noting that on a couple of occasions I’ve upgraded and received a boarding position like A9 but whenever we lined up for boarding there were no other passengers in front of me.

So sometimes your boarding position might be even better than it indicates on your upgraded boarding pass.

Are you flying on a business or leisure route?

If you’re flying on a heavy business route, you may not even have the opportunity to upgrade. And if there are upgrade slots available you may be among the highest Business Select boarding positions like A15.

However, if you’re flying to somewhere like the Caribbean then chances are there will be plenty of upgrade spots and you might even be able to get A1 or A2.

What aircraft are you flying on?

The type of aircraft you’re flying on may determine if you want to upgrade to Business Select.

When you fly Southwest most of the time you’ll be flying on a 737-700 or 737-800. The 800 is the slightly bigger aircraft and it has two sections in the emergency exit row with only two seats per row (see image below).

This means that if you are flying as a couple and are interested in having your own “private row” there will be two opportunities for you to snag one of those seats. Meanwhile, in the 700 there is only one section of two seats.

So upgrading on a 737–800 could make more sense even if you were getting one of the higher upgraded boarding passes issued such as a position between A10 and A15.

Are you going to be available 24 hours prior to check in?

If you are not going to be available to check in online 24 hours prior to departure then purchasing EarlyBird is sort of a no-brainer assuming you want to secure a decent boarding position.

This could be the case if you were going to be in the mountains, scuba diving, or anywhere with limited or no service.

The same applies if you just have trouble remembering to set an alarm to check in. EarlyBird is your savior.

If you know you won’t be checking in at 24 hours prior to departure, you could always plan on upgrading to Business Select but because that is not guaranteed it comes with the risk of getting stuck with a bad boarding position.

What Southwest credit cards do you have?

The type of Southwest credit card you have may have an impact on which route you choose to go.

If you have a Southwest credit card you may have the option to upgrade to Business Select for free or to utilize EarlyBird for free.

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card comes with the ability to get reimbursed for the purchase of up to 2 EarlyBird check-in services made with your Southwest Credit Card every anniversary year.

In addition, the Southwest Airlines Priority Card comes with four upgraded boardings per year.

You also get:

Bonus spending:
- 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
- 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
$75 Southwest annual travel credit (learn more)
7,500 anniversary points each year
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status

Do you qualify for family boarding?

If you qualify for family boarding you will be able to board between the boarding groups A and B. This is roughly where you would probably end up if you purchased EarlyBird.

So you can save money and simply take advantage of family boarding.

Just be aware that if you are traveling to a destination like Orlando where lots of families travel, family boarding may not be a pleasant experience and you may want to upgrade to EarlyBird.

Do you qualify for pre-boarding?

If you qualify for pre-boarding you will be among the very first to board. In that case, there is no need for you to purchase EarlyBird or to upgrade.

People who qualify for pre-boarding include those who need assistance boarding the plane, unaccompanied minors, and others.

Could you do both: upgrade AND purchase EarlyBird?

It’s possible that you could purchase EarlyBird so that you don’t have to worry about check in and then also upgrade at the airport so that you can get a guaranteed A1 to A15 boarding position.

The only reason you would do this is because if for some reason you were not able to check in 24 hours prior and you were not sure if you would have a slot available for your upgrade.

If you were able to upgrade to Business Select and receive a boarding position from A1 to A15, you’d basically be wasting money because your EarlyBird would not do you any good at that point. (EarlyBird purchases are non-refundable.)

For some people that would be a no go but for others it’d just be a matter of using EarlyBird as a bit of a safety net just in case they are not able to upgrade at the airport.

Saving seats to save $$

If you’re traveling with multiple people you might think about only upgrading one person’s ticket or perhaps only purchasing EarlyBird for one passenger.

That one passenger could then go and save seats for others thereby saving you lots of money.

Saving seats on Southwest is a controversial issue.

Generally, you can save a couple of seats towards the middle or back of the plane without upsetting other passengers.

But when you attempt to save more desirable seats in the front or seats with extra legroom in the emergency exit row, that increases the odds of getting into a confrontation with other passengers.

Because you’re not technically supposed to save seats this type of confrontation may not end well for you.

So if you were planning on saving seats from an upgraded passenger, that’s probably not a good idea if the upgraded passenger is trying to save some of the best seats.

But if an upgraded passenger or EarlyBird passenger is trying to save seats towards the middle or rear of the plane that’s going to be less of an issue unless you are trying to save lots of seats.

Final word

Upgrading and purchasing EarlyBird are two ways to secure better seats with Southwest. Which one will be better for you will depend on your circumstances and your preferences for seating. If you consider some of the factors above, you should have a pretty good idea of which route would be the best for you.

Daniel Gillaspia

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.

Southwest Airlines vs Spirit Airlines (Prices, Routes, & Products) [2022]

When you think of flying and saving money, two airlines that may pop into your head are Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

These are two very different airlines but they both help millions of passengers save money every year.

But many people wonder what exactly are the differences between these two airlines? Is one cheaper than the other and does one offer a better product than the other?

In this article, I’ll take a detailed look at these two airlines and compare things like the routes, pricing, product, baggage policies, etc.

You’ll see that one of the airlines is a good degree cheaper than the other but that you’ll still have to factor in some hidden costs.

Overview of the two airlines

Spirit Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier, meaning that they have very low base fares but charge you for things typically included with your fare such as a carry-on bag.

They have a reputation of nickel-and-diming passengers and are known for having little legroom but do seem to serve a broad niche of budget-conscious passengers pretty well.

Southwest on the other hand is a low-cost carrier.

In fact, it is the world’s largest low-cost carrier and it truly competes with the legacy carriers in the US when it comes to volume of traffic and passengers.

As a whole, Southwest Airlines is taken more seriously than Spirit in terms of its status as a national carrier but for many it leaves some to be desired when compared to the legacy carriers.

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Routes

Domestically, you’ll find Southwest with more destinations, making it much easier to find a flight to any given destinations within the US. Southwest also has the advantage with flights going to Hawaii.

Spirit Airlines has a much more extensive international route network. You can find flights going to various countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and even South America. The international focus for Southwest is much more limited.

While Southwest does not cover as many international routes, Southwest is overall a much larger airline than Spirit Airlines.

In fact, Southwest Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world by various metrics like revenue and passengers carried.

In 2019, Southwest Airlines was in the top three for passengers carried at right around 162 million. Meanwhile, the 2019 figures showed about 35 million passengers carried for Spirit Airlines.

Fleet size and make-up

As of March 2022, the Spirit Airlines fleet consists entirely of Airbus A320 and A320neo family aircraft. Here’s a look at the fleet as of the spring of 2022.

Aircraft	In service
Airbus A319-100	31
Airbus A319neo	—
Airbus A320-200	64
Airbus A320neo	53
Airbus A321-200	30
Airbus A321neo	—

Table via Wikipedia.

Meanwhile, Southwest is virtually synonymous with Boeing at this point with the fleet consisting of Boeing 737s.

They are introducing a lot of 737 MAXs as well. You can take a look at the size of the fleet below — it’s obviously a lot bigger than Spirit.

Aircraft	In service	Orders
Boeing 737-700	453	—
Boeing 737-800	207	—
Boeing 737 MAX 7	—	238
Boeing 737 MAX 8	74	206

Table via Wikipedia.

Product

Cabins and legroom

Southwest aircraft do not contain a first class cabin and so the entire airplane essentially consists of economy seats. Seat pitch is going to be 31 inches to 32 inches and the seats do recline.

Spirit Airlines refers to their Economy Class as “Deluxe Leather” seats and some aircraft are equipped with all economy class seats.

Economy seats with Spirit Airlines only have 28 inches of pitch and they do NOT recline. This is one of the biggest knocks against Spirit — it’s just a very uncomfortable riding experience being so cramped. The flip side is that the seats are slightly wider than Southwest by about .75 inches on some aircraft.

Some Spirit Airlines aircraft have the “Big Front” seats, which are essentially the first class seats of Spirit Airlines. On those seats, you can expect 36 inches of pitch and 20 inches of width but you still may not be able to recline.

These Big Front seats aren’t really a different class fare but instead more of an upgraded seat that you can select at the time of seat selection. The price to upgrade will vary but you could upgrade your tickets for about $25 to $50 in some cases.

Entertainment

You will not find seatback TVs on Southwest and you probably will not find outlets unless you are flying on one of the newer aircraft in the future. They do offer in-flight entertainment via their app, so you can watch movies and TV shows for free from your phone or other device.

Spirit Airlines will also not have power outlets or seatback TVs and they currently do NOT offer in-flight entertainment via an app.

Both airlines may have Wi-Fi available but they are not currently available on every aircraft.

Food and drink

Southwest offers free beverages and light and simple snacks on flights.

So you can get a little package of crackers on certain flights and order up a soda for free. They also have an alcoholic beverage menu. Beyond the little packs of snacks, they do not offer any food or snack menu for you to purchase items from.

There is no complimentary beverage or snack service on Spirit flights.

So you have to pay for all of your drinks including sodas and waters. The good news is that they do have a food menu with snacks and drinks including alcoholic beverages.

So you can order up little cheese trays, crackers, cookies, etc. You’ll be spending around $3.50 for sodas and $9 for a beer or liquor.

This expanded food/snack offering combined with the ability to upgrade to a front seat with more legroom means that Spirit actually can offer you a more premium experience than Southwest if you are willing to pay for it.

Seat selection and boarding

Southwest Airlines has a no seat assignment policy so you are never going to select your seats at the time of booking.

Instead, you are issued a boarding group and position at the time of check-in and the boarding position determines the order that you board the plane. You can then choose any seat that is open.

This is why it is really important to remember to check in 24 hours prior to departure or to purchase EarlyBird that will automatically check you in 36 hours prior to departure.

Alternatively, you can also purchase a Business Select ticket which is the most expensive fare offered by Southwest. Those fares come with the following benefits:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Standby

Spirit Airlines will assign you a seat randomly at check-in unless you pay to select your seat. This means that if you don’t pay to select your seats you likely will not be sitting together as a group.

The cost to select your seat begins at five dollars but then goes up depending on the route/seat. You can take a look at the seat selection prices in the image below but remember they will be set different for each flight.

When it comes to boarding you can add on priority boarding to get on the plane quicker and ensure room for your carry-on.

Service

I don’t have enough experience flying with Spirit to comment on the service but I’ve flown Southwest many, many times over the years and will say that they are usually very on point with service.

Crew members are regularly very friendly and professional and I’ve had very few negative interactions with them.

Baggage policies

Southwest Airlines allows you to check two bags for free on every flight and you also get a free carry-on plus a personal item. They are one of the most generous airlines when it comes to baggage fees.

But things are very different on Spirit Airlines.

On Spirit Airlines, you will have to pay for your carry-on and checked baggage. Sometimes these prices can get a little crazy. For example, below it shows a $49 charge for a carry-on!

(Here’s a look at the Spirit Airlines baggage fees.)

The checked baggage limit for Spirit is 40 pounds while Southwest allows up to 50 pounds before you get hit with overweight charges.

As you go through the checkout process Spirit will offer you a package deal where you can add on things like a carry-on, checked bag, and priority boarding.

It’s at that point that the true cost of your travel becomes apparent and it’s a good time to compare the total cost with alternatives such as Southwest.

Loyalty programs

Both airlines have a loyalty program.

