Key takeaways
- Silver status (formerly A-List) members get a boost from 25% to 40% earning bonus, while Gold (formerly A-List Preferred) members face a cut from 100% to 60% with grandfathering through 2027.
- Companion Pass is no longer accessible via credit card welcome bonuses after January 1, 2027, except for cards approved before December 2, 2026.
- The new Platinum status is the only tier offering an unlimited Companion Pass, requiring 140,000 TQPs or $130,000 in credit card spending.
- Members earning 95,000 TQPs or flying 75 qualifying flights can still unlock three Companion Pass trips, a limited middle-ground option.
On October 15, 2026, Southwest Airlines announced a comprehensive overhaul of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, with changes rolling out on January 1, 2027. The reboot introduces new status tiers, reshapes how members earn points toward status, and dramatically narrows the pathways to the coveted Companion Pass—a benefit that has been relatively accessible to many rewards enthusiasts for over a decade.
Status Transitions and Timeline
Southwest’s transition will be automatic for current elite members. Anyone holding A-List status in 2026 will become Silver for all of 2027, and A-List Preferred members will automatically become Gold for 2027. The airline is only introducing one entirely new tier: Platinum, which cannot be held by anyone entering 2027—it must be earned under the 2027 program rules.
Current members will finish out 2026 under the familiar program structure. The switch to the new system on January 1, 2027, requires no action from travelers who already hold elite status. Those earning status this year will simply transition into their corresponding new tier when the new system kicks in.
Earning Bonuses and Perks
Status perks like free checked bags, early boarding groups, and free seat assignments remain constant at comparable tiers between the old and new systems. However, earning bonuses on flight purchases are shifting—and not uniformly in members’ favor.
Silver Status Gains, Gold Status Loses
Silver members (formerly A-List) will see their earning bonus on qualifying flight purchases increase from 25% to 40% in 2027 and beyond. That improvement means more points per dollar on airfare purchases without changing the perks that come with the status itself.
Gold members (formerly A-List Preferred), however, face a significant reduction: their earning bonus drops from 100% to 60% starting in 2027. Southwest is softening the blow slightly by grandfathering members who earn A-List Preferred status in 2026. According to the airline’s website, members who earn A-List Preferred status for 2027 based on their 2026 activity will retain their 100% flight-point earning bonus through December 31, 2027, with the 60% earning bonus applying only to Gold status earned under the new program terms.
The Math Behind Premium Fares
The earning changes become acute when premium fares enter the equation. Southwest is also reducing points on its two most expensive fare types. Choice Preferred fares will earn 8 points per dollar spent (down from 10x), and Choice Extra fares will earn 10 points per dollar spent (down from 14x).
For an A-List Preferred member regularly buying Choice Extra fares, the impact is substantial. That member currently earns 28 Rapid Rewards points per dollar (14x the base rate plus a 100% earning bonus). Under the new Gold status with the 60% bonus, the same fare type will yield only 16 points per dollar—a reduction to 57% of previous earnings. In contrast, Silver members purchasing cheaper Basic or Choice fares will see modest gains.
Milestone Rewards
Southwest is introducing intermediate thresholds called Milestone Rewards, positioned between Silver status and the jump to Gold, as well as between Gold and Platinum. These may deliver some additional perks to members whose earnings fall between status levels, though the airline has provided limited detail on what these rewards will entail.
The Tier Qualifying Points System
Under the current program, Southwest tracks three separate types of points: base Rapid Rewards points redeemable for airfare, points that count toward A-List and A-List Preferred status, and points that count toward Companion Pass qualification. The 2027 system consolidates most of this by merging the final two categories into a single metric called Tier Qualifying Points (TQP).
TQP will be the primary vehicle for unlocking status tiers, including the new Platinum status. However, earning TQP under the new system is far more restricted than earning status points under the old system.
Limited Ways to Earn TQP
Starting in 2027, there will be a very limited number of ways to earn Tier Qualifying Points. The most common methods are:
- One point per dollar spent on a co-branded credit card
- Base points earned from purchases of qualifying airfare
- Group bookings
- Getaways by Southwest purchases
- Some qualifying debit card purchases
Rapid Rewards points earned through methods that do not award TQP—such as casino and rental car partnerships, dining programs, and other co-brand partnerships that previously contributed to Companion Pass qualification—can still be redeemed for airfare. They simply will not count toward status qualification or Companion Pass qualification.
