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Southwest credit cards and qualifying flights can earn the Companion Pass, but the rules change on January 1, 2027. Through December 31, 2026, the route is 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year; a pass earned under those rules lasts through December 31, 2027. Starting in 2027, card bonuses no longer move the pass counter: unlimited trips require Platinum status, earned with 140,000 Tier Qualifying Points or 100 qualifying one-way flights. For a 2026 application, the key date is December 2, and the key distinction is whether you can earn enough qualifying points before the old rules end.
The card offers below were reported in October and November 2026, not verified on Chase’s live application pages. Confirm the offer, eligibility, and terms with Chase before applying. The Premier Business bonus was reported differently by publishers, so it is shown as a range rather than treated as settled.
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At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Free plan / price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus | Lowest-cost personal-card start | 80,000-point reported offer after $1,000 spend in 3 months; standard seat selection 48 hours before departure | $99 annual fee | November 2026 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier | Middle-ground personal card | 85,000 points after $2,000 spend in 3 months; preferred seat selection 48 hours before departure | $149 annual fee | November 2026 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority | Preferred seats at booking and the largest reported personal bonus | 90,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months; extra-legroom upgrades within 48 hours when available | $229 annual fee | November 2026 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business | Lower-fee business-card pairing | Reported as 60,000 or 80,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months; offers conflicted | $149 annual fee | November 2026 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business | Business-card pairing with premium travel benefits | 80,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months; Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS credit up to $120 every 4 years | $299 annual fee | November 2026 |
Card offers and fees in this table are publisher-reported figures, not a guarantee of what Chase will display or approve. Confirm current terms before applying.
How to earn the Southwest Companion Pass for 2026 and 2027
Choose the 2026 points route if you can qualify through eligible card points, paid Southwest travel, and other qualifying activity; choose the flight route if you already expect to fly 100 qualifying one-way segments. Do not plan around a January 2027 points posting as a way to stretch the old pass into 2028.
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Under Southwest’s current rules, members earn the pass with 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in one calendar year. It covers the remainder of the year earned and the following full calendar year. As Southwest explains, “If you earned Companion Pass in 2026 through the current program rules, you’ll continue to enjoy unlimited Companion Pass trips through December 31, 2027.” A pass earned in 2026 does not continue under the old unlimited-pass rules into 2028.
The qualification year is January 1 through December 31. Points or flights that fall short at year-end do not roll over: 120,000 qualifying points at the end of 2026 do not create a 15,000-point head start in 2027. From January 1, 2027, the old Companion Pass qualifying-point currency is retired and Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) govern the new rewards. See Southwest’s Companion Pass rules and its 2027 transition explanation.
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Through December 31, 2026, the threshold is 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year, or 100 qualifying one-way flights. Do not confuse that 135,000-point counter with the separate Tier Qualifying Point counter used for elite status under the 2026 program.
In 2026, Southwest uses two different point measures. Companion Pass qualifying points determine whether you earn the pass. Tier Qualifying Points determine A-List status. Card-related TQP awards such as 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent on some cards do not help explain the 135,000-point pass target. The points earned from a Southwest Chase card—including welcome-bonus points—are what can move the 2026 Companion Pass counter, subject to posting rules and the December 2 exception.
Southwest also gives one 10,000-point Companion Pass boost per member per calendar year, not one per card. The account must be open and not in default when the boost is fulfilled; Southwest says it is deposited by January 31 or up to 30 days after account opening. Do not count on two cards producing two boosts, or assume a boost that posts in January 2027 will count for 2026. A Southwest Rapid Rewards debit card is reported to add 7,500 qualifying points annually, but that is a supplement, not a substitute for a plan to reach 135,000.
Do Southwest credit card welcome bonuses count toward the Companion Pass?
Yes, Chase Southwest card points, including qualifying new-cardmember welcome bonuses, count under the 2026 rules. One personal card’s reported bonus is not enough by itself to reach 135,000; a personal-card and business-card pairing can clear the threshold on reported bonuses alone.