Southwest offers Rapid Rewards and has an elite system with two elite levels for A-List.

You can earn Southwest A-List if you meet the following requirements in a calendar year:

25 one-way qualifying flights OR
35,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs)

Here are the Southwest A-List benefits.

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
25% bonus earning
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number

You can earn A-List Preferred if you meet the following requirements in a calendar year:

50 one-way qualifying flights OR
70,000 tier qualifying points

The benefits for A-list Preferred are extremely similar to the benefits for A-List and include:

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
100% bonus earning
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number
Free in-flight wifi

The 100% bonus earning means that you’ll earn tier qualifying points (TQPs) at the following rates:

12X per dollar for Wanna Get Away fares
20X per dollar for Anytime fares
24X per dollar for Business Select

Southwest also has a handful of credit cards issued from Chase Bank. These often come with generous bonuses and have cool perks like upgrades and EarlyBird credits.

You can also receive 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 in purchases on your Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, or Rewards Performance Business Credit Card.

Plus, you can transfer out Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio, they can get extremely easy to earn a Rapid Rewards.

What makes Southwest Airlines really stand out is the option to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. That pass allows a companion to fly for free with you for up to two calendar years.

To earn the Southwest Companion Pass by flying you’ll need to:

Complete 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year
Earn 125,000 Rapid Rewards points in one calendar year

Credit card welcome bonuses count towards the 125,000 points in a calendar year making this very attainable for a lot of people.

Together with the credit card bonuses you can earn and the easy transferability of points from Chase, the Companion Pass allows you to receive an enormous amount of value if you maximize it. To me, this makes the frequent flyer program for Southwest the most valuable program for the average traveler.

Spirit Airlines also has a loyalty program called Free Spirit rewards and flight redemptions start at 2,500 points.

They also have an elite program with two levels called Free Spirit Silver and Free Spirit Gold.

You earn Free Spirit Silver Status at 2,000 Status Qualifying Points (SQPs) and Free Spirit Gold Status at 5,000 SQPs.

Free Spirit members earn 6 times the points on every dollar spent.

Silver members earn 8 points for every dollar spent on fares and 16 points for dollars spent on options.

They also get free Shortcut Security and Boarding, same-day standby, and seat selection at check-in. Additional perks include: a dedicated Guest Care line, ability to create a Points Pool, and no redemption fees.

Gold members earn 10 points for every dollar spent on fares and 20 points for every dollar spent on options.

They get the silver benefits but also get free: Flight Flex, first checked and carry-on bag, seat selection at booking (including exit rows), as well as a free inflight beverage and snacks.

With the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® you also earn 1 Status Qualifying Point for each $10 in Net Purchases during a calendar year.

Change fees

Southwest allows you to change your flight for free.

Spirit Airlines offers a sliding scale for change fees that is based on how many days before departure you request your change.

If you request your change 60 days before departure you can get the request done for free but after that you’ll have to start paying.

Here are the current change and cancellation charges:

Days from Departure	Fee Amount
0-2 days from departure	$99
3-6 days from departure	$79
7-59 days from departure	$49
60+ days from departure	Free

They also have the Flight Flex option, which allows you to modify your itinerary once, online, and up to 24 hours before departure with no modification charges. This option is often included in one of the bundles.

Additional fees

You have already seen how Spirit may require you to pay more fees with things like carry-on bags and changes to your itinerary.

But things can actually get worse when you don’t check in online.

If you don’t check in online and check in with a customer service agent at a check-in counter, there is a charge of $10 to print each boarding pass. (Kiosks should be available.)

Spirit also charges more ($150) for unaccompanied minors compared to Southwest ($50).

The pet fees for Spirit Airlines are $110 per pet container, each way. Southwest Airlines allows small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs to travel with you in-cabin under the seat in front of you for $95 per one-way.

Drama

Drama can happen anywhere and anytime when traveling and Southwest is certainly not immune to passenger fights and scuffles.

But based on videos surfacing on social media and elsewhere, it feels like Spirit Airlines passengers get involved in these scuffles more than Southwest passengers.

I’ve tried finding data on this type of thing but have yet to be successful so I don’t have any hard data to offer a conclusion. But if you’re not a fan of royal rumbles at the check-in counter, Southwest may be more your style.

Pricing

We were very curious about how the prices would compare on the exact same routes between Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

So we analyzed about 250 points, found the cheapest (non-membership) tickets offered by the airlines, and put them side-by-side.

We did not include the Spirit Saver$ Club prices which require you to pay for a membership but if you did pay the membership fee, your savings could be even better than shown below.

Because Spirit Airlines is an “ultra low-cost carrier” and Southwest Airlines is only a “low-cost carrier,” as expected Spirit Airlines had the cheaper prices on the vast majority of routes that we compared.

On average, Spirit Airlines was approximately 31% cheaper than Southwest Airlines.

However, some flights were considerably cheaper than that. For example, we found flights up to 60% cheaper.

At the same time, there were some instances where Southwest was cheaper than Spirit although they were definitely the minority. (Typically this was the product of the special ~$50 fares offered by Southwest.)

Of course, the cheaper price only really means something if you don’t check bags and don’t require a carry-on.

As soon as you begin to add on those costs the Spirit prices can become much more equivalent or even more expensive so you always have to keep that in mind.

Origin	Destination	Southwest	Spirit

Albuquerque, NM (ABQ)
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$109	$95.59
Atlanta, GA (ATL)
	Austin, TX (AUS)	$149	$87.59
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$141	$90.59
	Cleveland, OH (CLE)	$141	$82.59
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$99	$76.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$195	$135.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$178	$228.59
	Miami, FL (MIA)	$141	$76.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$109	$81.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$109	$88.59
	Philadelphia, PA (PHL)	$141	$87.59
	Tampa, FL (TPA)	$109	$87.59
Austin, TX (AUS)
	Atlanta, GA (ATL)	$149	$87.59
	Cancun, Mexico (CUN)	$384	$129.62
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$139	$86.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$173	$118.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$173	$100.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$163	$128.59
Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
	Atlanta, GA (ATL)	$141	$90.59
	Boston, MA (BOS)	$109	$86.59
	Cancun, Mexico (CUN)	$314	$277.62
	Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)	$129	$103.59
	Detroit, MI (DTW)	$109	$82.59
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$144	$111.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$206	$171.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$381	$219.59
	Miami, FL (MIA)	$152	$81.59
	Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)	$382	$274.79
	Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)	$99	$81.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$163	$87.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$119	$88.59
	San Juan, PR (SJU)	$180	$101.79
	Tampa, FL (TPA)	$173	$122.59
Boise, ID (BOI)
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$104	$85.59
Boston (Logan), MA (BOS)
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$109	$86.59
Burbank, CA (BUR)
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$44	$92.59
Cancun, Mexico (CUN)
	Austin, TX (AUS)	$351	$145.78
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$297	$233.14
	Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)	$217	$237.30
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$241	$176.98
	St. Louis, MO (STL)	$358	$128.10
Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$129	$82.59
	Cancun, Mexico (CUN)	$252	$267.62
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$260	$96.59
	Fort Myers, FL (RSW)	$173	$121.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$313	$126.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$260	$148.59
	Tampa, FL (TPA)	$163	$114.59
Cleveland, OH (CLE)
	Atlanta, GA (ATL)	$141	$82.59
Columbus, OH (CMH)
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$144	$98.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$234	$140.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$163	$87.59
	Tampa, FL (TPA)	$144	$104.59
Denver, CO (DEN)
	Houston (Bush-Intercontl), TX (IAH)	$163	$138.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$110	$82.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$99	$89.59
Detroit, MI (DTW)
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$109	$82.59
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
	Atlanta, GA (ATL)	$99	$64.59
	Austin, TX (AUS)	$139	$66.59
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$144	$81.59
	Cancun, Mexico (CUN)	$229	$159.62
	Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)	$149	$96.59
	Columbus, OH (CMH)	$144	$98.59
	Indianapolis, IN (IND)	$139	$61.97
	Nashville, TN (BNA)	$109	$66.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$99	$115.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$109	$65.59
	Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)	$139	$66.59
	Punta Cana, DO (PUJ)	$176	$182.09
	San Juan, PR (SJU)	$139	$107.79
	St. Louis, MO (STL)	$139	$92.59
	Tampa, FL (TPA)	$109	$61.97
Fort Myers, FL (RSW)
	Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)	$173	$91.59
	Indianapolis, IN (IND)	$163	$66.97
Hartford, CT (BDL)
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$216	$157.59
Houston (Bush-Intercontl), TX (IAH)
	Denver, CO (DEN)	$163	$138.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$173	$106.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$109	$82.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$163	$138.59
Indianapolis, IN (IND)
	Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)	$139	$82.59
	Fort Myers, FL (RSW)	$163	$87.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$195	$156.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$163	$128.59
Kansas City, MO (MCI)
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$173	$116.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$309	$129.59
	Orlando, FL (MCO)	$173	$189.59
Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
	Albuquerque, NM (ABQ)	$109	$75.59
	Atlanta, GA (ATL)	$216	$135.59
	Austin, TX (AUS)	$173	$107.59
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$260	$151.59
	Boise, ID (BOI)	$154	$65.59
	Burbank, CA (BUR)	$44	$61.97
	Chicago (O’Hare), IL (ORD)	$281	$126.59
	Columbus, OH (CMH)	$234	$140.59
	Denver, CO (DEN)	$110	$61.97
	Houston (Bush-Intercontl), TX (IAH)	$173	$106.59
	Indianapolis, IN (IND)	$195	$156.59
	Kansas City, MO (MCI)	$173	$116.59
	Los Angeles, CA (LAX)	$49	$61.97
	Milwaukee, WI (MKE)	$206	$136.59
	Nashville, TN (BNA)	$195	$151.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$234	$126.59
	Oakland, CA (OAK)	$49	$61.97
	Orange County/Santa Ana, CA (SNA)	$44	$61.97
	Phoenix, AZ (PHX)	$39	$61.97
	Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)	$234	$195.59
	Portland, OR (PDX)	$163	$71.59
	Reno/Tahoe, NV (RNO)	$39	$65.59
	Sacramento, CA (SMF)	$79	$61.97
	Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)	$49	$61.97
	San Diego, CA (SAN)	$39	$61.97
	Seattle/Tacoma, WA (SEA)	$79	$71.97
	St. Louis, MO (STL)	$184	$122.59
Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
	Austin, TX (AUS)	$173	$100.59
	Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)	$313	$219.59
	Denver, CO (DEN)	$99	$68.97
	Kansas City, MO (MCI)	$260	$129.59
	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)	$49	$87.59
	Nashville, TN (BNA)	$195	$198.59
	New Orleans, LA (MSY)	$159	$148.59
	Oakland, CA (OAK)	$84	$66.97
	Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)	$79	$68.59
	St. Louis, MO (STL)	$313	$198.59

Final word

As you can see, while both of these airlines can save you money they are very different.

Southwest is a much larger airline that serves many more passengers and flies to more destinations.

It offers a more comfortable experience for standard economy passengers with more legroom and seats that recline. They also offer free movies and TV for in-flight entertainment and are more generous with free baggage and change fees.

I also feel like Southwest stands out in a major way from Spirit with the Companion Pass and the different credit card options available, to mention being a Chase partner.

Meanwhile, Spirit can offer you cheaper fares in the majority of cases.

You just need to be mindful of the fees that you may have to pay for carry-on bags, checked bags, and seat selection. If you don’t need to spend extra on those things, the savings can beat out Southwest easily in a lot of cases.

