What happened
Credit-card welcome bonuses will no longer count toward Southwest Companion Pass from January 1, 2027, when unlimited companion travel becomes a benefit of new Platinum elite status rather than a separate 135,000-point chase.
Platinum will require 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying one-way flights. The 135,000 qualifying-point path, including welcome-bonus points, stays available through 2026, and a Companion Pass earned that year still lasts through the end of 2027. Hitting 130,000 TQPs in 2027 triggers a 10,000-TQP boost to Platinum for the rest of 2027 and all of 2028. A new milestone awards 3 Companion Pass trips at 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights.
Every Southwest credit card will earn 1 TQP per dollar spent from 2027. Card welcome bonuses that can reach 80,000 Rapid Rewards points will still post as points but will not earn TQPs. Qualify for Companion Pass under 2026 rules so it lasts through 2027 - after that the path is 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights, not a card bonus.
- Announced
- Oct 15, 2026
- Starts
- Jan 1, 2027
- Numbers
- 80,000 points: example Southwest credit-card welcome bonus
- 135,000 points: current Companion Pass qualifying-points requirement
- 140,000 TQPs: 2027 Platinum and unlimited Companion Pass threshold
- 100 flights: qualifying one-way flights for Platinum and unlimited Companion Pass
- 10,000 TQPs: boost applied after reaching 130,000 TQPs in 2027
- 130,000 TQPs: threshold that triggers the 10,000-TQP boost
- 95,000 TQPs: Milestone Reward threshold for three Companion Pass trips
- 75 flights: qualifying one-way flights for the three-trip Companion Pass milestone
- 1 TQP per dollar: Southwest credit-card spend earning rate toward elite status from 2027
- Who qualifies
- Southwest Rapid Rewards members seeking Companion Pass from 2027
- Takeaway
- Earn Companion Pass under 2026 rules if you can, so the benefit lasts through 2027; otherwise plan on TQPs or flights for Platinum rather than a welcome bonus.