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| Card | Reported welcome offer | Minimum spend and period | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus | 80,000 points | $1,000 in 3 months | $99 |
| Premier | 85,000 points | $2,000 in 3 months | $149 |
| Priority | 90,000 points | $3,000 in 3 months | $229 |
| Premier Business | 60,000 points in several reports; 80,000 in one later report | $3,000 in 3 months | $149 |
| Performance Business | 80,000 points | $5,000 in 3 months | $299 |
Offers and fees checked November 2026. Publisher reports on Premier Business conflicted; the live Chase offer was not verified for this article. The reported Chase Southwest card offers can change, so treat the listed bonuses as a snapshot, not an application promise.
The bonus math makes the pairing clearer. Plus plus Premier Business totals 140,000 points if that business offer is 60,000, or 160,000 if it is 80,000. Priority plus Premier Business totals 150,000 or 170,000, respectively. Plus plus Performance Business totals 160,000. Those totals are arithmetic on reported bonus amounts, not guaranteed approval or a Southwest package deal; each bonus still depends on meeting its terms and posting as eligible points.
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By contrast, Priority alone offers 90,000 points. Add at least 3,000 points from $3,000 of minimum spend at the base earn rate and the one 10,000-point boost, and the rough total is 103,000—still about 32,000 short. Plus alone yields about 91,000 on the same simplified calculation, leaving more than 40,000 to find. Category earnings or other qualifying activity can change those estimates, but do not mistake a single bonus for automatic qualification.
For a lowest-fee two-card bonus route, Plus plus Premier Business costs $248 in annual fees at the reported rates. Choose a more expensive card only if its seat, earning, or travel benefits are worth the added cost to you. Chase determines approval and bonus eligibility; reviewer reports say a person may hold both Southwest business cards but not more than one personal Southwest card. Business-card applications should reflect a genuine business and accurate information, not a made-up business description.
What counts as qualifying points in 2026?
Southwest says qualifying points come from revenue flights booked through Southwest, Rapid Rewards card and debit-card earnings, and base points from Rapid Rewards partners. Welcome bonuses and, according to secondary reporting, referral and anniversary points count under the 2026 rules. Most other bonus points do not.
Southwest’s exclusions include purchased points; points transferred between members; points converted from hotel or car loyalty programs and certain other programs; tier bonuses; flight bonuses; and partner bonus points, except the stated Chase Rapid Rewards credit-card exception. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers should not be treated as a Companion Pass strategy: secondary reporting lists them as non-qualifying. Base partner earnings—such as eligible points from partner bookings or activity—may help fill a gap, but they are not a practical replacement for a large card bonus or substantial paid flying.
Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings are a notable trap. They do not earn Companion Pass qualifying points, and vacation-package travel does not count as a qualifying 2026 flight segment. A vacation purchase can earn other Rapid Rewards or status points without advancing the old pass counter. Do not use a package booking as a shortcut to the 2026 threshold.
When do credit-card points post, and what is the December 2 exception?
For ordinary card points, the year they post to your Rapid Rewards account matters—not simply the date you made the purchase. Southwest’s rule is: “Only points posted on your billing statements and posted to your Rapid Rewards account during the same calendar year are available for qualification for Companion Pass status. For example, if you make a purchase after your December billing statement cycle date, the points on those purchases will not count toward Companion Pass status in the year the purchase was made; they will appear on your January billing statement and post to your Rapid Rewards account in January.”
That means a December purchase can miss the 2026 counter if it falls after the statement closing date and posts in January. If you need ordinary spending points to qualify, check your statement cycle and leave time for the points to post. A transaction date is not a substitute for a posted qualifying balance.
There is a narrow exception for the welcome bonus. Southwest’s exact transition answer says: “Yes, any Cardmembers who apply on or before December 2, 2026 and are approved for a Rapid Rewards Credit Card and meet the spending requirements to earn the new Cardmember welcome bonus will have the opportunity to have those points count as 2026 Companion Pass qualifying points toward a Companion Pass valid through December 31, 2027, even if the spend requirement is met in early 2027.”
