Which airline credit cards offer the best priority boarding perks?

Airline credit cards offer a variety of value-added perks, including companion tickets worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, access to airport lounges and free checked bags. But one oft-advertised benefit is about convenience rather than savings: priority boarding.

This benefit, included with many airline credit cards, can get you to at least the middle of those long gate lines in time to find overhead space for your carry-on bag before the rest of the passengers trundle aboard.

Here’s a look at what boarding privileges come with cobranded airline credit cards, followed by details on each airline to help you understand the nuances.

Airline boarding groups overview

*For the purposes of boarding group order, we are not including preboarding as its own specially designated grouping.

Unfortunately, several airlines do not make priority boarding part of their credit card benefits. These generally include no-annual-fee cards and a select few mid-tier cards. Make sure to check your card’s guide to benefits for more information.

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

How to ensure you receive priority boarding

For the vast majority of cobranded airline credit cards, you don’t need to use your card to purchase your flight — whether you’re paying cash or just covering taxes and fees on an award ticket — to receive priority boarding. Instead, the benefit is tied to your frequent flyer account.

As long as your loyalty number is attached to your reservation (and to any eligible companions on the same booking), you should receive the appropriate boarding group automatically.

There are a couple of exceptions:

• With Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, you’ll need to pay for your flight with your cobranded Atmos credit card to receive priority boarding benefits

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines offers preboarding for folks needing a little more time, plus seven additional distinct boarding groups.

• Preboarding: Passengers who need help or extra time to board
• Priority boarding: Passengers traveling in the first-class cabin and Atmos Titanium members
• Group A: Atmos Million Miler, Atmos Platinum and Atmos Gold elite members, families with small children and active-duty military members
• Group B: Atmos Silver members and guests in premium class seats
• Group C: Those with Atmos Rewards credit cards who book their flight with an Atmos Rewards Visa credit card
• Group D: Guests in Main seats in the back half of the plane
• Group E: Guests in Main seats in the front half of the plane
• Group F: Guests in Saver seats

As you can see, Atmos cardholders who do not hold elite status board with group C, the fourth out of seven formal groups. The other thing to note is that they must purchase their flight with their card to receive priority boarding, so just holding an Atmos credit card is not enough to enjoy priority boarding privileges.

American Airlines

American Airlines’ boarding procedure includes nine boarding groups plus special preboarding options. The good news is that if you have one of the major American AAdvantage credit cards, it should get you onto the plane early.

Here’s a breakdown of American Airlines’ boarding order and groupings:

• Preboarding: Passengers needing special assistance
• ConciergeKey members
• First: First class on domestic flights and Flagship First on international flights
• Business: Business class on domestic flights and Flagship Business two-class international planes
• Family boarding: Families with children under two years old
• Group 1: AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite members and active-duty U.S. military with valid military I.D.
• Group 2: AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Oneworld Emerald elite members
• Group 3: AAdvantage Platinum and Oneworld Sapphire elite members
• Group 4: AAdvantage Gold and Oneworld Ruby elite members, AirPass members, premium economy passengers, travelers who bought priority boarding and Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard members
• Group 5 (Preferred boarding): Main Cabin Extra (excluding Basic Economy), AAdvantage members with at least 15,000 Loyalty Points, AAdvantage Business Select travelers and other AAdvantage credit card holders (excluding American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card cardholders)
• Group 6: All other AAdvantage members
• Groups 7-8: Economy passengers
• Group 9: Basic economy passengers (within the U.S., Canada, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean)

The best you can hope for as just an AAdvantage cardholder without elite status is to be in the eighth boarding group out of all 13 groups. As for those who get onto the plane with Group 5 (the ninth boarding group in reality), they include members with the following credit cards:

• AAdvantage Business Mastercard
• AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
• AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard

While most AAdvantage credit cards are created equal when it comes to boarding, the AAdvantage Executive Mastercard will give you a one-group advantage over the others.

Note that you only have to hold one of these travel cards for the benefit to apply — you don’t have to purchase your ticket with it.

Delta Air Lines

Delta has eight official boarding groups, excluding preboarding, but actually nine if you count a non-numbered group for families with strollers. Delta cobranded credit card can help you move into Zone 5.

Here’s how Delta’s boarding order works:

• • • Preboarding: Customers needing assistance or additional time to board and active-duty U.S. military personnel with ID
    • Zone 1: Delta One and Delta First passengers
    • Zone 2: Delta 360 members, Diamond Medallion members and Delta Premium Select customers
    • Early boarding for customers with car seats and strollers
    • Zone 3: Delta Comfort customers
    • Zone 4: Platinum and Gold Medallion members, Flying Blue Platinum and Gold members, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members, SkyTeam Elite Plus members, LATAM Pass Black Signature, Black and Platinum Elite members and WestJet Rewards Platinum and Gold Elite members
    • Zone 5: Silver Medallion members, Delta Corporate Travelers, Delta SkyMiles cardmembers (Gold, Platinum and Reserve Amex), Flying Blue Silver members, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver members, SkyTeam Elite members, SkyMiles Select members, LATAM Pass Gold+ Elite and WestJet Rewards Silver Elite members 
    • Zone 6: SkyMiles members in the main cabin
    • Zone 7: Non-SkyMiles members in the main cabin
    • Zone 8: Basic Economy

Assuming you don’t have SkyPriority or other elite status and you’re just flying economy, the best you can hope for as a Delta cardmember is to board before the first group in the main cabin.

