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The Guide to Southwest Wi-Fi
You can get in-flight entertainment and messaging for free. Additional Wi-Fi access costs $8 per device, per flight.
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Updated · 2 min read
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After spending seven years in the U.S. Air Force as an Arabic linguist, Carissa is now a freelance writer using points and miles to fund a four-year (and counting!) adventure. She previously worked as a reporter for The Points Guy. Her writing has since been featured in numerous publications, including Forbes, Business Insider, and The Balance. When she's not flying, you'll usually find her in a Priority Pass lounge somewhere, sipping tea and cursing slow Wi-Fi.
Chris Burkhardt is a former freelance editor for NerdWallet, helping with travel and credit card related content. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Chris has been a writer, editor, videographer and more in his 10 years as a journalist. Prior to joining the NerdWallet team in 2021, Chris was a digital media producer for NBC Sports — where his numerous trips around the country covering major sporting events helped his understanding of the travel world.
When not editing articles for NerdWallet, Chris can be heard hosting sports talk radio on iHeart Radio’s Rip City Radio 620 or running the digital content for the Oregon School Activities Association.
Benjamin Din is a lead travel writer at NerdWallet. He previously was a technology reporter at Politico, where he authored a daily newsletter covering tech and telecom policy.
Benjamin loves to travel — both for work and for fun. He’s reported from three continents and visited more than 45 countries. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and The (Johannesburg) Star, as well as covered two Olympics with NBC Sports.
His goal is to visit a new country and a new state each year.
Published in
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NerdWallet. The information has been collected by NerdWallet and has not
been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.
Southwest Airlines has joined the airline industry's free Wi-Fi trend, offering its Rapid Rewards members some positive news following months of dramatic changes to its business model.
As of Oct. 24, 2025, all Rapid Rewards members now have complimentary access to unlimited onboard Wi-Fi. The offering is in partnership with T-Mobile, although you don't need to be a T-Mobile customer to gain access.
If you don't have a Rapid Rewards account, you'll still need to pay for Wi-Fi.
Here's a look at Southwest Wi-Fi, its costs and the different entertainment options you can expect on flights.
Does Southwest have Wi-Fi?
Southwest offers Wi-Fi on its flights, but the speed and connectivity will vary based on the aircraft you're flying, the type of internet service it provides and where you're going.
Most Southwest flights feature some form of Wi-Fi. There’s more than one reason for this; as an airline, Southwest wants to remain competitive with its peers. However, Southwest also operates an all-economy class fleet that doesn't feature seatback entertainment.
This means that if you want to watch movies on board (that you haven’t already downloaded to your device) you’ll need to connect to Southwest’s Wi-Fi system to access its entertainment options.
Rapid Rewards members have access to free Wi-Fi on Southwest flights. Passengers can sign up for a Rapid Rewards account before or during their flight.
However, if you don't want to sign up for an account, you'll need to pay. Wi-Fi costs on Southwest depend on your needs. Several online activities can be accessed without paying out of pocket, including:
Live TV.
On-demand entertainment.
Music via iHeartRadio.
While Southwest previously offered iMessaging and WhatsApp for free, you now need to connect to the free Wi-Fi as a Rapid Rewards member or purchase Wi-Fi access to use messaging.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Southwest charges $8 per device, per individual flight. So if you have two legs with a layover, you'll have to pay $16 to remain connected on both.
To make sure the in-flight Wi-Fi remains stable, Southwest automatically blocks high-bandwidth applications such as Netflix, HBO Max, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Southwest is my go-to domestic airline. Free cancellations and no change fees have saved me a boatload of money over the years. I can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Southwest, allowing me to offset the cost of the flight. If you keep an eye on flight deals offered by Southwest, you can cancel your flight for free and rebook at the lower fare. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to check in 24 hours before your flight to secure an early boarding number.
Craig Joseph
Lead Travel Writer
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
I don't like flying Southwest because I find the experience to be stressful, mainly due to the open seating policy. You have to check in right when it opens to get a good boarding position. Then, while boarding, you have to avoid eye contact with people and hope they don't sit next to you. However, I will say that it is very simple to cancel flights with Southwest, which is great if you have flexible travel plans.
Benjamin Din
Lead Writer
Wi-Fi comparison across U.S. airlines
In our most recent analysis of the best onboard Wi-Fi services, we ranked the major U.S. airlines on various factors, including cost, availability and whether there were discounts for co-branded card holders or elite members. Here's how the results stacked up:
If you want Wi-Fi on your Southwest flight
Whether you’re a leisure traveler or a business mogul on the go, having Wi-Fi during your flight can be a huge boon. Southwest offers free Wi-Fi on its flights, as long as you're a Rapid Rewards member. It's free to sign up and you can do it before your flight or while you're in the air.
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