The seating in the southwest is changing and so is my credit card strategy

Southwest is one of the largest domestic airlines in the United States, which means many people take to the skies on a Southwest aircraft. And I am one of them.

As a huge Southwest fan, I take dozens of flights each year from my home airport of Denver, where there is a hub. I like the airline's open seating policy, but it recently announced it is abandoning that practice in favor of assigned seats, which it will begin selling in the second half of 2025.

I was worried that I would have to pay extra money for seat assignments or sit in a middle seat at the back of the plane. That's why I plan on using the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit cards to ensure I have elite status and can comfortably weather next year's changes.

What's going on with Southwest's new policy?

Since the airline's founding more than 50 years ago, Southwest has uniquely offered open seating. Anyone could take any seat without paying extra.

In 2009, the company began selling early bird seats, which allow passengers to pay a premium to board earlier and secure their preferred seat. I never bothered with early bird seats, but was still able to get a good seat without having to pay extra.

However, when Southwest announced its policy change in July 2024, it said the majority of its customers hated open seating. In fact, the airline said 80% of Southwest customers and 86% of passengers choosing other airlines prefer assigned seating. Therefore, starting with flights in 2026, all seats will be allocated, similar to every other major airline. And like other airlines, passengers may have to pay extra to avoid the middle seat.

Other changes announced include the introduction of premium seating. The airline said in its investor call that premium seats will have five inches more space without sacrificing legroom in economy seats – but it remains to be seen whether that will feel that way.

Southwest currently offers the most generous standard legroom in economy class of any airline in the United States. While it can be quite difficult to work on my laptop in economy class on most airlines, I can easily do so when flying Southwest.

This is important considering that I may take 40 Southwest flights per year. With an average length of more than two hours, that's over 100 hours of flying per year.

What doesn't change is that luggage flies free and the airlines' most loyal customers – and those who book premium seats – will be among the first to board.

How Southwest's new rules will change the way I use my cards

With Southwest's new changes, I will be shifting my spending to my Southwest cards to earn tier qualification points for elite status in the airline's Rapid Rewards program.

While the new rules aren't fully formulated yet, it's safe to assume that Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List elite status will allow passengers to choose the best seats, hopefully in the extra legroom section.

In the past, my strategy at Southwest was to use the credit cards to earn the valuable Companion Pass, but not for much else.

Instead of earning additional Southwest Rapid Rewards points, I preferred to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase's Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. These points could be transferred to Southwest or to other partners such as Hyatt, United and Virgin Atlantic.

My preferred credit cards for Southwest bookings

Chase's Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List and A-List Preferred status for every $10,000 spent, as does the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and the Performance business cards.

You must earn 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points in a calendar year to achieve A-List status and 70,000 to achieve A-List Preferred status. You can also qualify for Preferred by flying 40 one-way Southwest flights.

In theory, you could spend $234,000 on your Southwest credit card to earn enough Tier Qualifying Points to earn A-List status. But that's a lot of money, and most people, myself included, will make it through a combination of ticket purchases and credit card spending. That means the majority of required spending comes from these one-way Southwest flights, while the rest comes from purchases covered by Southwest cards.

More tips on how to get the best Southwest deals with your card

The biggest benefit of Southwest credit cards for me has always been the bonus points I could earn for the Companion Pass. Over the years, I've taught countless friends, family, and readers how to apply for these cards and earn the welcome bonus as a fast track to unlimited free companion cards (all while paying state taxes).

But with these new changes coming soon, I will now begin using my Southwest Airlines credit cards as a vehicle to achieve elite status.

Like many Southwest flyers, I'm a little concerned about the new changes next year. But if I can start the new year with A-list status, I'm confident I'll continue to enjoy my frequent flights with my favorite airline.

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