Southwest Airlines Fare Classes: What You Need to Know
Choosing a Southwest fare depends on your travel style and rewards goals.
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Updated · 4 min read
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Contributing Editor Southwest Airlines stopped offering open seating, and now your fare type matters more 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
What are the different Southwest Airlines fare types?
There are four fare classes on Southwest flights:
- Choice Extra.
- Choice Preferred.
- Choice.
- Basic.
Here’s an overview of what each ticket type entails.
| Benefit | Choice Extra | Choice Preferred | Choice | Basic |
| Refundability | Refundable. | Refundable. | Non refundable. Transferable Flight Credit valid for 12 months from the original ticketing date. | Nonrefundable. Non-transferable flight credit valid for six months from the original date of ticketing. |
| Early boarding | Group 1-2 boarding. | Group 3-5 boarding. | General boarding. | Last to board. |
| Same-day change and standby | Free same-day confirmed change. | Free same-day confirmed change. | Free same-day confirmed change. | Flight changes allowed with fare upgrade. |
| Seat type | Extra Legroom, Preferred or Standard (choose at booking). | Preferred or Standard (choose at booking). Extra Legroom for purchase. | Standard (choose at booking). Extra Legroom and Preferred seat for purchase, if available. | Standard (assigned at check-in), Extra Legroom and Preferred seat for purchase, if available. |
| Checked bags | Two free checked bags included. | Pay for checked bags. | Pay for checked bags. | Pay for checked bags. |
| In-flight perks | Complimentary premium drink and free in-flight internet. | N/A. | N/A. | N/A. |
| Points earnings | Earn 14 Rapid Rewards points per dollar per qualifying flight. | Earn 10 Rapid Rewards points per dollar per qualifying flight. | Earn 6 Rapid Rewards points per dollar per qualifying flight. | Earn 2 Rapid Rewards points per dollar per qualifying flight. |
| Other | All the benefits of Choice Preferred. | All the benefits of Choice. | N/A. | N/A. |
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.
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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.
Choice Extra
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.
- Group 1-2 boarding.
- Enjoy a free premium drink like beer or wine on flights that are at least 251 miles.
- 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.
Choice Preferred
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.
- Group 3-5 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; Extra Legroom seat for purchase, if available.
- 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.
Choice
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.
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 check-in.
Which of these Southwest ticket types is right for you?
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 6 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 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 fare is worth it. But the points alone are not worth enough to make up for the higher cost of the Choice Extra fare.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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