Read the wording closely. The application must be on or before December 2, 2026; the applicant must be approved and meet the spending requirement. Southwest says members will have the “opportunity” to count those welcome-bonus points, not that every case is guaranteed. The exception applies to the new-cardmember welcome bonus—not ordinary purchases, the 10,000-point boost, flight points, or partner points. Southwest identifies the resulting pass as valid through December 31, 2027, not 2028. If two eligible bonuses already total at least 135,000, they may satisfy the old threshold under this exception even when spending finishes in early 2027. Any gap filled with ordinary qualifying points must still post in 2026.
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Which flights count toward the 2026 pass?
Only qualifying revenue flights count toward the 100-flight route. Southwest-operated flights booked through Southwest and paid with dollars, eligible credits, vouchers, gift cards, or Cash + Points can qualify. A round trip counts as two one-way flights, but a single flight segment is still just one qualifying flight.
Award flights do not count toward the 100-flight counter. Neither does travel booked with a Companion Pass, charter or nonrevenue travel, or travel in a Getaways vacation package. Avoid online travel agency tickets if the operating carrier is not disclosed before purchase; Southwest excludes those tickets from the qualifying-flight definition. On Cash + Points fares, Southwest says points accrue only on the base fare portion paid in dollars.
Paying for a revenue fare with a Southwest gift card, LUV Voucher, flight credit, or vacation travel credit can still qualify when the flight meets Southwest’s criteria. Purchasing a gift card itself does not earn a flight segment. Southwest’s current fare names are Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra; older fare labels and historic earn-rate examples should not be carried forward as current 2026 rules. Southwest’s page does not publish a 2026 fare-by-fare Companion Pass points multiplier, so do not assume a particular fare produces a specific amount toward the point threshold.
The 100-flight route is sensible if your travel already approaches that volume. Southwest’s published information does not establish a fare break-even showing that deliberately buying 100 segments is cheaper than the points route. Do not buy trips you do not need merely to chase a counter without comparing the real cost and likely value of using the pass.
How should you choose between the personal cards?
For a 2026 pass, the personal card is mainly a way to earn its bonus and satisfy the minimum spend; pick the cheapest card that fits your travel habits and eligibility. The differences matter more after qualification, when seat access, annual fees, and redeemable point earning continue to matter.
- Plus ($99): The smallest annual fee and lowest reported personal-card spend hurdle. It earns 2 points per dollar on Southwest and on the first $5,000 combined at gas stations and grocery stores each anniversary year, then 1 point, plus 2 points per dollar on Lyft through December 31, 2027. Its annual bonus is 3,000 points, and standard seat selection is available 48 hours before departure when available. Its 10% flight-discount code excludes Basic.
- Premier ($149): Consider it over Plus if its 15% flight-discount code (also excluding Basic), 6,000-point anniversary bonus, preferred seat selection 48 hours before departure, and higher earn rate fit your use. It earns 3 points per dollar on Southwest and Lyft through December 31, 2027, and 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 combined each anniversary year. The extra $50 is not justified by the pass counter alone.
- Priority ($229): The highest reported personal welcome bonus, with 4 points per dollar on Southwest, 2 points per dollar at gas stations and restaurants without a stated annual cap, and 5 points per dollar on Lyft through December 31, 2027. Its 7,500-point anniversary bonus, preferred seat selection at booking when available, and extra-legroom upgrades within 48 hours can suit someone who will use the benefits. It still falls short of 135,000 on its own.
All three personal cards were reported to include the first checked bag free for the cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation, Group 5 boarding, no foreign transaction fee, and 25% back on inflight purchases. Southwest’s bag rules also depend on fare, status, and carrier: Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred can have bag fees; Choice Extra and A-List Preferred receive two free checked bags; A-List members and Rapid Rewards cardmembers receive the first checked bag free. Partner-carrier bookings are excluded from these checked-bag card benefits.
Which business card should you pair with a personal card?
