[Extended Further] Southwest Extends Companion Passes By Six Months, A-List By 12 Months & Gives Boost For Elite Qualifying [Boost Now Posted]

Update 1/15/21: They’ve now extended the 2020 Companion Pass through December 31, 2021 (previously it was only extended through June 2021).  Hat tip to reader W

Update 5/7/20: The 15,000/25,000 tier qualifying points have been added to accounts

Original Post:

Southwest has announced a number of measures for loyalty members due to COVID-19. The biggest of which is that current companion pass members will have their companion pass extended by six months until June 30th, 2021. In additional A-List & A-List Preferred members will have their status extended by a year until December 31st, 2021. All members will also receive a boost of 15,000 tier qualifying points and 10 flight credits towards A-List & A-List Preferred status and 25,000 tier qualifying points and 25 flight credits towards companion pass status for 2020 status year.

 

There are two changes being made to travel funds. Firstly Funds that are set to expire or funds that are created between March 1, 2020, and September 7, 2020, will have an expiration date of September 7, 2022. Secondly for those with funds that expire during that same period (March 1st – September 7th, 2020) you can convert those funds to Rapid Rewards points at the same rate you would be able to purchase a ticket with points.

Overall I think these are strong changes. I know a lot of people were hoping for a year extension to the companion pass but I always thought that a six month extension was more likely. Most other airlines are offering a 12 month extension to status, but Southwest’s companion pass is unique in the value proposition it provides. I’d hope that if travel and isolating restrictions continue into the end of 2020 that Southwest will revisit this decision and further increase the extension. One other thing that would have been nice is a six month extension for those that have already earned the companion pass this year.
    William Charles
  • On January 15, 2021, 10:13

View Comments (94)

  • maybe is just me but i dont think they're doing right by other CP holders. i just qualified for my CP in December and have it only for 13 months.

  • This is Awesome!!
    Using Doc's methods I earned the companion pass in early January 2019...with an expiration in December 2020. Learned by e-mail notice, a separate website, and logging into my SW account this companion pass now expires 12/31/21! Like most have not used it that much during the pandemic but have my eye on some post-vaccination travel. 3 years of companion pass, Too Good!

  • One other thing that would have been nice is a six month extension for those that have already earned the companion pass this year.

    --Right, we didn't get it use it very much.

  • Does this mean I can get a personal SUB for 50k and a biz SUB for 60k = total of 110k and get CP off of just the 1st tier of MSR on each?

  • I've pretty green to TQP's but I'm wondering if it's worth MS'ing to A-List.

    I see that they are offering 1,500 TQP's per $10K spent up to $100K ($15K TQP's). Do you also earn 1:1 TQP per $ spent? So the 1.5K TQP per $10K would be a bonus? My guess is not, because if you are able to MS $100K, you'd already be at A-List Preferred.

    Thanks!

    • The 1,500 TPQ awards are uncapped. Most years it is up to $100,000, but they are waiving that limit this year. You would need to spend $140,000 to earn the A List through MS alone (14x1.5 is 21,000 plus the 15,000 progress awarded). The spend itself does not count toward A-List, only the groups of $10,000 worth of spend.

      • Where do you see they are waiving the limit this year? The fine print I am reading says the cap is $100k or 15k TQPs. Am I reading the wrong terms?

        • Here is the actual wording in the terms and conditions on the announcement page on the Southwest Rapid Rewards site:

          "†During the promotional period you will continue to earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for every $10,000 in purchases with your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier, Priority, Premier Business, or Performance Business Credit Card from Chase (“promotional period” means the first day of your billing cycle ending in January 2021 through your last December 2021 statement date). There is no maximum number of TQPs that can be earned during the promotional period. Beginning with the day after your December 2021 statement date you will go back to earning 1,500 TQPs for each $10,000 in purchases up to $100,000 in purchases annually, which equal 15,000 TQPs ("annually" means the year beginning with your account open date through the first December statement date of that same year, and each 12 billing cycles starting after your December statement date through the following December statement date.)."

        • Read above. It says "Cardmembers in 2021 will have uncapped spending toward A-List and A-List Preferred status". It is the second to last paragraph in the picture above.

  • I have the promotional Companion pass good from 1-6-21 thru end of February 2021. Any chance this will be extended?

    • That would be me. Haven’t used it once since I got it in Jan 2020 and won’t be using it until August 2021. Basically got 4 months worth of value instead of 2 years.

      :(((((((((

        • Same. Would be nice to see these extended since few of us probably got anything out of the first year (really 1.5 years minimum before vaccination starts to return things to normal). But I'm not expecting it, nor am I going to complain. This whole thing couldn't have been predicted back in late 2019 when we started earning those CPs.

  • This seems only apply to people had the cp expiring in 2020. Isn’t it unfair to people who earned it in 2020?

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