The Southwest Companion Pass is changing in 2027, and if you’ve been using points and miles to save money on family travel, this is news you don’t want to miss.
For years, the Southwest Companion Pass has been one of my favorite travel benefits. It’s helped my family save thousands of dollars on flights, visit beautiful destinations, and create memories without spending a fortune on airfare.
So when Southwest announced its latest changes, I was genuinely disappointed.
The biggest change? Starting January 1, 2027, earning unlimited Southwest Companion Pass trips will become much harder for travelers who have traditionally relied on credit card welcome bonuses.
But here’s the good news: the Southwest Companion Pass isn’t going away, and there’s still an opportunity to earn it under the current rules.
Whether you’re completely new to points and miles or you’ve been earning travel rewards for years, I’ll explain everything in simple terms.
What Is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is a travel benefit that lets you choose one person to fly with you on eligible Southwest Airlines flights without paying an additional airline fare for that person.
You can think of it as a buy-one-get-one flight benefit.
For example, imagine you’re planning a family trip from Washington, DC, to Orlando.
You book your flight using money or Southwest Rapid Rewards points. If you have an active Companion Pass, you can add your designated companion to the same eligible flight without paying another airline fare.
You will still pay applicable taxes and fees for your companion’s ticket.
Here’s what makes it especially valuable: You can use the Southwest Companion Pass whether you book your own ticket with cash or points.
That means families can combine their travel rewards with Companion Pass benefits to reduce the cost of flying.
Can you use the Southwest Companion Pass for your children?
Yes!
You can designate an eligible child as your companion, provided they meet Southwest’s travel and reservation requirements.
However, one Southwest Companion Pass covers only one designated companion at a time.
If two parents each earn a Companion Pass, they can each designate a child as their companion. This can make a big difference when booking flights for a family of four.
The companion must travel with the person who holds the pass.
How My Family Has Saved Thousands With the Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass has been one of my family’s secret weapons for affordable travel.
We’ve used it to take trips that would otherwise have cost us much more in airfare.
Here are two examples.
Our family trip to Costa Rica
Flights for our family of four would have cost more than $1,800.
Instead, we booked using:
- 34,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points
- $96.52 in taxes and fees
That’s an incredible difference compared with paying the full cash price.
Our daughter’s fifth birthday trip to Orlando
For our daughter’s birthday, we planned a family trip to Orlando.
The flights would have cost more than $1,200.
Instead, we used:
- 48,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points
- $44.80 in taxes and fees
These are real examples of why I love points and miles.
The goal isn’t simply to collect rewards. It’s to make experiences possible for our families without paying full price every time we travel.
And that’s why the upcoming Southwest Companion Pass changes matter so much.
How Do You Earn the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026?
Before we look at the new rules, let’s understand how the Southwest Companion Pass works today.
Under the current rules, you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass by completing either of these requirements within a calendar year:
Option 1: Earn 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points.
Option 2: Complete 100 qualifying one-way Southwest flights.
You only need to complete one of these options.
A calendar year runs from January 1 through December 31.
What are Companion Pass qualifying points?
Companion Pass qualifying points are points Southwest counts toward earning your Companion Pass.
Under the current program, eligible points can come from activities such as Southwest flights, qualifying Southwest credit card spending, and eligible credit card welcome bonuses.
For example, a credit card might offer a large welcome bonus after you meet its spending requirement.
If that bonus qualifies under the current rules, it can help you get much closer to the 135,000 points needed for the Southwest Companion Pass.
This is why credit card welcome bonuses have been such an important part of many travelers’ Companion Pass strategies.
How long does the Southwest Companion Pass last?
Under the current standard rules, once you qualify, your Companion Pass is generally valid for the rest of the year you earn it and the entire following calendar year.
For example, if you earn the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026, you can use it through December 31, 2027.
That’s potentially more than a year of Companion Pass travel, depending on when you qualify.
What Is Changing With the Southwest Companion Pass in 2027?
Starting January 1, 2027, Southwest is changing how travelers qualify for Companion Pass benefits.
Instead of using the current Companion Pass qualifying points system, Southwest will use Tier Qualifying Points, also called TQPs, or qualifying flights.
Southwest is also introducing two levels of Companion Pass benefits.
Here’s the difference.
| Southwest Companion Pass benefit | Current 2026 rules | New 2027 rules |
| Three Companion Pass trips | Not a standard qualification level | 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights |
| Unlimited Companion Pass trips | 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights | 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying one-way flights |
| Type of points used for qualification | Companion Pass qualifying points | Tier Qualifying Points |
| Credit card welcome bonuses | Eligible bonuses can count | Do not earn TQPs under the new rules |
Let’s break that down.
Change #1: You Can Earn Three Companion Pass Trips
Starting in 2027, Southwest will introduce a new benefit that allows eligible members to earn three Companion Pass trips.
To qualify, you’ll need either:
- 95,000 Tier Qualifying Points, or
- 75 qualifying one-way Southwest flights.
This benefit is part of Southwest’s new Milestone Rewards program.
A Milestone Reward is simply a benefit you unlock after reaching a certain amount of qualifying activity.
What does three Companion Pass trips actually mean?
It means your designated companion can join you on three eligible Southwest itineraries.
Each itinerary can be either a one-way trip or a round trip.
For example, if you book a round-trip flight from Washington, DC, to Orlando, using one Companion Pass trip can cover your companion on that entire round-trip itinerary.
But if you use it on a one-way flight, that still uses one of your three trips. You won’t get the unused return portion back.
The three-trip benefit is different from the unlimited Companion Pass that many travelers are familiar with.
Change #2: Unlimited Companion Pass Trips Will Require Platinum Status
Starting in 2027, Southwest will introduce a new top membership level called Platinum.
To earn Platinum status and unlock unlimited Companion Pass trips, you’ll need either:
- 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points, or
- 100 qualifying one-way Southwest flights.
This means travelers who want unlimited Companion Pass trips will need to meet the new Platinum qualification requirements.
If you first earn the three-trip benefit and later reach Platinum status, your Companion Pass benefits increase to unlimited trips.
The important difference isn’t just that the points requirement is changing from 135,000 to 140,000.
It’s that the types of points that count are changing, too.
And for many families, that’s the biggest issue.
Change #3: Credit Card Welcome Bonuses Will No Longer Count Toward the New Qualification Requirements
This is one of the most significant Southwest Companion Pass changes for 2027.
Under the current rules, eligible credit card welcome bonuses can help you earn the 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points.
Starting in 2027, new credit card welcome bonuses will no longer earn the Tier Qualifying Points required for Companion Pass benefits.
Let’s make that simple.
Imagine you open an eligible Southwest credit card and receive a welcome bonus of 60,000 Rapid Rewards points after meeting the spending requirements.
Under the current rules, an eligible bonus may help you get closer to earning a Southwest Companion Pass.
Under the new 2027 rules, those welcome bonus points won’t count toward the TQPs needed for the three-trip benefit or Platinum status.
You may still be able to use the points to book flights.
They simply won’t help you qualify for Companion Pass benefits.
What other points will stop counting?
Southwest says several other types of points will no longer earn TQPs toward Companion Pass qualification, including:
- Credit card referral bonuses.
- Credit card anniversary bonus points.
- Extra bonus points from spending categories, such as earning 2X points on gas.
- Points earned through certain travel partners, such as hotels and rental cars.
This is an important distinction: points you can use to book flights are not necessarily points that count toward earning Companion Pass benefits.
Change #4: Southwest Credit Card Spending Will Earn Tier Qualifying Points
Not every credit card-related change is negative.
Starting January 1, 2027, Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards will earn:
1 Tier Qualifying Point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.
For example:
| Eligible card spending | TQPs earned |
| $1,000 | 1,000 |
| $5,000 | 5,000 |
| $10,000 | 10,000 |
| $25,000 | 25,000 |
These TQPs can help you work toward the three-trip Companion Pass benefit or Platinum status.
Southwest has also announced a 10,000-TQP boost after a cardmember reaches 130,000 TQPs, helping eligible members reach the 140,000-TQP Platinum threshold.
However, it’s important to understand that earning TQPs through credit card spending is not the same as receiving a large welcome bonus.
For example, earning 95,000 TQPs solely through eligible credit card spending would generally require $95,000 in purchases under the new one-TQP-per-dollar rule.
That makes the strategy very different from the one many families have used in previous years.
Change #5: Southwest Is Introducing New Membership Levels
The Southwest Companion Pass changes are part of a larger update to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.
Starting in 2027, Southwest will use three main elite membership levels:
- Silver: Replaces A-List.
- Gold: Replaces A-List Preferred.
- Platinum: A new top tier that includes unlimited Companion Pass trips.
Southwest is also introducing Milestone Rewards, which let members unlock certain benefits as they earn qualifying points or complete qualifying flights.
The first Milestone Reward becomes available at 20,000 TQPs or 15 qualifying one-way flights. Eligible members can choose between 2,000 Rapid Rewards points and two Preferred Seat Certificates.
The second Milestone Reward is the three-trip Companion Pass benefit at 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying flights.
This new structure means the Southwest Companion Pass will become more closely connected to the airline’s broader loyalty and status program.
What Counts Toward the Southwest Companion Pass in 2027?
Southwest says members will be able to earn Tier Qualifying Points through eligible activities such as:
- Qualifying Southwest-operated flights.
- Eligible purchases using Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards.
- Eligible purchases using the Rapid Rewards debit card.
- Qualifying Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings.
- Qualifying Southwest group travel bookings.
The number of TQPs you earn from flights depends on the type of fare purchased.
Southwest’s announced 2027 rates include:
| Southwest fare type | TQPs per eligible dollar of fare |
| Basic | 2 |
| Choice | 6 |
| Choice Preferred | 8 |
| Choice Extra | 10 |
For example, an eligible $200 fare earning 6 TQPs per dollar would generate 1,200 TQPs.
Taxes and other excluded charges may not count toward the qualifying fare amount.
Can You Still Earn the Southwest Companion Pass Under the Old Rules?
Yes. The current qualification rules remain in effect through December 31, 2026.
This is especially important if you’ve already been working toward a Southwest Companion Pass.
If you earn the pass under the current rules in 2026, Southwest says you’ll continue enjoying unlimited Companion Pass trips through December 31, 2027.
You won’t suddenly lose the benefit on January 1, 2027, simply because Southwest introduces a new qualification system.
What if you already have a Companion Pass?
If you’ve already earned a Southwest Companion Pass, your existing benefits will remain available until the expiration date shown in your Rapid Rewards account.
What if you’re still earning qualifying points?
You can continue working toward the current requirements through the end of 2026.
However, Southwest says qualification activity generally needs to post by the end of the year, subject to its specific transition provisions.
So you shouldn’t assume that a purchase made on December 31 will automatically post in time.
The Important December 2, 2026 Credit Card Deadline
Southwest has announced a special transition provision for eligible new Rapid Rewards credit cardmembers.
According to Southwest, if you’re approved for an eligible Rapid Rewards credit card on or before December 2, 2026, and meet the new cardmember welcome bonus requirements, those bonus points may still count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spending requirement is completed in early 2027.
This is important because welcome bonuses are one of the strategies that will no longer count under the new 2027 qualification system.
However, there are several things to understand.
First, December 2 is an approval deadline, not simply an application deadline. Applying before that date does not guarantee you’ll be approved in time.
Second, you must be eligible for the credit card and its welcome bonus.
Third, you must meet the card’s spending requirements and the applicable Southwest qualification terms.
Finally, receiving a credit card welcome bonus does not automatically mean you’ll earn the Companion Pass. You still need to meet the required qualification threshold.
Southwest’s transition provision is an exception to the general changeover rules, so it’s important to check the official terms carefully.
How to Check Your Southwest Companion Pass Progress
If you already have a Southwest Rapid Rewards account, you can check your progress toward the current Companion Pass requirements.
Here’s how:
- Open the Southwest Airlines app or visit Southwest.com.
- Sign in to your Rapid Rewards account.
- Open your account profile or Rapid Rewards dashboard.
- Look for your Companion Pass qualification progress.
- Review the number of qualifying points or flights you’ve earned so far.
Remember that your total Rapid Rewards points balance may be different from your Companion Pass qualifying points.
For example, you might have 80,000 points available to book flights, but not all 80,000 may count toward earning the Companion Pass.
The qualification tracker is the important number to check.
What Happens to Companion Pass Promotions?
