From January 1, 2027, the Southwest Companion Pass takes 140,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs) or 100 one-way flights, and credit card welcome bonuses no longer count toward it. The one exception matters right now: Southwest says a card approved on or before December 2, 2026 can still have its welcome bonus count. Southwest published the changes on its Rapid Rewards 2027 page on October 15, 2026.
The Companion Pass lets one person you choose fly with you on Southwest for taxes and fees only, from $5.60 each way. Until now, most people earned it by stacking card bonuses rather than by flying, and that’s the path Southwest is closing.
What changed
- Before: you earned the pass with 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year, per Southwest’s current tiers page. Card welcome bonuses, card spending and partner points all counted, and cardholders got 10,000 extra qualifying points every year.
- Now: unlimited Companion Pass trips come with a new top tier, Platinum, at 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying flights. A new Milestone Reward at 95,000 TQPs or 75 flights gives you 3 Companion Pass trips, each good for a one-way or round trip.
- No longer counted: welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, category bonus points such as 2x on gas, and points from hotel and car partners. You still earn those points. They just don’t move you toward the pass.
- Still counted: 1 TQP per $1 spent on every Southwest card, including the entry-level Plus card, plus TQPs from Southwest flights, Getaways packages and the Rapid Rewards debit card.
- Tiers: A-List becomes Silver (35,000 TQPs or 25 flights) and A-List Preferred becomes Gold (65,000 TQPs or 50 flights). Today those tiers take 20 and 40 flights, so the flight paths get longer.
- Flight earning: from January 1, 2027, fares earn 2x (Basic), 6x (Choice), 8x (Choice Preferred) and 10x (Choice Extra) points per dollar. One Mile at a Time notes the top two fares earn 10x and 14x today.
- Who it affects: anyone planning to earn a Companion Pass with Southwest card bonuses, and A-List members who qualify mostly on flight counts.
Key terms
- The card deadline: the cutoff is approval on or before December 2, 2026. For those cardmembers, Southwest’s 2027 FAQ says the welcome bonus points can “count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spend threshold is met in early 2027.”
- Passes earned in 2026: Southwest’s Companion Pass page says a pass earned in 2026 under the current rules keeps unlimited trips through December 31, 2027. Companion Pass qualifying points retire after December 31, 2026.
- What no longer helps: the same page lists “new Cardmember welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, and bonus points from spend” among the activities that won’t count.
- Milestone Rewards: per the Milestone Rewards guide, 20,000 TQPs or 15 flights gets you 2,000 points or 2 Preferred Seat Certificates. At 95,000 TQPs or 75 flights you get the 3 companion trips. Each milestone can be earned once per calendar year.
- 2027 cardholder bonus: primary cardmembers who reach 130,000 TQPs by December 31, 2027 get a one-time 10,000 TQP bonus toward Platinum.
- New redemptions: points for rental cars from November 2026, partner flights on Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad Airways from spring 2027, and points for seat selection later in 2027.
The card math, before and after
Here’s what the pass costs in card spending under each set of rules, using the 80,000-point Southwest Premier Business offer that ends October 26 as the example:
| Path | 2026 rules | 2027 rules |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 80,000 points count | 0 count |
| $3,000 minimum spend | at least 3,000 points | 3,000 TQPs |
| Annual cardholder bonus | 10,000 points | 10,000 TQPs, only once you reach 130,000 |
| Still needed for unlimited trips | about 42,000 points | about $127,000 more spending |
Under the 2026 rules, one business card bonus gets you about 93,000 of the 135,000 points you need. A second card’s bonus or about $42,000 of spending closes the gap. Under the 2027 rules, unlimited trips take $140,000 of card spending, or $130,000 with the cardholder bonus, and the 3-trip milestone takes $95,000.
Our take
We think this is a large devaluation of the Companion Pass for anyone who earns it with cards. For a household that spends $40,000 a year on cards, the pass stops being a two-card project and is out of reach unless you fly 75 one-way trips. Heavy Southwest flyers with elite status do better, since Gold now takes 65,000 TQPs instead of 70,000.
The math on what you lose is simple. If your companion flies 8 round trips a year at $200 each way, the pass saves about $3,200 a year. Under the 2027 milestone, 3 companion trips covering 3 round trips would save about $1,200, and that still takes $95,000 of spending. Our points valuation guide puts most airline points at 1 to 1.5 cents, so the welcome bonus itself keeps its value. Only the pass gets harder.
If you want a Companion Pass, the window closes December 2, 2026. Get approved for a Southwest card by then, and meet the spend as early as you can. We’re not sure yet how Southwest will credit a bonus earned in early 2027 once the old qualifying points retire, so we’d aim to finish the spend before December 31. Chase’s once-per-lifetime language on the business card is worth reading first, along with the follow-up correction.
Skip the card if you fly Southwest fewer than 4 times a year. Personal Southwest cards still waive the $45 first checked bag, and the coming Southwest Icon lounges need a new premium Chase card anyway. The Points Guy has more on the card side, and our best travel credit cards guide compares other options. United made a similar change this week: its 2027 Premier status counts only what you spend, not how many flights you take.
FAQ
When do the Southwest Companion Pass changes start?
January 1, 2027. Companion Pass qualifying points retire after December 31, 2026, and from then on the pass is earned with tier qualifying points or qualifying flights.
Does a Southwest card welcome bonus still count toward the Companion Pass?
Only if you’re approved on or before December 2, 2026 and earn the bonus. Southwest says those points can count even if you meet the spend in early 2027. Bonuses on cards approved later won’t count.
I already have the Companion Pass. What happens to it?
You keep it for its full term. A pass earned in 2026 keeps unlimited trips through December 31, 2027.
How much card spending does the 2027 Companion Pass take?
Unlimited trips need 140,000 TQPs, which is $140,000 of Southwest card spending at 1 TQP per $1, or $130,000 with the one-time 10,000 TQP cardholder bonus. The 3-trip Milestone Reward needs 95,000 TQPs.
What happens to A-List and A-List Preferred?
A-List becomes Silver and A-List Preferred becomes Gold on January 1, 2027. Silver takes 35,000 TQPs or 25 flights, and Gold takes 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights.
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