Use Premier Business when a lower fee and a qualifying second bonus are the priority; choose Performance Business only if its additional benefits justify its $150 higher fee. Either can complete a one-personal-card pairing on the reported bonuses, but check the live bonus because the Premier Business figure was inconsistent across November reports.
Premier Business ($149) was reported at 60,000 points after $3,000 of spending in three months by multiple publishers; one report later listed 80,000 on the same spend. It earns 3 points per dollar on Southwest and Lyft through December 31, 2027, and 2 points per dollar at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 combined. Its annual bonus is 6,000 points, preferred seat selection is within 48 hours rather than at booking, and its flight-discount code is 15% excluding Basic.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPerformance Business ($299) was reported at 80,000 points after $5,000 in three months. It earns 4 points per dollar on Southwest; 2 points per dollar on commuting and local transit, gas stations, restaurants, and hotel stays booked directly; and 5 points per dollar on Lyft through December 31, 2027. It has a 9,000-point anniversary bonus, preferred seats at booking and extra-legroom upgrades within 48 hours when available, plus up to $120 toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS every four years.
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The reported business-card benefits include the same free first checked bag for the cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation, Group 5 boarding, no foreign transaction fee, and 25% back on inflight purchases. Business-card approval is not automatic: Chase sets the eligibility rules. Do not misstate a business or its revenue to pursue a bonus.
How do you book and use a Companion Pass?
After the pass is active, the member can use it when buying a flight or redeeming points; the companion pays taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 one-way, and those charges can be higher. Southwest describes the benefit as letting a designated person fly “free of airline charges” when the member purchases or redeems points for a flight. The companion’s ticket is not entirely free of government taxes and fees.
- Designate one companion in the Choose Your Companion area of the Rapid Rewards Snapshot tab, or call 1-800-435-9792.
- Book the pass holder’s own eligible flight first.
- Open My Trips and use Add Companion for that booking, or call 1-800-248-4377. The companion reservation is separate from the member’s purchased or award reservation.
- Check that both reservations match the intended itinerary. Southwest says a companion reservation cannot itself be used to book another Companion Pass trip.
One companion can be designated at a time, and Southwest permits up to three companion changes per calendar year. Existing companion reservations must be canceled before changing the designation, according to The Points Guy; that publisher reports processing can take about 21 business days. Check Southwest’s current account instructions before making a change close to travel.
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The companion earns no Rapid Rewards points, TQPs, or Companion Pass qualifying points for the companion flight. A seat or Priority Boarding purchase applies only to the passenger it was bought for. Companion Pass cannot be used on Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings. If the pass holder cancels, changes, or skips the flight, The Points Guy reports that the companion reservation is canceled too.
For flights on or after January 27, 2026, Southwest says the pass holder’s and companion’s boarding group is based on seat location or a card or tier boarding benefit, whichever is higher, and that both are eligible for the most favorable seat options conferred by either person’s status, card, or fare. That is not a promise of sequential boarding. The Points Guy says the two must check in and board together; do not assume a companion’s separate seat purchase or boarding perk transfers to the other traveler.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changes on January 1, 2027?
The unlimited pass becomes a Platinum benefit, while a lower milestone offers three companion trips. Southwest’s new thresholds are 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights for three trips, and 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying one-way flights for Platinum and unlimited trips. Each of the three milestone trips can be used for a one-way or a round trip.
Starting January 1, 2027, every Rapid Rewards card earns one TQP per dollar of purchase. That is true for Plus as well as the more expensive cards. Welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus-category points, and partner points may still earn redeemable Rapid Rewards points, but they no longer accelerate the pass or status counter. In particular, a 4x or 5x category on a card does not mean 4 or 5 TQPs per dollar.
