RIP Southwest Airlines Companion Pass

Southwest Airlines has spent the last two years radically reinventing itself, throwing out its decades-old, family-friendly playbook to adopt new policies like every other airline. Starting in 2027, more changes are on the way to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program. This includes a metaphorical death blow to the Companion Pass for many travelers–but the silver lining is that you have one last chance to use the hack we recommend, until that loophole closes after December 2, 2026.

In case you missed it, Southwest already ended its iconic “bags fly free” policy for most passengers. The move was one of several controversial changes at the airline, that also includes the addition of premium seating, end of open seating, devalued points, end of “wanna get away” fares without change fees, introduction of basic economy, and more.

All of that prompted pushback from some loyal Southwest flyers and prompted us to write Is Bob Chapek Running (and Ruining) Southwest Airlines?!, as the most apt way to describe the SWA changes was “Chapekian.” The fan-favorite airline ended the essence of what made Southwest, Southwest. It gave up its distinct brand advantage and squandered goodwill in order to be more like legacy carriers, chasing a nonexistent class of consumer. Well, the quest for Southwest to be more like United and Delta isn’t over. Here’s what’s on the horizon in 2027…

Let’s start with the changes that Southwest has emphasized in its “more rewarding journey starting January 1, 2027” page. Most of what follows is summarized from that without editorializing or scrutiny as to the veracity of Southwest’s “more more more” claims until the commentary and Companion Pass changes. With that said, most recent airline loyalty program changes we’ve encountered have not been about giving more, but rather, the opposite. Let’s dig in.

Beginning January 1, 2027, Members will see a new lineup of Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers, new Milestone Rewards to earn along the way to status, Companion Pass changes, and a faster path to tier status for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers. Additional alterations to the program will give Members new ways to earn and redeem points through international loyalty partners and to use points for seat selection.

Southwest Rapid Rewards will continue to offer no blackout dates, points that don’t expire, and flexible options to earn tier status through both Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) and qualifying flights. Here’s a rundown of the changes that Southwest Airlines is introducing:

2027 Southwest Rapid Rewards Changes

New Platinum status, with Unlimited Companion Pass: Southwest is introducing a new three-tier structure to give Members more opportunities that unlock valuable benefits along the way.

Beginning in January 2027, A-List will become Silver and A-List Preferred will become Gold. In addition, Southwest is introducing a new Platinum tier to its program. Platinum status will sit above Silver and Gold and will include unlimited Companion Pass trips.

Here’s the new tier structure, which puts Silver status at 35,000 TQPs or 25 qualifying flights. (A-List is currently 35,000 points or 20 flights.) To earn Gold, customers will have to reach 65,000 TQPs or take 50 flights (versus 70,000 points or 40 flights for A-List Preferred). The new, top-tier Platinum status requires 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying flights.

If you earn A-List or A-List Preferred status for 2027 based on your 2026 activity, your status will automatically transition on January 1, 2027. A-List Members will become Silver Members, while A-List Preferred Members will become Gold Members. Your status will remain valid through December 31, 2027.

New Milestone Rewards; Reach First Reward Before Reaching Silver Status: Starting in January 2027, Members will no longer have to wait until reaching a new tier to receive rewards. Southwest is adding Milestone Rewards along the way:

• Before Members reach Silver, they’ll be able to select rewards like Rapid Rewards points or seat certificates.
• Between Gold and Platinum, Members can qualify to receive three Companion Pass trips.

A Faster Path to Tier Status: Beginning in January 2027, every Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember, including Plus Cardmembers, will earn one TQP for every dollar spent on purchases with a Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase.

This actually is an improvement, as the 1:1 ratio far exceeds what’s available with the current Plus, Premier, and business cards. That should make Silver and Gold status within easier reach via credit card spend. There’s also a one-time boost of 10,000 points after cardmembers reach 130,000 points.

Without any other qualifying activity, that means $35,000 in card spending for Silver, $65,000 for Gold, $95,000 for three Companion Pass trips, and $130,000 for Platinum after the boost. Other existing credit card benefits continue without change, including free bags, earlier boarding, and seating benefits.

New International Redemptions: In Spring 2027, Members will be able to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards points for travel through new international airline loyalty partnerships, initially with Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad Airways.

These partnerships will give Customers access to popular destinations from Reykjavik to Paris, Taipei to Tokyo, and Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg. The partnerships cover both earning and redemption of points.

Use Points for Seat Upgrades: Later in 2027, Rapid Rewards Members will also be able to use points for seat selection on Southwest-operated flights, including Extra Legroom and Preferred seats.

Fleetwide Starlink Connectivity in 2027: Southwest is bringing the fastest WiFi in the sky, powered by Starlink, to its entire fleet. In fall 2027, Southwest expects to become the first major U.S. airline to complete a fleetwide rollout of Starlink, providing access to high-speed connectivity from takeoff to landing. WiFi is available free to Rapid Rewards Members, thanks to T-Mobile.

