Southwest to Tie Companion Pass to New Top Tier, Add Perks

Southwest Airlines is rolling out its biggest changes to Rapid Rewards in years, many of which go into effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The biggest change in the airline’s Oct. 15, 2026, announcement affects Companion Passes, the popular perk that lets a companion fly with you for free (aside from the cost of taxes and fees) on almost any Southwest flight you book with cash or points. Starting in 2027, the unlimited Companion Pass will become part of a new elite status tier, and the rules about how you earn it will change.

The Rapid Rewards program is also renaming its elite status tiers, with more redemption options and program improvements coming later in 2027.

All of this news comes as part of a multiyear brand overhaul for Southwest, which has dropped much of what made it distinct from other airlines. In April 2025, the carrier overhauled its fare classes and loyalty benefits. Roughly a month later, it ended its free checked bag policy and introduced variable redemption rates for award flights, flight credit expiration and a new basic economy fare class.

Still, the upcoming Rapid Rewards changes will be a boon for some — especially Southwest cardholders who are heavy spenders.

Southwest changes in a nutshell

These changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027:

• New tiers and new names: The current two Southwest elite status tiers expand to three, with new names:

  • The old A-List becomes Silver.

  • A-List Preferred becomes Gold.

  • A brand-new Platinum tier is at the top, and comes with an unlimited Companion Pass.

• Two point currencies consolidate to one: Currently, you receive a Companion Pass by either taking 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points. Starting in 2027, you'll earn the unlimited Companion Pass by hitting Platinum elite status, which requires earning 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) or taking 100 qualifying flights. Credit card welcome offers on Southwest-branded cards will no longer count toward a Companion Pass, Chase confirmed.

• A new Milestone Rewards system gives you something (e.g., points, seat certificates or a limited version of the Companion Pass) before you even reach Silver, and again between Gold and Platinum.

These changes will also take effect soon:

• More redemption options: Redeem points on international partner airlines starting spring 2027, on rental cars starting November 2026, and on seat selection starting late 2027.

• Southwest's entire fleet will have Starlink Wi-Fi by fall 2027, free for Rapid Rewards members.

• The first Southwest Icon airport lounges are expected to open by the end of 2027, accessible through a new premium Chase-issued credit card.

Current A-List and A-List Preferred members will be automatically moved into the corresponding new tier on Jan. 1. If you already hold a Companion Pass, your current benefits will continue until your pass expires.

The new Southwest elite status tiers: Silver, Gold and Platinum

A-List and A-List Preferred will soon be gone, replaced with Silver, Gold and Platinum, levels commonly used in other airline elite status programs.

Southwest says it renamed the tiers for clarity, not simply to mimic competitors.

“Everybody understands Silver, Gold and Platinum,” says Nandika Suri, vice president of Rapid Rewards. “[They’re] precious metals that you know move in a certain progression.”

She adds that the old A-List naming made sense when it mapped to boarding group A, but didn't clearly signal to members how to progress from one tier to the next.

Tier Qualifying Points will soon play a bigger role

Right now, Southwest tracks two separate currencies: Tier Qualifying Points for elite status and Companion Pass Qualifying Points for Companion Pass. The two have completely separate goals — earning elite status (A-List or A-List Preferred) versus earning the Companion Pass.

That changes in 2027, when the Companion Pass becomes a Platinum status perk that can be earned through TQP.

Southwest is also expanding which cards can earn TQP. Currently, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, which has an annual fee of $99, does not earn TQP at all, while the other two Southwest consumer credit cards with higher annual fees earn either 1,500 or 2,500 TQP per $5,000 spent.

Starting Jan. 1, every Rapid Rewards credit card — the $99-annual-fee Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card included — will earn 1 TQP per $1 spent on purchases, making the math more straightforward.

That means all cardholders get a higher TQP earning rate on everyday spending and can potentially spend their way to elite status. Especially for Southwest flyers who are big spenders, it's another good reason to get a Southwest credit card.

You’ll be able to earn Milestone Rewards

Following the lead of other major airlines, Southwest is launching Milestone Rewards, which are extra goodies between status tiers, or before you’ve even reached elite status at all. Starting in 2027, there will be two Milestone Rewards:

• 20,000 TQP or 15 qualifying flights: Once you’ve earned 20,000 TQP or taken 15 qualifying flights (which is before you’ve accrued the 35,000 TQP/25 qualifying flights needed to hold Silver status), you’ll get your choice of either 2,000 Rapid Rewards points or two Preferred Seat Certificates (these let you sit in a standard legroom seat near the front of the cabin). NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.4 cents apiece, making the points reward worth about $28. Prices for the Preferred Seats vary by flight, but tend to run between $20 and $40.

