The Best Credit Cards With Priority Boarding of 2023

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We’ve all been there — standing in the back of the line at the gate for a long-haul flight, assigned seat 50A with boarding group Z.  By the time you finally manage to struggle to your seat, there’s no room left in the overhead bins, your carry-on bag is whisked away to the baggage hold, and the plane pushes back before you have a second to get settled in. It’s an unpleasant way to start any journey.

Whether you’re looking to save on checked bag fees by getting first dibs on storage space in the cabin or want a little time to sanitize your seat area and settle in, getting an earlier boarding position is valuable enough that airlines will charge you for it. However, most of the best airline credit cards provide priority boarding, and if they don’t there are plenty of credit cards with annual travel credits that’ll reimburse you for priority boarding fees.

If you travel frequently, it’s worth considering a credit card with priority boarding that will get you on the plane sooner or help you avoid paying out of pocket for the privilege. 

Compare Credit Cards With Priority Boarding

Best Credit Card for Priority Boarding

Credit Cards With Priority Boarding Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Methodology: How we chose the best credit cards with priority boarding

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Insider’s credit cards team looked at all the airline and travel credit cards available right now that come with day-of-travel perks or flexible credits. We then narrowed down the list to include only airline cards that offer priority, preferred, or upgraded boarding, and travel cards that come with flexible credits that you can apply to priority boarding fees.

From there, we picked the most cost-effective options (if an airline offers several cards with priority boarding) and cards with the easiest-to-use credits. In cases where the airline offers multiple priority boarding cards, we’ve listed alternative cards in each section below.

You can read about how we rate credit cards at Insider for more details about our methodology.

American Airlines Priority Boarding

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

If you’ve got an American Airlines credit card that charges an annual fee, you’re guaranteed to receive boarding group 5 or better. Group 5 might not sound terribly impressive, but you’ll still board before the average traveler. Flyers who don’t have American Airlines elite status, haven’t purchased some sort of seat upgrade, and don’t have an American Airlines card will board in Groups 6 to 9. Active-duty military and families with small children will also board early.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is the most affordable personal credit card option, with an annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months. It’s currently offering a welcome bonus of 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening — worth around $700 in flights based on Insider’s valuation of American Airlines miles.

It comes with preferred boarding (Group 5), a free first checked bag on American Airlines domestic itineraries, and a 25% discount on AA inflight purchases in the form of a statement credit. 

Depending on your travel and spending habits, other American Airlines credit cards with priority boarding might be a better option. These include:

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card Review

Delta Priority Boarding

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

American Express offers several Delta credit cards that include Main Cabin 1 priority boarding on Delta and Delta Connection flights. The Main Cabin 1 group boards after passengers flying in premium cabins and most elite members, but before other economy class travelers or those flying in Basic Economy.

Primary cardholders with their Delta SkyMiles number attached to their reservation get Main Cabin 1 boarding — even if they’re booked in basic economy — and there’s no requirement to use the card to pay for the ticket. Up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation will get the same bump in boarding position.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, with an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $99, is the lowest cost option of these cards. It’s got a welcome bonus offer of 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of account opening (worth around $440 in flights, based on Insider’s calculation of Delta miles value). 

As with other Delta cards with an annual fee, it comes with a free first checked bag on Delta flights for the primary cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation, a TakeOff 15 award flight discount, 20% off inflight purchases as a statement credit, and solid travel and purchase protection.

The other Delta credit cards with priority boarding are worth a look, too:

Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex Card Review

United Priority Boarding

There are five United credit cards that offer priority boarding on United flights — and you don’t have to use the card to pay for your ticket to get it. Primary cardholders and companions on the same reservation board in Group 2, after premium-cabin passengers and Platinum or Gold elites.

Group 2 also includes Silver elites and those who’ve purchased Premier Access or Priority Boarding. Everyone else boards between Groups 3 and 5. Because you’re guaranteed to board in Group 2, you can bring a carry-on bag even if you purchase Basic Economy.

With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95, the United℠ Explorer Card is our favorite all-around card for United Airlines flyers. Its welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening is worth around $650 based on Insider’s valuation of United miles.

