It’s a sad, sad day for Southwest Airlines fans as one of the best deals in travel is about to bite the dust … at least for most people.
Starting in 2027, Southwest’s popular Companion Pass will be earned solely through Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs), tied to the airline’s all-new Rapid Rewards status tiers. This means the big chunk of bonus points you earn when signing up for a new Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card will no longer inch you closer to BOGO flights, making it much harder to earn.
To be perfectly clear: The Companion Pass isn’t going away … it’s just getting more costly to earn.
While the Companion Pass changes are arguably the biggest news for most travelers, Southwest also dropped a slew of additional Rapid Rewards program updates (some of them good) in Thursday’s announcement. From new names for its status tiers – and a brand-new top-tier status level – to lounge updates, new ways to redeem Rapid Rewards points, and more, Southwest has some big changes in store for travelers in the coming year.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Southwest Overhauls Companion Pass Earnings
For years, earning the Southwest Companion Pass was simple: Apply for a new Southwest Card in the fall, wait to complete the minimum spending requirement until the calendar flipped to the new year, and be on your way with BOGO flights for nearly two full years.
In many cases, a single sign-up bonus wasn’t quite enough to earn the full 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, but you could close the gap by opening a business card, referring a couple of friends, or earning points another way. But it generally wasn’t too hard to earn with a new card bonus doing the bulk of the heavy lifting.
But those days are over as Southwest is pivoting to a new status-based system instead. Next year, you’ll need to earn 95,000 Tier Qualifying Points (or TQPs) to earn three Companion Pass trips or a whopping 140 TQPs for the full-fledged, unlimited Companion Pass travelers know and love.
Starting in 2027, every dollar spent on a Southwest co-branded credit card will earn 1 TQP. This means you’d need to spend a whopping $140,000 to earn an unlimited Companion Pass with credit cards alone. Of course, you can also earn TQPs through flying, but exactly how many you’ll earn depends on the type of ticket you buy, as well as your current level of elite status. For example, Choice Preferred fares will earn 8x TQPs in 2027, while Choice Extra Fares will earn 10x TQPs, with an additional bonus for those with status.
One thing that isn’t changing: You can still earn an unlimited Companion Pass by taking 100 qualifying flights in a calendar year. But given the cost of airfare these days, you’ll likely have the 140,000 TQPs well before you get to your 100th flight. Southwest also added a limited (three companion pass trips) benefit at the 75 qualifying flight mark for 2027.
According to Southwest’s website, if you’ve already earned a Companion Pass or can do so by Dec. 31, 2026, you will get a Companion Pass as normal through Dec. 31 of next year.
The sentiment among current and former Companion Pass users after Thursday’s announcement was skeptical.
“I’ve had Companion Pass since 2021,” said Scott Fortune, a Nashville-based traveler in a message to Thrifty Traveler. “This will change my whole strategy for my wife and I next year. It’ll be much harder for me to requalify for the Companion Pass.”
New Status Tiers & a Platinum Companion Pass
Part of Thursday’s announcement was the renaming of its Rapid Rewards status tiers, the addition of a new highest tier, and new milestone benchmarks to hit along the way. Here’s what the status tiers will be called now:
- A-List is now “Silver”
- A-List Preferred is now “Gold”
- “Platinum” is the new, highest level of status
The biggest news, however, is the Companion Pass included once you reach Platinum. Starting in January, when you earn Platinum status, you’ll get an unlimited Companion Pass – meaning you can bring someone along on your trip with you and only pay the taxes and fees whenever you fly. You can designate only one companion for this benefit (with three changes per year), and there are no blackout dates.
Travelers will also be able to earn three one-time Companion Passes between the Gold and Platinum status tiers.
This is part of what Southwest is calling “Milestone Rewards” – meaning you can earn perks in between status tiers. In its announcement, Southwest said members will be able to earn 2,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points or two Preferred seat selection certificates before they ever earn Silver status, for example. 
Finally, Southwest Rapid Rewards cardholders will start earning status points for every dollar they spend on their credit cards, mirroring how other major U.S. airlines award status points.
Rapid Rewards Bookings
Arguably the most exciting news from Thursday’s press release is the ability to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for flights on international partners starting next year.
Southwest says that this coming spring you’ll be able to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards for flights on Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad Airways – giving Southwest flyers redemptions to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
While we don’t yet know what Rapid Rewards rates we can expect from these partners, the thought of redeeming Southwest miles for a business class flight to Taipei (TPE) or Abu Dhabi (AUH) is fascinating.
While less exciting, Southwest also announced that travelers can use their Rapid Rewards to pay for seat selection on Southwest flights and to book rental cars through Southwest’s booking portal.
Southwest ‘Icon’ Lounges
We’ve been excited about the possibility of Southwest Lounges since rumors started swirling more than a year ago. After officially unveiling its plans last month, the airline finally gave these spaces a name: The Southwest Icon Lounge™.
Southwest’s first four lounges will be located in Austin (AUS), Baltimore (BWI), Honolulu (HNL), and Nashville (BNA), with the first locations slated to open in late 2027. But the airline isn’t stopping there: Southwest already has plans for seven other lounges around the U.S., bringing its total planned lounge network to 11 – an expansion that will presumably take many years to complete.
Exactly where the other seven lounges will be located remains a mystery, but we do know that Southwest is building out its lounge network in collaboration with its bank partner Chase. Given the quality and speed at which Chase has grown its own network of Sapphire Lounges over the last few years, that bodes well for Southwest flyers.
Access to these lounges will be tied to a new highest-level (and highest annual fee) Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase that will launch in 2027.
This leads me to a bit of speculation: Could the lounge’s name be a hint at the card’s name? Southwest flyers might want to keep a spot in their wallet (or a 5/24 slot) for a new “Southwest Rapid Rewards Icon Card” next year!
Starlink Wi-Fi
Finally, the airline announced it will have Starlink high-speed internet live across its entire fleet by fall 2027. The airline said it expects to be the first U.S. airline to complete a rollout of Starlink across all its planes once the installation is finished.
Rapid Rewards members get free Wi-Fi.
Bottom Line
Southwest’s Companion Pass isn’t going away, but the days of earning it with a well-timed credit card bonus are over. Starting in 2027, you’ll need 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points (or 100 qualifying flights) for the unlimited version, which is out of reach for most casual Southwest flyers. If you’re close to earning one in 2026, now is the time to finish the job.
The good news: Passes earned by Dec. 31, 2026, are honored through the end of 2027, and new international partners like Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad could make Rapid Rewards points more useful than ever.
