Southwest Adds a Platinum Tier With Unlimited Companion Pass Trips as It Rebuilds Rapid Rewards for 2027

Southwest's current A-List tier becomes Silver, and A-List Preferred becomes Gold. A new tier, Platinum, sits above both. According to Southwest, Platinum includes unlimited Companion Pass trips, subject to programme terms.

Southwest's programme page sets out how members reach each level. Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) become the single currency for tiers, Milestone Rewards and Companion Pass trips, and the separate Companion Pass qualifying points are retired. Qualifying flights still count, so members can reach a tier through either route.

According to that page, the thresholds are:

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

AwardWallet, which compared the new figures with the 2026 rules, reported that A-List currently requires 20 flights or 35,000 TQPs and A-List Preferred requires 40 flights or 70,000 TQPs. On its account, the flight count needed for Silver and Gold rises, while the points needed for Gold falls by 5,000. It reported the existing Companion Pass bar as 100 flights or 135,000 points, against 140,000 for Platinum.

What each tier gets

Southwest's page lists the benefits tier by tier. Some details are in footnotes and, as noted below, a few are inconsistent on the page itself.

Silver members can choose a Preferred or Standard seat at booking, can upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure, receive one free checked bag and a 40 percent earning bonus, and get priority and express lane access, priority member support and same-day standby, including on Basic fares.

Gold members can pick any seat at booking, including Extra Legroom, receive two free checked bags and a 60 percent earning bonus, and get two complimentary premium drinks per flight alongside the lane, support and standby benefits.

Platinum adds unlimited Companion Pass trips, three free checked bags and a 120 percent earning bonus, with the same seat, drinks, lane, support and standby benefits as Gold.

AwardWallet compared the earning bonuses with the current ones. It reported the present bonus as 25 percent for A-List and 100 percent for A-List Preferred, which would make Silver's 40 percent an increase and Gold's 60 percent a cut. The outlet's writer described the Gold reduction as a large one for members of the middle tier. That is the outlet's view, not Southwest's.

The programme page itself carries a discrepancy. Its Silver and Gold benefit lists describe boarding positions that differ from what a footnote on the same page says, so the final boarding order for each tier is not clear from the published text.

Milestone Rewards

Milestone Rewards are new and start in January 2027. They give members something tangible at points along the way, not only at the tier thresholds.

According to Southwest's page, the first milestone arrives at 20,000 TQPs or 15 qualifying one-way flights. At that point the member chooses between 2,000 Rapid Rewards points or two Preferred Seat Certificates. The certificates are bought through a standalone seat-selection flow and cannot be used on a flight booking. The second milestone comes at 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights and gives three Companion Pass trips, each of which can be used one way or as a round trip. Southwest says benefit selections are final and subject to expiration and usage terms.

The Companion Pass, rebuilt

The Companion Pass lets a member name one companion who flies with them for only taxes and fees. The page says these start at $5.60 one way. The companion must be booked through Southwest on the same reservation as the member, trips are subject to seat availability, the member can change the companion up to three times per calendar year, and the benefit cannot be transferred.

The structural change is how it is earned. Thrifty Traveler reported that the pass will be earned only through TQPs tied to the new tiers, and that sign-up bonuses will no longer count toward it. AwardWallet likewise reported that welcome bonuses, partner spending and bonus points from everyday spending categories no longer count. Southwest's page confirms the retirement of Companion Pass qualifying points.

For members who have already earned the pass, Southwest says anyone who earns it in 2026 under the current rules keeps unlimited trips through 31 December 2027. People registered in a current Companion Pass promotion keep their offer.

Thrifty Traveler framed the effect as a pass that remains but costs more to earn. It quoted a long-time pass holder saying requalifying would be much harder. The outlet listed casual cardholders who relied on sign-up bonuses as likely losers, and frequent flyers who can reach Platinum as likely winners. Those assessments are the outlet's, not the airline's.

