Obtaining elite status can make your travel experience both more rewarding and more convenient, thanks to the VIP benefits offered. If you’re a newbie in the points and miles world, you might wonder how valuable these status perks really are. And is it worth the push to earn status with that particular carrier?
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In this guide, we’ll break down each tier in the Southwest Airlines elite status program and put a value on every perk. We’ll also cover Southwest’s Companion Pass, one of the most generous benefits in the travel industry. In the end, you’ll have a better idea of whether or not elite status – and Companion Pass – with Southwest is worth pursuing.
Southwest Airlines Elite Status & Companion Pass Overview
The Southwest Rapid Rewards program has two elite status tiers – A-List and A-List Preferred – as well as the Companion Pass offer.
A-List Preferred, the higher status level, comes with slightly more benefits than A-List:
| A-List | A-List Preferred | |
| Point bonus | 25% | 100% |
| Priority check-in & security | x | x |
| Priority boarding | x | x |
| Inflight WiFi | x | |
| Same-day standby | x | x |
| Priority phone line | x | x |
The Companion Pass is one of the most valuable features of the Rapid Rewards program. It allows you to book an additional ticket (for your Companion) for every flight you take with Southwest through the end of the pass term, not including taxes and fees (starting from $5.60 one way). Once you earn it, the Companion Pass is valid to the end of the following year.
To qualify for either elite status or the Companion Pass, you need to earn a certain amount of qualifying points or fly a certain number of qualifying one-way flights in one calendar year:
| A-List | A-List Preferred | Companion Pass |
| 35,000 points or 25 flights | 70,000 points or 50 flights | 125,000 points or 100 flights |
Tier-qualifying points are earned by purchasing tickets for Southwest flights or by using your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, or Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.
Points that count towards the Companion Pass include tier-qualifying points, as well as:
- Partner hotel stays and partner car rentals
- Dining through the Rapid Rewards Dining program
- Shopping through Rapid Rewards Shopping
- Opening and using a Southwest credit card
- Purchases from retail and service partners
For more details on what points qualify, click here.
A qualifying one-way flight is a trip from origin to destination, including any connections. For example, a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago counts as a single one-way flight, whether the flight is nonstop or has connections.
Be sure to check Southwest Airline’s website for any changes to the requirement and benefits for A-List and A-List Preferred status.
Southwest Airlines Elite Status & Companion Pass Value
The lowest tier in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is A-List, which requires either 35,000 tier-qualifying points or 25 qualifying one-way flights in one calendar year. For the purpose of this analysis, we’ll assume you earned 42,000 qualifying points with a $2,940 total spend ($0.07/point cost).
Points bonus ($160). Earn 25% more points than members with no status. Based on a $2,940 total spend, you’ll earn an additional 10,500 points (worth $157.50, we rounded this up to $160).
Priority check-in and security ($150). Because Southwest offers free checked bags for all passengers, their check-in lines tend to be longer than other carriers. That’s why having priority check-in is particularly beneficial when you’re flying Southwest.
Priority boarding ($250). Get a boarding position 36 hours before your flight. A-List priority falls behind higher-tier elites and those who paid for Business Select tickets. In the best case scenario, you’ll get to board with Group A. With this perk, you won’t have to worry about checking in 24 hours prior to departure to get the best boarding spot. You’ll also avoid paying the Early Bird Check-in fee, which starts at $15 one way, per passenger.
Free same-day standby ($75). Standby on an earlier flight at no charge for flights between the same cities and on the same date of travel. You’ll still be given priority over non-status travelers, but you have to pay the fare difference if a seat opens up on a flight outside the above terms. Note: This benefit only applies to Wanna Get Away tickets, because Anytime and Business Select fares already offer free standby.
Priority phone line ($50). Access the priority phone line when a major weather event or other problem arises.
The highest tier in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is A-List Preferred, which requires either 70,000 tier-qualifying points or 50 qualifying one-way flights in one calendar year. For the purpose of this analysis, we’ll assume you earned 84,000 qualifying points with a $5,880 total spend ($0.07/point cost).
Points bonus ($1,260). Earn 100% more points than members with no status. Based on a $5,880 total spend, you’ll earn an additional 84,000 points (worth $1,260).
Priority check-in and security ($300). Same benefit as A-List status, but we calculated more frequent utilization.
Priority boarding ($600). Your boarding position is automatically assigned 36 hours before departure, and you’ll be prioritized over A-List members. Note: Business Select travelers have priority over A-List Preferred.
Free inflight WiFi ($400). Get free internet access on board. The service is available on all Southwest planes, and it usually costs $8 per day.
Free same-day standby ($175). Enjoy complimentary same-day standby on all Southwest flights, with priority over A-List members. Note: The same restrictions as A-List status applies.
Priority phone line ($100). Same benefit as A-List status, but we calculated more frequent utilization.
Southwest Rapid Rewards also offers the Companion Pass if you earn 125,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights within a calendar year. This reward is essentially “Buy One, Get One Free” on all Southwest flights, including award tickets. Once you earn it, there’s no limit to the number of times you can use your Companion Pass (until it expires).