The Companion Pass: Now Tiered and Harder to Access
The Companion Pass is now available in two forms: unlimited (via Platinum status alone) and limited (via moderate TQP accumulation or frequency threshold).
Unlimited Companion Pass Through Platinum
Only Platinum status holders will receive an unlimited Companion Pass with no expiration tied to status renewal. Achieving Platinum requires 140,000 TQPs. Thanks to the new 1 TQP per dollar earned on co-branded credit cards, that translates to $130,000 in credit card spending (after which members receive a 10,000 TQP bonus that pushes them to 140,000). For most rewards enthusiasts, that threshold will be impractical.
Limited Companion Pass via Milestone Threshold
Members earning 95,000 TQPs or flying 75 qualifying one-way flights can unlock three Companion Pass trips, each valid for one round-trip itinerary. That represents a middle ground for travelers who fall short of Platinum but want to access at least some Companion Pass benefits. However, this tier does not offer an unlimited pass—the three trips are the total allowance.
The Credit Card Pathway: A December 2 Deadline
Welcome bonuses on Southwest co-branded credit cards will no longer count toward Companion Pass qualification after January 1, 2027—with a narrow exception. Anyone who applies and is approved for a Southwest co-branded credit card before December 2, 2026, will still be able to apply welcome bonus points toward Companion Pass qualification under the old rules.
Even if the card holder completes the minimum spend requirement in early 2027, welcome bonus points from cards approved before December 2 will continue to count toward Companion Pass qualification as if they had been earned in 2026. The catch: a Companion Pass earned this way will expire on December 31, 2027, rather than extending through 2028 as it might have under previous program rules.
Eligibility and Timing Constraints
Earning 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points—the current threshold for a Companion Pass—in a short window is feasible for regular Southwest flyers or aggressive credit card users. A single welcome bonus might push someone over the line if they are already partway there. However, obtaining multiple approvals is complicated by the 24-month eligibility rule on personal card bonuses and approval velocity concerns. Many potential applicants may find the timeline too tight and the payoff too limited (a one-year pass only) to justify the effort.
Premium Fares and the Spending Trap
The earning reductions on premium fares create a secondary problem for credit card enthusiasts who rely on Southwest for frequent premium-cabin travel. Reduced earning rates on Choice Preferred and Choice Extra mean fewer points earned per dollar, and those points no longer contribute to any Companion Pass pathway except by hitting $130,000 in spending—a threshold that will be out of reach for most travelers.
What Comes Next
Southwest has announced that a new premium-level co-branded credit card is planned for the near future. That card will feature lounge access and other perks for top spenders, supported by a presumably high annual fee. It remains unclear whether this card will include mechanics to ease Companion Pass qualification, such as reduced TQP requirements or promotional bonuses, but that possibility has been floated.
Southwest has historically offered promotional Companion Passes tied to limited-time offers or registered promotions involving flight purchases. The airline has given no specific guidance on whether these promotional pathways will continue under the new program, but some form of occasional promotional passes seems likely. For now, the safe assumption is that the old playbook for credit card welcome bonuses is closed, and Companion Pass access is substantially more difficult for the average rewards consumer than it has been for the past decade.
Source: The Points Guy Articles
Frequently Asked Questions
How does my current Southwest status change in 2027?
A-List members automatically become Silver, and A-List Preferred members become Gold, effective January 1, 2027. No action required. Status perks like free checked bags and early boarding remain unchanged at comparable tiers.
Can I still earn a Companion Pass using the old credit card method?
Only if you apply and are approved for a Southwest credit card before December 2, 2026. Welcome bonus points from cards approved by that date will still count toward Companion Pass qualification, though the resulting pass will only be valid through December 31, 2027.
How much spending will Platinum status require?
Platinum status requires 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points. With the new 1 TQP per $1 spent on co-branded credit cards, that translates to $130,000 in credit card spending, after which members receive a 10,000 TQP bonus that brings them to the 140,000 threshold.