Also, if you’re willing to spend a little bit extra, Spirit can offer you more legroom and allow you to enjoy a wider selection of snacks on your flights than Southwest. So oddly enough, you can get a more premium experience with Spirit.

Daniel Gillaspia

Great limited time offers (80K & 75K)

Advertiser Disclosure: UponArriving has partnered with affiliate partners and may receive a commission from card issuers. UponArriving does not display all credit card offers and affiliate relationships may impact how offers are presented.

Right now, there are a few great offers you might be interested in entertaining. All of these are limited time offers with one expiring very soon on June 1.

Below, I’ll give you some insight into these offers and provide some tips for deciding on whether or not these cards are for you at the moment.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is allowing you to earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. This offer is set to expire on June 1 at the end of the day.

[Offer Expired]

If you are new to credit card rewards chances are you should be well under 5/24 which means that you have not opened up five accounts in the past 24 months (that report to your personal credit report).

When you are under 5/24 in the vast majority of cases you should pursue Chase credit cards first to optimize your earnings with them. Otherwise, you might end up ineligible for the best Chase cards (which also happen to be some of the best overall travel cards).

Because the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has an elevated bonus of 80,000 bonus points right now this would be a perfect time to jump on it.

The Sapphire Preferred earns flexible Ultimate Rewards which can be transferred out to various travel partners at a 1:1 ratio.

These partners include the following.

Airlines:

Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels:

IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt

And when it comes to bonus points you can earn the following:

5X on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal
3X on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
2X on all other travel purchases
1X on all other purchases

Be mindful of the Sapphire eligibility rules which could exclude you if you received a bonus in the last 48 months for a Sapphire card.

You can always use the eligibility checker in WalletFlo to verify your eligibility before applying.

Southwest credit cards Limited-time offers

The Southwest credit cards offered by Chase just got elevated bonuses. Here’s a look at the highlights of each card and their new bonuses.

Offers no longer available

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

3,000 bonus points on each anniversary
2 EarlyBird Check-In each year.
$69 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

6,000 bonus points on each anniversary
2 EarlyBird Check-In each year.
$99 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

7,500 bonus points on each cardholder anniversary
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available
$75 Southwest travel credit each year
$149 annual fee

These 75,000 point bonuses are some of the best offers you’ll see for these cards. Spending $5,000 in three months is a little bit high but still doable for a lot of people.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is my pick because we almost always upgrade our boarding passes to Business Select in order to take advantage of better seating. It’s also incredibly easy to justify the annual fee when you utilize the $75 credit and the 7,500 anniversary points.

You cannot get more than one personal Southwest card but if you picked up a personal card AND a business card, you could earn enough points (125,000) for the Southwest Companion Pass.

For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is offering 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Offers no longer available

Together with a personal card that would net you over 135,000 points when you meet the minimum spend.

The Southwest Companion Pass is a pass that allows a companion to fly for free with you on Southwest flights for up to two calendar years — it’s generally considered one of the most valuable travel perks available.

With one person flying free (only responsible for fees) those 135,000 points could take you really far.

Earning the pass now would allow you to take advantage of that pass for nearly one and a half years.

But if you wanted to try to optimize for the full two years you would be better off waiting until the end of the year to pursue the Companion Pass.

Remember, you can always use the eligibility checker in WalletFlo to verify your eligibility before applying.

Final word

These are some great offers and you’ll definitely want to think about applying for these if you fall into certain groups.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analysis & recommendations are UponArriving’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

Daniel Gillaspia

Flying Southwest Inter-island in Hawaii? Here’s What to Expect

Are you thinking about flying Southwest between Hawaiian islands (inter-island)? Do you know what to expect when it comes to the flying experience, boarding, carry-on rules, and ticket prices?

In this article, I’ll share a breakdown of my past experience and also some helpful data points when it comes to things like the routes and pricing.

Flying Southwest Inter-island

Southwest’s HNL hub

Southwest Airlines effectively runs a hub at HNL so if you’re flying out of Honolulu you can get to pretty much all of the major airports in Hawaii with non-stop flights.

OGG in Maui also has a very limited number of nonstop flights to the Big Island.

This means that if you’re flying to an island other than Oahu, you’ll likely have to do a connection through HNL to get where you want to go.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Southwest Inter-island Hawaii route map. Image via Southwest.

Checking your bags in Hawaii

You’ll get two free checked bags whenever flying between Hawaiian islands just like you do on the mainland and your weight limit will be 50 pounds per bag.

Checking your bags might work a little bit differently at some airports, though.

At some of the smaller airports you may have to get your luggage tag and then bring your bag over to a TSA screening area where you will then drop it off.

In some instances, some TSA agent or airport personnel may come over to assist you and take your luggage over to the screening area but even if they don’t it should be pretty close to the check-in area.

Getting through the USDA

Even whenever you are flying between islands, you may have to go through the Department of Agriculture screening station in order to access your gate.

Basically, you’ll just put your carry-on items on a conveyor belt and then they will scan the items and then you can proceed to where you need to be.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations prohibit certain fruits, vegetables, plants, and flowers in carry-on items when traveling between Hawaiian islands.

Typically, you need to just watch out for things like:

fresh fruits and vegetables
berries of any kind
fresh flowers, plants or plants in soil
seeds
live insects
cotton or cotton bolls
sugarcan

I don’t know if every Hawaiian Airport does this but I always thought this USDA screening was only reserved for flights between the mainland and Hawaii. However, that’s not the case.

Boarding Southwest in Hawaii

The Southwest boarding process on our flight at LIH was a little bit different from any other Southwest flight that I have boarded.

Instead of having posts that you use to lineup when it is time to board, the “posts” were located alongside rows of seats.

So you essentially could find a seat for your boarding position rather than stand.

I’m not sure how it is at other airports but this is something you might run into at some of the smaller airports in Hawaii.

It was actually pretty nice although I’m not sure how many passengers were actually picking their seat based on their boarding position.

Short flights

Just in case you’re not aware just how short the flights are between the islands, they are very short. For example, according the FlightAware the flight time between HNL and ITO is 40 minutes.

That is the longest route that Southwest flies between Hawaiian islands right now.

According to Southwest, the flight times are a little bit longer but still pretty short.

Here are the flight times according to Southwest:

Kona (Island of Hawaii) (KOA) to Kahului (Maui) (OGG): 40 minutes
Lihue (Kauai) (LIH) to Honolulu (Oahu) (HNL): 42 minutes
Honolulu (Oahu) (HNL) to Hilo (Island of Hawaii) (ITO): 58 minutes
Kahului (Maui) (OGG) to Kona (Island of Hawaii) (KOA): 40 minutes
Honolulu (Oahu) (HNL) to Lihue (Kauai) (LIH): 49 minutes

So you just have to be prepared for really short fights which may affect your willingness to buy Business Select tickets or pay extra for EarlyBird.

Business Select fares are usually just a little bit more expensive than Anytime fares but they offer the following benefits:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare

Because the flight is so short you may not need or even be able to enjoy all those benefits.

EarlyBird automatically checks you in 36 hours before check-in and therefore helps you get a better boarding position.

But again, because the flight might be so empty, you may not need this.

Even if your flight doesn’t end up having a lot of passengers, the worst case scenario is you get stuck in a middle seat for a 40 to 60 minute flight. It could be a lot worse.

Also, because the flights are so short you may not be able to receive the full Southwest treatment with drinks and snacks.

According to Southwest, complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are available on flights over 250 miles.

The longest flight that they currently fly between HNL and ITO is like 216 miles, so they may not offer beverage and snacks on these inter-island flights.

Lower occupancy?

The other thing I noticed on my Southwest Hawaii flight was the low occupancy.

It had been a very long time since I had flown on a Southwest flight with about 50% occupancy.

In fact, the vast majority of my Southwest flights over the past few years have been full or extremely close to full.

Once again, this made the need for EarlyBird or an upgrade to Business Select nonexistent.

We were able to find a seat wherever we wanted and did not have to worry about sharing a row with anybody else. It was actually very refreshing and a bit nostalgic.

The lower occupancy also made it easy on us when we needed to make a last-minute change. We changed our flight the evening before our scheduled departure and we did not have to deal with any type of meaningful price change.

Obviously, the occupancy rates will depend on routes/timing but it’s something to be looking out for.

You’ll likely be flying on a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

No shuttle at HNL

When flying Southwest, if you are renting a car, you won’t have to take a shuttle to get to or from the rental car center from HNL.

I found it odd that flying Hawaiian Airlines did require a shuttle but Southwest did not. Nevertheless, this is a nice little timesaver although the shuttle bus is not that bad.

Southwest Inter-island prices

Island hopping with Southwest can be extremely economical.

We looked at all of the different routes that Southwest flies in Hawaii and got some data points for the different Southwest fares in both cash and points for one-way flights.

We found that the price to island hop on both nonstop flights and also flights with a connection ranged from about $40-$49 for one-way tickets about one month out.

That’s not bad at all and it makes getting around to different islands very doable for a lot of people.

I also noticed that you can choose from a handful of flights each day, which makes it pretty easy to get to your island exactly when you need to.

Below, you can check out all of the specific data points for pricing.

All pricing is for nonstop flights (the flights that are not nonstop are only a couple of dollars more).

$59 was the most expensive Wanna Get Away I could find.

For the most part, the Southwest tickets were cheaper than the economy class tickets that we compared on Hawaiian Airlines (but we’re doing a full comparison later).

I will say that some of the planes that Hawaiian flies between islands are set up in a 3-2 configurations in economy.

So if you pick your seat, you can guarantee yourself a two-seat row while with Southwest you are just relying on a low occupancy to get you a seat like that.

Business Select fares remained north of $200 for all of the flights that we looked at.

Considering that Hawaiian Airlines has an actual first class cabin and their first class rates may be similar, I would rather fly first class with them than fly Business Select with Southwest.

Hilo, HI (ITO) to Kahului, HI (OGG)

6 flights
No Nonstop
All change planes in HNL
Wanna Get Away – $49 / 2,626 points + $5.60
Anytime – $206 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $223 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Hilo, HI (ITO) to Honolulu, HI (HNL)

4 flights
All Nonstop
Wanna Get Away – $40 / 2,240 points + $5.60
Anytime – $202 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $219 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Hilo, HI (ITO) to Lihue, HI (LIH)

5 flights
No Nonstop
All change planes in HNL
Wanna Get Away – $49 / 2,626 points + $5.60
Anytime – $206 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $223 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Kona, HI (KOA) to Kahului, HI (OGG)

7 flights
Only 1 Nonstop
6 flights change planes in HNL
Wanna Get Away – $44 / 2,240 points + $5.60
Anytime – $206 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $223 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Kona, HI (KOA) to Honolulu, HI (HNL)

6 flights
4 Nonstop
2 flights change planes in OGG
Wanna Get Away – $40 / 2,240 points + $5.60
Anytime – $202 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $219 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Kona, HI (KOA) to Lihue, HI (LIH)

6 flights
No Nonstop
All change planes in HNL
Wanna Get Away – $49 / 2,626 points + $5.60
Anytime – $206 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $223 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Kahului, HI (OGG) to Honolulu, HI (HNL)

7 flights
6 Nonstop
1 flight changes planes in KOA
Wanna Get Away – $40 / 2,240 points + $5.60
Anytime – $202 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $219 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Kahului, HI (OGG) to Lihue, HI (LIH)

8 flights
No Nonstop
6 flights change planes in HNL
Wanna Get Away – $49 / 2,626 points + $5.60
Anytime – $206 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $223 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Honolulu, HI (HNL) to Lihue, HI (LIH)

4 flights
All Nonstop
Wanna Get Away – $40 / 2,240 points + $5.60
Anytime – $202 / 14,747 points + $5.60
Business Select – $219 / 16,060 points + $5.60

Final word

Flying Southwest Airlines in Hawaii does feel a bit strange the first time you do it. But for the most part everything is the same. The biggest difference may be the reduced occupancy of the flight and adjusting to the short flights if you’re not used to such quick trips.

