{"version":"1.7","identifier":"1cf403c8-65a5-4eed-9ca1-4f4af7e24a6e","language":"en-US","title":"Southwest in 2027: three Companion Pass trips and unlimited trips are different targets","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.pointsfrog.com/news/southwest-2027-three-companion-trips-versus-unlimited","datePublished":"2026-10-16T14:02:37.536934Z","dateModified":"2026-10-16T14:10:25.591613Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"Southwest's 2027 Companion Pass structure has two targets, and I would keep them on separate lines in any travel plan. The milestone at 95,000 tier qualifying points or 75 qualifying one-way flights gives three Companion Pass trips. Unlimited trips come with Platinum…","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/1cf403c8-65a5-4eed-9ca1-4f4af7e24a6e/fbbac4acddd01579eebb3b94f6163e56.jpg","keywords":["airline"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"Southwest in 2027: three Companion Pass trips and unlimited trips are different targets","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"Southwest's 2027 Companion Pass structure has two targets, and I would keep them on separate lines in any travel plan. The milestone at 95,000 tier qualifying points or 75 qualifying one-way flights gives three Companion Pass trips. Unlimited trips come with Platinum…","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 16, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/1cf403c8-65a5-4eed-9ca1-4f4af7e24a6e/fbbac4acddd01579eebb3b94f6163e56.jpg","caption":"Southwest Boeing 737-700 at Columbus in 2017; representative airline photo, not a lounge rendering. · Sixflashphoto / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0","accessibilityCaption":"Southwest Boeing 737-700 at Columbus in 2017; representative airline photo, not a lounge rendering.","layout":"photo"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"Southwest's 2027 Companion Pass structure has two targets, and I would keep them on separate lines in any travel plan. The milestone at 95,000 tier qualifying points or 75 qualifying one-way flights gives three Companion Pass trips. Unlimited trips come with Platinum at 140,000 points or 100 flights.\n\nThose are the distinctions on [Southwest's official Companion Pass page](https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/2027/companion-pass-changes/). The new structure begins January 1, 2027. A pass earned under the 2026 rules remains unlimited through December 31, 2027, according to the airline.\n\n## Count the trips you would actually take\n\nFor a couple planning two or three eligible trips together, a limited benefit may cover much of the year's need. For a household that travels together every month, it is a different product from an unlimited pass. Start with the calendar instead of assuming that the familiar name means the familiar value.\n\nSouthwest says each milestone trip can be a one-way or round-trip itinerary. Read the detailed usage and expiration rules when the benefit is issued. Taxes and fees still apply, and the companion needs a seat on the same flight as the member.\n\n## The gap is substantial\n\nThe difference between the standard thresholds is 45,000 tier qualifying points or 25 qualifying one-way flights. I would not spend money just to close that gap without comparing the extra cost with the additional companion travel I expect to use.\n\nFor example, if three planned trips exhaust the limited benefit and you expect only one more trip together, the value of that fourth companion booking is the relevant comparison. It is not the value of an imaginary year of unlimited travel. Use a fare you would actually buy when estimating the saving.\n\n## Redeemable points do not all count toward status\n\nSouthwest's [2027 program page](https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/2027/) separates ordinary rewards from tier qualifying points. Welcome bonuses, referrals, anniversary points and certain other bonus earning no longer count toward the new Companion Pass targets, even though the points can still be useful for flights.\n\nThe [Rapid Rewards calculator](https://www.pointsfrog.com/points-value/rapid-rewards) is about redemption value. It cannot turn a redeemable balance into qualifying progress. Keep both figures visible when tracking the year, and check the posting rules for credit card spending rather than relying on the purchase date alone.\n\n## Do not add lounge value by assumption\n\nSouthwest's future [Icon Lounge network](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/southwest-first-lounges-austin-baltimore-honolulu-nashville-2027) is a separate development. The announced access route is a new premium card. I would not attach an unannounced lounge benefit to Platinum when valuing the status target.\n\nThere is also a cardmember qualifying boost described in the 2027 terms. Check eligibility before building it into your plan; a special boost and the standard threshold are different facts.\n\nMy approach would be to count likely companion trips, estimate their realistic savings, and compare that with the extra travel or spending needed. The limited milestone may be enough for some couples. Unlimited status is worth chasing only when the additional use and the rest of its benefits justify the effort.\n\n## Keep planning\n\nFor more detail, read [Southwest's 2027 Rapid Rewards: Companion Pass now needs 95,000 tier points or 75 flights](https://www.pointsfrog.com/news/southwest-rapid-rewards-2027-companion-pass-silver-gold-platinum).\n\nFor more detail, read [Southwest points bookings: compare the full fare bundle](https://www.pointsfrog.com/news/southwest-points-bookings-compare-the-full-fare-bundle).\n\nFor more detail, read [Southwest's 2027 Rapid Rewards: Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers, a harder Companion Pass and no lounge perk](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/southwest-rapid-rewards-2027-silver-gold-platinum-icon-lounge).\n\n## Photo credit\n\nSixflashphoto / Wikimedia Commons. [Original photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_737-700_of_Southwest_Airlines_preparing_to_Takeoff_KCMH_1.jpg); [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Cropped and badged for this page. The adapted image is shared under the same license.","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}