Southwest status tiers will change on January 1, 2027: A-List becomes Silver, A-List Preferred becomes Gold, and Platinum joins above them. For travel through December 2026, the current names and benefits still apply. The biggest decision is how your 2026 qualification carries into 2027.
Checked October 17, 2026: the new program was announced on October 15. Qualification thresholds are published, along with transition protections that some early summaries miss. A Gold member who qualified during 2026 can have different benefits from someone earning Gold under the new rules.
Southwest status tiers: 2026 versus 2027
You can qualify through points or qualifying flights; you don’t need both. Tier Qualifying Points, shortened to TQPs, measure status progress. They aren’t the points you spend on reward tickets.
| Tier | Qualification during 2026 | Qualification from January 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| A-List, then Silver | 20 qualifying flights or 35,000 TQPs | 25 qualifying flights or 35,000 TQPs |
| A-List Preferred, then Gold | 40 qualifying flights or 70,000 TQPs | 50 qualifying flights or 65,000 TQPs |
| Platinum | No equivalent elite tier | 100 qualifying flights or 140,000 TQPs |
The new flight thresholds rise by five for Silver and ten for Gold. Gold’s points threshold falls by 5,000 TQPs. This changes which route to qualification is easier for your travel pattern.
Use the 2026 qualification table for this year’s remaining activity. The new thresholds don’t retroactively replace it. Buying a ticket now for travel next year isn’t the same as completing qualifying travel this year.
If you already earned status for 2027
A-List earned for 2027 through your 2026 activity automatically becomes Silver on January 1. A-List Preferred earned for 2027 becomes Gold. That earned status remains valid through December 31, 2027.
Two transition protections deserve particular attention:
- Silver’s second checked bag: members who earned A-List for 2027 through 2026 activity retain the $35 second bag charge through December 31, 2027. Silver earned under the new program uses the standard second bag fee.
- Gold’s flight earning bonus: members who earned A-List Preferred for 2027 through 2026 activity retain a 100% bonus through December 31, 2027. Gold earned under the new terms normally has a 60% bonus.
These protections depend on how you earned status. Simply seeing “Gold” in your account won’t explain the whole benefit package. The official transition guide sets out the different scenarios.
Status expiring in December 2026 doesn’t receive an automatic extra year merely because the names change. Promotional status and matches follow their offer terms. Also, your 2026 progress won’t count toward the new 2027 Milestone Rewards.
What Silver, Gold and Platinum actually include
For a quick trip comparison, look first at seating, boarding and checked bags. A name change is less useful than knowing whether you can select a seat today. The following benefits come from Southwest’s official 2027 tier guide.
| Benefit | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats at booking, when available | Standard or Preferred | Including Extra Legroom | Including Extra Legroom |
| Extra Legroom access for Silver | Within 48 hours of departure, when available | At booking | At booking |
| Boarding | Group 1 | Before Group 1 | Before Gold and Group 1 |
| Standard checked bags free | First bag | First two | First three |
| Normal flight points bonus | 40% | 60%, with the transition exception above | 120% |
| Companion Pass through this tier | None | None | Unlimited trips, subject to terms |
All three include priority member support and designated check-in and security lanes where available. They also allow same day standby with Basic fares. Gold and Platinum include up to two premium drinks on select flights, subject to service conditions.
“Preferred” and “Extra Legroom” are separate seating categories. Silver’s access to Preferred seats at booking doesn’t guarantee additional legroom. If legroom matters, check the actual seat category instead of its location near the front.
Existing A-List and A-List Preferred benefits continue through 2026. Assigned seating already exists; it isn’t a new Platinum benefit. Your current trip should show the benefit attached to your current status.
Availability still decides which seat you get
The seating benefit waives an eligible seat selection charge when a suitable seat is available. It doesn’t create an empty aisle seat on a full flight. If none is available, the ticket’s fare rules govern your assignment.
Eligible seating benefits can cover the member and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation. Separate bookings don’t automatically become one reservation because the travelers know each other. Removing the qualifying member can also release those seat selections.
A flight change is a fresh inventory problem. Your previous seat and boarding group aren’t guaranteed. Check the seat map again before accepting a new departure, especially when traveling together.
Free checked bags don’t expand your carry-on
Platinum’s third free checked bag is a checked baggage benefit. It doesn’t permit a third cabin bag or an oversized suitcase in the overhead bin. Standard weight and size limits still apply.
The tier baggage benefits don’t apply to flights booked with a partner carrier. Check every operating airline on a mixed itinerary. Our Southwest baggage guide handles the cabin measurements and checked bag rules separately.
A fare or credit card might already cover a bag you need. Don’t count the same waived charge twice when valuing status. Compare the actual entitlement shown in your reservation before paying for a higher fare.
Milestone Rewards arrive before and between the tiers
There are five rungs on the new rewards ladder, but only three are Southwest status tiers. The other two are Milestone Rewards. The distinction matters when someone mentions earning “a companion pass” without reaching Platinum.
| 2027 achievement | TQPs or qualifying flights | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| First Milestone Reward | 20,000 or 15 | Choose 2,000 redeemable points or two Preferred Seat Certificates |
| Silver | 35,000 or 25 | First elite tier |
| Gold | 65,000 or 50 | Second elite tier |
| Second Milestone Reward | 95,000 or 75 | Three Companion Pass trips |
| Platinum | 140,000 or 100 | Top tier, including unlimited Companion Pass trips |
The Milestone Reward terms explain redemption and expiry. Preferred Seat Certificates can’t be used during the original flight booking. They are redeemed through the separate seat modification or upgrade flow.
Each of the three companion trips can cover either a one way or a round trip itinerary. Using one for a one way journey consumes the whole trip benefit. It doesn’t leave half a trip for later.
A round trip redemption can therefore stretch the limited benefit further when your actual plans suit it. Don’t book an unnecessary return merely to improve a theoretical saving. Benefits remain valid through December 31 of the year after they were earned; progress resets each January 1.
Companion Pass is changing, but it isn’t disappearing
Through 2026, ordinary Companion Pass qualification requires 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights. That points currency is different from TQPs. It retires after December 31, 2026.
From 2027, the ordinary paths are the second milestone and Platinum, plus any qualifying promotions. Welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points and card spending multipliers don’t normally earn TQPs. Redeemable points can still arrive without increasing your status progress.
There is a specific transition exception for new credit card customers. Southwest says customers approved on or before December 2, 2026 may qualify using their welcome bonus under the stated conditions. That can apply even when the spending requirement is met in early 2027.
Read the applicable offer and 2027 program questions before relying on that exception. An application date alone isn’t approval. This isn’t a general promise that every bonus posted next year qualifies.
A Companion Pass earned in 2026 under ordinary current rules keeps unlimited trips through December 31, 2027. An existing promotional pass follows its own benefit period. Neither fact means you automatically become Platinum.
“Unlimited” still means traveling with one designated companion
Your companion must travel on your Southwest operated flights and dates, with an available seat. Taxes and fees remain payable, starting at $5.60 one way. International charges can be higher.
You designate one companion at a time and can change that person up to three times per calendar year. Book your own trip first, then add the companion. If you cancel or don’t travel, the companion reservation is canceled too.
Partner flights and certain booking types aren’t eligible. Check the Companion Pass booking conditions before transferring plans to a different itinerary. Unlimited trips aren’t transferable standalone tickets for friends.
How points and card spending fit together
Keep two balances separate: spendable Rapid Rewards points and TQPs. TQPs reset each calendar year and can’t buy a reward ticket. Redeemable points don’t expire while your Rapid Rewards account remains open.
Starting January 1, 2027, all Rapid Rewards credit cards, including Plus cards, earn one TQP per eligible dollar spent. Card TQPs post after the billing cycle closes. Fees, cash advances and other excluded transactions aren’t eligible purchases.