Daniel Gillaspia

Southwest Airlines Lost & Found Guide [2022]

Losing something while flying or traveling through the airport can feel overwhelming because you may not even know where to begin your search.

But typically, you can break down your search into a few different areas to ensure that you leave no stone unturned.

If you happen to lose something on Southwest Airlines, this article will guide you on how to best utilize the Southwest lost and found. I’ll show you different departments to contact and how to file your claim online (if needed).

The immediate step: get to the Southwest Airlines gate

If you ever lose something on the aircraft try to remain in your seat or in your row as long as possible and search for your item in the nearby vicinity.

You can let all of the other passengers exit the aircraft to help buy yourself some time to look, as you probably have around 5 to 10 minutes to conduct your search.

A flight attendant will likely notice you searching for something and they should come to your aid or at least inquire about your lost item.

Southwest Airlines is known for having tremendous customer service so it would not surprise me for their staff to go above and beyond to help you out.

But eventually, you will have to leave the plane and when you leave try to ask the flight attendants to resume the search for you during the cleaning process.

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Chances are that if you are reading this article you have already left the plane.

If you have just exited the plane and are still in the terminal, try to get back to the gate area as quickly as possible.

You want to head to the specific gate that you arrived at if you can remember which gate it is (if you don’t remember you can simply check your boarding pass).

At this gate, you will want to talk with an airline agent and let them know that you have a valuable item that was left in the plane.

In some instances, they will send someone in to take a look.

Other times, you might even spot crew from your flight exiting the gate area and you can inquire with them to see if something can be done.

This could be talking to flight attendants and even pilots. You’d be surprised how willing people are to help whenever they have the time to offer it.

Past the sterile area

Airports have what is known as a “sterile area.” This is usually a doorway or corridor and once you pass it you are not allowed to go back into the terminal.

If you have already passed the sterile area then you won’t be able to make your way back to the gate.

Instead, you could take a look to see if you can find an information desk for Southwest but that might even be difficult once you are already passed the sterile area.

In that situation, it may be best to head to the baggage claim area where you can probably find a Southwest information desk. The agents there typically deal with lost luggage claims but they can still help you out if you have a lost item.

I wouldn’t count on it but in some cases they might even radio in for someone to check the plane while you are waiting at baggage claim. I’ve seen some stories of people getting reunited with their item at baggage claim so it’s definitely a possibility.

If you are at the baggage claim area and not able to retrieve your item an agent might direct you to file your claim online which I will go into detail for below.

But first, consider how to handle lost items that are not in the possession of the airline.

Items left at the TSA Security Checkpoint

If you think that you may have left your items at the TSA security checkpoint then your priority should be to get in contact with the Lost and Found for TSA.

TSA has its own Lost and Found department at all US airports and you can find the contact details for the relevant one here.

This is a separate lost and found department that is distinct from Southwest and from the airport.

If they don’t have any record of your item, then it’s possible that item could’ve been referred to the airport’s lost and found so don’t lose out all hope until you check with them.

For items lost in and around the airport facility

If you think you may have misplaced your item somewhere within or around the airport facility then it is the airport lost and found that you want to contact.

This would be the type of situation where you left something sitting in a chair at a terminal, in a bathroom, etc.

In those cases, Southwest Airlines really has nothing to do with your claim.

To find the airport lost and found, you can always head to an airport information desk and they should be able to guide you.

Also, sometimes the airport lost and found is linked or a part of the airport police department so you can also look for them for help.

You should also be able to find their information quite easily online.

If you left something at a specific restaurant, shop, or airport lounge within the airport, try to contact that specific location first.

Sometimes you might be able to find their phone number in the airport’s website but other times it may be located in a Google My Business profile (simply found with a normal Google search) as shown below.

For example, if you left something at Chelsea’s Kitchen in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, you could find the contact details for that individual restaurant location with a simple Google search.

Tip: If they don’t answer look up the phone number to a next-door business and try to get a hold of them to see if they can help.

If the restaurant or shop tells you that there is no sign of your item, it’s possible that it could’ve already been handed over to the airport lost and found so you also want to check with them.

Note: If you think that you may have left your item in a rental car or even on the shuttle to the rental car center then sometimes you will need to contact that specific department. You should be able to find their contact details on the airport’s website.

What if you have left the airport?

If you have already left the airport then you have a couple of choices.

You could return to the airport and try to contact the lost and found centers available to you that don’t require you to venture through security.

But for most people, it’s probably going to be more practical to simply file a claim online.

If you believe that you lost your item at the airport or in the TSA area then you will want to look at the online process for filing a claim for those specific departments.

Instructions for filing a claim online with TSA are found above but each airport will have its own way of handling claims.

However, if you think Southwest was in possession of the item then read below on how to file a claim.

How to file a Southwest lost and found claim online

Like other airlines such as JetBlue, Southwest Airlines utilizes nettracer to process lost and found claims.

To file a lost and found claim for Southwest Airlines click here.

Your top priority should be to file your online claim as soon as possible. Waiting even a week to file your claim can decrease the odds that your item will be successfully recovered.

The lost and found form is really easy to fill out but you don’t want to rush through the process because providing accurate and thorough details will increase your chances of being reunited with your item.

First, you will need to select an item category and subcategory.

Next, you need to input some basic information like the color, case color, item brand, item model, item size, and item serial number.

You’ll then input the date that you lost the item and select a unique identifier and unique ID number.

Then there is the final question which ask you what makes your item unique.

This is your opportunity to distinguish your item from the hundreds of other items they get lost all the time while simultaneously proving your ownership.

Try to include any kind of distinguishing features like a specific type of scratch or sticker that may be found on your lost items.

Anything that you think could help your item stick out from others should be included.

Once you file your claim, you will receive email verification but you might need to check your spam or junk folder just in case the email ended up there.

After you receive your email, it is just a waiting game.

The search will last up to 30 days for your item and if they recover an item that matches your lost item, you should receive a confirmation email.

They will then ask you to verify your ownership of the item and if you can verify it, you should receive instructions on how to arrange shipping which you will have to pay for.

If your item was never recovered you should receive an email after 30 days that they were unsuccessful.

Be aware that if you happen to lose a passport, it will be sent to the U.S. Department of State, Passport Services, Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section.

Military IDs will be sent to the Department of the Navy, NAS-JRB ID Office.

Final Word

As you can see, there are a lot of different areas to check out if you happen to lose an item when flying.

The key is to think hard about where you lost your item and then contact the appropriate department.

If you are simply unsure about where you may have misplaced the item then don’t leave any stone unturned and contact every department that you can.

Daniel Gillaspia

List of Southwest Airlines International Destinations (Maps & Prices) [2021]

Many people still are not aware of just how extensive the Southwest Airlines flight network is.

Southwest travels to over a dozen international destinations spread out across Mexico and the Caribbean and even reaching down into (technically) South America.

Many of these spots are prime hotspots for vacations so you definitely want them to be on your radar.

In this article, I will show you a list and map of all of the international destinations for Southwest Airlines. I will also provide you with some insight into the prices and fees that you will pay on paid fares and award tickets and how these prices compare to other airlines. And finally, I will throw in some additional tips for visiting some of these places based on my own personal experience.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

List of Southwest Airlines international destinations

Aruba (AUA)
Belize City (BZE)
Cancun (CUN)
Cozumel (CZM)
Grand Cayman (GCM)
Havana (HAV)
Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)
Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)
Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
Nassau Bahamas (NAS)
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)
Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
Punta Cana (PUJ)
San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)

Best Southwest credit cards

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card comes with the following benefits:

No foreign transaction fees
6,000 anniversary points (learn more)
Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year
$99 Annual fee

Southwest Airlines Priority Card

The Southwest Airlines Priority Card comes with all of the benefits offered below:

Bonus spending:
- 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
- 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
$75 Southwest annual travel credit (learn more)
7,500 anniversary points each year
Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
$149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

Southwest Airlines international destinations map

Here is a map view of all of the international destinations currently served by Southwest Airlines. Although note that Mexico City is no longer a destination as of the end of March 2019.

A map of Southwest Airlines international destinations. — Southwest Airlines international destinations map.

If you want to play around with the different destinations and figure out which airports have direct flights to these you can do that here. ~~Simply hover over a given destination (the red dots) and you can see which airports offer flights there.~~

Update: Southwest changed their flight map tool so now if you want to view the nonstop flights to these international destinations, you need to switch to the list view and then select nonstop flights only.

One thing to keep in mind is that the routes below are definitely not daily served routes.

Some of these routes may only have one flight per week. If you want to view flight schedules and see exactly how many flights are between two destinations within a given week, I suggest that you check out this tool right here.

Simply input the two destinations and then click on the flight path between the two airports and you will be able to view the weekly schedule of flights as shown below.

Southwest international flight fees

If you are used to paying only five dollars in fees for your award tickets then you should note that you will be paying more for these international destinations.

The additional fees can vary but you might have to pay those lovely fees like tourism fees, airport fees, passenger service fees, the list goes on….

Sometimes the fees can be above $100 for a roundtrip but it just depends on where you are flying to.

Also, the amount of fees can depend on if you have a nonstop flight or not. So just be prepared for those fees and if you are relying on something like the Southwest Companion Pass be aware that you will have to pay those fees for both passengers.

Of course, these fees don’t only apply to Southwest. Other airlines will also require you to pay these fees.

Southwest international flight prices

Southwest is known for its Wanna Get Away fares which are some of the cheapest fares out there. However, when it comes to international flights some of the prices can still be pretty expensive.

I’ve provided comparison prices for the cheapest flights on other airlines below (for flights four months out) and you can see how wide the price difference can be. I was pretty surprised to find cheaper prices on legacy carriers for almost every destination.

Don’t get me wrong, you might be able to find certain flash deals or other good offers out there for certain destinations and times but many times you might be a little bit surprised to see how expensive Southwest can be, especially if you are not booking far out in advance.

The good news is that you still get your two free checked bags with Southwest on international flights so that can help offset the price difference.

A word about inventory…

A lot of flights to these top tourist destinations do sell out pretty quickly, or at least the best flights sell out pretty fast. So if you are planning on flying Southwest Airlines to one of these destinations then you really want to try to make your booking as soon as possible.

Many times waiting a month or two before your trip will leave you with very undesirable tickets (if any). And other times, you’ll need to jump on the seats as soon as they open up. You can always check here to see when Southwest will open its next inventory for flights.

Upgrading International flights

Whenever we fly to international destinations on Southwest Airlines, we usually upgrade to Business Select. The reason is that there are typically few Business Select passengers on board which means that it is easier for us to get some of the better seats with extra leg room or with only two seats in a row.

The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route.

