Southwest Airlines is overhauling its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, adding new elite status tiers, changing how credit cardholders earn points and introducing a new lounge concept, according to The Points Guy. The changes begin Jan. 1, 2027, and mark one of the biggest shifts to the airline’s rewards structure in years.
The redesign touches nearly every part of the program, from how members qualify for status to how they earn points on flights and credit cards, and it adds international partnerships that let flyers use Rapid Rewards points on long-haul trips for the first time.
What Southwest Announced
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, all Southwest credit card holders will earn one tier qualifying point per dollar charged to their card, according to The Points Guy. That is a new benefit for holders of the Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, which currently offers no tier qualifying points toward status at all.
Southwest is also restructuring its elite status tiers under the overhaul. The airline’s A-List Preferred status will be renamed Gold in 2027, and Southwest is introducing a new Platinum tier that comes with a 120% bonus on points earned from flights.
At the top of the ladder, Southwest is turning its Companion Pass into an official status label for the first time, effectively creating a new top-tier status. The number of tier-qualifying points needed to earn the Companion Pass is rising from 135,000 to 140,000.
Southwest is also adjusting how points are earned by fare class. Its highest fare category, Choice Extra, will earn 10 points per dollar spent, down from 14 points per dollar under the current structure.
What It Means For Fans
The changes give credit cardholders a new path toward elite status that did not exist before, since the Rapid Rewards Plus card currently carries no tier qualifying points. Frequent flyers chasing Companion Pass status will need more points than before, but they will also gain a recognized status tier tied to that achievement.
Travelers who fly in the Choice Extra fare class will earn fewer points per dollar than they do now, a reduction from 14 to 10 points per dollar. Southwest is pairing that change with new international partnerships launching in 2027 that will let members earn and redeem Rapid Rewards points on long-haul international flights, building on partnerships the airline first struck in 2025.
What’s Next
The new credit card earning structure, renamed Gold tier, new Platinum tier and Companion Pass status level all take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Southwest has not released additional details on Icon Lounge locations or opening dates.
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