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No Southwest Airlines Status? No Worries With this Workaround

July 13, 2023 by Payton Turner 2 Comments

a blue airplane on a tarmac

Nonstop Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Nonstop Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. This post may contain affiliate links; please read our advertiser disclosure for more information

Having airline status is excellent, with perks often, such as seat upgrades and lounge access. Some fliers, including myself, have or will go out of their way to qualify for these ‘exclusive’ tiers. After years of requalifying for Southwest A-List status, we let the status expire at the end of last year. However, it does not matter that we have no Southwest Airlines Status. Here’s why:

Southwest Airlines Status Perks

Southwest Airlines has two status tiers (a third if you include the elusive Companion Pass, but that is a tier of its own): A-List and A-List Prefered. As Southwest is fundamentally more straightforward than its legacy carrier counterparts, its status and perks are also simple. 

A-List status requires flying on 25 Southwest flights or earning 35,000 qualifying tier points, while A-List Preferred requires 50 flights or 70,000 tier qualifying points. Both offer priority lines and express lanes, reducing waiting time in lines at the airport. In addition, both offer free same-day changes and standby. The main difference between these two tiers to me is that A-List Prefered includes free wifi on Southwest flights and 100% bonus points, rather than the 25% with A-List. 

Finally, the most significant perk of Southwest’s status, with either tier, is that it includes priority boarding for flights. If you have ever flown Southwest, you know of their unique boarding style without any assigned seats, instead being first come, first serve. Hence, boarding early is essential, and both forms of A-List essentially guarantee an A-boarding group (funny how that works, isn’t it). 

an airplane wing and the sun

Southwest Status Workaround

Giving up our A-List status meant we would have to board the plane in a later group, making it harder to sit together as a family. It also meant that we would need to check in the minute it hit 24 hours in advance to get the best boarding group. 

Luckily, one credit card perk alone allowed us to work around this issue. The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card has four free A1-15 boardings per year. This is even better than the typical A30 or so that we received with A-List status. All you need to do is tell the gate agent you would like to pay to upgrade your boarding group. If an upgrade is available, charge (typically about $40) it to this Southwest credit card, which will be reimbursed. Other cards come with perks such as free EarlyBird Check-In, however, this guaranteed upgrade will almost definitely get you a higher group.

an airplane wing in the air

Other status perks are less beneficial to us personally than priority lines in the airport, if they exist, and are often slower than using TSA PreCheck and Clear. Further, because Southwest offers two free checked bags to everyone, the status will not help with bags. 

The Last Point

We abandoned our chase for Southwest A-List status thanks to the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. The four annual upgrades cover two round-trip tickets, often enough to cover our travel habits with Southwest. With this perk, we are able to have no Southwest Airlines status and still board early.

What do you think? Is this the fix to not having Southwest A-List status?

Nonstop Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Nonstop Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. This post may contain affiliate links; please read our advertiser disclosure for more information

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About Payton Turner

Payton Turner is a University of Virginia student whose passion for all things travel has led him and his family to the far corners of the earth. While loving the luxurious life of first class, his AvGeek heart is just as happy in the back of the plane taking off on his next adventure.

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Comments

  1. Nadine says

    July 13, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    Do you get these 4 upgrades right away or do you get it after 1 year?
    Is this $40 upgrade per person or for the whole family? I might have to look into this credit card and check out the benefits

    Reply
    • Payton Turner says

      July 13, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      I believe you get them right away. It is $40 per person.

      Reply

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About Payton

Payton Turner is a University of Virginia student whose passion for all things travel has led him and his family to the far corners of the earth. While loving the luxurious life of first class, his AvGeek heart is just as happy in the back of the plane taking off on his next adventure. Read More…

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