Southwest Airlines Will Stop Counting Welcome Bonuses for Companion Pass in 2027

Southwest Airlines will stop counting credit card welcome bonuses toward Companion Pass qualification beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The change is part of a Rapid Rewards overhaul that will replace its two elite tiers with three and tie unlimited Companion Pass travel to the new top level, according to One Mile at a Time.

Southwest’s Companion Pass isn’t disappearing, but a popular shortcut to earning it will. The changes reach well beyond new status names: Southwest credit card spending will count more directly toward elite qualification, some fares will earn fewer points, and members will gain milestone rewards and new redemption options.

Silver, Gold and Platinum replace A-List

Existing A-List members will become Silver members, while A-List Preferred members will transition to Gold, One Mile at a Time reported. Platinum will sit above both, with unlimited Companion Pass trips included.

Members will still have two routes to status: qualifying flights or Tier Qualifying Points, known as TQPs. According to The Points Guy, the 2027 requirements are:

• Silver: 25 qualifying flights or 35,000 TQPs.
• Gold: 50 qualifying flights or 65,000 TQPs.
• Platinum: 100 qualifying flights or 140,000 TQPs.

That’s a higher flight hurdle for the two existing status levels. A-List currently requires 20 qualifying flights, while A-List Preferred requires 40, The Points Guy reported. Silver’s points threshold stays unchanged, but Gold’s drops from the current 70,000 TQPs.

The Points Guy reported that existing A-List and A-List Preferred benefits will generally carry over, including baggage perks and extra-legroom seat access. Platinum adds up to three free checked bags alongside its Companion Pass benefit.

Companion Pass stays, but earning it changes

First, some reassurance for current holders: Existing Companion Pass benefits will remain valid for their full term, according to One Mile at a Time. The overhaul won’t cut those passes short.

The benefit itself will still let a companion travel with the holder while paying only taxes and fees, whether the holder books with cash or points, the publication reported. What changes is the qualification system.

Southwest will phase out Companion Pass Qualifying Points and move qualification into the TQP system used for elite status, according to The Points Guy. The old 135,000-point Companion Pass threshold and the new 140,000-TQP Platinum threshold therefore aren’t simply different totals for the same currency; the underlying earning rules will change, too.

Under the new system, credit card welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, spending-category bonus points and partner spending such as hotels and rental cars will no longer count toward Companion Pass, One Mile at a Time reported.

That’s the consequential part. The change isn’t just about reaching a higher number; it removes several ways members previously accumulated qualifying points.

There is a 2027 provision worth noting. The Points Guy reported that members with a Southwest cobranded credit card who reach 130,000 TQPs will receive a 10,000-TQP boost, bringing them to Platinum’s 140,000-TQP requirement. The flight-based route remains 100 qualifying flights.

Credit card purchases count more toward status

Beginning in January 2027, every dollar spent on a Southwest cobranded credit card will earn one TQP, according to One Mile at a Time. That will make card spending a more direct path to elite status, even as bonus points lose their role in Companion Pass qualification.

The change applies across Southwest’s card lineup, including the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, which currently doesn’t earn TQPs on purchases, The Points Guy reported. Today, not every Southwest card earns TQPs, and none earns one for every dollar spent.

For cardholders, those are two separate changes to keep straight: Regular purchases will become more useful for status, while welcome bonuses and other bonus categories will stop helping toward Companion Pass under the new rules.

Some flyers will earn fewer points

The status earning bonuses are being reshuffled. According to One Mile at a Time, Silver members will earn a 40% points bonus, up from A-List’s current 25%. Gold members will receive a 60% bonus, down from A-List Preferred’s 100%. Platinum members will earn a 120% bonus.

Higher-priced fares are also taking an earning cut. Starting in 2027, Choice Preferred will earn 8 points per dollar instead of 10, while Choice Extra will earn 10 instead of 14, the publication reported.

Those reductions compound for existing A-List Preferred flyers. One Mile at a Time calculated that a member currently earning 28 points per dollar on Choice Extra would earn 16 points per dollar as a Gold member under the new structure.

Not every fare is changing. The Points Guy reported that basic economy will continue earning 2 points per dollar, while Choice will retain its 6-point rate.

Milestone rewards offer smaller wins along the way

Members won’t have to reach an elite tier to unlock every new benefit. According to One Mile at a Time, earning 20,000 TQPs or completing 15 segments will allow members to choose between 2,000 bonus points and two preferred-seat coupons.

At 95,000 TQPs or 75 segments, members can receive three Companion Pass trips. Each can cover a companion on a one-way or round-trip journey, the publication reported.

That creates a limited Companion Pass option below Platinum. It’s not the unlimited benefit, but it gives members between Gold and Platinum something tangible before reaching the top tier.

New ways to spend points arrive in stages

The redemption changes won’t all arrive in January. One Mile at a Time reported that rental-car redemptions across participating partners are scheduled for November 2026, followed by partner-airline earning and redemption opportunities in spring 2027. Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad Airways are initially expected to participate.

Later in 2027, members will also be able to redeem points for preferred and extra-legroom seat selection on Southwest-operated flights, according to the publication.

Some familiar foundations remain: Points won’t expire, and Southwest flight redemptions will continue without blackout dates, according to Travel Weekly.

The key distinction is between points you can spend and points that earn status. Southwest plans to give members more places to use the former; getting Companion Pass through the latter will require a different calculation beginning in 2027.