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Paid flying can contribute, too. Secondary reports attribute a 2027 base-fare earn schedule of 2 TQPs per dollar on Basic, 6 on Choice, 8 on Choice Preferred, and 10 on Choice Extra to Southwest’s FAQ; that schedule was not confirmed on the official page reviewed for this article. If it applies, fare choice can materially affect the TQP route. One secondary calculation estimates roughly $15,800 of Choice base fare for 95,000 TQPs and $23,300 for 140,000 at 6 TQPs per dollar. These are calculations, not prices or guarantees. Check Southwest’s current published rules before using them to budget.
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The 2027 decision is therefore different from the 2026 bonus strategy. A heavy flyer may get nearer to the 75- or 100-flight thresholds through travel. A member relying on card purchases should recognize how much eligible spending is required. If neither your flying nor existing card spend is close, a Southwest card is unlikely to be a sensible purchase solely for a 2027 pass. Choose a card for its fee, bags, seats, discounts, and redeemable points—because its category bonus does not make the pass arrive faster.
Southwest’s announced status structure also replaces A-List with Silver and A-List Preferred with Gold. NerdWallet reports Silver at 35,000 TQPs or 25 flights, Gold at 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights, and the Platinum threshold above. Southwest’s page says members who earned a 2026 Companion Pass keep unlimited trips through December 31, 2027; activity from 2026 does not carry over to the new 2027 TQP counter. From 2027, partner award flights are not Companion Pass trips, according to NerdWallet’s report on the changes.
Which route makes sense for your situation?
Use the pass only if the likely travel value outweighs the cards’ costs and effort. Southwest has not published a dollar value, average companion fare, or break-even number of trips. The value depends on how often you and the same companion actually fly Southwest while the benefit is valid, the fares you would otherwise pay, taxes and fees, and whether you can use available seats.
- You can open one personal and one business card, meet spend, and will travel together in 2027: A two-card 2026 bonus plan may cross 135,000 on reported offers. The Plus and Premier Business pairing has the lowest reported combined annual fees. Apply on or before December 2 if relying on the welcome-bonus exception, and verify current offers and eligibility.
- You can open only one card: Expect a remaining gap. Fill it only with qualifying 2026 points that can post in time—such as ordinary card earnings, qualifying paid Southwest travel, or eligible base partner points. A late-December statement may post in January and miss the old counter.
- You already fly Southwest close to 100 one-way segments in a year: Count qualifying segments, not round trips or award itineraries. Revenue flights booked through Southwest are the relevant path; award and companion travel do not count.
- You will not travel with a companion through December 31, 2027: A two-card sprint may not justify the annual fees, spend, and application inquiry. The pass has no published cash value that guarantees it will pay back those costs.
- You are starting from zero in 2027: Consider the 95,000-TQP or 75-flight milestone only if your flying or existing spend makes it realistic. Pursue Platinum for unlimited trips only if your activity is already near the 140,000-TQP or 100-flight mark.
For 2026, bonuses are the distinctive opportunity; for 2027, sustained flying or very high eligible card spending drives the new counter. Do not incur interest or spend more than planned to earn a reward whose value depends on trips you may not take.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Southwest Companion Pass last?
A pass earned under the 2026 rules lasts for the rest of the year it is earned plus the full next calendar year. A 2026 pass therefore expires December 31, 2027; Southwest’s transition rules do not extend that pass through 2028.
Can your companion fly on award flights with the Companion Pass?
Yes. The pass can be used when the member redeems Rapid Rewards points for their own flight, and the companion pays taxes and fees. The award itinerary does not count as a qualifying flight toward the 2026 flight threshold.
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Can you change your companion on the Southwest Companion Pass?
Southwest allows up to three designated-companion changes per calendar year. Only one person can be designated at a time; account instructions and any existing reservations should be checked before requesting a change.
If I get a Rapid Rewards Credit Card now, can my points count towards Companion Pass if and when I meet the requirements through the new Cardmember welcome bonus?
Southwest says applicants who apply on or before December 2, 2026, are approved, and meet the bonus spending requirements have the opportunity to count the welcome-bonus points toward a pass valid through December 31, 2027, even if they finish spending in early 2027. The wording does not extend that exception to ordinary spending points or the annual boost.