Credit cards now earn status points

Starting 1 January 2027, every Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase, including the entry-level Plus card, earns one TQP for every dollar of eligible spending. AwardWallet noted that the Plus card currently earns no TQPs toward status.

Southwest's page adds a one-time boost: primary cardmembers who reach 130,000 TQPs in their account by 31 December 2027 receive 10,000 further TQPs, posted within 30 days. It counts toward tiers through 2028 and is limited to one card per member. Cash-like transactions, gambling, person-to-person transfers, fees and fraudulent charges do not earn TQPs.

Thrifty Traveler drew out what the one-point-per-dollar rate means at the top: reaching the unlimited pass on card spending alone would take $140,000 in purchases in a year. The figure follows directly from the published threshold and rate, and is the outlet's arithmetic rather than a Southwest statement.

Southwest also said a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, issued by Chase, will launch in 2027. The release does not give its annual fee, benefits or launch date. Thrifty Traveler described it as the highest-fee tier of the card family and speculated about its name; the airline has announced no name.

Redemption options widen

Several redemption changes come on staggered dates:

• Mid-November 2026: points can be redeemed for rental cars with participating partners through cars.southwest.com.
• Spring 2027: members can earn and redeem points with Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad Airways.
• Later in 2027: points can pay for seat selection, including Extra Legroom and Preferred seats, on Southwest-operated flights. Per the page, points are redeemable after booking and before check-in, not at the airport, and are refunded if the flight is changed or cancelled.

Southwest has not published redemption rates for the three international partners, and the exact spring launch date is unannounced. AwardWallet said no award charts or pricing had been released and listed the destinations each partner would open up: Reykjavik and European connections through Icelandair, Taipei and onward Asia through China Airlines, and Abu Dhabi and beyond through Etihad. It also suggested the partner access could change whether transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest is worthwhile, which is the writer's opinion.

Icon Lounges

Southwest said it plans Southwest Icon Lounges, built with Chase, with the first opening in late 2027 at Nashville International Airport. Access will be through the new premium Chase card. Thrifty Traveler and AwardWallet both named the initial four airports as Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville, and Thrifty Traveler added that seven more are planned for a total of 11, with locations not named. The airline's release, as summarised in the sources reviewed, names only Nashville as the first location, so the four-airport list rests on the two outlets.

Wi-Fi and what stays the same

Southwest expects fleetwide Starlink Wi-Fi in fall 2027 and says it would be the first major US airline to complete such a rollout. Wi-Fi is free to Rapid Rewards members through T-Mobile where available. The programme page says non-members can buy access on select aircraft for $8 per device. AwardWallet reported more than 40 aircraft already carry Starlink.

Southwest says several core features are unchanged: points do not expire, there are no blackout dates on flight redemptions, points are earned on every eligible fare type and partner activity still earns points. Existing credit card benefits continue, subject to their terms. Status changes can take up to 14 days to take effect.

Nandika Suri, Southwest's vice president of Rapid Rewards, framed the programme in the release as built on making it easy for customers to earn and use rewards.

What remains unanswered

Several details are open: the new card's name, fee and launch date; partner award pricing; the locations of the additional lounges; and the final boarding order by tier. The tier thresholds, notably, are published on Southwest's page but not in the press release itself, which refers readers to the web page.

Sources

• Southwest Airlines Co., press release "More to Love From Rapid Rewards: Southwest Airlines Expands Rewards, Redemption, and Member Benefits", 15 October 2026 (investors.southwest.com)
• Southwest Airlines, "Rapid Rewards Program Updates for 2027" (southwest.com/rapid-rewards/2027/whats-changing)
• Thrifty Traveler, Gunnar Olson, "Southwest Axes Companion Pass Shortcut With New Rapid Rewards Status Tiers", 15 October 2026 (thriftytraveler.com)
• AwardWallet, Mark Jackson, "Southwest Rapid Rewards Overhaul: Goodbye A-List, Hello International Partner Redemptions" (awardwallet.com)