Southwest’s New Fares: Cardholders and Elites Win, Others Pay

Southwest Airlines is ditching simplicity and quickly becoming like other airlines. The carrier just announced the introduction of rebranded fare classes to go with its new preferred seating options. For most flyers, these changes mean that you’ll soon have to pay more if you want to choose your own seat, a departure from the airline’s open seating policy.

But it also added new benefits for Southwest cardholders and Rapid Reward elites, protecting its most loyal flyers from some of the negative impacts of these shifts.

These new fare classes and loyalty benefits, announced April 28, 2025, are part of a larger brand overhaul. Earlier, the airline shared plans to eliminate free checked bags and introduce dynamic award pricing.

While an exact date was not provided for the launch of the new fare classes, the airline said the changes will take effect once assigned seating becomes available for booking in the third quarter of 2025.

Southwest is replacing its uniform cabin layout and all-economy seating chart with preferred seating, which you can book with its rebranded higher-tier fare classes. The new seat options include:

• Standard seats with standard legroom located near the back of the plane.

• Preferred seats with standard legroom located between the middle and front of the plane.

• Extra legroom seats with five extra inches of seat pitch located near the front of the plane and in exit rows.

Southwest previously introduced the Basic fare class, which replaced Wanna Get Away fares. Now, the remaining fare classes are being rebranded, too. Here’s a look at how they compare to the old options, and which type of seat each fare gets you:

• Choice fares will replace Wanna Get Away Plus and lets passengers book a standard seat at booking.

• Choice Preferred fares will replace Anytime and lets passengers book a preferred or standard seat at booking.

• Choice Extra fares will replace Business Select and lets passengers book an extra legroom, preferred or standard seat at booking.

For most flyers, the new seating and fare options aren’t great news. Standard seats on the carrier’s larger aircraft will now have a seat pitch of just 31 inches, instead of 32 inches. (Seat pitch refers to the distance between an airplane seat and the seat in front of it.)

If you’re booking a Basic fare and don’t have elite status or a Southwest card, you won’t receive a seat selection until check-in. Even though you might be paying about the same fares as before, you could get stuck with a middle seat and no overhead bin space. However, unlike the basic economy fares from other airlines, Southwest Basic still permits free personal and carry-on items.

Other than seat selection, the benefits that come with the new fare classes remain unchanged. It is unclear whether you can pay to upgrade to a preferred or extra legroom seat when you book a lower-class fare. NerdWallet requested clarification from Southwest but has not yet received a response.

For most Southwest passengers, these recent changes are negative. But because the airline also added some new perks, elites in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program and Southwest cardholders won’t be as heavily impacted.

Elites will see the following new benefits:

• A-List members will receive one free checked bag and access to preferred seats at booking. They can also upgrade to an extra legroom seat (if available) 48 hours prior to departure.

• A-List Preferred elites will receive two free checked bags and access to extra legroom and preferred seats at booking, in addition to free in-flight internet.

These perks apply to the elite member and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation.

With these changes, Southwest cardholders also come out ahead. Starting May 28, 2025, all Southwest cardholders will get one free checked bag, priority boarding and a new preferred seating benefit once the airline transitions away from open seating.

These perks apply to the primary cardmember and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation.

Of these cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card now offers frequent Southwest travelers the best value. Its $149 annual fee is higher than other Southwest consumer cards, but it comes with an annual $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500 Rapid Rewards points while now allowing holders to access priority seating, even on the lowest fare classes.

Simplicity was the cornerstone of the “old” Southwest. You booked a ticket, checked in 24 hours before your flight and got to select whatever seat you wanted. But in a push for profitability, Southwest has copied other airlines by introducing basic economy and bundled fares. In doing so, the airline has ditched what made it worth flying while transforming into just another way to get between two places.

But loyalty can still help you avoid the worst of the changes. Similar to other airlines, having elite status or holding a Southwest credit card is now the easiest way to get free seat assignments and a free checked bag. Those benefits apply to up to eight passengers on a reservation made by the elite member or primary cardholder.

The information related to Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Business Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.