Southwest Rapid Rewards Overhaul: New Elite Tiers, Companion Pass Changes, Partner Awards, & More

In recent times, we’ve seen Southwest Airlines change just about everything, increasingly eliminating the things that have made the carrier different (for better or worse), and instead being more like the competition. As the latest sign of that, the airline has announced plans to completely overhaul its Rapid Rewards loyalty program. Details of the new Southwest Rapid Rewards program coming 2027Silver, Gold, and Platinum, replace A-List and A-List PreferredCredit card spending will increasingly count toward statusCompanion Pass is being bundled into Platinum statusSouthwest is introducing two Milestone Rewards tiersSouthwest will add partner airline points reciprocitySouthwest will add other new points redemptions optionsMy take on Southwest Rapid Rewards program changesBottom line Details of the new Southwest Rapid Rewards program coming 2027 Southwest Airlines is changing basically everything about its Rapid Rewards program — there will be new elite tiers, big updates to Companion Pass, new options for earning redeeming points, and more. Here’s how Nandika Suri, Southwest’s VP of Rapid Rewards, describes this: “Rapid Rewards was built on a simple idea: make it easy for Customers to earn and use rewards. As our Members engage more with Southwest, they’ve told us they want Rapid Rewards to reward them in more meaningful ways, whether they’re working toward status or using the points they’ve earned. These updates build on that feedback by rewarding Members throughout their Southwest experience, while keeping the simplicity and value that have always set our program apart.” Let’s go through some of the major changes… Silver, Gold, and Platinum, replace A-List and A-List Preferred Beginning January 1, 2027, Rapid Rewards will move from two elite tiers to three elite tiers. A-List and A-List Preferred will be replaced by Silver, Gold, and Platinum. More specifically, as of the beginning of 2027: A-List members will become Silver members A-List Preferred members will become Gold members Existing Companion Pass holders will keep the benefit for the full term The new Platinum tier will launch with unlimited Companion Pass trips Below you can see the basics of the three elite tiers. Southwest Rapid Rewards elite tiers One thing worth noting is how the points bonuses are changing: A-List members currently earn a 25% points bonus, while Silver members will earn a 40% points bonus A-List Preferred members currently earn a 100% points bonus, while Gold members will earn a 60% points bonus Platinum members will earn a 120% points bonus Below you can see the elite requirements, which are based on either the number of flights taken, or the number of Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs). Southwest Rapid Rewards elite requirements Credit card spending will increasingly count toward status As of 2027, every dollar spent on a co-branded Southwest credit card will earn you one TQP. In other words, $35K in spending would earn you Silver, $65K in spending would earn you Gold, and $140K in spending would earn you Platinum. Under the current system, only some cards earn TQPs, they don’t earn them at such a fast pace, etc. So obviously Southwest is trying to increase cardmember spending in its portfolio. The program is going from being a frequent flyer program, to being a frequent buyer program. That’s not all that’s changing about TQPs, though. Starting in 2027, customers who book Choice Preferred fares will earn 8x points per dollar spent (rather than 10x points), while customers who book Choice Extra fares will earn 10x points per dollar spent (rather than 14x points). So those are some pretty major cuts. Currently, an A-List Preferred member booking a Choice Extra fare earns 28x points per dollar spent, while under the new system, a Gold member booking such a fare would earn 16x points per dollar spent. Ouch. Southwest credit card spending will increasingly count toward status Companion Pass is being bundled into Platinum status Southwest’s Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel, as it allows you to take a companion with you, while paying just taxes and fees, regardless of whether you’re paying with cash or points. As you can see above, Companion Pass is being bundled into the new Platinum tier. Previously, Companion Pass required earning 135,000 TQPs, while under the new system, Platinum requires earning 140,000 TQPs. There is a major catch here, which is that what qualifies as TQPs is very different than what qualified under the old system. Under the new system, credit card welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spending (like 2x points on gas), and partner spending (hotels, cars, etc.), will no longer count toward Companion Pass. So if you want to earn Companion Pass with credit cards, you’d need to spend $140K to earn the Platinum tier. Southwest Companion Pass is being overhauled Southwest is introducing two Milestone Rewards tiers In order to keep members engaged, it’s common to see some sort of threshold bonuses between elite tiers. In the case of the new Rapid Rewards program, here’s what we’re seeing: If members earn 20K TQPs or complete 15 segments, they can choose 2,000 bonus points or two preferred seat coupons If members earn 95K TQPs or complete 75 segments, they can receive three Companion Pass trips, whereby they can take a companion with them on a one-way or roundtrip journey Southwest Rapid Rewards Milestone Rewards perks Southwest will add partner airline points reciprocity Starting in the spring of 2027, Southwest Rapid Rewards plans to roll out both points earning and redemption opportunities for travel on select partner airlines. Initially, the options are expected to include Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad Airways. Southwest will add other new points redemptions options This is possibly the least important development, but later in 2027, Southwest will start to let members redeem Rapid Rewards points for seat selection on Southwest operated flights, including extra legroom and preferred seats. Also, as of November 2026, Rapid Rewards points can be used for rental cars across all participating car rental partners, directly through cars.southwest.com. My take on Southwest Rapid Rewards program changes I mean, what can one really say about these changes? Southwest is changing everything to be like “the other guys,” and these loyalty program changes are along the same lines. Obviously the easiest paths to Companion Pass are going away, and that was one of the best deals in travel, for those who fly Southwest with any frequency. It’s not surprising to see that credit card bonuses no longer count toward that. On balance, I’d definitely say these changes are negative, though they’re also kind of what I would’ve expected. I am curious to see the details of the opportunities to earn and redeem points on partner airlines, as it’s cool to finally see that become a reality. I’ve been meaning to take a trip to Abu Dhabi on Etihad, so maybe this is a good way to do so. 😉 Bottom line Southwest Rapid Rewards is being completely overhauled as of 2027. Just about everything is changing. We’re going from two elite tiers to three elite tiers, Companion Pass is being bundled into the new top tier status, credit card spending will increasingly count toward status, there will be new opportunities to earn and redeem points on partners, and more. This is certainly the end of the “easy” Companion Pass, and that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. What do you make of these Rapid Rewards program changes?