You can read more about Southwest Business Select here.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Southwest international destinations

Note that due to coronavirus, many of these routes may not be currently serviced for the time being.

Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)

Los Cabos is one of the easiest Mexican destinations to get to on Southwest. There are quite a few different ways to get there including many different ways from California. Here are some of the current routes:

Austin, TX (AUS)
Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWII)
Chicago (Midway), IL (MDW)
Denver, CO (DEN)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)
Oakland, CA (OAK)
Orange County/Santa Ana, CA (SNA)
Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
Sacramento, CA (SMF)
San Diego, CA (SAN)

Price estimate:

Note that these prices could fluctuate a lot depending on the time of year and if you are able to capitalize on a flash deal.

Chicago (MDW) to Cabo (SJD): $628 roundtrip; 37,908 Rapid Rewards + $91 in award fees
Delta/Aeromexico: $564

Cabo is a stunning place with dry desert mountains that meet a deep blue ocean, creating a beautiful backdrop at every turn.

You can visit the more party centric Cabo San Lucas or you can head out to the more laid-back San Jose del Cabo. While swimming at the beach is in Cabo is generally not recommended (due to strong undercurrents) there are still a lot of things to do like great night life, adventurous activities, and some cool history to check out. It’s very different from Cancun but you can read my comparison of Cancun versus Cabo.

We stayed at the Hyatt Ziva in Cabo and loved the all-inclusive resort! Also, you can use your Priority Pass membership at Cabo’s airport for lounge access.

Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

Puerto Vallarta is a vacation hotspot with a lot to offer. You can look into adventurous activities like kayaking, scuba diving, whale watching, bungee jumping, and many more. They also have a charming downtown area that you can check out for some shopping and strolling.

Here are some of the current routes:

Denver, CO (DEN)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)
Orange County/Santa Ana, CA (SNA)
Phoenix, AX (PHX)

Price estimate:

Oakland (OAK) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR): $500 roundtrip; 28,002 Rapid Rewards + $84 in award fees
American: $419

Mexico City (no longer available)

Mexico City is being dropped from the flight map from Southwest in March 2019. However for those curious about which destination that it served you can still find a list of them below just in case this route ever comes back maybe some of those will be in service.

Los Angeles
Denver
Houston

Cancun (CUN)

Cancun is one of the busiest destinations for tourists and so it is no surprise to find many different Southwest flights heading there.

Here are some of the current routes:

Austin, TX (AUS)
Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
Chicago (Midway), IL (MDW)
Chicago (O’Hare-Terminal 5), IL (ORD)
Columbus, OH (CMH)
Denver, CO (DEN)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)
Indianapolis, IN (IND)
Kansas City, MO (MCI)
Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
Nashville, TN (BNA)
New Orleans, LA (MSY)
Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
San Antonio, TX (SAT)
St. Louis, MO (STL)

Price estimate:

Atlanta (ATL) to Cancun (CUN): $380 roundtrip; 19,266 Rapid Rewards + $87 in award fees
American: $303

If you are ever in Cancun in the summer you should think about going swimming with whale sharks. It is absolutely a breathtaking experience and you can read more about that here.

Cozumel (CZM)

Southwest will begin service to Cozumel in 2020. The only route that Southwest is currently showing is from Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU).

Belize City (BZE)

Denver, CO (DEN)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)

Price estimate:

Houston (HOU) to Belize (BZE): $624 roundtrip; 39,390 Rapid Rewards + $82 in award fees
Avianca: $552

When visiting Belize you should think about visiting the island of San Pedro. This is one of my favorite places to go in the Caribbean and it also is a great place for getting scuba certified. You’ll need to take a small puddle jumper or ferry over from the mainland to the island but it’s pretty easy to get there.

Havana (HAV)

Havana Cuba is one of the most attractive destinations ever since the embargo was lifted. However, if you were trying to get there via Southwest Airlines the options are still pretty limited.

Tampa, FL (TPA)

Price estimate:

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Havana (HAV): $222 roundtrip; 8,424 Rapid Rewards + $82 in award fees
JetBlue: $268

Nassau Bahamas (NAS)

The Bahamas is another destination that will usually require a connecting flight to get to on Southwest Airlines.

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)

Price estimate:

Baltimore (BWI) to Nassau (NAS): $649 roundtrip; 37,440 Rapid Rewards + $117 in award fees
American: $291

Grand Cayman (GCM)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)

Price estimate:

Houston (HOU) to Grand Cayman (GCM): $667 roundtrip; 41,208 Rapid Rewards + $95 in award fees
American: $455

Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
Chicago (Midway), IL (MDW)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)
Orlando, FL (MCO)
St. Louis, MO (STL)

Price estimate:

Orlando (MCO) to Montego Bay (MBJ): $561 roundtrip; 28,782 Rapid Rewards + $140 in award fees
Delta: $437

Jamaica is not regarded as one of the safest places so you do need to be careful when venturing to certain places on the island. However they do have some great resorts there especially in Montego Bay. We stayed at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall and it was a pretty fantastic stay at that all inclusive hotel.

There are a lot of things to do in Jamaica like the luminous lagoon so you can definitely stay occupied for a while but be careful when renting a car because the roads are a little bit crazy.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)

Price estimate:

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Turks and Caicos (PLS): $592 roundtrip; 35,724 Rapid Rewards + $91 in award fees

Punta Cana (PUJ)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)

Price estimate:

St. Louis (STL) to Punta Cana (PUJ): $869 roundtrip; 54,444 Rapid Rewards + $120 in award fees
Delta: $550

Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)
Denver, CO (DEN)
Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)

Price estimate:

Houston (HOU) to Liberia (LIR): $668 roundtrip; 42,978 Rapid Rewards + $75 in award fees
Delta: $596

San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Houston (Hobby), TX (HOU)

Price estimate:

Houston (HOU) to San Jose (SJO): $563 roundtrip; 34,398 Rapid Rewards + $70 in award fees
Delta: $447

Aruba (AUA)

Here are the current Southwest routes:

Baltimore/Washington, MD (BWI)

Price estimate:

Houston (HOU) to Aruba (AUA): $886 roundtrip; 58,500 Rapid Rewards + $90 in award fees
American: $491

Even with its crazy strong winds, Aruba is one of my favorite destinations in the Caribbean. It has a pretty decent lineup of hotels down there and we really liked the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. We were able to stay in one of their junior suites which features floor to ceiling glass walls and windows which offered some great views of the beach.

There are a lot of things that you can choose to do, but I would recommend looking into some of the ship (wreck) diving that they are known for. There are a lots of different wreck sites that you can choose from.

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino.

Southwest international destinations FAQ

What are the Southwest Airlines international destinations?

Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)
Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
Cancun (CUN)
Cozumel (CZM)
Belize City (BZE)
Havana (HAV)
Nassau Bahamas (NAS)
Grand Cayman (GCM)
Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)
Punta Cana (PUJ)
Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)
San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
Aruba (AUA)

How much are the Southwest international flight fees?

The fees can vary but might include: tourism fees, airport fees, passenger service fees, and security fees. Sometimes the fees can be above $100 for a roundtrip but it just depends on where you are flying to.

How much does it cost to upgrade a Southwest international flight?

The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route.

Where does Southwest fly to in Mexico?

Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)
Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
Cancun (CUN)
Cozumel (CZM)

Does Southwest fly to the Caribbean?

Southwest flies to many destinations in the Caribbean (and surrounding area) including destinations like:

Belize City (BZE)
Havana (HAV)
Nassau Bahamas (NAS)
Grand Cayman (GCM)
Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)
Aruba (AUA)

Final word

As you can see there are many different options for flying Southwest to international destinations. My advice would be to try to book as far in advance as possible and also be prepared to pay some higher fees when it comes to award tickets. Also, be open to exploring alternatives on other airlines which may be cheaper.

If you have any suggestions for these locations, let me know!

Daniel Gillaspia

Southwest vs JetBlue (Credit Cards, Policies, etc.) [2021]

Both Southwest and JetBlue are two of the most popular low cost carriers in United States. They both offer some low fares that you can take advantage of to various locations in the country (and abroad) but they also come with some additional features that set them apart from other airlines.

In this article I will take a look at different aspects of what these two airlines have to offer and compare them to each other. I’ll cover everything from credit cards and legroom to baggage fees and flight networks.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Credit cards

First, let’s take a look at the type of credit cards offered by these two airlines. We will start with Southwest.

Southwest credit cards

Southwest credit cards are issued by Chase and there are three different personal credit cards and two business credit cards. One way that Southwest immediately stands out with its credit cards is that they offer (mid-tier) premium cards (although JetBlue is rumored to be introducing some soon).

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
3,000 anniversary points
$69 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
No foreign transaction fees
6,000 anniversary points
Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year
Business version also available
$99 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Bonus spending:
- 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
- 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
$75 Southwest annual travel credit
7,500 anniversary points each year
Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
$149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card

9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
3 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases.
2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available
Inflight WiFi Credits
A-List credits
Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Fee Credit
Employee cards added at no additional cost
$199 Annual Fee

With Southwest, you can get both a personal and a business credit card and sometimes earn enough Rapid Rewards to earn the coveted Companion Pass.

The Companion Pass is special because it allows a companion to fly for free with you for up to two years. This applies even on award flights! It is one of the most valuable perks and should be considered by anybody who does a lot of flying domestically.

JetBlue credit cards

JetBlue has three credit cards issued by Barclays. The most popular airline card is probably the JetBlue Plus, which comes with the following features:

6X on JetBlue purchases
2X on Restaurants and grocery stores
Free first checked bag
TrueBlue Mosaic benefits for one year after you spend $50,000 or more on purchases annually with your card
5,000 points on account anniversary
10% rebate on points redemptions
50% savings on eligible inflight purchases including cocktails and food
$99 annual fee

Something worth noting is that, unlike Southwest, JetBlue does have an option for a no annual fee credit card. Your earning rate on JetBlue gets cut in half at only 3X and you lose some other benefits like the free checked bag, but if you are not a fan of paying an annual fee, JetBlue might be more appealing to your wallet.

And finally, the JetBlue cards may offer 0% introductory APR on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening.

My pick

Overall, I am a bigger fan of the Southwest credit cards because of the opportunity to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. If you time your Southwest credit card offers, you can earn the Companion Pass without ever having to fly a single flight on Southwest!

Still, the JetBlue Plus card has a lot of value to offer. I like its 5,000 points every anniversary, 10% rebate on points (which adds value to the sign-up bonus), and the ability to spend into elite status.

And while JetBlue points have not been worth quite as much as Rapid Rewards in my experience, the JetBlue Plus card offers better earnings on airline (JetBlue) travel purchases with 6X.

As far as credit scores needed for these airline cards they both require good to excellent credit. If your credit score is below 700 you probably want to focus on increasing your score and then applying for these cards at a later time.

Each bank also has its own specific rules about credit card eligibility and I would suggest you to use WalletFlo to help you navigate those rules.

Transfer partners

Both Southwest and JetBlue are transfer partners of Chase Ultimate Rewards. But JetBlue is also a transfer partner of the other programs including:

American Express (250 Amex points for every 200 points)
Capital One (2:1)
Citi (1:1).

Thus, there are more opportunities to transfer your points in to JetBlue and you could build up a JetBlue points balance up quicker.

Flight network

JetBlue serves a lot of flights out of New York, Boston, and Washington but in some other parts of the country, you’ll need to connect through one of those locations. For example, if I want to fly JetBlue out of Houston it is usually a very inefficient route to places outside of the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Southwest has many flights out of Chicago, Baltimore-Washington, Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, and other major cities.