• 95,000 TQP or 75 qualifying flights: At this threshold, which sits between Gold and Platinum, you’ll receive three Companion Pass trips, which you can use on a qualifying one-way or round-trip flight. The value of this really depends on the cost of your companion's flight.

Earning a Companion Pass will look different

The Companion Pass is still around, but the way you earn it is changing.

On paper, the qualifying bar doesn’t look too different. Platinum's 140,000 TQP or 100 qualifying flights is close to what it already takes to earn Companion Pass currently (100 qualifying flights or 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points). But with the new changes, Southwest-branded credit card welcome offers will no longer count toward earning the perk, Chase confirmed to NerdWallet.

Currently, a single Southwest credit card welcome offer could get you about halfway to a Companion Pass. With the new rules, that won’t be the case.

"We want the engagement to be the driver of how members are making it to the tier," Suri says.

Starting in 2027, you’ll earn the Companion Pass by reaching Platinum status. The airline's changes could make the perk more accessible to a new group of people, though: Southwest cardholders who are big spenders. Because Southwest is increasing the TQP earn rate across all branded cards in 2027, it will become easier for some cardholders to reach elite status through their regular spending.

You'll have more ways to redeem points

Besides flights, Southwest is expanding what you can actually spend your points on, including:

• International partner airlines (spring 2027): Members will be able to redeem Rapid Rewards points directly for flights on Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad Airways. You won’t be able to use a Companion Pass for these flights, though.

• Rental cars (starting November 2026): Points will become redeemable across all of Southwest's rental car partners directly on cars.southwest.com.

• Seat selection (late 2027): Members will be able to redeem points for Preferred and Extra Legroom seats on Southwest-operated flights, after booking and before check-in.

Full-fleet Starlink Wi-Fi is coming

Southwest says it expects to become the first major U.S. airline to offer Starlink across its entire fleet in 2027, which will be free for members. The airline has provided free Wi-Fi to all its Rapid Rewards members since October 2025, and it’s been slowly rolling out Starlink across its aircraft. It announced in October 2026 that it expects to finish equipping its entire fleet by fall 2027.

Other major airlines that offer Starlink include United, which is also rolling it out across its fleet. On United Airlines, Wi-Fi is free to MileagePlus members on Starlink-equipped aircraft, though it’s paid on other aircraft. American Airlines says it will begin installing Starlink in early 2027.

Southwest Icon Lounges will open

Southwest in September 2026 revealed the first four locations of its planned airport lounge network. In the Oct. 15 announcement, the airline said that they will be called Southwest Icon lounges. The first are expected to open at the end of 2027.

“We are not designing lounges where folks will have to wait in long lines,” Suri says. “The experience is going to be very elevated and premium, but at the same time very warm and truly Southwest.”

What to do about the Rapid Rewards changes

The biggest change: You have a steeper climb if you want to be the top dog of Southwest customers. Platinum requires 140,000 TQP or 100 qualifying flights, which is a much higher bar than the current top tier. In exchange, you’ll earn that unlimited Companion Pass, which remains one of the most distinctive offerings out of Southwest.

Here’s what you can do now:

Check your progress toward a Companion Pass. You have until the end of the year to meet the current requirements — which means either taking 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points in a calendar year — if you intend to secure a Companion Pass through the end of 2027. Credit card welcome offers still count toward that total for now, so eligible flyers might want to consider applying before the year is over.

If you have a Southwest credit card, see if your spending could help you earn elite status. Even though a Southwest card's welcome offer won’t get you closer to a Companion Pass after Jan. 1, the increased rate of TQP earnings across all cards makes elite status a lot more accessible for many cardholders. Plus, you’ll get other card benefits like your first free checked bag and priority boarding. You might even want to hold off on major purchases until the new year, when the new TQP earn rates for Southwest cards take effect.

Consider a Southwest credit card. For many frequent Southwest flyers, the airline’s cards have gone from nice-to-haves to must-haves in the past few years. With this new slate of changes, they’re becoming even more valuable. You might also want to watch out for Southwest’s soon-to-be-launched premium card, which could get you into some of the airline’s upcoming lounges.

Top photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines.