Southwest Is Closing the Easy Door to Its Companion Pass

Southwest Airlines has overhauled its Rapid Rewards program, with the changes taking effect January 1, 2027. A-List becomes Silver, A-List Preferred becomes Gold, and a new Platinum tier sits above them. Existing Companion Pass holders keep the benefit for the full term of their pass.

The biggest shift is how the Companion Pass is earned. It will be bundled into Platinum, which is reported to launch with unlimited Companion Pass trips, and the requirement is 140,000 tier qualifying points, up from 135,000. Card welcome bonuses, referral, anniversary and partner spending points will no longer count, so the easy credit-card routes to the pass are going away.

Co-branded Southwest card spending will earn one tier qualifying point per dollar, and the reported spending paths are roughly $35,000 for Silver, $65,000 for Gold and $140,000 for Platinum. Milestone rewards also change: 20,000 points or 15 segments earns 2,000 bonus points or two preferred seat coupons, and 95,000 points or 75 segments earns three Companion Pass trips.

For flyers who relied on card bonuses to unlock a companion, the new rules mean actually flying or spending far more. This story was first reported in mid-October, but the changes arrive just two months from now, so anyone planning to chase status should decide soon.

Sources: One Mile at a Time, Southwest Airlines