I have found Southwest to be much easier to get around the country because they offer more flight options to a lot of destinations out of major cities. JetBlue will offer you a lot of options when traveling to or from the East Coast, but you can find plenty of flights just about anywhere with Southwest.

Keep this in mind, in 2017, Southwest transported 157,000,000 passengers compared to JetBlue’s 40,000,000. Thus, Southwest serves almost 4 times the amount of passengers as JetBlue, which isn’t surprising considering JetBlue’s fleet size is around 280 and Southwest’s is around 750.

When it comes to international flights, JetBlue has more destinations though both serve some very popular international destinations and you can read about Southwest international destinations here. Also, Southwest just started to fly routes to Hawaii.

Southwest route map
JetBlue route map

Punctuality

Southwest has better punctuality than JetBlue. They also have fewer cancellations. You have to attribute a lot of the delays and cancellations to geography but because you often have to route through the Northeast with JetBlue, that data is still relevant.

Although delays and cancellations may be more common, I do like JetBlue’s no overbooking policy.

Baggage fees

Southwest will allow you to fly with two free checked bags on every flight. This is a significant potential savings for many people and should always be factored into the flight price.

With JetBlue, you will have to pay for your first checked bag and here are the prices you can expect:

1st checked bag: $35
2nd checked bag: $45
3rd+ checked bag: $150

You can read more about the JetBlue baggage fees here.

Change fees

Southwest allows for free changes, which is a huge factor to consider when making a booking. Meanwhile, JetBlue will charge you fees depending on how expensive your fare was.

For example, for changes in cancellations to Blue and Blue Plus fares under $100, you would have to pay $75 per person plus difference in fare and for fares between $100 and $149.99, you would have to pay $100 per person plus difference in fare. The price continues to go up the more expensive the fare.

Update: As of June 8, 2021, JetBlue eliminated change and cancel fees for most fares, except Blue Basic.

The lack of baggage fees and change fees is what really distinguishes Southwest from JetBlue in my opinion. It sort of solidifies Southwest as more of a budget airline.

Travel funds

JetBlue does have a more generous policy when it comes to its travel credits. With JetBlue you can use them for other people. So if you have three other people traveling with you, you could book their flights with funds from your Travel Bank.

This is not the same as the travel credits for Southwest, which require you to use them for the passenger who received the credit. One workaround for those travel credits for Southwest is that you can convert them into LUV vouchers which can be used for other people although there is a fee associated with that conversion. You can read more about Southwest travel credits here.

Legroom

JetBlue is known for having great legroom in its aircraft. Below, you can see just how much legroom JetBlue has:

A320: 34″
A320: 32″
A321: 33″
A321: 32″
Embraer E-190: 32″

Now compare those results with Southwest.

Boeing 737-700: 31″
Boeing 737-800: 32-33″
Boeing 737 MAX 8: 32-33″

So in some cases the legroom is actually the same. However, since JetBlue flies the A320 for most routes and Southwest flies these 737-700 on most routes, you’ll usually get an extra inch or two of legroom with JetBlue. An extra inch or two may not sound like a whole lot but it can actually go pretty far when it comes to comfort. This is especially true if you are on the taller side.

Boarding

With Southwest there is an open boarding policy. This means that you do not have assigned seats and instead you find your seat as you board. It is not as chaotic as it sounds since you are given a boarding position at check-in and the process usually goes pretty smoothly in my experience.

With JetBlue, they have more of a traditional boarding process where you can reserve your seat. Some people despise the open boarding policy with Southwest, while others like me don’t mind it all. It all depends on how much assurance you need about your seat. You can always look into Southwest EarlyBird for help with securing a better seat with Southwest, though.

Business class

Southwest has something called Business Select but this is not a “true” business-class. I say that because there are no special seats with extra leg room in Southwest planes. But that doesn’t mean that you will not get any additional perks. If you purchase a Business Select ticket you can get the following benefits:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Standby

However, JetBlue has a real business class. In fact, it is arguably one of the best products for flying around the US, especially from a value perspective. This product is known as Mint and gets fantastic reviews. There are two different versions of Mint seats and one of them includes a suite. So if you truly value luxury and comfort, Southwest can’t compete with this. (It should be noted that this type of cabin is only available on select routes.)

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Elite status

Southwest A-List

Southwest has two levels of elite status.You can earn A-List If you meet the following requirements in a calendar year:

25 one-way qualifying flights OR
35,000 tier qualifying points

Here are the Southwest A-List benefits.

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
25% bonus earning (7.5X per dollar for Wanna Get Away fares)
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number

You can earn A-List Preferred if you meet the following requirements in a calendar year:

50 one-way qualifying flights OR
70,000 tier qualifying points

The benefits for A-list Preferred are extremely similar to the benefits for A-List.

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
100% bonus earning (12X per dollar for Wanna Get Away fares)
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number
Free in-flight wifi

JetBlue Mosaic

JetBlue only has one level of elite status and it is known as Mosaic. It can be earned by meeting the following requirements:

15,000 base flight points within a calendar year OR
Fly 30 segments plus 12,000 base flight points within a calendar year.

You will normally earn 3 base flight points for every dollar spent, so spending $5,000 will get you Mosaic. Here are all of the Mosaic benefits.

First and second bag free
Change and cancellation fees waived
15,000 bonus points upon qualifying for Mosaic
Expedited security line
Early boarding
Complimentary drinks
6 points per dollar if you book a Blue fare on jetblue.com

Some of the key Mosaic benefits like free baggage and no change fees are already provided by Southwest to non-elites so they don’t feel as valuable in the context of this comparison. I really like the 15K bonus for achieving Mosaic status but 7.5X per dollar for Wanna Get Away fares offers more value than 6X TrueBlue points on Blue fares.

It’s also nice that Southwest continues to reward frequent flyers with a second-tier of A-List, which allows for even higher earnings on flights of at least 12X. So to me, Southwest has the more rewarding program for frequent flyers.

In-flight entertainment

In-flight entertainment is going to be better on JetBlue. The reason is that they have built-in TV screens and planes more equipped with Wi-Fi (JetBlue is the only airline with free high-speed Wi-Fi at every seat).

With Southwest, there aren’t any TV screens and you have to bring your own device in order to stream in-flight entertainment. The internet connections are not always so great so streaming can be a frustrating experience.

Partners

JetBlue is partnered up with a lot of well-known international carriers. This gives it a distinct advantage because you can earn miles with a lot of different airlines including:

Aer Lingus
Aeroflot
Air China
Air India
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Avianca Airlines
Azul
British Airways
Brussels Airlines
Cape Air
Cathay Pacific

Southwest does not have a long list of partners so JetBlue easily wins this.

Southwest vs JetBlue FAQ

Who has the better credit cards?

Southwest has more credit card options than JetBlue and arguably better overall credit cards because of the opportunity to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

These cards include the:

– Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card

Which is the bigger airline?

In 2017, Southwest transported 157,000,000 passengers compared to JetBlue’s 40,000,000. Thus, Southwest serves almost 4 times the amount of passengers as JetBlue, which isn’t surprising considering JetBlue’s fleet size is around 280 and Southwest’s is around 750.

Which airline has cheaper baggage fees?

Southwest will allow you to fly with two free checked bags on every flight.

With JetBlue, you have to pay for your first checked bag and here are the prices:

1st checked bag: $35
2nd checked bag: $45
3rd+ checked bag: $150

Which airline has more legroom?

JetBlue has more legroom than Southwest. You typically will have 1 to 3 inches more of leg room with JetBlue.

Who has the better business class?

JetBlue has a true business class known as “Mint.” It’s one of the best business class cabins for a US airline and is superior to the Business Select experience offered by Southwest.

Final word

Overall, each airline has its strengths and weaknesses. I personally feel like Southwest has more value to offer for those looking to travel on a budget. With the potential savings of the Companion Pass and the two free checked bags and no change fees, there is a lot of potential to save. It is also very nice to have a much more expansive flight network which makes finding cheaper (and more convenient) flights easier.

JetBlue also has a lot of value to offer but they also have more of a premium experience with more legroom, better in-flight entertainment, and of course a true business-class product. My only major complaint is the smaller flight network which makes flying JetBlue very inconvenient out of some major cities.

Daniel Gillaspia

Southwest Vacations Guide: Does it Really Save you Money? [2021]

Are you looking for ways to save on your next vacation?

Well, if you travel Southwest Airlines then you might want to look into using “Southwest Vacations.” Southwest Vacations is a special portal where you can book packages such as flight and hotel or flight and rental car packages and save some serious cash.

However you may not always be saving money and so you want to know how to get the most out of this program.

Below, I will show you some real world examples that I found on this portal when researching and give you some insight into what types of packages might be the most worthwhile. I’ll also answer a lot of common questions about these packages.

What is Southwest Vacations?

Southwest Vacations is the leisure vacation package product for Southwest Airlines. They offer special travel packages that you can purchase to save money by bundling your bookings together, such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities.

The packages come in different forms but you can buy package deals for flights and hotels or flights and car rentals. You can also lump in activities and jump on special promo deals throughout the year to maximize savings.

Related: Tips for flying Southwest Airlines

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

How do you use Southwest Vacations?

Step one: Navigate to the Southwest Vacations website
Step Two: Choose the type of vacation package you’re interested in
Step Three: Enter your travel details
Step Four: Sort and locate your desired bookings
Step Five: Confirm your booking details
Step Six: Checkout

Navigate to Southwest Vacations

You can find a link to Southwest Vacations here.

Choose the type of vacation package you’re interested in

On the main Southwest Vacations homepage, you’ll be able to select the type of vacation package you are interested in by selecting one of three tabs.

Screenshot of menu showing different types of travel packages — Southwest offers different types of travel packages.

It’s possible to add on more to your package at the time of checkout. For example, you can add a rental car to a flight and hotel package or even add activities.

Enter your travel details

You’ll need to enter in your travel destinations as well as your planned departure and return dates. You can also select the specific details for your package such as the number of adults and rooms needed. Don’t forget that Southwest now travels to many international destinations.

Sort and locate your desired bookings

Once you have input your travel details, you’ll be able to sort through a lot of travel bookings.

If you are choosing a flight and hotel package, you will choose your hotel stay first and then your flights. If you are booking a flight and rental car, you will choose your flight first.

Using the panel on the left side, you can search and filter hotels by price, star rating, map location, amenities, experience, etc. You can also sort by price and/or rating.

If you are booking a rental car, you can filter by lots of different brands for rental car companies, such as Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and National. You can also filter by car type and class such as compact, fullsize, etc.

Confirm your booking details

Once you have selected your entire travel package, you will see a breakdown of all of your bookings before you make your payment.

This is an important page because it is where you can confirm the details of things like the hotel cancellation policy.

Screenshot of a hotel cancellation policy — Be sure to check your hotel cancellation policies before booking!

You can also add travel protections if needed.

Note that the terms make clear that flights may be nonrefundable and that your refund will be issued in the form of an airline credit for future travel. This is even the case if you purchase insurance for trips disrupted by hurricanes. (This is typical for a Wanna Get Away fare).

Personally, I rarely ever add these protections because I have such great travel protections with my credit cards.

Read up on Southwest travel funds here.

