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Southwest Airlines is overhauling Rapid Rewards for 2027, the biggest changes to the program in years. A-List and A-List Preferred are being replaced with a three-tier Silver/Gold/Platinum structure, Companion Pass is moving to a stricter earning system, and the airline is adding its first international partner award redemptions and a new airport lounge network. Most changes take effect January 1, 2027; a few arrive sooner. Here’s what’s actually changing, based on Southwest’s own announcement and reporting from View From the Wing.
New Elite Tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum
Effective January 1, 2027, A-List becomes Silver and A-List Preferred becomes Gold, and both keep roughly the same qualification bar (see our A-List vs. A-List Preferred guide for how the current tiers compare). The new top tier, Platinum, is entirely new and is the only tier that includes the unlimited Companion Pass.
| Tier | Qualification | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Silver (was A-List) | 25 flights or 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points | 40% earning bonus, Group 1 boarding, preferred/standard seats at booking |
| Gold (was A-List Preferred) | 50 flights or 65,000 Tier Qualifying Points | 60% earning bonus, any available seat at booking, two free checked bags, premium drinks |
| Platinum (new) | 100 flights or 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points | 120% earning bonus, three free checked bags, unlimited Companion Pass, top boarding priority |
All three tiers keep priority check-in, priority security lanes, and same-day standby, now extended to Basic fares as well. Southwest is also adding a one-time boost for 2027: credit cardholders who reach 130,000 Tier Qualifying Points get an extra 10,000 points added, a one-time perk per member.
Companion Pass Gets Harder to Earn
This is the change drawing the most attention. Starting in 2027, Southwest is retiring Companion Pass Qualifying Points (CPQP) entirely and tying the Companion Pass to the same Tier Qualifying Points used for elite status. In practice, that closes off some of the easier paths people used to stack qualifying points quickly.
According to View From the Wing, credit card signup and anniversary bonuses will no longer count toward Tier Qualifying Points, and bonus-category point multipliers (like 2X earning on dining) will only count as 1 qualifying point per dollar spent — not at the bonus rate. Partner earnings from hotels and rental cars are excluded as well. The practical effect: flying and direct card spend become essentially the only ways to qualify.
Under the new structure, 95,000 points or 75 flights earns three Companion Pass trips, while reaching Platinum (140,000 points or 100 flights) earns the unlimited Companion Pass, matching Southwest’s own description of a milestone reward “between Gold and Platinum” that qualifies members for three Companion Pass trips.
Deadline to know: per View From the Wing’s reporting, Southwest credit cards approved on or before December 2, 2026 will have their initial bonus count toward 2027 Companion Pass qualification, the one exception to the new rules. Apply after that date, and the signup bonus won’t count.
Credit Card Earning Changes
Southwest’s own announcement confirms a straightforward change: starting January 1, 2027, every Rapid Rewards credit cardholder — including Plus cardholders — earns 1 Tier Qualifying Point for every dollar spent on eligible purchases, regardless of bonus category. That’s new; TQPs from card spend didn’t exist as a distinct currency before 2027 — see our Southwest credit card comparison for how this changes the math on each card.
New Partner Award Redemptions
Beginning spring 2027, Rapid Rewards points will be redeemable for travel on three new airline partners: Icelandair, Etihad Airways, and China Airlines, Southwest’s first real push into international partner redemptions, covering Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Award pricing, seat availability, and whether reciprocal elite benefits will apply haven’t been published yet; Southwest says those details are still “under discussion.”
New Southwest Icon Lounges
Southwest is building its first airport lounge network, branded Icon Lounge, launching late 2027 at Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu, and Nashville, with at least seven more planned after that. Access will require a new premium Chase-issued Southwest credit card launching alongside the lounges — fee, guest policy, and exact access rules haven’t been announced.
Other Changes Worth Knowing
- Rental cars: direct points redemption at cars.southwest.com starts mid-November 2026.
- Post-booking seat upgrades: redeeming points for Extra Legroom and Preferred seats after booking arrives in late 2027.
- Starlink WiFi: fleetwide rollout is targeted for around fall 2027; it stays free for Rapid Rewards members via the existing T-Mobile partnership in the meantime.
- Point-earning cuts on pricier fares: starting January 1, 2027, Choice Preferred drops from 10 to 8 points per dollar and Choice Extra drops from 14 to 10 points per dollar. Basic and Choice fares are unchanged.
What Southwest Is Saying
“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.” — Nandika Suri, Vice President of Rapid Rewards, in Southwest’s official announcement
Bottom Line
The new tiers and partner awards are a genuine expansion of what Rapid Rewards can do, and the flat 1-point-per-dollar TQP credit card earning is a real upgrade for cardholders who weren’t close to elite status before. But the headline risk is the Companion Pass: if View From the Wing’s reporting on the new earning mechanics holds up, the easiest paths to qualifying, stacking credit card bonuses and bonus-category spend, are going away. Anyone counting on a card-based Companion Pass strategy for 2027 has a hard deadline: get approved by December 2, 2026, or plan to qualify the harder way, through flights and direct spend.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Southwest’s new Rapid Rewards changes take effect?
What happens to A-List and A-List Preferred status?
Why is the Southwest Companion Pass considered harder to earn in 2027?
Is there a deadline to get a Southwest credit card bonus to count toward 2027 Companion Pass qualification?
Which new airline partners can Rapid Rewards points be used with?
What are Southwest’s new Icon Lounges?