As mentioned in the overview, there are plenty of ways to earn Companion Pass-qualifying points. As such, we’ll analyze the value of this reward two ways:
Premise #1. We assume you earned 130,000 points, surpassing the Companion Pass threshold. Half these points originated from flying Southwest, while the other 65,000 points originated from Southwest partners. So, we’re looking at a $4,550 total spend ($0.07/point cost) on Southwest flights. Note: With 65,000 points earned by flying, you’ll also unlock A-List status.
Premise #2. We assume you earned 130,000 points, but these points were only from flying Southwest. So, we’re looking at a $9,100 total spend ($0.07/point cost) on Southwest flights. Note: With 130,000 points earned by flying, you’ll also unlock A-List Preferred status.
Below is a summary of our value estimates for Companion Pass Premise #1 and Premise #2.
| PREMISE #1 | PREMISE #2 | |
| Points bonus | $245 | $1,950 |
| Priority check in & security | $225 | $450 |
| Priority boarding | $375 | $900 |
| Inflight WiFi | N/A | $600 |
| Same-day standby | $100 | $250 |
| Priority phone line | $50 | $100 |
| Companion Pass | $3,000 | $4,000 |
| TOTAL VALUE | $3,995 | $8,250 |
Points bonus. With 65,000 points earned from flying in Premise #1, you’ll get 16,250 bonus points (worth $243.75) from having A-List status. And with 130,000 points earned from flying in Premise #2, you’ll receive 130,000 bonus points (worth $1,950) with your A-List Preferred status.
Priority check-in and security. Same benefit as A-List and A-List Preferred, but we calculated more frequent utilization for each Companion Pass premise.
Priority boarding. Same benefit as A-List and A-List Preferred, but we calculated more frequent utilization for each Companion Pass premise.
Inflight WiFi. Those in the Premise #2 situation enjoy the same benefit as A-List Preferred, but we calculated more frequent utilization.
Same-day standby. Same benefit as A-List and A-List Preferred, but we calculated more frequent utilization for each Companion Pass premise.
Priority phone line. Same benefit as A-List and A-List Preferred.
Companion Pass. The value of Companion Pass depends on how frequently you can bring a companion along on a flight. We based our value on the assumption that you’ll bring your companion with you:
- On 12 roundtrip flights worth $250 each (Premise #1).
- On 16 roundtrip flights worth $250 each (Premise #2).
Feel free to adjust these numbers based on how much more or less you think you’ll use it.
*Source: Southwest Airlines Companion Pass page.
Are Southwest Elite Status & Companion Pass Worth It?
Given our values above, is Southwest Rapid Rewards elite status worth going for? What about Companion Pass? The answer is really up to you. You should base your decision on your travel style and needs. Below are a few questions to help you figure it out for yourself:
- Does Southwest fly to where you want to go? Southwest elite status and Companion Pass aren’t worth pursuing if you don’t fly with Southwest regularly. Check Southwest’s service from your home airport and see how easily you can get to your choice destinations.
- Do the benefits matter to you? It doesn’t make sense to work towards Southwest elite status or Companion Pass unless the perks are worth your loyalty.
- How often do you travel? If you’re not a frequent flyer, then pushing for elite status or Companion Pass won’t be worth it. These benefits only apply when you travel. So if you don’t use your perks, their value drops.
- Do you prioritize price and convenience? Will you use Southwest even when it’s not the cheapest option? Or the most convenient one? In other words, would you book a Southwest flight with one stopover over a cheaper, nonstop flight with JetBlue? If you’re not willing to trade in price and convenience for status and companion perks, then Southwest elite status and Companion Pass aren’t worth it for you.
Our Methodology
Each person places their own value on each benefit, so you might very well come up with different numbers than ours. One person might always sleep on the plane, so free inflight WiFi isn’t worth much to them. Another might always have their travel plans set in stone, so they won’t put much value on complimentary same-day standby. As such, feel free to play with the numbers we used until they make sense to you.
Our value estimates are based on the benefits you would enjoy after having already achieved status and qualifying each year thereafter. If you’re new to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, you won’t get any benefits from the first 35,000 tier-qualifying points it takes for you to unlock A-List status.
In order to tie in values to Southwest elite status and Companion Pass benefits, we need to determine a certain amount of flying and a corresponding amount of spending.
Wanna Get Away: 6 tier-qualifying points/$1 spent
Anytime: 10 tier-qualifying points/$1 spent
Business Select: 12 tier-qualifying points/$1 spent
For this particular analysis, we assumed the following:
- You earned 20% more tier-qualifying points than the minimum required at that level.
- You spent an average of $0.07 per tier-qualifying point. This is if 80% of your Southwest ticket purchases are Wanna Get Away fares, 10% Anytime fares and 10% Business Select fares.
Like we’ve stated before, feel free to adjust our numbers to match what types of Southwest tickets you typically purchase.
Lastly, we value each Rapid Rewards point based on our most recent valuation, which is $0.015 each.
Bottom Line
Southwest Airlines has a solid base of loyal fans, thanks to its valuable perks like the carrier’s no-fee change policy, two free checked bags with every ticket and the infamous Companion Pass.
Is Southwest Rapid Rewards elite status and Companion Pass worth pursuing? We hope our analysis has helped you easily decide if they’re right or you.
>>More on Southwest Rapid Rewards
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