Checkout

Check out will be pretty straightforward but you do have the option to add on a few things. If you have not added a rental car or activities, you will have the chance to do that.

You can also choose to add Southwest EarlyBird which will allow you to automatically check in 36 hours prior to departure and give you a better boarding position. Southwest has a unique boarding policy and if you don’t know how it works you should read up on it here.

EarlyBird can be worth it to secure a better party position for some people.

And finally, there will be an option for a payment plan via Uplift.

At check out you simply select “Pay Monthly.”

But don’t jump on this payment plan too quickly.

When I reviewed the going interest rates they were at 15% APR, so they aren’t exactly among the best.

Personally, I would be very hesitant to go into debt at that interest-rate just for a vacation package.

It’s one thing to go into debt for something like medical expenses or starting up a business, but when you start going into debt for vacation packages like this I don’t think that that is often a good idea.

Plus, if you wanted to go into debt for a vacation package you could try to get approved for a 0% APR credit card and avoid paying interest on those expenses.

However, you can check your eligibility for the loan without impacting your credit score.

Related: Is Southwest a Good Airline?

Picture of the castle at Disney World. — Southwest Vacations is easy to use and can offer great deals.

Southwest Airlines flight and hotel packages

I was very curious about whether or not the Southwest Vacations packages for flights and hotels would be cheaper than simply booking these individually. So I tested out five random flights and hotel stays to get a sense of the price comparisons.

I made sure that the hotel cancellation policies were identical or at least very close to being identical since sometimes the exact same policy was not listed. However, where there were cancellation policy differences, those are noted.

Package #1

Details

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to McCarran International Airport (LAS) + The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Prices

Southwest flight and hotel packages: $799.81
Individual booking: $1,079.46 (Airfare: $591.92; Hotel: $487.54)

Package #2

Details

Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) + San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

Prices

Southwest flight and hotel packages: $1,174.41
Individual booking: $1,432.92 (Airfare: $850.40; Hotel: $582.52)

Package #3

Details

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) + Hyatt Regency San Francisco

Prices

Southwest flight and hotel packages: $750.46
Individual booking: $848.97 (Airfare: $395.92; Hotel: $453.05)

Package #4

Details

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) + Hilton Americas-Houston

Prices

Southwest flight and hotel packages: $688.82
Individual booking: $753.56 (Airfare: $411.92; Hotel: $341.64)

In this case, there was a cancellation deadline difference of three days.

Package #5

Details

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Orlando International Airport (MCO) + Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Prices

Southwest flight and hotel packages: $1023.02
Individual booking: $1077.42 (Airfare: $595.92; Hotel: $481.50)

In this case, there was a cancellation deadline difference of four days.

The results

Every vacation package that I tested came back cheaper than booking the airfare and hotel individually. So if you are trying to save money on your flights and hotel vacation packages, I think Southwest Vacations can be a smart way to book.

One thing I have not been able to verify is whether or not you can earn elite credits and utilize your elite benefits when staying at hotels booked through Southwest Vacations.

If I had to guess, I would say that these bookings are considered to be just like any other online travel agency. That would mean that you would not earn elite credits and that you would have to “fight” for your elite benefits.

If that is the case, then you will have to evaluate whether or not the savings will be worth the loss of benefits. If your hotel elite status would entitle you to breakfast and valuable upgrades then it may not be worth it.

But don’t forget to factor in special earning rates at certain hotels.

For example, Southwest in the summer of 2020 was offering a special promo where you could earn 600 Rapid Rewards points per room for every qualifying stay at Las Vegas M life MGM Resorts International Properties.

Typically, you should you should be able to see these additional earning rates when you are searching for your booking.

A picture of the cosmopolitan hotel suite in Las Vegas. — Flight and hotel packages can be well worth it.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Southwest flight and rental car packages

For the rental car packages, I once again chose five separate packages with random destinations. (To keep things consistent, I focused on Enterprise Rental Car.)

Once again, I compared the prices found on the vacation website to prices found for the identical flights on the main Southwest website and identical vehicles on the Enterprise website.

In most cases, booking rental cars on an individual basis was cheaper than Southwest Vacations. (And in some cases, it was way cheaper.) So personally, I would not be attracted to the Southwest flight + rental car packages.

Package #1

Details

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to McCarran International Airport (LAS) + Enterprise Rental Car

Prices

Southwest flight and rental car packages: $781.83
Individual booking: $705.64 (Airfare: $591.92; Car: $113.72)

Package #2

Details

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) + Enterprise Rental Car

Prices

Southwest flight and rental car packages: $928.17
Individual booking: $939.52 (Airfare: $591.92; Car: $347.60)

Package #3

Details

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) + Enterprise Rental Car

Prices

Southwest flight and rental car packages: $577.19
Individual booking: $481.08 (Airfare: $281.92; Car: $199.16)

Package #4

Details

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) + Enterprise Rental Car

Prices

Southwest flight and rental car packages: $802.02
Individual booking: $617.42 (Airfare: $437.92; Car: $179.50)

Package #5

Details

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) to San Diego International Airport (SAN) + Enterprise Rental Car

Prices

Southwest flight and rental car packages: $718.67
Individual booking: $627.84 (Airfare: $403.92; Car: $223.92)

Activities

I was curious to see how the prices for activities compared when booking through the Southwest Vacations website or through a third-party website like Viator.

So I found activities that were the same or virtually identical and priced them out against each other. Overall, it looks like booking activities through Southwest Vacations was more expensive on average.

Activity

Palm Pleasure Sunset Sail (AUA)

Prices

Southwest packages: $158
Individual booking: $123.98

Activity

Blue Man Group Show at Universal Orlando Resort Tier 1

Prices

Southwest packages: $150
Individual booking: $159.58

Activity

Swim with Whale Sharks from Cancun

Prices

Southwest packages: $449.96
Individual booking: $380

Activity

Turtle Snorkel Sail with Lunch Honolulu

Prices

Southwest packages: $282
Individual booking: $280.48

Activity

Sunset Dinner Cruise in Cabo San Lucas

Prices

Southwest packages: $214
Individual booking: $178

I would recommend booking activities separately or at least checking price comparisons.

You can often find special deals and promo codes for Southwest Vacations.

You really have to factor these in since Southwest Vacations can have more expensive prices for certain types of packages. On many occasions, these promotions can make up for that price difference and present a better deal.

These deals will vary throughout the year but here is an example of what you could find during Black Friday and Cyber Week 2018 with promo codes and daily deals.

Book a flight + hotel package to any destination we offer, and save up to $250 at the time of booking.

$125 off U.S. vacations with promo code SAVE125DOM*
$250 off international vacations with promo code SAVE250INT*

Here’s a look at another promo package that went out in 2020:

$125 off U.S. vacations (excluding Hawaii) with promo code 125DOM20.
$250 off international vacations with promo code 250INTL20.
$250 off Hawaii vacations with promo code 250HI20.

These deals will come with certain types of terms and conditions that limit travel to certain dates. For example, you are the limitations for the 2020 promo:

Book: 6/2/2020 – 6/22/2020 by 11:59 p.m. CT
Travel for U.S. vacations (excluding Hawaii): 6/3/2020 – 1/4/2021
Travel for international & Hawaii vacations: 7/1/2020 – 1/4/2021

Other times you can find special deals for certain destinations, such as Mexico or Las Vegas. Other popular destinations that often have deals are tourist hot spots in Florida like Disney World and Universal Studios. You can search for the current deals here.

Southwest Vacations FAQ

Can I cancel a Southwest Vacations package?

Yes, you can cancel a Southwest Vacations package but it may come at a cost. Flights may be refunded in the form of travel credits and hotel cancellations may result in fees if not canceled before the cancellation window which may be 24 to 48 hours or more prior to check out.

Can I make changes to my Southwest Vacations package?

Yes, you can make changes to your reservation. However, you cannot make changes to flights less than one day prior to departure. In order to make changes, it’s recommended to call the customer care center at 1-800-243-8372 during our regular operating hours.

Can I add activities to my Southwest Vacations package?

Yes, you can add activities to your vacation package even after you have made your booking. Simply call the customer care number to process your changes.

Can I use Southwest Rapid Rewards points to book a Southwest Vacations package?

No, unfortunately you cannot use your Southwest Rapid Rewards towards the purchase price of a vacation package.

Can I use Southwest travel funds on a Southwest Vacations package?

Yes, you can use Southwest travel funds on a Southwest Vacations package that includes air. Funds must be applied at time of initial booking by selecting “Southwest Travel Funds” as your payment type.

What is the Southwest Vacations Coronavirus policy?

Southwest Vacations put into effect a special policy that will automatically provide you with a travel credit if a government’s travel restriction that results in a flight or hotel cancellation. You should receive an email from Southwest Vacations with rebooking instructions.

You can try calling for more details but be prepared for a long wait times. You read more about the policy here.

What is the Southwest Vacations phone number?

The Southwest Vacations phone number is: 1-800-243-8372.

Final word

The Southwest Vacations deals are worth looking at but you need to make sure that you do some additional research.

You will often find great deals for flight plus hotel packages (especially when you can leverage promo codes), but when you start to throw in other things like rental cars you really need to be sure that you are getting the best deal, since on a couple of occasions Southwest did not offer the best price.

Also when it comes to booking activities, I would stick to booking those individually.

Daniel Gillaspia

Is Southwest a Good Airline? [2021]

Southwest Airlines is one of the most popular airlines in the US. But is that because of the cheaper fares or is Southwest actually a good airline? In this article, I’ll take a look at all of the major things people care about when evaluating an airline to give you a clear idea as to the benefit of flying Southwest.

Is Southwest a good airline?

Southwest is a “good airline” based on many of the factors travelers care about the most like on-time arrivals, service, baggage fees, etc. But every passenger is unique and values everything a little bit differently. Below, I’ll provide a breakdown of a lot of the reasons why Southwest would be considered a good airline by many and also some of the shortcomings. In the end, you will have to be the judge as to whether or not Southwest is a good airline in your eyes.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

On time arrivals

One of the most important factors for determining whether or not an airline is “good” is: does it actually get you to where you want to be on time?

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), which compares all of the major US airlines, Southwest was #5 in 2020 for on-time arrival percentage. Their on time arrival percentage was 85.98% and the top position — occupied by Hawaiian Airlines — was 87.5%. That means Southwest was not too far off from #1.

So while their ranking is seemingly in the middle of the pack, Southwest actually did quite well compared to the top performers.

There have been issues with cancellations and delays here and there but a lot of airlines have had logistical issues ever since the pandemic hit. Personally, I have flown Southwest a lot over the past 12 years and I’ve never had consistent issues with arriving on time.

Airlines on-time statistics — Southwest arrived on time nearly 86% of the time.

Skytrax

Not everybody is into Skytrax ratings but they do offer a comprehensive breakdown of pretty much everything you would care about related to airlines. They consider things like baggage delivery times, boarding efficiency, seat comfort, attention to cabin safety, the list goes on and on.

When it comes to Skytrax ratings, Southwest is the only major US airline to receive four stars. All of the legacy carriers received three stars. While the highest Skytrax rating is five stars I think it still says a lot that Southwest is the highest rated US airline.

Service

Southwest has consistently been voted as one of the top airlines for its customer service. This has held true in my personal experiences flying with Southwest.

Sure, if you fly with them enough you will run into some employees who aren’t the most friendly but that is going to happen with any large organization. But overall I have come to expect pleasant interactions with Southwest staff and flight attendants.