Southwest Icon Lounge: In late 2027, the airline will roll out the Southwest Icon Lounge network in partnership with Chase. The lounges will combine premium amenities, thoughtful and local design, and the warmth of Southwest’s culture to create distinctive spaces where Customers can relax, get work done, or simply enjoy the lounge before they travel.

The Southwest Icon name celebrates Southwest’s 55-year legacy, from Herb Kelleher’s people-first philosophy to the Customers and Employees who continue to shape its story. Access to the Southwest Icon Lounge network will be available through a new, premium, Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card issued by Chase, launching in 2027.

Southwest announced last month that construction has begun on the first four Southwest lounges, and the first guests are expected to be welcomed in late 2027. These locations include:

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
• Daniel K. Inouye (Honolulu) International Airport
• Nashville International Airport

This is just the beginning of a broader footprint across the Southwest system, with at least seven more lounges planned to open over the next several years across high-demand business and leisure markets.

That brings the total of 11 Southwest Icon Lounges, one of which is rumored to be at Orlando International Airport. Planning documents identify dedicated airline club space in the expansion of Airside 2, where Southwest operates at MCO (gates 100-129).

Capital planning documents released over the summer show the expansion at $681.9 million, covering a new wing, aircraft parking positions, and a premium lounge. As we previously reported, the target for this is 2030. It’s unclear whether that’s been pushed back as the project has expanded in scale and scope.

This is a smart long-term change, but there isn’t much immediate impact unless you fly out of those four airports that’ll debut in late 2027 (given how much projects like this are prone to delay, 2028 seems like a more reasonable timeline). A new, modern lounge at MCO would certainly have my attention down the road.

In terms of commentary about the above changes that Southwest is touting, my general sense is that this is about their continued push to re-position themselves as on par with the legacy carriers.

Part of this is aiming upmarket, chasing customers that fly American, Delta, or United. This is not surprising. Back in late March, we published Why the Iran War Could Cut Crowds at Walt Disney World & Negatively Impact Your 2026 Travel Plans. That article focused extensively on airlines, with quotes from CEOs and executives pulled from the then-recent JPMorgan Industrials Conference.

The general sense I got in reading comments from CEOs is that they all want to court the same clientele and view low-cost carriers as vulnerable. Major U.S. airlines repeatedly noted softening demand for main cabin seats with continued robust demand for premium seats. Some carriers have indicated that they lose money on standard economy.

Southwest cannot realistically compete with Delta and United on premium cabins, but they can target a more affluent, upper middle class consumer. Along with that, Southwest clearly wants to be a “flying bank” like the other airlines, as that’s also more lucrative than actually flying passengers.

If you zoom out and look at the changes made in the last couple of years through that lens, it certainly appears that Southwest wants more people to hold and use its co-branded credit cards. These changes would seem to further reinforce that, with more of an emphasis placed on obtaining status through spending as opposed to flying.

However, there’s one change on the credit card front that will change the way many people qualify (or don’t) for the Southwest Companion Pass is changing in 2027…

Current Companion Pass Hack

With the Southwest Companion Pass, you designate a traveler who will use it to accompany you on flights, and then any fare bought or booked with miles comes with a free fare on the same flight for that companion. There’s still taxes and fees, but that only amounts to ~$6 on most flights.

Normally, you can obtain Southwest’s Companion Pass by flying 100 one-way qualifying flights or earning 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. However, the ‘hack’ that we’ve always used (and highly recommended) is opening two Southwest Chase credit cards, one personal card and one business card.

Now through November 2, 2026, Chase Bank offers the Southwest Premier Business credit card with a sign-up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. (You can earn these bonuses via our referral link–just toggle over to the black business cards at the top.)

Additionally, get any of the three personal SWA credit cards. The bottom tier is best. It has the lowest annual fee and this card is redundant to the Southwest Performance Business card from a benefits perspective, anyway. With this, you earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

In tandem, you’ll earn almost 135,000 Rapid Rewards points once you meet the minimum spend. Bonus points of 130,000 plus spending of at least $4,000. You can read our full Guide to Southwest Companion Pass for 2026 & 2027 for full details, or below for the nutshell version.

Companion Pass Hack Ends in January 2027

This will end next year. Starting January 1, 2027, Southwest is eliminating Companion Pass qualifying points and only using Tier Qualifying Points, and there are certain activities–including but not limited to credit card welcome bonuses–that do not earn TQPs. From Southwest’s page on Companion Pass changes:

Starting January 1, 2027, certain activities that helped you qualify for a Companion Pass by earning Companion Pass qualifying points do not earn Tier Qualifying Points. Therefore, these activities, while still earning Rapid Rewards points, will not assist you in earning Companion Pass benefits. These include new Cardmember welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, and bonus points from spend (e.g., 2x on gas), as well as partner spend (e.g., hotel, car).

If you’re currently registered in a Companion Pass promotion, your participation will be honored. Once you meet the promotion’s qualifying flight or spend requirements, you’ll receive the Companion Pass benefits outlined in the offer for the specified benefit period. No action is needed beyond meeting your current offer requirements.

