JetBlue TrueBlue vs Southwest Rapid Rewards: a comparison

Can you pool Rapid Rewards points with other people?

Rapid Rewards membership is granted for individual travellers only: individuals must enrol separately and may not pool or combine points with other members. [8] A member is limited to one account. [8]

Points do not expire, but if a member closes their account the points in it are forfeited. [8] Southwest also reserves the right to review accounts and, where it finds fraud, misrepresentation, misuse or a breach of the programme rules, to cancel an account, forfeit accrued points and status, and delay or suspend redemption. [8]

The programme's mechanism for moving points between people is a paid transfer rather than a pool: points can be transferred to another member in blocks of 500, or 1,000 during promotional periods, with a minimum transfer of 2,000 points and a daily maximum of 60,000. [8] Transfers must be paid for with a credit card, are nonrefundable and nonreversible, and points can take up to 72 hours to post. [6] [8] Purchased, gifted and transferred points do not count toward tier status or Companion Pass qualification. [6] [7]

A member can use points to buy seats for other people, but the member stays responsible for any changes; a passenger travelling on points from another member's account cannot change the itinerary themselves. [8] For the JetBlue side of this question, see TrueBlue points pooling.

How do you earn A-List and A-List Preferred status in Rapid Rewards?

Rapid Rewards publishes two elite tiers, A-List and A-List Preferred, alongside the separate Companion Pass benefit. Each tier is measured per calendar year: 20 qualifying one-way flight segments or 35,000 tier qualifying points for A-List, and 40 segments or 70,000 tier qualifying points for A-List Preferred. [3] [8]

The table above reflects Southwest's published tier thresholds and benefits. [3] Tier qualifying points come from revenue flights booked through Southwest and from spending on eligible Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards issued by Chase, which earn between 1,500 and 2,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000 in purchases depending on the card. [3] Reward flights, Companion Pass travel, partner points, bonus points and non-revenue travel do not count toward tier qualification. [3] [8]

Once earned, A-List or A-List Preferred status lasts for the rest of the calendar year in which it was earned and for the whole of the following calendar year, and a member can hold only one A-List membership in a calendar year no matter how many extra flights or points they collect. [8] Both tiers can also list for same-day standby on an earlier flight, requesting it at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure of the original flight, or 60 minutes ahead for domestic flights and 90 minutes for international flights when using the app or mobile web. [3]

Southwest also matches status held with other airlines, JetBlue among them: Mosaic 1 maps to A-List, and Mosaic 2, 3 or 4 maps to A-List Preferred, for a promotional period of 120 days. [5] Registration must be completed by 30 December 2026, a member may enrol in the promotion only once in any 12-month period, and the match takes up to 12 business days to process. [5] To extend the promotional status for 12 months, a matched A-List member must fly three round trips or six qualifying one-way flights, or earn 11,500 tier qualifying points, within the 120-day window; a matched A-List Preferred member must fly six round trips or twelve qualifying one-way flights, or earn 23,000 tier qualifying points. [5] Southwest says a new Rapid Rewards programme with Silver, Gold and Platinum statuses begins on 1 January 2027, so the tier names and thresholds above describe the position as of 18 October 2026. [3] See also the Rapid Rewards elite status guide and the TrueBlue Mosaic status guide.

What does the Southwest Companion Pass include?

Companion Pass is earned by collecting 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, or by flying 100 qualifying one-way flight segments, in a calendar year. [3] [8] It lets the member choose one person to fly with them free of airline charges, although taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way are still payable. [3]

Companion Pass travel has no blackout dates but is subject to availability, and a seat must be available on the flight for the companion. [8] The member books and pays for their own ticket first and then books the companion's flight, and both must travel on the same flights and dates; if the member's ticket is cancelled the companion's is cancelled too, and if the member changes their ticket the companion's must be changed to match. [8] The member and companion must check in together and, if asked, present documentation for the pass at the ticket counter, skycap podium or departure gate, with photo identification for both. [8]

A member may change their designated companion up to three times in each calendar year that they hold Companion Pass, and the change takes up to 21 business days to process. [8] The pass cannot be added to travel booked through Southwest Vacations, Getaways by Southwest, group travel, charter flights, interline itineraries or non-revenue travel, and it is not eligible for use with Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings. [3] [8] No points, tier qualifying points or Companion Pass qualifying points are awarded for flights taken by the companion. [8]

How is award pricing set, and what fees apply?

The number of Rapid Rewards points needed for a reward flight depends on the fare, so when fares go on sale the points needed move too. [6] Southwest says the points required vary with destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, the point redemption rate and other factors, are disclosed on its website, and can change at any time until the booking is confirmed. [8]

Reward travel is subject to taxes, fees and government or airport-imposed charges from $5.60 per one-way trip, the amount varies significantly by origin and destination, and the passenger pays it at the time of booking. [8] Cash + Points, which lets a member pay with a mix of cash and points, started on 22 April 2024, and the number of points and their value in a Cash + Points booking are disclosed on the Southwest website. [6] [8]

Points can be redeemed for any available seat on any flight booked through Southwest, and also for hotels, gift cards, merchandise and cardmember experiences through More Rewards. [6] [8] Some fares cannot be bought with points: military and government fares are excluded, as are charter flights, group travel, Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, service-charged and reduced-rate travel, and travel not purchased directly through Southwest. [8] The route map on Southwest's redemption page lists more than 100 destinations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. [6]

Exceptions and limits

• Points do not expire, but closing an account forfeits them, and Southwest may cancel an account and forfeit points and status where it finds fraud or misuse. [8]
• Purchased, gifted and transferred points count toward neither tier status nor Companion Pass qualification, and purchase and transfer transactions are nonrefundable and nonreversible. [6] [8]
• Checked bag benefits do not apply on flights booked with a partner carrier, seating benefits may not apply on itineraries booked with partner airlines, and bag fees apply to Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares, while Choice Extra fares include two free checked bags. [3]
• The status match offer runs to 30 December 2026, is limited to one enrolment in a 12-month period, and a member already holding A-List or A-List Preferred can take part only if the promotional level offered is higher than their current status. [5]
• Southwest may amend, suspend or change the programme and its rules at any time without notice, may end the programme with six months' notice, and members do not acquire property rights in accrued points. [8]

Frequently asked questions

Can two Rapid Rewards members combine their points?

No. Membership is for individual travellers only and members may not pool or combine points, so moving points between people means a paid transfer with a minimum of 2,000 points, blocks of 500 (1,000 during promotional periods) and a daily maximum of 60,000. [8]

Do Rapid Rewards points expire?

Points do not expire, but the points in an account are forfeited if the member closes that account. [8]

How many points does a Southwest reward flight need?

It depends on the fare and on destination, time, day of travel, demand and fare class, and the figure is shown on Southwest's website and can change until the booking is confirmed. [6] [8]

Does Southwest match JetBlue Mosaic status?

Southwest's status match maps Mosaic 1 to A-List and Mosaic 2, 3 or 4 to A-List Preferred, for a 120-day promotional period, with registration open until 30 December 2026. [5]

Related pages

Programmes: JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Rapid Rewards. Guides: Rapid Rewards elite status guide, TrueBlue Mosaic status guide, TrueBlue points pooling. Terms: frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. JetBlue TrueBlue's own rules are not covered here; see the TrueBlue programme page.

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards tier benefits and qualification, checked 18 October 2026
2. Southwest Rapid Rewards status match promotion terms, checked 18 October 2026
3. How to redeem Rapid Rewards points, checked 18 October 2026
4. How to earn Rapid Rewards points, checked 18 October 2026
5. Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026