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Welcome to the first installment of the Points Pro column, where I answer your travel rewards and credit cards questions each week. If you have a question you’d like answered, you can submit it here.
To kick us off, this week, CNBC Select editorial director Diana Ransom asks:
“Why am I always boarding last? I understand that if I don’t pay an additional fee for a seat, I might get boarded last. But even if I do pay, I’m among the last to board. Why does this happen, and are there any credit cards that can guarantee early boarding?”
The short answer: Every airline has different policies, and paying to select a seat won’t always grant you earlier boarding privileges. The good news for Diana is that there are lots of ways to secure a spot closer to the front of the boarding line, including simply having the right credit card.
Let’s take a look at how the airline boarding process works and the credit card benefits that can help alleviate this pain point.
How does airline boarding work?
When you board last, you risk having to gate check your carry-on bag if there is no overhead bin space. This is especially common on full flights or smaller planes.
While you won’t pay extra to gate check a bag, you may have fragile or valuable items you don’t want tossed haphazardly into the cargo hold. You’ll also have to wait after deplaning to pick up your bag, so it’s understandable that Diana wants to avoid this whenever possible.
Most airlines follow a similar format for boarding passengers, assigning you to a boarding group or zone. The number of boarding groups varies, and there are differences in how you qualify for a better boarding group.
In general, these types of passengers board early:
- Anyone who needs special assistance
- Families traveling with children under two years old
- Active-duty military members
- Elite status members
- First-class or business-class passengers
As a rule of thumb, when you buy the cheapest ticket (economy or basic economy), you’ll board last or close to it.
If you want to get on the plane early, you’ll need to pay for a more expensive ticket or for pre-boarding privileges, when the airline offers this as an add-on. But you can move up in the boarding line with a credit card.
Early boarding credit card benefits
To get early boarding privileges, you’ll need to have a co-branded credit card for the airline you’re traveling with. For example, you won’t receive any benefits from an American Airlines credit card when traveling with Delta and vice versa.
Keep in mind, priority boarding benefits aren’t available with all airline credit cards. You’ll typically need to pay for a credit card with an annual fee to access early boarding, free checked bags and other useful perks.
The boarding privileges you get with an airline credit card generally place you in the middle of the boarding process. If you want to climb your way to the front, earning a higher level of elite status is one option. Airline credit cards can help with that as well because you often can earn elite credit for your spending.
While early boarding is typically valuable enough on its own to justify opening a credit card with an annual fee, there are other benefits that can make it worthwhile. In addition to earning miles and elite credit, you may receive in-flight discounts, free checked bags or statement credits for qualifying purchases.
These credit cards are the most affordable consumer credit cards for the biggest U.S. airlines that also grant you early boarding:
Delta Air Lines
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has the right mix of benefits if you occasionally fly with Delta, such as free checked bags, priority boarding and discounts.
- Earn up to $300 in travel credit every year
- First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions on eligible flights
- Discounts on eligible in-flight purchases and on Delta award flights (Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees).
- Annual fee after the first year
- Delta flight credit benefit has a high spending requirement to earn
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can earn: 2X miles on Delta Purchases, 2X miles at restaurants, 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets, 1X miles on all other eligible purchases. Every mile you earn brings you closer to the places you want to go. Turn them into your next trip, use them for seat upgrades, and more.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights and save up to $70 per person on a round-trip Delta flight.
- Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
- $100 Delta Stays Credit: Get up to $100 back per year as a statement credit after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
- Want even more flexibility? Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees.
United Airlines
The United℠ Explorer Card is worth it even if you only fly with United Airlines once or twice a year because you can take advantage of two United Club℠ passes per year when the primary cardmember or authorized user is traveling and you can receive free checked bags.
- No annual fee for the first year
- Unlocks upgrades for elite members on award flights
- Two free United Club airport lounge passes every year
- Valuable United Airlines perks, such as in-flight purchase discounts and the ability to earn elite status credit through credit card spending
- First checked bag free benefit requires you to pay for the flight with the card
- United Airlines has a dynamic award chart which can limit the value and flexibility of your miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 70,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Free first checked bag – a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Priority boarding on United® flights
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year – over a $100 value
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
American Airlines
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is worth considering if you fly with American Airlines once or twice a year because you’ll get your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries.
- First checked bag free on eligible American Airlines flights for the cardholder and up to four travel companions on the same reservation
- No Foreign transaction fees
- Preferred boarding
- American Airlines Flight Discount has a high spending requirement
- Has an annual fee
Southwest Airlines
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is an affordable card that makes sense for the occasional Southwest traveler.
- Valuable welcome bonus
- 3,000 bonus points every card member anniversary
- Not especially rewarding for common expenses such as groceries or dining
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost.
- Select a Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, when available.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines (Atmos Rewards)
- Annual companion fare
- Lounge membership discount
- Earns valuable miles
- Annual fee
- Limited bonus spending categories
Information about the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Card cards has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.
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For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.