Southwest card bonuses stop counting toward the Companion Pass after 2026, with one exception for cards approved by Dec. 2. On Oct. 15, Southwest said that starting Jan. 1, 2027, new cardmember welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spend and partner spend no longer count toward the pass. They still earn Rapid Rewards points, but in Southwest's words they "will not assist you in earning Companion Pass benefits."
This year still runs on the old rules
For 2026 you need 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 one-way flights, and card bonuses and card spending still count. Everything has to land in time, though. Southwest's own page says "All Companion Pass qualification activity must post by the end of 2026." A pass earned this year is good through Dec. 31, 2027.
The Dec. 2 approval date
Southwest made one exception for new cardmembers. Its page on 2026 status says:
"any Cardmembers who are approved for a Rapid Rewards Credit Card on or before Dec. 2, 2026 and meet the requirements for the new Cardmember welcome bonus will have the opportunity to have those points count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spend threshold is met in early 2027."
It's fine if your welcome bonus doesn't hit until January or February. Southwest says the points can still count even if you don't finish the spend until early 2027, and in that case the bonus won't post until 2027 either. That gets you a 2027 pass, not a 2028 one: Southwest says a pass earned under the current rules lasts through Dec. 31, 2027, so the later your bonus posts, the less of 2027 you get to use it. Two cards work the same way as long as both are approved by Dec. 2. Southwest hasn't said how late in 2027 a bonus can post and still count, or whether business cards are covered.
What it takes from zero, and what it's worth
No Southwest card gets you to 135,000 alone. From zero, it takes two new cards, for example the Southwest Premier ($149 a year, 55,000 points after $1,500 in spending) and the Southwest Premier Business ($149 a year, currently 80,000 points after $3,000). Add the points from the required spending and you're at 139,500. That 80,000 is a limited-time offer, and at its usual 60,000 the pair falls short.
Chase decides on every application, and approval is never guaranteed. Two new cards also means two hard credit inquiries for a pass that ends Dec. 31, 2027.
Here's the math at our value of 1.2 cents per Southwest point:
| What it's worth | |
|---|---|
| Points from both bonuses and the required spending | 139,500, about $1,670 in flights |
| Annual fees | $298 |
| Companion Pass | Whatever your companion's flights would have cost |
The bonuses cover the fees by themselves, so the Companion Pass is the extra perk, and its value depends entirely on how much you fly with the same person. Note that you can change your companion up to 3 times each year. Say you take 4 round trips with a companion in 2027 and each ticket would cost 20,000 points. The companion's tickets would have cost 80,000 points, about $960, and with the pass you pay only the taxes and fees on them. If you do mostly solo travel, then the pass isn't worth much to you. If you'll take at least 3 round trips on Southwest with the same person, the pass saves you their fare on all 3, minus taxes and fees.
How the pass works starting in 2027
Starting on Jan. 1, the pass comes by earning status instead of earning points. Earning 95,000 tier qualifying points or taking 75 one-way flights in a year gets you three companion trips, and Platinum status (140,000 tier qualifying points or 100 flights) gets you the pass with no limit on trips. Each of those three trips can be one-way or round trip, so save them for round trips.
Card spending still helps, at 1 tier qualifying point per dollar on every Southwest card, the Plus included, with no cap. That's $95,000 of spending for the three trips if a card is all you've got. Cardmembers also get a one-time 10,000 tier qualifying point boost after reaching 130,000 in 2027. From 2027, the pass is mostly for people who fly Southwest a lot. Our guide to the new Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers covers the rest.
If you're thinking about a Southwest card
- Already close to 135,000 this year: finish it in 2026. One card's bonus may be enough if the card is approved by Dec. 2. Everything else, like flights and regular card spending, has to post by Dec. 31.
- Starting from zero: it's two new cards approved by Dec. 2 for a pass that ends Dec. 31, 2027. Only worth it if you'll fly with the same person a lot in 2027.
- Getting a card after Dec. 2: the bonus won't count toward the pass. The card only helps through its spending, at 1 tier qualifying point per dollar.
