Southwest Airlines Fare Classes: What You Need to Know

Southwest Airlines is phasing out open seating, and now your fare type makes a bigger difference than ever. The type of fare you book not only affects the cost of your ticket, but also other factors like the type of seat you can select, how many free checked bags you can get and how you get refunds or flight credits if you change your flight.

Here’s everything you need to know about Southwest fare types, how they’re different and what to expect with each.

» Learn more: Your guide to booking award flights on Southwest

There are four fare classes on Southwest flights:

• Choice Extra (formerly known as Business Select).

• Choice Preferred (formerly known as Anytime).

• Choice (formerly known as Wanna Get Away Plus).

• Basic.

Here’s an overview of what each ticket type entails.

All ticket types come with additional benefits:

• No change fees if you need to switch flights (though you may have to pay the difference in fare depending on status and purchased fare type).

• No cancel fees as long as you cancel more than 10 minutes before scheduled takeoff.

That said, you shouldn’t think of Southwest Airlines fares like you do fare classes on other airlines. For starters, there is no first or business class on Southwest flights, so the upgrades are only to extra legroom seats.

This is the most expensive fare class that Southwest offers, but it comes with the most benefits and flexibility regarding flight changes and cancellations.

• Tickets are fully refundable, meaning you’ll get refunded to your original form of payment (not just a flight credit) as long as you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to take off.

• Two free checked bags.

• Extra legroom seats that you can choose during booking.

• Get automatic access to priority boarding in group A1-A15 on flights departing on or before Jan. 26, 2026, meaning you’ll be one of the first to board and select where you want to sit. Starting Jan. 27, 2025, you'll get early boarding.

• Enjoy a free premium drink like beer or wine on flights that are at least 176 miles.

• Get access to free in-flight internet, which is typically offered for an additional fee.

• Earn 14 Rapid Rewards points per dollar, the most of any fare class.

• Plus score all the benefits of Choice Preferred fares like access to priority and express lanes for faster check-in and security.

The next highest fare class is Choice Preferred, which still offers a fair amount of flexibility and point-earning potential, but at a slightly lower cost.

• Tickets are fully refundable, meaning you’ll get a refund to your original form of payment as long as you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to takeoff.

• EarlyBird Check-In on flights departing on or before Jan. 26, 2026, which means you’ll get automatically checked in 36 hours before takeoff. That means you'll have a better shot at an earlier boarding position, so you can be one of the first to claim a seat and coveted overhead bin space. EarlyBird check-in generally costs $15 to $99 each way per customer. Starting Jan. 27, Choice Preferred will get Early General boarding.

• Access to Priority and Express Lanes (if available) so you can check in and even get through security faster.

• Preferred or Standard seats that you can choose on booking.

• Earn 10 Rapid Rewards points per dollar on your flight.

• Plus score all the benefits of Choice fares like a transferable flight credit and free same-day changes.

For those who want to save some cash but are looking to earn a few more points per dollar spent on airfare, there’s Choice.

• Fares are nonrefundable, but you will still receive a Southwest flight credit for the amount you paid if you cancel your travel plans. This flight credit is able to be transferred to another Rapid Rewards member and it expires 12 months from the original date the ticket was issued.

• The option to take advantage of free same-day confirmed flight changes if you need to switch your flight last minute (though taxes and fees may cost extra).

• General boarding.

• Select Standard seats at booking.

• Free same-day standby and same-day changes.

• Earn 6 Rapid Rewards points per dollar.

• Plus get all the benefits of Basic.

This is Southwest’s base fare and the most affordable option for those looking for a no-frills booking.

• Tickets are nonrefundable, but you will receive a flight credit if you cancel your travel plans. This credit is nontransferable and it expires six months from the original date the ticket was issued.

• Earn 2 Rapid Rewards points per dollar.

• A Standard seat will be assigned at booking.

Naturally, which of the Southwest fares you should choose depends on how you like to travel and what kinds of point-earning potential you want. After all, the higher the fare class, the more Rapid Rewards points you’ll earn, which is compounded by the fact that you’ll also be spending more on the fare itself.

For example, a Choice flight from San Diego to Dallas might cost $204. At six points per dollar, that means you’ll net 1,224 Rapid Rewards points. But a Choice Extra fare for the same flight costs $334 and scores you 12 points per dollar, resulting in a whopping 4,008 points.

According to NerdWallet valuations, Southwest Rapid Rewards are worth 1.3 cents each. Based on that valuation, 4,008 points are worth $52 and 1,224 points are worth $16. So, you would pay an extra $130 out-of-pocket to net $36 in extra value from the additional points earned.

If you are trying to qualify for Southwest's elite status, then buying the higher ticket is worth it. But the points alone are not worth enough to make up for the higher cost of the Choice Extra fare.