If you see Southwest Business Select as an option when booking a flight on Southwest Airlines, you may wonder how that’s different than the cheap Southwest Wanna Get Away fares. I’ve personally flown all the different Southwest fares myself and I’m here to explain the difference to you from my firsthand experience.
Southwest Business Select is a fare class that offers a few benefits but at a steep cost compared with Wanna Get Away fares on Southwest.
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Benefits of Business Select on Southwest
There are a few perks of purchasing a Southwest Business Select ticket.
They include…
1. Guaranteed A 1-15 boarding
This saves you the $15 per way cost to pay for Southwest Early Bird, which ALSO grants you earlier boarding. And it saves you even more!
A1-15 upgraded boarding now costs between $30 all the way up to $149 per segment! So that can be a BIG savings, but make sure you’re not paying more than that for your Business Select ticket than you would a Wanna Get Away fare.
It also enables you to choose your Southwest seat earlier than those in A16 through C boarding groups.
2. Relaxed Check-in
Because you are guaranteed the A 1-15 boarding group, you don’t have to worry about Southwest check-in as soon as it’s available (24 hours ahead of your flight).
Instead, you can check-in online, on your phone or at the airport at your convenience since you’ve already been assigned your boarding order 36 hours in advance ahead of those checking in manually.
3. Fly By Lane Access
This is supposed to help you get through check-in and security lines more quickly, though if you have TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry, you should be set.
4. 1 Premium Drink per Flight
Those of us who hold Southwest credit cards often get free drink coupons in the mail already, but when you book a Business Select fare, your free drink tickets will be printed on your Southwest boarding pass upon airport check-in.
Be sure to actually check-in at the airport, especially if you have just checked in online or via the Southwest app, to get your printable Southwest drink ticket on your Southwest Airlines boarding pass.
5. Earn 12 Rapid Rewards Points per Dollar
This DOUBLE the 6 points per dollar you earn on Southwest Wanna Get Away fares.
These fares also qualify toward earning Southwest A-List or A-List Preferred status.
Business Class vs First Class
Now, when we say Southwest Business Class, we don’t mean anything glamorous or luxurious. Southwest Business Class vs. First Class on other airlines is an entirely different thing.
We have flown Aer Lingus Business Class for example, and there is no comparison. There are no glasses of wine, personalized service, curtain to close or layback seats on Southwest.
You DO get a coupon for a free alcoholic drink and you DO get to board earlier than everyone else, but that’s about it folks…
Is Business Class First Class on Southwest?
No, Southwest doesn’t have first class, unfortunately, and their business class is not the same as first class on other airlines.
Because there is no true business class on Southwest, meaning there are no perks in terms of seating (except early boarding) or service, and no first class Southwest seating at all, to me, you’re essentially buying rewards points.
My assessment is that is it rarely worth it to purchase or upgrade to Business Select due to the typically steep price increase.
I did purchase Business Select on one leg of a flight where the price increase was nominal ($30), the fare was for a business trip so could be expensed to my business, and the significantly more points earned made it worth it.
In general, the only time I would suggest purchasing Business Select Southwest or upgrading to Business Select is if your company is paying for it or you can expense it AND you can collect on 12 points per dollar for your own Rapid Rewards account :).
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Business Credit Cards
Business flyers: Southwest DOES have TWO business credit cards.
You can use these Southwest business cards to earn points on your everyday spending to book FREE flights on Southwest AND earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
It’s important, however, to time the application of a Southwest Chase business card correctly, as there are rules around how often you can get the bonus points after signing up.
This is why I strongly recommend joining my Secrets of a Travel Journalist Club, so I can craft a personalized plan to maximize the timing of these cards to get you the MOST free flights in the simplest way possible.
You have two Southwest business cards as options…
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business (Small business: bonus_miles_full annual_fees annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business (Small business: bonus_miles_full annual_fees annual fee)
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Read my full review of this card.