The Guide to Southwest Basic Fares

Southwest Basic fares are the cheapest of the four Southwest fare types — but should you book them? Sure, you’ll save money, but the tradeoffs in not getting all the perks that the more expensive fare classes offer might not necessarily be worth it.

Here’s everything you need to know about Southwest Basic fares, and how to decide if booking Southwest’s most affordable fare type is for you.

» Learn more: Why fly Southwest Airlines?

Southwest has four fare options:

1. Basic: The cheapest fare — and the one with the fewest benefits.

2. Wanna Get Away Plus: A slightly more expensive fare with a better Rapid Rewards earning rate.

3. Anytime: A fare that allows cash refunds, instead of travel funds.

4. Business Select: Southwest’s version of first class.

Although a Southwest Basic fare can be cheaper, this fare type may have some drawbacks. For example, Southwest Basic tickets aren’t refundable. Instead, they’re reusable because you'll receive a travel credit if you cancel your trip. These credits expire within six months from the date the fare was purchased and ticketed, which is also shorter than the 12-month window you get with other fares.

You'll also earn fewer Southwest Rapid Rewards points with this fare type (just two points per dollar spent, versus six with Wanna Get Away Plus.

Basic is the cheapest Southwest fare class. Here’s what you can expect when flying on a Basic ticket:

• You’ll earn 2 Rapid Rewards points per $1 spent on airfare, rather than the 6, 10 or 14 Rapid Rewards points you can earn on other Southwest fares. You'll accumulate much fewer Rapid Rewards points with this fare than you will with the others.

• You can cancel Basic tickets without penalty as long as you do so at least 10 minutes before the flight’s scheduled departure time, but you’ll get a flight credit instead of a refund. These credits expire within six months from the date the fare was purchased and ticketed.

• Basic ticketed passengers aren’t eligible for same-day change or same-day standby benefits. If your travel plans change, you won’t be offered a seat on another same-day flight, if available. You also won’t be able to get on a waitlist for a same-day standby flight. These perks are available to travelers with Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime and Business Select tickets.

• Changes aren't exactly free, as you'll need to upgrade the fare to Wanna Get Away Plus®, Anytime, or Business Select to be able to make the change. From there, you can change your flight up to 10 minutes before your flight’s scheduled departure time. Even still, you're responsible for any price differences for the new fare.

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

When you purchase Southwest’s Basic fare, you won’t receive a seat assignment. Unlike other U.S. airlines, Southwest has an unconventional boarding system. There’s no assigned seating, and you can’t choose your seat in advance. Instead, travelers select their seats after boarding the plane.

Southwest has said it'll get rid of this boarding system — likely sometime in 2026 — but for now, here's how it goes:

Your boarding group (A, B, C) and position (1-60) determine when you board the plane. Your boarding group and position are assigned at check-in, so the sooner you check in, the better position you get. You can check in for your flight starting 24 hours before departure time.

» Learn more: How to hack Southwest's boarding groups

If you don’t like the idea of getting on the plane later, you might purchase a Business Select fare. With Business Select, you’ll be guaranteed an A1 to A15 boarding position.

If Business Select is out of your budget, you might turn to Anytime, which gives you the slightly-less-good, but still useful, EarlyBird Check-In. With this, Southwest will automatically check you in 36 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure time.

Alternatively, you can buy EarlyBird Check-In separately for your Basic fare. Prices vary by flight but are typically $15-$25 per person. You also receive two EarlyBird Check-Ins each year as a benefit of holding the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.

When you search on the Southwest website, you'll see prices listed for all four fare types. You can view pricing in dollars or points. You can also use the search filters to find nonstop flights or flights at certain times of the day. Use the low-fare calendar to see the lowest available prices. Select the Basic fare option and complete the check-out process to buy your tickets.

» Learn more: How to rebook and save when Southwest prices drop

If you're a traveler who appreciates a good deal and doesn't need special perks, Basic fares may make sense for your travel style. They're often the best value because they still get you where you need to go at a lower price.

But, there are tradeoffs that you won't face with some pricier fare classes. Points earning is limited, you'll need to pay to check your bags and your flight just generally is not as flexible. The list goes on.

We compared Basic fares with the three other Southwest fare types to determine which is best:

Southwest Basic fare vs. Wanna Get Away Plus

Wanna Get Away Plus is one step above the Basic fare class. Here’s why Wanna Get Away Plus might turn out better for you:

Higher points earning: As a Rapid Rewards program member, you earn 2 points per dollar spent on your Basic ticket. Wanna Get Away Plus fares earn rewards at a higher rate of 6 points per dollar.

