Dive Brief:
- Southwest Airlines is adding a new tier and enhanced perks to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, the airline announced Thursday.
- Starting in January, Southwest’s current tiers, A-List and A-List Preferred, will change to Silver and Gold, respectively. The carrier is adding a Platinum tier, which will sit above Silver and Gold.
- Among the perks for platinum tier members is an unlimited companion pass, which allows members to travel with one friend or family member, and make changes to who that individual is up to three times a year.
Dive Insight:
Southwest has overhauled its Rapid Rewards program in an effort to provide more valuable rewards while still making it easy to earn points, according to Nandika Suri, VP of Rapid Rewards at Southwest Airlines.
"As our Members engage more with Southwest, they've told us they want Rapid Rewards to reward them in more meaningful ways, whether they're working toward status or using the points they've earned,” Suri said in a prepared statement. “These updates build on that feedback by rewarding Members throughout their Southwest experience, while keeping the simplicity and value that have always set our program apart."
The program has seen massive growth in 2026, with membership in the second quarter increasing 35% year over year to nearly 100 million members.
Southwest has been working on expanding Rapid Rewards’ appeal to a broader audience and improving its balance of transactional and experiential benefits to drive engagement, Suri told CX Dive during a DiveLive event in August.
The airline has expanded the ways members can redeem points. Starting in the spring of 2027, Rapid Rewards members will be able to earn and use points for international travel via new airline partnerships with Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad Airways.
In November, loyalty members can use their rapid rewards for rental cars with participating car rental providers, and at some point in 2027, members will also be able to use points toward seat selection.
To reach Silver status, Rapid Rewards members must earn 35,000 points or 15 qualifying flights; to reach Gold, members must earn 65,000 points or 50 qualifying flights; to reach Platinum, members must earn 140,000 points or 100 qualifying flights. Starting in January, Rapid Rewards Cardmembers will earn one tier-qualifying point per every $1 spent on purchases.
Southwest also added perks for members that were in between tier statuses, known as Milestone Rewards, beginning in January. Before Gold members reach Platinum, for example, they can receive the Milestone Reward of three companion pass trips if they earn 95,000 tier-qualifying points or complete 75 qualifying one-way flights.