This is largely because Southwest is considered the best airline to work for. Flight attendants working for Southwest Airlines receive great pay and the company has built a great culture all around that is ultimately felt by passengers.

Baggage

Southwest is known for its generous baggage policy and it’s one of the major ways that it stands out above the competition.

With Southwest, you can fly with two bags for free. Every other US airline is going to charge you for your baggage with prices usually starting at $30 for your first bag and then jumping up to $40 for your second bag. This means that if you were to check two bags on a traditional airline, you could be shelling out $140 for a round-trip just on baggage fees alone!

So taking advantage of the lack of baggage fees on Southwest is a great way to save money and it’s something you should always consider when comparing prices with other airlines.

Also, despite being known as a budget airline, Southwest never charges for carry-on or personal items either.

Changes

Southwest allows you to make free changes to your flights. Now, a lot of the major US airlines also allow you to make free changes. But I still think it says a lot about Southwest that they have allowed you to do this for a long time.

Companion Pass

Another major way that Southwest stands out is with its Companion Pass benefit.

This benefit allows you to choose a companion that can fly for free with you on every flight for up to two calendar years.

Whether you pay with cash or with points, your companion can ride along for free and only has to pay for the fees which are extremely minimal on domestic flights.

And if you get sick of your companion you can even switch them out for someone else a few times!

To earn the Southwest Companion Pass by flying you’ll need to:

Complete 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year
Earn 125,000 Rapid Rewards points in one calendar year

The 125,000 Rapid Rewards points can easily be earned with the right credit cards which I will talk about next.

Credit Cards

The Southwest cards are issued by Chase. While they don’t allow you to get multiple personal Southwest credit cards, they do allow you to acquire a personal and a business credit card. This means that if you get approved for these cards when they offer large welcome bonuses you could earn enough points to get the coveted Companion Pass.

Below, I’ll talk about some of the details of the best Southwest credit cards.

Southwest Premier credit card

The Southwest Premier credit card will also offer you the following benefits:

2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
No foreign transaction fees
6,000 anniversary points

This is a decent airline card but it is not the card I would recommend if you are flying Southwest a lot. For frequent flyers I would recommend one of the cards below.

Southwest Priority card

The Southwest Priority card is the ultimate Southwest credit card. That is because it comes with some seriously valuable perks which include:

Bonus spending:
- 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
- 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
$75 Southwest annual travel credit
7,500 anniversary points each year
Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
$149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

This is a great card for people who frequently fly with Southwest since the credits and benefits allow you to easily offset the annual fee each year. You can read my full review of this card here.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card is another beast of a card and comes with the following features:

9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
3 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases.
2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available
Inflight WiFi Credits
A-List credits
Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Fee Credit
Employee cards added at no additional cost
$199 Annual Fee

Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!

Cheap fares

Southwest is known for offering flash sales with super cheap fares that you can sign-up for here.

The catch is that sometimes the cheapest fares are limited to specific days in the week and sometimes to less popular routes/destinations. But if the routes and dates line up for you, these sales can save you some serious cash.

The other side to this coin is that last-minute flights on Southwest can be pretty expensive. Usually whenever I compare the price of a last-minute Southwest flight to a legacy carrier like United, Southwest is more expensive (sometimes by a wide margin).

Extensive network

When it comes to passengers getting around, Southwest is one of the busiest US airlines. Take a look at the enplanements for 2020 and you’ll see that Southwest was ranked number two with 67.7 million!

If you were trying to get around the US, Southwest makes it very easy with so many different routes available.

International and Hawaii flights

Southwest is much more than just an airline that can get you around the US. They also can help you hop over to paradise in Hawaii and also to a number of international destinations. The prices to Hawaii on Southwest can be very reasonable so it can make your Hawaii vacation very doable.

And there is a nice list of international destinations that they serve which include:

Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)
Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
Cancun (CUN)
Cozumel (CZM)
Belize City (BZE)
Havana (HAV)
Nassau Bahamas (NAS)
Grand Cayman (GCM)
Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)
Punta Cana (PUJ)
Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)
San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
Aruba (AUA)

Simple elite system

Some frequent fliers enjoy figuring out the intricacies and complexities that come from airline loyalty programs. From regional upgrades to airline alliance lounge access, the policies and procedures can get pretty confusing for a lot of people but many are okay with that because the payoff is worth it.

But others prefer simplicity.

Southwest Airlines makes it really simple when it comes to earning elite status and figuring out your elite benefits.

There are only two levels to Southwest elite status and the levels are: A-List & A-List Preferred.

Here’s a look at the benefits for A-List.

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
25% bonus earning
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number

The benefits for A-list Preferred are extremely similar to the benefits for A-List but slightly upgraded.

Priority boarding
Priority security and check-in lanes
100% bonus earning
Free same day standby
Dedicated A-List phone number
Free in-flight wifi

No business class

One of the major knocks against Southwest Airlines is that they do not have a “true” first class or business class cabin. This means no special treatment or extra wide seats with only one seat next to you.

Essentially, everybody is on equal footing.

Southwest does have a type of fare called Business Select which offers the following benefits:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Standby

So you can get business class treatment (just mostly outside of the plane).

If you want extra legroom, there are some seats that have extra legroom and depending on the aircraft you may be able to find a row with only two seats so you can get a quasi-economy plus experience. But still, it is not the same as flying in a dedicated cabin at the front of the plane.

No assigned seats

Another drawback to Southwest is the boarding process. Personally, the boarding process does not bother me and we generally upgrade to Business Select so that we are at the front of it.

How the boarding process works is that you will be forced to check in 24 hours prior to your flight. At that time, you will be given a boarding position depending on when you check in.

Once you enter the plane it is first come, first serve so there are no assigned seats and you can claim anything you would like (unless you were not allowed in the emergency exit rows for some reason).

A lot of people don’t like that you have to check in 24 hours prior to takeoff because sometimes you might be busy during that time and not have access to a computer or Wi-Fi. The good news is that you can purchase Southwest EarlyBird which will check you in 36 hours prior to takeoff.

No seatback entertainment

Another knock which I have to agree with is that the Southwest is lacking in the in-flight entertainment department. You will not find a seatback TV on any Southwest flight. (Compare this to competitor JetBlue which has seatback screens on every flight.) You can still stream entertainment but not having the seatback screens in my opinion is a pretty big negative since the streaming is not always optimal.

Final word

By many measures, Southwest Airlines is objectively a good airline. They are timely, budget friendly in a few respects, offer an extensive network of flights with great service, and also have some amazing perks like the Companion Pass. They don’t offer the best experience to people seeking more premium in-flight amenities, though. So I think Southwest is good for many but definitely not perfect for everyone.

Daniel Gillaspia

$75 Southwest Priority Credit Guide [2021]

Travel credits are an easy and efficient way to cut down the annual fee of a credit card. The Southwest Priority Card offers a special $75 travel credit that can help accomplish the task of offsetting your fee to basically nothing.

But there are some rules and limitations that you need to know about with this credit, and in this article I will tell you everything you need to know.

What is the $75 Southwest Priority credit?

The $75 Southwest Priority credit is a special perk offered by the Southwest Priority Credit Card that you can use to cover the cost of Southwest tickets and fees but there are some exceptions.

Keep reading below to find out more!

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Southwest Priority Credit Card

First, here’s the entire rundown of highlights for the Southwest Priority Credit Card.

Bonus spending:
- 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
- 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
$75 Southwest annual travel credit
7,500 anniversary points each year
Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
$149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

The great thing about the $75 credit is that it is such an easy way to come out on top in value with his card.

The $149 annual fee can be offset a few different ways. Based on a Rapid Rewards valuation of 1.46 cents per point, the 7,500 anniversary points are worth ~$110.

When you add on the $75 travel credit, all of a sudden you’ve got $185 worth of value coming your way each year which is over $30 more than the annual fee!

And that is without factoring in other benefits like the upgraded boarding, savings on in-flight drinks, etc.

So for somebody who is truly interested in flying with Southwest Airlines, this card has an amazing long-term value proposition.

How to use the credit

The $75 travel credit will be automatically applied to your account after you use it. There is no need to register or to enroll.

The credit should appear on your statement as soon as you purchase posts according to the terms and conditions:

“Statement credit(s) will post to your account the same day your Southwest Airlines purchase posts to your account and will appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles.”

Be careful about cutting it close when it comes to using your credit at the end of the anniversary year.

That is because the credit will be issued for the year in which the transaction posts to your account.

So if you make a purchase on the last day of the anniversary year and that purchase does not post until a couple of days later, the purchase would be allocated towards the following year’s $75 credit.

Anniversary year

According to Chase, “Anniversary year means the year beginning with your account open date through the first statement date after your account open date anniversary, and the 12 monthly billing cycles after that each year.”

This means that if you opened up the card on June 1, 2021 and your 12th statement closed on June 20, 2022, your next credit should reset June 20, 2023.

If you have switched to the card then the account open date is going to be the date that the switch is official within the Chase system.

So let’s say you had the Southwest Plus card originally opened on June 1, 2019. But let’s say that you switched from the Southwest Plus card to the Priority Card on July 15, 2021.

That would mean that the renewal date for the credit is going to be July 15, 2022

If you are unclear on what your anniversary date is, my recommendation would be to call Chase.

Uses for the credits?

Below are different ways that you might think about using your credit. Some of these are permitted while others are not.

Upgrades

Upgraded boardings to Business Select are excluded in the terms and conditions. If you’re not familiar, Southwest does not have a true business class cabin. Instead, they have a type of “business” ticket that offers following perks:

Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Standby

While you cannot use your credit for upgraded boarding, the card does come with four upgraded boardings per year.

In-flight purchases

In-flight purchases are purchases like alcoholic beverages and Wi-Fi.

Keep in mind that Southwest will give you free snacks and drinks on many flights so there would be no need to use your credit in some cases.

Fees

When you use Rapid Rewards to book a Southwest flight, you will always be subject to fees. These fees can range from $5.60 all the way up to $100 or more if you are flying to certain international destinations.

There are multiple reports of people using their credit to cover these fees so it seems like a commonly accepted way to cash out on your credit.

Gift cards

Many people have had success using the credit on gift card purchases. Personally, I would recommend going with an e-gift card.

Using travel credits on gift cards is not always a guaranteed successful outcome so always be prepared for the possibility that your credit may not trigger after a gift card purchase.

Southwest EarlyBird

Southwest EarlyBird automatically checks you in 36 hours prior to your departure.

It is a great way to ensure that you will get a good seat, such as a window or aisle seat. However, it will not guarantee you a boarding position in the group a boarding.

According to multiple reports online, the credit can successfully be used for Southwest EarlyBird.

FAQs

Is the $75 credit issued on the calendar year or anniversary year?

The $75 credit is issued on an anniversary year basis.

Can you use the $75 credit on upgrades?

According to the terms and conditions, purchases made for upgraded boardings are excluded.

Can you use the $75 credit for Southwest EarlyBird?

Yes, many people have reported success when using the credit to cover a Southwest EarlyBird purchase.

Can you use the $75 credit for gift cards?

Yes, many people have had success using the credit for gift cards.

Final word

The Southwest Priority $75 travel credit is a great perk because it is easy to use and can be used on a wide variety of expenses that go even beyond airfare. Together with the other perks like the anniversary points and upgraded boarding passes, you can quickly offset the annual fee for this credit card.

Daniel Gillaspia

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