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Pick Your Seat on Southwest Airlines: How To Work Around the Assigned Seating Policy

Southwest Airlines recently announced the end of its open seating policy. Assigned seats are the policy now, beginning with travel booked now for Jan. 27, 2026, and beyond will feature assigned seating. But there's still a way you can pick your seat.I'm someone who always pays extra to choose where I sit on a plane. Upon learning of Southwest's updated seating policy, I immediately began researching how to avoid getting randomly assigned where I sit (hello, extra leg room). CNBC had the starters, booking anything but basic fare will get you one step closer to picking your seat. Because when you book a basic fare, you get a seat assigned at for Southwest's Choice, Choice Preferred, or Choice Extra Fares instead. These ticket options let you pick your seat when you book and give you the option of preferred or extra legroom, depending on the tier you can also open a Southwest Credit Card. Any Southwest-branded credit card unlocks access to seat selection, even on cheaper fares. The more premium card you sign up for, the more options you have. Premium cards like the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority or Performance Business Credit Card offer unlimited upgrades to extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, when third way to avoid the new assigned seating policy at Southwest Airlines is to achieve A-List or A-List Preferred Status. If you fly 20 qualifying one-way flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points1 in one calendar year, you get priority boarding, your first checked bag free, and your choice of preferred or standard course, you can always hope for the best and book early, then check in promptly 24 hours before your flight departs. Boarding order won't be as critical with assigned seating, but early booking may give you more choice and flexibility before seats fill the classic "first-come, first-sit" era coming to a close, it pays to have a branded credit card or elite status when booking a flight. Pick Your Seat on Southwest Airlines: How To Work Around the Assigned Seating Policy first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 1, 2025