There are different ways for you to improve your boarding position when flying with Southwest. You can pay for Early Bird which checks you in before the 24-hour mark, thereby getting you ahead of the rest of the passengers. If you’re a frequent flyer, you’ll get A-List, which checks you in 36 hours before the flight, 12 hours before those with Early Bird.
But there was a way to get one of the coveted A1-A15 boarding slots if you knew a little-known Southwest offering called Upgraded Boarding. If there were still spots in the first 15 positions (which are for those who purchase Business Select fares) when you got to the airport, Southwest would sell the spots for a reasonable upcharge. Even better was that the Southwest Priority co-brand credit card reimbursed the fee for four Upgraded Boarding fees per year.
We’ve used this trick several times to score great seats and it became one of my favorite airline hacks.
Imagine my disappointment when I read that Southwest was going to let passengers buy Upgraded Boarding spots during check-in, from 24 hours to 30 minutes before the flight.
When available, Upgraded Boarding can easily be added to a reservation when checking in for a flight via the Southwest® app or Southwest.com®.
Open the Southwest app and select the “Check-In” icon at the bottom of the screen. Enter the confirmation number and verify the flight information displayed is correct. When available, the Upgraded Boarding position option is located below “View Boarding Pass.” Once selected and as available, Upgraded Boarding can be added to one or more flight segments in the itinerary.
On Southwest.com, navigate to the “Check-In” window and enter the confirmation number. The Upgraded Boarding option is displayed below the flight’s itinerary.
NOTE: Upgraded Boarding can only be purchased within 24 hours of the flight’s departure time depending on availability. Upgraded Boarding sales will end 30 minutes before departure.
I was curious to see if passengers would pay for a better boarding position now that the option was more mainstream. Much to my disappointment, it looks like many of them are.
When I checked in for my flight at 24 hours, I received a mid-B group spot (since I didn’t purchase Early Bird). On the final screen, I got the up-sell for Upgraded Boarding. 
I was curious to see how much they were charging for the 90-minute flight from Atlanta to Orlando. I could have upgraded for $40, which is an average price.
I didn’t pay because I figured I’d save my credits for a flight when I needed a better boarding spot. I did check the next morning before the flight to see if there were any spots left.
There was still a button to pay for Upgraded Boarding but when I tapped it I got an error message saying there were no more spots available.
For comparison, I’ve only had one flight where all of the spots were sold out when you needed to check in at the airport counter.
Good for Southwest that they’re now going to be able to sell more Upgraded Boarding spots. That doesn’t mean that I’m a little peeved that they took an IYKYK trick and turned it into a mainstream offering.
I’ll just need to decide right away, when checking in, if I’m happy with my boarding position. If not, I’ll buy the Upgraded Boarding spot before I’m done checking in.
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21 comments
It’s just Southwest man. It’s gonna be ok
The entire Southwest boarding process sucks! I still fly them but what a joy when I get to fly Delta!
No it doesn’t. I always ask the people in line what number they are so I can be in the right spot. Some people do not follow the rules and screw it up for everyone.
Not true. Southwest have always offered this option.
The online early purchase is new
He don’t nt know what he taking about
I have MS and can’t stand long. Either waiting to get on, or off. They graciously allow me to preboard. That way I can sit somewhere near the front. Not all airlines will do this without “proof” even for assigned seats.
It seems most of our flights in the past would typically have fewer than 5 BS slots filled. This was great for an A-lister who might be assigned A-18 – you seem to be #18 to board but because A-3 through A-15 aren’t filled, you’re really #5. So this change is another negative for frequent flyers. But good for Southwest for figuring out how to monetize it further!
You clearly haven’t flown much on WN. We’ve been companion pass flyers for the past 5 years and I can think of one flight over that time that had buy up boarding left when boarding started. It was never a viable option for me to buy up because I didn’t want to get to the airport early enough to have a shot at one. At least now I can get a spot.
I think his point was the new Southwest Program now allows you to buy the A1-15 spot from your phone 24 hour prior to the flight so those spots are getting used more now.
Only rarely have I opted to pay for early boarding, usually when I’m unsure of my availabilty 24 hours before flying. However last time I did I still got B25. Beginning to wonder if it is worth it or even legit.
Anything for another buck
$40 to get the seat you were going to have anyway? This is like paying to stand up as soon as the plane gets to the gate thinking it will get you off the plane faster
But, isn’t the priority card reimbursement limited to purchasing at the gate counter?
Who wants to be first on the plane anyways. Why maximize your time in there
I checked into that today and they told me it would cost 478 Dollars per person to upgrade from Seattle to Chicago. No thanks for almost $1000 I keep my B3 seat.
Are you sure you weren’t seeing the price to upgrade to business select? Southwest has offered that in-app for a while. The Upgraded Boarding is only offered within 24 hours.
All you have to do is CLAIM a disability. They legally can’t ask what it is, but you can then board before any “A” seats with those needing extra time or special needs. Watched 21 people board before me (with an A5 boarding assignment) claiming a need for extra time or a disability. Sitting behind one if them in the flight, I had twisted to her BRAG about her scam of the system. I asked customer service, and they said it’s a federal law that they can’t question a claim of medical or special needs
That was going to be my comment. We paid for business select, we’re A1 and 30+ people boarded in each direction before us. I wonder how many people will be paying the upgrade when they realize how many people are scamming. They need to come up with something to stop this, maybe a handicap car sticker. It’s amazing, I don’t know how those people can honestly stand in line without being embarrassed.
What happened to nonstop flights to PHL/MCO and reverse???
Well they diluted it when they give away a package of them annually with their credit cards so what did you expect?