When you use the card to pay for your United ticket (or the taxes and fees on an award ticket), you get a free checked bag for yourself and one companion on the same reservation. This card comes with two United Club airport lounge one-time passes each anniversary year, a NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, 25% back on United inflight purchases as a statement credit, and access to expanded award availability.

Here are other United cards that also offer priority boarding as a perk:

Alaska Airlines Priority Boarding

Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card

As part of sweeping Alaska Airlines credit card changes rolled out by Bank of America earlier this year, the Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card and Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card
added priority boarding as a benefit.

The cardholder and up to six guests on the same reservation receive priority boarding on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and SkyWest flights — but they must purchase their ticket with their card. Alaska card members board before general boarding, but after Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan elite members, first or premium class ticket holders, Oneworld alliance elite members, and passengers who need preboarding assistance.

With either card, you’ll also get a free first checked bag for yourself and up to six companions on the same Alaska Airlines reservation, an annual companion fare certificate that allows a companion to fly with you from $122 ($99 for the fare plus taxes and fees starting at $23), and a 20% discount on inflight purchases as a statement credit.

Here’s what each Alaska credit card currently has to offer:

• Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card: 50,000 bonus miles, a $100 statement credit, and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening ($95 annual fee)
• Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card: 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s companion fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening ($70 per company and $25 per card annual fee)

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Review

Southwest Priority Boarding

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Two of the best Southwest credit cards come with a priority boarding benefit, except it’s not quite like the priority boarding you’ll get on other airlines. Southwest’s version is called “upgraded boarding” and, for a price, you’ll get on the airplane with the A1-A15 boarding group — but only if there is space available. 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the less-expensive card, with a $149 annual fee. It comes with four upgraded boardings per year, which normally costs $30 to $50 per flight. Just pay with the card and you’ll receive a statement credit for the amount.

It’s offering a welcome bonus of 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, which is worth around $700 in Southwest airfare (we value Southwest points at 1.4 cents each, on average).

The points you earn from the bonus and spending on any Southwest card count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass (one of the best travel deals around). The Southwest Priority card also comes with a $75 annual travel credit valid toward Southwest purchases (except upgraded boarding and in-flight purchases). You’ll also get substantial travel and purchase protections, an anniversary point bonus, and a 25% rebate on inflight purchases when you pay with your card.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Review

JetBlue Priority Boarding

Barclays issues three JetBlue credit cards, but only one — the JetBlue Business Card — offers priority boarding as a benefit. Cardholders board with Group A, which comes after preboarding, Mint, and Mosaic passengers.

The JetBlue Business Card currently comes with a welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in your first 90 days as a cardmember and 25,000 bonus points after spending a total of $10,000 in the first year (worth around $1,013 in flights based on Insider’s points and miles valuations). Other perks include a free first checked bag for the cardholder and up to three companions on the same JetBlue reservation as long as the card is used to pay for the ticket, 50% savings on inflight food and drink purchases, anniversary points, and a 10% points redemption rebate.

Credit Cards With Annual Travel Credits You Can Use for Priority Boarding Fees

Even if you don’t have a co-branded airline credit card, you can still enjoy priority boarding by paying for it with a credit card that offers annual travel credits. This can be especially helpful if you’re not loyal to one airline, as you can use your card to pay for priority boarding upgrades and be automatically reimbursed.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the best of the bunch, offering up to $300 per year in credits that apply to just about any travel purchase. The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit is automatic; you don’t have to select an airline or call in to apply it, as some other cards require. Essentially, the first $300 in travel purchases each cardmember year get “erased,” including airline incidental fees like priority boarding.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a welcome bonus offer of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. And while it’s a premium credit card with a high annual fee ($550), you can get at least that much in value between the annual travel credit and perks like Priority Pass airport lounge access, a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit, and benefits with Instacart, DoorDash, and Lyft.

Plenty of other travel rewards credit cards include statement credits for travel that you can use for priority boarding fees, but they’re sometimes not as easy to use. Some of our favorites include:

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Review

 

Carissa Rawson

Freelance Writer

Joseph Hostetler, CEPF

Credit cards reporter