While overhead space will likely be available at that point, it’s not a sure bet, considering all the passengers who can board before you.

Frontier Airlines

This budget carrier has a cobranded credit card with Barclays that will get you onto the aircraft relatively early.

Here’s how Frontier’s boarding process goes.

• • • Preboarding: Customers with disabilities, active-duty U.S. military, families with children under 2 years old and Frontier Miles Elite Diamond members
    • Group 1: Frontier Miles Elite Platinum and Gold members and customers who purchased a Business Bundle, Premium Bundle or Board First service
    • Group 2: Frontier Miles Elite Silver and Frontier Miles members who purchased a carry-on bag or an Economy Bundle
    • Group 3: All other customers who purchased a carry-on bag or an Economy Bundle
    • Group 4: Frontier Airlines World Mastercard members, Frontier Miles Elite Silver members and customers who purchased priority boarding or premium or exit row seats
    • Group 5: Frontier Miles members
    • Groups 6 and 7: The rest of the cabin who booked Basic fares

Carrying the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard from Barclays will squeeze you in at the start of general boarding — or the fourth group out of seven. This lines up with most other airlines’ cards, but might be slightly better or worse, depending on how many other passengers purchase carry-ons or one of the fare-bundling options.

JetBlue

With the JetBlue Business and JetBlue Premier Card, you’ll receive Group 3 boarding on all JetBlue-operated flights.

Here are JetBlue’s boarding groups:

• • • Preboarding: For customers with disabilities
    • Group 1: Mosaic 3 and 4 and Mint passengers
    • Group 2: Mosaic 1 and 2 customers
    • Group 3: Even More Space customers and JetBlue Premier and Business cardholders
    • Courtesy boarding: For active military members and customers traveling with car seats or strollers
    • Group 4: JetBlue Vacations customers, Corporate Perks customers, and general boarding based on seat location
    • Groups 5-8: General boarding based on seat location

If you hit Mosaic status through flying or credit card spending, you move up to the second overall boarding group and have overhead space basically guaranteed.

Note that JetBlue Plus Card and JetBlue Card holders do not receive priority boarding.

The information for the JetBlue Card and JetBlue Plus Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Southwest Airlines

Holding a Southwest credit card will help you board the plane earlier.

Here’s how Southwest boarding priority works:

• • • Preboarding: Passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors
    • Priority boarding: Priority Boarding (available for purchase starting 24 hours before original scheduled departure, when available) and active-duty U.S. military with valid ID
    • A-List Preferred members
    • Group 1: Rapid Rewards A-List Members and Choice Extra fare customers
    • Group 2: Extra legroom passengers and Choice and Choice Preferred customers
    • Groups 3-4: Passengers who purchase Choice Preferred fares (in standard or preferred seats)
    • Group 5: Southwest cardholders
    • Groups 3-7: Passengers who purchase a Choice fare (in Standard or Preferred seats)
    • Group 8: Passengers flying on a Basic fare board last

All of the Southwest cards guarantee at least Group 5 boarding, though if you receive an earlier boarding position based on elite status, fare or seat type, you will move up in the boarding order (to Groups 1-4).

United Airlines

United’s boarding procedures involve seven groups (we’re counting preboarding for this airline since it involves so many different types of passengers).

Each group includes many possible passengers and takes a unique approach to boarding.

• • • Preboarding: Unaccompanied minors, customers with disabilities, families with children ages 2 or under, active military members and United Global Services and Premier 1K elite members
    • Group 1: Premier Platinum and Gold elite members, Star Alliance Gold members and passengers in United Polaris, first class and business class
    • Group 2: Premier Silver elite members, Star Alliance Silver members, customers who purchase Premier Access or priority boarding, United Explorer Card, United Quest Card, United Club Card, United Business Card, United Club Business Card, the United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Card and United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Business Card or the United MileagePlus® Awards Card cardholders (last three cards are no longer open to new customers)
    • Groups 3: Economy and economy plus passengers at window seats and exit row seats
    • Group 4: Economy and economy plus passengers in middle seats
    • Group 5: Economy and economy plus passengers in aisle seats
    • Group 6: Basic economy passengers (in eligible markets only)

The information for the United Presidential Plus, Presidential Plus Business and MileagePlus Awards cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If there are multiple passengers on the same reservation seated in economy, each traveler will get the highest applicable boarding group given to any of the travelers within the reservation (except basic economy, which will always be Group 6 unless you’re a Premier elite member, Star Alliance Gold member or select United cardholder).

Those with the basic United Gateway℠ Card (see rates and fees) don’t receive any boarding or baggage privileges.

Bottom line

Carrying an airline’s midrange or premium credit card will get you on the plane earlier than most economy passengers, helping you secure overhead space for your bag.

While this perk alone is probably not worth carrying a credit card, particularly if you have elite status with an airline, by combining it with other benefits like free checked bags and discounts on inflight purchases, you can maximize your airline credit card to make the flying experience that much better.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Source: thepointsguy.com