You’ll still receive those bonuses to redeem on travel, as well as the Tier Qualifying Points earned as part of the minimum spend. They “just” won’t count towards qualifying for a Companion Pass, which is an absolutely brutal blow.

This was how we qualified for the Companion Pass in the first place! As we’ve discussed in countless posts, we’ve done had the Companion Pass several times, and it’s always been via the credit card hack. We’ve never flown anywhere close to the number of qualifying flights necessary, or met the spending targets alone.

Even with the lower thresholds for spending to hit Platinum status, there’s no way on earth we’ll qualify. And assuming, for the sake of argument, that I were somehow putting that much on a credit card each year…it certainly wouldn’t be for Southwest!

While I can appreciate Southwest’s position here and wanting to close this loophole, it strikes me as going too far, and makes me ask the same question I’ve had for the last year: who is this airline even for?! 

I would think that anyone traveling internationally with regularity, spending considerably on credit cards, wanting lounges, etc., already has a preferred airline that isn’t Southwest. Nothing here makes me want to drop Delta in favor of Southwest as my primary airline, as this comes nowhere near close enough to close the gap between the two.

I can appreciate that all of the airlines want to be Delta. The CEO of United has flatly stated as much. Aiming upmarket is the theoretical path to prosperity for other airlines. At the same time, it’s just hard to imagine Southwest attaining that. Meanwhile, they’re alienating longtime fans and families, all in the quest for capturing this mythical consumer who has better options and probably isn’t inclined to fly Southwest in the first place. It just strikes me as foolish and destined to fail in the long-term.

Last Chance for Southwest Companion Pass in 2027-2028

The silver lining is that you still have some time to get grandfathered in under the existing rules. Here are a couple of interesting tidbits from Southwest’s FAQ, which should answer all of the questions you might have about the program changes. In pertinent part:

If you’re a current Companion Pass holder, you’ll continue to enjoy the benefits of your existing Companion Pass until the end date listed in My Account.

If you’re still working to earn Companion Pass based on your 2026 activity, you’ll have until the end of December 31, 2026 to earn Companion Pass under the existing Companion Pass qualification rules. On January 1, 2027, Companion Pass will be integrated into the tier and Milestone Rewards earning track, which uses TQPs and qualifying flights as their qualification requirements.

Most significant is the answer to this question: If I get a Rapid Rewards Credit Card now, can my points still count towards Companion Pass if and when I meet the requirements through the new Cardmember welcome bonus I apply for?

Yes, any Cardmembers who are approved for the Rapid Rewards Credit Card on or before Dec. 2, 2026 and meet the requirements for the new Cardmember welcome bonus will have the opportunity to have those points count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spend threshold is met in early 2027.

Separately, Southwest also confirmed that they’ll continue to offer limited-time Companion Pass promotions, suggesting that those who have taken advantage of specials (such as the Free Flights for a Friend in 2027 via Promotional Southwest Companion Pass After One Trip offer from August) will have opportunities like that again in the years to come. If anything, this might become more common with fewer full-freight Companion Passes in circulation.

This December 2, 2026 cutoff for Rapid Rewards Credit Card approval and extension of the spend threshold to “early 2027” is huge. While the nuts and bolts of this are unclear, what it does is open the door–one final time–for earning the year-plus version of the Southwest Companion Pass.

As we’ve explained before, the best way to take advantage of the Southwest Companion Pass hack is by hitting the minimum spend targets as early in the new year as possible. That’s because the Southwest Companion Pass is currently good for the full calendar year after the year you earn it.

This means that a Companion Pass earned in January 2027 expires on December 31, 2028 because you earned it this year. By contrast, one earned only a month earlier in December 2026 would expire on December 31, 2027. That’s almost a full year of extra use simply by timing the spending requirements right.

Suffice to say, if you’ve ever thought about taking advantage of the Southwest Companion Pass hack, now is the time to get off the fence and act. It’s literally your last chance for the full thing. As noted above, you can earn these bonuses via our referral link.

Ultimately, we’re mostly indifferent to these changes to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. It’s already our secondary airline, and the one we usually fly for certain family travel, or when there are particularly good deals. We had been debating whether to try for the full Companion Pass in 2027-2028, and this makes the decision for us–might as well while we still have the chance! One last farewell run before it’s effectively dead to us.

Beyond that, my perspective is more or less what’s above about Southwest targeting a non-existent class of traveler. Maybe I’m wrong about that! Perhaps it’ll be easier to peel travelers from Delta or United, or to slot-in between low-cost carriers and those airlines as an option for affluent families who want some of the perks and upmarket amenities, but don’t need quite as robust or premium of a product offering. I don’t have anything against Southwest, and we will continue to fly them on occasion when the circumstances call for it (especially if we have Companion Passes in 2027-2028), but the days of SWA being our go-to airline are long gone.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on this ‘end of an era’ for the Southwest Companion Pass? Will you be taking advantage of the credit card hack one final time and applying for credit cards before December 2, 2026 to earn the Companion Pass through December 31, 2028? What about the other Rapid Rewards changes? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!