I Don’t Mind Buying Basic Economy Tickets — Here’s Why

I’ll freely admit I hate basic economy airfare, purely because I find airlines unbundling fares to be just another way to exploit the customer.

That being said, I’m a part of the problem, because although I loathe the reasoning behind basic economy, I’ll still book the ticket. Let me tell you why.

Basic Economy Is Basic

For anyone who’s unfamiliar with basic economy tickets, they debuted a few years ago, ostensibly to save travelers money. While I disagree with the reasoning, basic economy tickets have nonetheless become industry standard and even now are spreading to higher fare classes, including business class.

Basic economy tickets serve as bare-bones alternatives to a regular economy ticket and come with severe restrictions on their use. Exactly what depends on which airline you’re flying, but you can generally expect:

• No seat assignments
• Last to board
• Ineligible for upgrades
• Doesn’t earn airline miles (or earns reduced mileage credit)
• No carry-ons (for some airlines) and no checked bags
• No changes and no refunds
• Cancellation fees

That … looks like a pretty negative list, I won’t lie. But bear with me here, because although there are certainly times when flying basic economy can be unpleasant, you can also really mitigate a lot of these issues with the right tools.

Maximizing Basic Economy Tickets

What are the worst parts about flying basic economy? It’s probably the fact that you have to board last, get the worst seat, and can’t even bring a bag, right?

Airlines certainly make basic economy seem unappealing, especially when you get pop-ups like this when trying to book a flight:

But you don’t have to be miserable when flying basic economy. Here’s how.

Elite Status

Airline elite status could potentially negate all the terrible aspects of flying basic economy.

Sure, there are costs, especially if you wouldn’t qualify for elite status normally and instead need to jump through hoops to earn status (I’m looking at you, American Airlines Loyalty Points), but the rewards are worth it.

The screenshot above is from United Airlines and proudly declares a whole host of restrictions for basic economy ticket holders. But underneath, in the fine print, you find this for those with United Airlines elite status:

• Elite members can choose seats, even economy plus seats.
• Elite members can pick seats for family members traveling on the same reservation.
• Elite members can bring full-size carry-on bags.
• Elite members can check bags for free.
• Elite members can board with their regular, early boarding group.

Pretty much the only thing airline elite status won’t get you is a cancellation fee waiver and the ability to earn full credit toward elite status, but that’s a problem for another day.

Co-Branded Airline Credit Cards

Not everyone is going to be willing (or able) to get airline elite status — and even I can’t get it for every airline that exists. In these cases, I find that a co-branded airline card does the trick.

Take for example, Delta Air Lines, which I fly once or twice per year. I’m not going to go out of my way to earn Delta status, but my Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card does the heavy lifting for me when I do. That’s because it comes with a free checked bag and priority boarding, among other ongoing benefits.

The Delta Platinum card charges a $350 annual fee (rates & fees). However, the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card also offers priority boarding and a free checked bag for a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees), though there are fewer perks.

Considering the price difference between basic economy and economy is often so significant, you can often come out ahead after just 2 flights — or traveling with at least 1 other person.

Final Thoughts

Basic economy isn’t for everyone. It isn’t even for me a lot of the time, especially when I’m flying internationally. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its place.

When it comes time to save money, I’ll book the basic economy ticket. This is because I will always have an airline credit card or elite status to help me navigate past all the restrictions that come with purchasing a basic economy ticket.