Southwest has confirmed that it will continue offering selected promotions that may allow travelers to earn Companion Pass benefits.
If you’re already registered for an eligible Companion Pass promotion, Southwest says it will honor the terms of that offer as long as you meet its requirements.
This means promotional Companion Pass opportunities are not necessarily disappearing.
However, the rules, validity period, and number of trips available may differ from the standard qualification program.
Always check the specific promotion’s terms.
Other Southwest Rapid Rewards Changes Coming in 2027
The Southwest Companion Pass changes are part of a broader Rapid Rewards update.
Southwest has also announced plans to expand how members can use their points.
These include:
- November 2026: The ability to redeem Rapid Rewards points for rental cars across participating rental car partners.
- Spring 2027: The ability to book travel with Rapid Rewards points on select international airline loyalty partners.
- Late 2027: The ability to redeem points for certain seat selections, including Preferred and Extra Legroom seats.
- During 2027: Additional premium experiences, including planned Southwest lounges and a new premium credit card.
These updates are separate from Companion Pass qualification, but they may affect how valuable Southwest Rapid Rewards points become for different travelers.
Southwest Companion Pass 2027: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Southwest getting rid of the Companion Pass?
No. The Southwest Companion Pass is not disappearing.
Starting in 2027, travelers will be able to earn three Companion Pass trips through a Milestone Reward, unlimited trips through Platinum status, or benefits through certain promotions.
Will my Companion Pass stop working in January 2027?
Not if your existing pass is still valid.
Southwest says current Companion Pass holders will keep their benefits until their listed expiration date.
Can I still earn a Companion Pass in 2026?
Yes. The existing qualification rules continue through December 31, 2026, subject to Southwest’s posting and eligibility requirements.
Can I still earn unlimited Companion Pass trips in 2027?
Yes. Under the new rules, you’ll need to qualify for Platinum status by earning 140,000 TQPs or completing 100 qualifying one-way flights.
Do Southwest credit card welcome bonuses still count?
Eligible welcome bonuses can count under the current rules and Southwest’s announced transition provision.
Under the standard 2027 qualification rules, new cardmember welcome bonuses will not earn TQPs toward Companion Pass benefits.
Can I use Rapid Rewards points to book my own ticket and still add a companion?
Yes. An eligible Companion Pass can be used when the passholder books their own Southwest flight using cash or Rapid Rewards points, subject to availability and the program rules.
Is the Southwest Companion Pass completely free?
No. Although your designated companion doesn’t pay an additional airline fare, applicable taxes and fees still apply.
Can I change my designated companion?
Yes. Southwest generally allows up to three designated companion changes per calendar year, subject to its rules and processing requirements.
Will I lose my Rapid Rewards points when the rules change?
The retirement of Companion Pass qualifying points does not mean your ordinary redeemable Rapid Rewards points are being eliminated.
You can still use eligible Rapid Rewards points for reward travel under the program’s redemption rules.
Is the Southwest Companion Pass Still Worth It in 2027?
That depends on how often you fly Southwest, how many people travel with you, and whether you can realistically meet the new requirements.
For a family that frequently flies Southwest, Companion Pass benefits can still provide significant savings.
But for travelers who have traditionally earned the pass primarily through credit card welcome bonuses, the new system will require a different approach.
Some families may find that earning the three-trip benefit makes more sense than pursuing Platinum status.
Others may decide that earning flexible travel rewards they can use across different airlines offers better value.
There’s no single strategy that works for every family.
The important thing is to understand the rules before making decisions about credit cards, spending, or future travel.
Final Thoughts: The Southwest Companion Pass Is Changing, but Family Travel Doesn’t Have to Stop
I won’t pretend I’m excited about these changes.
The Southwest Companion Pass has helped my family save thousands of dollars over the years, and I’m genuinely sad to see one of our favorite strategies become harder to use.
But that’s the thing about points and miles.
Airlines change their programs. Credit card offers change. Qualification requirements change.
And when they do, we learn, adjust, and find new opportunities.
We don’t panic. We pivot.
The Southwest Companion Pass will still exist in 2027. The important thing is understanding how the new rules work, whether you can still qualify under the current rules, and which travel rewards strategies make the most sense for your family going forward.
