Southwest Airlines outlined changes to its rewards programme at a press gathering in Texas on Thursday, including a new Platinum tier that allows members to bring a companion on trips with no limit on how many times that benefit can be used. Complimentary travel on those routes will also be available to members below the Platinum tier.
A set of Milestone Rewards is being added to the programme, giving travellers a path toward earning perks on the way to Platinum status, including up to three Companion Pass trips available before that tier is reached.
The adjustments form one part of a broader restructuring at Southwest, as the carrier moves away from its longstanding low-fare model and works to attract passengers who might otherwise choose United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, or American Airlines.
The Companion Pass has been part of Southwest's loyalty programme for an extended period and is among the carrier's more widely recognised benefits. Under the longstanding arrangement, members who met the qualifying threshold could bring a travel companion aboard for no more than the applicable tax and fee cost, with the base fare waived.
The revamped rewards scheme moves Southwest's frequent-flyer offering closer to the structure that rival carriers have long operated under. Three membership tiers — Silver, Gold, and Platinum — are set to roll out as part of the carrier's forthcoming loyalty programme. Under the revised programme, travellers currently holding A-List status would move to a Silver tier, with A-List Preferred members stepping up to Gold.
At the top of the membership structure sits the Platinum tier, which carries unlimited Companion Pass journeys as part of its offering. Travellers who do not reach Platinum standing can still collect up to three passes through the new Milestone Rewards programme as their status advances during the year, while the unlimited Companion Pass benefit remains available only at the Platinum tier.
The airline described the programme's philosophy as centred on delivering value at every stage of a member's engagement, rather than gating additional perks behind higher status tiers. Nandika Suri, who oversees Rapid Rewards at Southwest Airlines, noted in a prepared statement that member feedback had pointed toward a desire for the programme to recognise participation in more tangible ways, whether a member is accumulating points or actively pursuing a new status level.
The unlimited Companion Pass stands apart from comparable offerings at other U.S. carriers, where companion-ticket access tends to be tied to holding a premium credit card rather than available through general programme participation. Qualifying holders of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Reserve American Express cards can receive a yearly Companion Certificate through Delta Air Lines. Upon each renewal of the card, a certificate becomes available, redeemable toward a single round-trip companion ticket that meets the programme's eligibility requirements.
Holders of a Rapid Rewards credit card will accumulate one Tier Qualifying Point for each dollar charged to an eligible Southwest Chase card, with that arrangement taking effect at the start of 2027. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus cardholders fall within that group, opening an avenue for members to build toward status through spending rather than air travel alone. Tier Qualifying Points and flight activity both remain accepted pathways for Southwest members seeking to earn status.
Points accumulated through the Rapid Rewards programme carry no expiration, and travellers booking award flights through the scheme face no blackout restrictions on available dates.
Loyalty programme holders will gain the ability to accumulate and spend Rapid Rewards points across a set of new international airline partnerships, with that access scheduled to open sometime in the spring of next year. Three carriers — Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad Airways — are set to join the programme at launch, opening up routes to cities such as Reykjavik, Paris, Taipei, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, and Johannesburg for Southwest travellers. For a carrier whose route network had long centred on domestic flying — with cross-border service reaching mainly into Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean — the expansion represents a departure from its established pattern.
Starting in November, loyalty points held by Southwest members can be applied toward rental car bookings through partner companies listed on the airline's website. Seat selection using points — covering both Preferred and Extra Legroom options on Southwest-operated routes — is set to become available to customers at some point during 2027.
Satellite internet via Starlink is set to reach every aircraft in the carrier's fleet by autumn 2027, delivering connectivity from departure through to landing. The airline has projected that its fleet-wide adoption of Starlink internet will be completed ahead of any other carrier of comparable scale in the United States. Rapid Rewards members will be able to access the offering at no cost through an arrangement between the airline and T-Mobile.
The Rapid Rewards restructuring represents one part of a broader shift at Southwest, where the carrier has been moving away from its longstanding budget-oriented identity toward a product lineup that now includes features long associated with full-service rivals. Earning Platinum status requires either a high volume of flights or a substantial level of credit card spending, meaning the tier's highest-value perks are structured around travellers who engage most actively with Southwest.
