Southwest Ends the Credit Card Bonus Path to Companion Pass in 2027
New qualification rules exclude welcome bonuses, while a 2026-12-02 card-approval exception leaves a narrow transition window.
TL;DR
Starting 2027-01-01, Southwest credit card welcome, referral and anniversary bonuses will no longer help earn Companion Pass. Eligible purchases earn 1 TQP per $1. An exception covers cards approved on or before 2026-12-02, but travelers should confirm how early-2027 bonus posting affects their pass end date.
- Three Companion Pass trips require 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights; unlimited trips require Platinum at 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights.
- Existing Companion Pass benefits keep their original end date. The new rules do not cancel an already-earned pass.
What changes in 2027
Southwest’s new Rapid Rewards rules change a major reason travelers open its Chase credit cards: welcome bonuses will no longer count toward earning Companion Pass from 2027-01-01. Referral bonuses, anniversary points and extra category points are also excluded from the new Tier Qualifying Points, or TQPs.
Those rewards can still earn redeemable Rapid Rewards points. The change concerns qualification for status and Companion Pass, so a large redeemable balance is no longer proof of progress toward the pass.
Two paths replace the current unlimited-pass threshold
| Category | Through 2026-12-31 | From 2027-01-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification currency | Companion Pass qualifying points | Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) |
| Unlimited Companion Pass trips | 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights | Platinum: 140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying one-way flights |
| Three Companion Pass trips | No equivalent milestone | 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying one-way flights |
| Welcome and other bonus points | Qualifying credit card bonuses can count under current rules | Welcome, referral, anniversary and category bonus points do not earn TQPs |
The card-approval exception ends 2026-12-02
Southwest says cardmembers approved on or before 2026-12-02 can still have welcome-bonus points count as Companion Pass qualifying points after meeting the offer requirements, even if the spending threshold is met in early 2027. Approval by that date matters; merely submitting an application is not the stated condition.
The exception paragraph does not spell out the backdating process or final pass end date for that early-2027 scenario. Do not assume delaying the bonus creates a pass through 2028. Separately, Southwest confirms a pass earned under the current rules in 2026 remains valid through 2027-12-31, and registered promotional passes retain their offer terms.
What regular card spending still earns
From 2027-01-01, all eligible Rapid Rewards credit cards, including Plus, earn 1 TQP per $1 in qualifying purchases with no earning cap. TQPs post to the primary cardmember’s Rapid Rewards account after the billing cycle closes; returns, fees, cash advances and other excluded transactions do not qualify.
For 2027 only, an eligible primary cardmember receives a one-time 10,000 TQP boost after reaching 130,000 posted TQPs by 2027-12-31. The account must remain open and not in default, the deposit can take 30 days, and multiple cards do not multiply the boost.
Who should revisit their plan
This matters most if you recently opened a Southwest card expecting its bonus to secure nearly two years of companion travel, or if that strategy justified an annual fee. Compare the pass you can actually earn with the flights you expect to take before shifting spending away from another card.
What to do next
- Save your approval date, welcome-offer requirements and current Companion Pass expiration.
- Track redeemable points and qualification points separately.
- Request written clarification from Southwest or Chase before relying on the early-2027 bonus exception for a specific expiration date.
- Compare your expected travel savings with the card’s annual fee and alternative rewards.
Sources and related reading
Official: Companion Pass changes, existing status and transition rules, and credit card TQP earning and boost terms. Checked 2026-10-16.
Media context: Frequent Miler’s overview. Related Perkmon guides cover benefit tracking and annual-fee decisions.
Keep exploring
Before you act
- Qualification rules and individual offer terms control; Perkmon has not accessed a cardholder account or confirmed an early-2027 transition payout.
Turn this into a repeatable workflow
Perkmon is built for the operational side of credit card perks: what is still available, what has already been used, and what needs attention before value disappears.