For 2027, eligible primary cardmembers get a one time 10,000 TQP boost after reaching 130,000 posted TQPs. It isn’t a 10,000 point head start in January. The account must remain open and not in default when fulfilled.
The announced boost conditions allow up to 30 days for deposit. Don’t assume a late December purchase posts in time simply because the transaction happened that year. Check the statement closing date and your actual account balance.
A simple qualification example
Hypothetical example: suppose your account has 60,000 TQPs and 42 qualifying flights during 2027. Gold needs another 5,000 TQPs or eight qualifying flights. Those are alternative paths, not requirements you must combine.
Five thousand eligible dollars on a qualifying Southwest credit card would produce 5,000 TQPs under the announced rate. Posting must occur in the relevant qualification period. This is arithmetic, not a recommendation to increase spending or carry debt.
Don’t substitute your total redeemable points balance for 60,000 TQPs in that example. Bonus points may make the two balances diverge considerably. Use the progress meter labeled for tier qualification.
Connecting flights and Cash + Points need care
A qualifying one way journey counts from origin to destination, including its connections. A connection doesn’t automatically turn one trip into two qualifying flights. Reward flights and companion travel aren’t ordinary qualifying flights.
Cash + Points is a detail to confirm before building a status plan. The general 2027 points wording includes it, but the flight bonus footnotes exclude fares partly paid with points. Don’t treat eligibility for redeemable points, TQPs and the elite flight bonus as interchangeable.
For an itinerary where qualification determines your buying decision, get the specific treatment confirmed with Southwest. Keep the fare terms and check the posted activity afterward. Don’t rely on a screenshot of a generic points balance.
Is chasing the next tier worthwhile?
Start with trips you would take anyway. List the benefits you’d actually buy: a checked bag, a particular seat, or companion travel. Subtract benefits already included through your fare or existing card.
For Silver, the useful question may be whether Preferred seats and one checked bag cover your routine. Gold is more compelling when you regularly need Extra Legroom at booking. Platinum’s companion value depends on having someone who can share your actual flights.
Boarding earlier can help you reach available overhead space, but it doesn’t guarantee a bin directly above your seat. For shorter trips, a suitable underseat bag may reduce that practical concern. Its fit still depends on the aircraft and assigned seat.
Compare the trip’s total price rather than valuing status in isolation. Our airline baggage guides can help compare the packing part. Keep security restrictions separate using the Can I Bring guides.
Southwest status tiers also sit within a wider loyalty announcement, including future partner redemptions and lounges. A new tier name alone doesn’t promise lounge entry. Check the benefit’s actual access terms and opening date before assigning it value.
Frequently asked questions
When do Southwest’s new status tiers start?
Silver, Gold and Platinum begin January 1, 2027. A-List and A-List Preferred benefits continue through the end of 2026.
How many flights do I need for Southwest Silver?
From 2027, Silver requires 25 qualifying one way flights or 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year. The 2026 A-List requirement remains 20 qualifying flights or 35,000 TQPs.
Does A-List Preferred automatically become Platinum?
No. A-List Preferred earned for 2027 through 2026 activity becomes Gold on January 1, 2027. Platinum is a new higher tier with its own qualification requirements.
Will every Gold member earn only a 60% flight bonus in 2027?
No. Members who earned A-List Preferred for 2027 through 2026 activity retain a 100% flight points bonus through December 31, 2027. The normal Gold bonus under the new terms is 60%.
Do I need Platinum to get any Companion Pass trips?
No. The second 2027 Milestone Reward gives three Companion Pass trips at 95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying flights. Platinum gives unlimited trips, and qualifying promotions may provide other opportunities.
Does Platinum give three carry-on bags?
No. The announced three bag benefit covers standard checked bags, subject to weight and size limits. It doesn’t increase the cabin bag allowance.
Does status give free same day changes with a Basic fare?
Status allows same day standby with Basic fares, subject to the rules. A confirmed free same day change requires a qualifying fare; status alone doesn’t add it to Basic.