Southwest's Rapid Rewards programme is being overhauled in early 2027, which makes the closing weeks of 2026 the last chance to earn A-List, A-List Preferred and the Companion Pass under the current rules. If you're a frequent Southwest flyer who's close to a status goal, there are still a few routes to get over the line.
The current benchmarks: A-List takes 20 qualifying one-way flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs); A-List Preferred takes 40 flights or 70,000 TQPs; the Companion Pass takes 100 flights or 135,000 companion pass qualifying points. Note that 2026 is the final year many partner points — credit card refer-a-friend bonuses, hotel stays booked via the Southwest Hotels portal — count towards the Companion Pass.
If you're a few flights short, the simplest fix is to book and fly several cheap one-way Basic fares. Flight count is what matters, not spend, so use the Low Fare Calendar and aim for midweek dates in early or mid-December, when fares are lower and disruption risk smaller than in the holiday peak.
If you need TQPs instead, flip the strategy: buy the priciest fare, Choice Extra, which earns 14 TQPs per dollar in 2026. A $500 fare run in November or December adds 7,000 TQPs — a fifth of the way to A-List — and those points are worth roughly $90 when redeemed for award travel.
Not flying again this year? Spending can help, but only on certain cards. The no-annual-fee card earns no TQPs at all, while the Rapid Rewards Premier card earns 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent. Timing is critical: TQPs from card spending only count for 2026 if they post before year end, so finish your spending before your December statement closes. Card spending rules change again for 2028 qualification.
There's also a big-spender shortcut: putting $75,000 a year on the Chase Sapphire Reserve triggers complimentary A-List status for the rest of the year and the following year (activation required), plus a $500 annual Southwest flight credit — though only a small subset of travellers can hit that threshold.
Finally, if you hold elite status with another airline, register for Southwest's status match before December 30, 2026. You get 120 days of trial status, extendable for 12 months by completing flights or TQPs at requirements well below the standard route. The catch: only flights booked after registering count, so you may need to cancel and rebook existing trips.
From 2027, A-List becomes Silver and A-List Preferred becomes Gold, a new Platinum tier is needed to earn the Companion Pass afresh, and TQP calculations for fares and card spending change. Companion Pass benefits earned from 2026 activity run through the end of 2027, so qualifying now buys you a longer runway than waiting.
