Southwest has posted its full 2027 Rapid Rewards rulebook, and the headline is that the Companion Pass you could game with a credit card signup bonus is going away. Starting January 1, 2027, A-List becomes Silver, A-List Preferred becomes Gold, a new Platinum tier arrives, and Companion Pass is earned through one currency: Tier Qualifying Points.

What actually changes on January 1, 2027

Southwest is retiring Companion Pass qualifying points after December 31, 2026. From then on, Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) are the single currency for tiers, Milestone Rewards, and Companion Pass trips. Qualifying flights still count too, so the flight-count route survives.

The tiers get new names and a new top rung. Silver (the old A-List) needs 35,000 TQPs or 25 qualifying flights. Gold (the old A-List Preferred) needs 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights. Platinum, which is brand new, needs 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights. Platinum gets unlimited Companion Pass trips, up to three free checked bags, and a 120% earning bonus.

Companion Pass is no longer a pass, it's a milestone

The big structural change is how you get it. A new Milestone Reward at 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights hands you three Companion Pass trips. Platinum gets unlimited. If you want the old all-year, bring-anyone-anywhere behavior, you now need to hit the 140,000 TQP or 100-flight mark. Select promotions may also offer Companion Pass trips, but Southwest isn't promising any specific ones.

Companion rules are otherwise the same. You still get one Companion at a time and up to three changes per calendar year. The Companion still pays taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 one-way.

The credit card catch

This is the part card-churning fans will care about. Starting January 1, 2027, you earn 1 TQP per $1 spent on a Rapid Rewards credit card. But welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spend (like 2x on gas), and partner spend such as hotel and car do not count toward Companion Pass benefits. They still earn regular points, just not TQPs. That closes the door on the signup-bonus route to Companion Pass.

There is one sweetener: cardmembers get a 10,000 TQP boost after reaching 130,000 TQPs, which helps them reach Platinum. It has to be earned by December 31, 2027, it's limited to one per member in 2027, and the card has to be open and not in default when it's fulfilled.

Who's protected, and who isn't

If you earn Companion Pass in 2026 under the current rules, Southwest says you keep unlimited trips through December 31, 2027. People already registered in a current Companion Pass promotion keep their participation and get the benefits once they meet the offer's requirements.

Everyone starting from zero in 2027 faces the new math. Southwest also notes that points still don't expire and there are still no blackout dates on redemptions. It lists car rental redemption starting mid-November 2026, international partner redemption in spring 2027, and a new premium Southwest credit card with lounge access in 2027, but gives no detailed terms for any of them.

One thing to watch

Southwest's own page contradicts itself on boarding. The benefit lists say Silver boards in Group 16 and Gold boards before it, while a footnote says Silver boards with Group 1 and Gold before Group 1. Until that's cleaned up, don't plan around boarding position.

Is it worth caring about? If you hold or chase Companion Pass, yes, and soon. The cheapest route into it just got a lot narrower. Confirmed directly on Southwest's own Rapid Rewards 2027 pages.