In 2027, Southwest is changing how Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) work. Here’s what you need to know about this path to earning status and the Southwest companion pass.
What changes for 2027?
Previously, you needed to collect A-list tier qualifying points to earn A-List status and Companion Pass® qualifying points to earn the Southwest companion pass.
Starting in 2027, Southwest offers three one-time-use Companion Passes as a Milestone Reward and an unlimited companion pass as a benefit of Platinum status. And you’ll earn both your status and milestone rewards through either qualifying flights or Tier Qualifying Points.
Here’s what you’ll need for Southwest status in 2027 and beyond.
How to earn Southwest Tier-Qualifying points
Most readers of this blog will likely earn Southwest Tier Qualifying points from either flying on Southwest or using credit cards for spending.
Here’s what you need to know about how to earn Tier-Qualifying points.
Earning from flights: Earn TQP based on price and fare type
When you book a revenue flight with Southwest, you’ll earn Tier-Qualifying Points based on the base fare price, depending on which type of fare you book. Here’s what each fare type will earn:
- Basic: 2 TQP per dollar.
- Choice: 6 TQP per dollar.
- Choice Preferred: 8 TQP per dollar.
- Choice Extra: 10 TQP per dollar.
Keep in mind that you’ll earn Tier-Qualifying Points based on the base fare only, which excludes taxes and fees. For example, the following fare has a total cost of $130.40, but a base fare cost of $106.98. Since the fare is a Choice fare, it would earn 642 Tier Qualifying Points ($106.98 * 6).
Like most airline frequent flyer programs, you’ll earn both the Tier Qualifying Points and the Rapid Rewards points from the flight after completing the flight.
Spending on credit cards: Earn 1 TQP for every $1 you spend
Starting on January 1, 2027, you will earn one Tier Qualifying Points for every $1 you spend on your Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards.
Keep in mind that any category bonuses won’t boost the number of Tier Qualifying Points you receive from your credit card spending. For example, spending $100 at a restaurant using your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card would earn 200 redeemable Rapid Rewards points, thanks to the card’s 2x restaurant bonus category, but you’d only earn 100 Tier Qualifying Points from the $100 of spending.
In addition to the tier qualifying points you earn, you’ll receive a 10,000 Tier Qualifying Point boost once you reach 130,000 Tier Qualifying points. The 130,000 Tier Qualifying points can be earned through a combination of credit card spending or Southwest flights.
Notably, starting January 1, 2027, you can no longer earn companion pass from the points earned from sign-up bonuses. Since you’ll only earn TQP from spending on your cards, the points you earn from getting a new card won’t count toward earning frequent flyer status.
Other ways to earn Tier Qualifying Points
Southwest does offer a few more ways to Tier Qualifying Points. Here’s what we know.
- Spending on Southwest Airlines debit cards. You’ll earn 1 Tier Qualifying Point for every $2 you spend on your Southwest debit card
- Completing qualifying Getaways by Southwest® vacation bookings. You’ll earn Tier Qualifying Points based on the underlying flight, hotel, and car rental bookings, similar to how you earn redeemable Rapid Rewards points.
- Completing travel on qualifying Southwest Groups bookings. Earnings may vary and be different from what you earn on travel directly.
Quick take: More status, less companion pass for credit card spending
Aaron Hurd
Executive Editor of Cards and Points
I know that there are going to be a lot of people who won’t like the changes in 2027, but there are both some good and some bad here.
You won’t be able to earn a companion certificate from credit card welcome bonuses. Many in the miles and points community will be pretty disappointed by this loss. Stacking up a business and a personal Southwest credit card sign-up bonus used to be the easiest way to earn the companion pass. This is now gone. Additionally, it’s now harder to earn an unlimited companion pass from spending, since points from bonus categories will no longer add to your qualification total.
You’ll be able to earn Southwest frequent flyer status easier through credit card spending. Previously, you would earn 2,500 status qualifying points for spending $5,000 on the top-tier Priority and Performance Business credit cards. Now, you’ll earn twice as many status-qualifying points for your spending.
Reducing the earnings on premium fares is a questionable choice. In 2027, Southwest is reducing the number of points that you earn on its higher-tier Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fares. (Both fare types will earn 2 fewer points per dollar.) This is an interesting choice, since it makes the highest-priced offerings less compelling.
Overall, I like the simplification of earning the companion certificate and status with one metric—the previous system where you had to worry about redeemable points, status points, qualifying flights, and companion pass points was just too complicated. And the new system both makes spending on Southwest credit cards more rewarding for those who value Southwest status, but those seeking a companion pass lose out.
