First of all, let me say that I’ve been a Southwest loyalist for 20+ years — A-List Preferred and Companion Pass for most of that time. I used to fly them almost exclusively.
That’s changed.
Southwest has changed, and so has how I approach it. If you’re struggling to keep up with everything that’s happening, here’s exactly how I’d think about Southwest in 2026—and how you should approach it going forward.
1. A credit card is now table stakes
If you fly Southwest without a card, you’re at a disadvantage.
You’re paying for:
bags
worse seats
weaker earning
Best cards (what actually matters)
🥇 Southwest Priority Card
~$149 annual fee
7,500 anniversary points (~$100+ value)
First checked bag free (for up to 8 on the same reservation)
Complimentary Preferred Seat at Booking
Extra Legroom Upgrade 48hrs before the flight
Earn 2.5K TQP for every $5k spend (toward A-List/A-List Preferred)
Earn 1 Companion Pass pt for every $1 in spend
👉 Net:
This offsets most of the new “lost value” from Southwest changes
🟡 Premier / Plus Cards
First checked bag free (for up to 8 on the same reservation)
Complimentary Seat Selection 48hrs prior to flight (Preferred for Premier, Standard for Plus)
6,000 anniversary points (~$80 value) for Premier, 3,000 points ($40 value) for Plus
👉 These are fine if you fly Southwest occasionally
→ Also useful for Companion Pass strategy (signup bonus)
2. A-List status matters less than it used to
A-List (reality)
Boarding no later than Group 5
One free checked bag
25% bonus points
Some seat selection priority
👉 Problem:
Group 5 is no longer “early” in a world of paid priority + cardholders
Many benefits are now replicable via cards
👉 Bottom line:
Don’t chase A-List
3. A-List Preferred still has a role (but narrow)
What you actually get
Boarding no later than Group 1 (starting April 30, 2026)
Two free checked bags
Extra Legroom seats at booking (when available)
100% bonus points
What this really means
There are no upgrades on Southwest.
So the real value is:
guaranteed early boarding
access to better seat types
consistency (less randomness)
When it’s worth it
Only if:
You fly Southwest a lot
You care about seat quality and consistency
You’re already close to qualifying
Otherwise:
👉 Not worth optimizing heavily for
4. Companion Pass is still elite
Despite everything:
👉 This is still one of the best deals in travel
How it works
135,000 qualifying points
Valid for:
rest of the year
entire following year
Best strategy
Get a Southwest card with ~75k–80k SUB
Earn the remaining ~55k via:
spend
business card bonus
partner activity
⚠️ Important:
Transferred points don’t count
Purchased points don’t count
Why timing matters
Earn early in the year → maximize value
Example:
Earn in April 2026
→ Valid through Dec 2027
👉 ~21 months of:
buy one flight, get one free
Advanced play
Alternate with your partner:
Year 1: you earn Companion Pass
Year 2: they earn it
👉 Continuous coverage without over-optimizing spend
Final take
Southwest isn’t broken.
It’s just different.
Key takeaways
Southwest is now segmented + monetized
Free perks are now paywalled or card-based
Credit cards = core to the experience
A-List = mostly skippable
A-List Preferred = situational
Companion Pass = still elite
The real mindset shift
Stop thinking:
“How do I fly Southwest the old way?”
Start thinking:
“How do I extract value from the new system?”
That’s how you win in 2026.