For years Southwest has allowed us to earn their beloved Companion Pass through various means. For families, this has been a shining star – the ability to designate a companion to fly for just taxes and fees alongside them. In fact, Amber’s family has had it for 12 years!!!! For the last 6 Amber’s family has held TWO companion passes. Well, that all changes now. Okay technically it changes on January 1, 2027.

Southwest just announced a complete overhaul of their Rapid Rewards loyalty program, and the biggest change targets the Companion Pass. (Cue sad music now.) Starting January 1, 2027, the rules for earning it change big time. If you are currently working toward the pass or thinking about going for it, what you do before December 31, 2026 matters more than ever. So keep reading.

The Big Change: Companion Pass is Moving to Status Based

Right now, you earn the Companion Pass by accumulating 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Welcome bonuses from Southwest credit cards count toward that number, which is why the strategy of applying for the right cards at the right time has always worked so well.

In 2027, that is changing. (I’m playing sad music in my head again.) The Companion Pass will essentially be tied to Platinum Status – Southwest’s brand new top tier status. To earn Platinum status, you’ll need 100 qualifying flights or 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP’s). Personally, I’ve never had any status with Southwest, so Platinum doesn’t seem super feasible.

Sadly, here’s what will no longer count toward the Companion Pass:

• Welcome bonuses
• Referral bonuses
• Anniversary points
• Hotel/car partner points
• Bonus spending points

The credit card welcome offer strategy that has worked for years is essentially gone. The only path to the unlimited Companion Pass in 2027 and beyond is through TQP’s earned from flying and credit card spend (think daily spend – not welcome bonuses).

Okay, so what do we do now? Lets chat about the two main camps you (may?) fall into:

If You Are Close To Earning The Pass: Act Before Dec 31, 2026

If you’ve already been working toward the Companion Pass this year and are part way there, your window is closing! The current rules still apply for the 2026 calendar year so I’d do everything I can to meet the requirements for the Companion Pass before Dec 31, 2026.

What you should do:

• Check your current Companion Pass qualifying points total in your rapid rewards account (shown below).
• Calculate how much spend is left to reach 135,000.
• Make sure your minimum spend on whichever card you are using is completed before year-end.
• If you’re looking to refer someone, I’d refer them sooner rather than later to ensure your referral points post in 2026.

Honestly, even if you haven’t actively been working toward the Companion Pass, I’d take a look at your account and see how many Companion Pass qualifying points you have. If you’ve referred a friend or earned points, it may be worth opening a card to push yourself over the threshold.

If you earn the pass before December 31, 2026, you’ll have it for the rest of 2026 and all of 2027 under the old rules. That’s a full year of flying a friend for free (well, taxes and fees, but still!) before the new earning structure kicks in!

Do not, I repeat do not, leave points on the table by waiting!

If You Are Starting Now: You Need Both Cards FAST

So what if you haven’t started yet and want the Companion Pass for 2027? Well, you need to move fast and be strategic.

Here’s your plan: Apply for a southwest business card first (for best approval odds) and then a Southwest personal card. Personally, I’d apply for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card first and then one of the personal cards such as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

Ideally I recommend waiting 30 days between the business card and the personal card for best approval odds.

You’ll want to complete both of the minimum spend requirements to earn the welcome bonuses before the end of 2026. Welcome bonuses still count this year so stacking the two cards will be the fastest way to reach the 135,000 qualifying points.

A few things to keep in mind:

• You can hold one personal Southwest card at a time. You can hold both business cards (but I don’t know why you’d keep them both open?)
• The business card does not count against your Chase 5/24 (3/24?) slots.
• Welcome offers are available once every 24 months on these cards.
• Both welcome bonuses plus minimum spend would need to post before December 31, 2026.

This is the last year the strategy will work this way. If you have been thinking about going for the Companion Pass with credit card welcome offers, 2026 is your last opportunity to take advantage.

What The New Program Looks Like In 2027

This is all new to me because, as I said earlier, I’ve never held status with Southwest. 🫣 You’ll soon see that I will NEVER hold Southwest status, either.

A-List and A-List Preferred are being renamed and they’re introducing a new top tier.

Here’s how the tiers stack up against each other beginning January 1, 2027:

New Tier	Old Name	Requirement to Achieve	Points Bonus	Companion Pass
Silver	A-List	25 flights or 35K TQP’s	40% (was 25%)	No
Gold	A-List Preferred	50 flights or 65K TQP’s	60% (was 100%)	No
Platinum	–	100 flights or 140K TQP’s	120%	Unlimited

Card spending earns TQP’s starting in 2027. Every dollar spent on any Southwest credit card earns 1 TQP.

Milestone Rewards are also new.

• 15 flights or 20,000 TQP’s : choose 2,000 bonus points or two preferred seat coupons
• 75 flights or 90,000 TQP’s: you get three one time Companion Passes

Partner airlines are coming in Spring of 2027. Icelandair, Etihad Airways and China Airlines.

Icon Lounges are opening in 2027 in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu, and Nashville. Access will be tied to a new premium Southwest card that we don’t have details on yet.

FAQ’s:

If I earn Platinum status, how long will I have my Companion Pass? You’ll hold it for the remainder of the year you earn it plus the following year – same as the structure of the current system. It just takes a lot longer to get there.

What if I currently hold a Companion Pass? Your Companion Pass will be honored with no new changes until it expires.

What happens to my A-List or A-List Preferred status? Any current status carries over to Silver or Gold on January 1, 2027.

Are the three one-time Companion Passes at 95,000 TQP’s worth it? I’d say, for most people, likely no. You’d need to basically spend $95,000 on a Southwest card to these or fly 75 flights. That’s probably unrealistic for most people. It is for me.

Conclusion

I hate writing this sentence – but the Companion Pass as most people know it ends on December 31, 2026. That stings. Especially since I fly out of MDW – a Southwest Airlines mega hub. But I also like to find the glass-is-half-full point of view too (even if I have to look really hard for it).

Even in a Southwest hub, often times the flights are outrageously priced compared to other domestic carriers. They have less nonstop flights than other carriers. Have you ever booked a flight that was more expensive just because you can use your Companion Pass? I have. Or a route that wasn’t as great? I have.

The Companion Pass has kept us loyal (mostly) to Southwest for domestic travel. And while we’ve gotten tremendous value from it, keeping us loyal to Southwest rarely works in the customer’s best interest.

Southwest cards are still worth holding. I still want to earn points going forward to use for flights. We can still fly Southwest – we just don’t have the Companion Pass attached. And there are times when Southwest will be the best deal. But there’s also a lot of times when it’s not.

So, if you want to have one last sensational year with the Companion Pass, the time to act is NOW. And if you can, I really would do it! But going forward, it will be okay. The best travel strategy has always been diversification. While you’re enjoying one last hoorah with the companion pass next year, you’ll have plenty of time to diversify your points for the following year.

-Jenn McCue @pointingthewaytomemories