Transferable flight credit: Assuming you and your buddy are both Southwest Rapid Rewards program members, you can transfer your unused flight credit to another traveler for future use. If you don’t intend to fly Southwest again, this can be a helpful benefit.

Same-day confirmed changes and standby list: If there’s an open seat on a different flight on the same calendar day as your original flight (and it’s between the same cities), you can book a confirmed seat on the new flight at no additional cost — even if that flight is more expensive.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program

Southwest Basic fare vs. Anytime fares

Although Basic fares can be significantly cheaper than Anytime fares, remember that Basic tickets have some disadvantages. Here are the perks of paying for the higher-level ticket.

Higher points earning: As a Rapid Rewards program member, you earn 10 points per dollar spent on your Anytime ticket. Basic fares earn rewards at a lower rate of 2 points per dollar.

Get your money back in cash: Sure, Southwest is generous in allowing you to cancel your flight and receive the money back in the form of Southwest travel funds. But with Anytime fares, Southwest is even more generous. Assuming you cancel at least 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time, you’ll get a full refund back to your original form of payment.

That’s likely far more convenient than tying up your money to an account that can only be used for a future Southwest flight.

Get same-day changes and standby list access: If you want to fly on an earlier flight going to the same destination, you can get on a standby list at no extra cost. Meanwhile, Basic flyers must pay the fare difference for the privilege.

EarlyBird Check-In: For those of you who are anxious about checking in to your flight at the exact 24-hour mark in hopes of getting that coveted A boarding group (only to inevitably find you’re in a B or C boarding group), EarlyBird Check-In removes that stress. With EarlyBird Check-In, you’re automatically checked in to your flight 36 hours before the scheduled departure (assuming you also bought the fare at least 36 hours in advance). For the folks with Basic fares, go ahead and accept that C or D boarding group.

Priority and Express Lane access: If your airport offers it, Anytime customers can access special lines at check-in and security lines. Priority Lanes mean you can skip the line to check bags or speak to an agent at Southwest check-in counters. Meanwhile, Express Lanes whisk you through security checkpoints.

Southwest Basic fare vs. Southwest Business Select

Southwest Business Select is Southwest’s most expensive fare type. Though there’s no such thing as a business class cabin on Southwest, this fare is most akin to business or first class. Here’s what you’ll get when booking Business Select versus Basic.

Higher points earning: Business Select fares receive a hefty 14 points per dollar spent on Southwest.

Going back to the example of spending $100 with Southwest, and accepting NerdWallet’s valuation of a Southwest point at 1.3 cents, you’d earn about $21 if that money went to buy a Business Select fare (as opposed to less than $3 on the Basic fare).

The best boarding position: Business Select fares guaranteed a priority boarding position between A1 and A15. This boarding position gives you the best possible chance of getting that front, window seat (or whichever seat you love most) because of the airline's open seating policy.

A premium drink: If the free Sprite or Diet Coke isn’t good enough for you, turn to Business Select, which will offer you a free premium beverage (assuming your flight is at least 175 miles).

Southwest Basic is the cheapest fare, but if you are trying to earn Rapid Rewards points (say, for Southwest's A-List elite status or a Companion Pass), it might not be the most efficient way to earn points.

Wanna Get Away Plus

Perhaps the toughest decision you’ll make when booking a Basic fare is whether to upgrade to Plus.

The big difference is that — should you cancel — you can transfer your flight credits to someone else and you can make same-day changes if you purchase the Plus fare. If you might not fly Southwest again in your life and there’s a chance you’ll need to cancel your flight, then Plus is easily worth it to give your ticket’s value to someone else.

And if you want the flexibility to fly out early (say, you’re on a business trip but you’re not sure how early your meetings will end), then you might be able to get home sooner with no extra cost. For those folks, opt for Wanna Get Away Plus.

Anytime

Considering you can buy EarlyBird Check-In separately as well, it might be better to just go a la carte. You can also get two EarlyBird Check-Ins each year when you hold the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.

Unless you really value the ability to get a refund in cash versus Southwest travel funds (say, this is your only Southwest flight you ever intend to take, and there’s a high likelihood you’ll cancel it anyway), skip Anytime. The price different and points earning difference isn't significant enough.

Business Select

The extra earnings can be worth the extra cost — but that's assuming you value the points like we do (and like collecting Rapid Rewards points to begin with).

You will get nice benefits like an automatic spot in the A1 through A15 boarding group and an adult beverage.