If you’re a frequent flyer with Southwest Airlines, you may be interested in achieving A-List Preferred status.
This elite status tier is the highest level offered by Southwest and comes with a range of benefits, including priority boarding, free same-day standby, and a 100% earning bonus on eligible flights.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of A-List Preferred status, how to qualify for it, and some tips and tricks for making the most of your elite status.
Whether you’re a business traveler or a frequent vacationer, A-List Preferred status can help you travel more comfortably and efficiently with Southwest Airlines.
How to Earn A-List Preferred
A-List Preferred : 40 one-way qualifying flight segments or 70,000 tier qualifying points.
You can earn Tier Qualifying Points in two ways:
Earn TQPs via Flights
Each Rapid Rewards point earned from a flight is equivalent to 1 TQP. Rapid Rewards points are calculated based on the base fare of the flight you purchased. For example, if you were to earn A-list status (35,000 TQPs), you would have to spend a total of $2,916.66 in base fares at Business Select rates (35,000 TQPs = $2916.66 x 12). However, flights booked with Rapid Rewards points do not earn Tier Qualifying Points.
Earn TQPs via Southwest Credit Cards
You can also earn TQPs from spending on Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards. You can earn 1,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000 spent on the card. For example, if you spent $30,000 in a calendar year on a Southwest card, you would earn 9,000 TQPs.
A-List Preferred Benefits
A-List Preferred members will receive the following benefits: 100% Points Bonus: Earn 25% more Rapid Rewards points on qualifying flights. For example, you could earn 12x points for Wanna Get Away, 16x points for Wanna Get Away Plus, 20x points for Anytime, and 24x points for Business Select. Two Free Premium Drinks: A-List Preferred members get two complimentary free premium alcoholic drinks on each flight of at least 176 miles. Free In-Flight WiFi: A-List Preferred members get free Wi-Fi, normally costing $8 per day. Automatic “A” group boarding: A-List elite members will either be assigned an A Group boarding, or they can board between the A and B boarding groups. This is a great perk since seats are not assigned on Southwest, so boarding in A-Group guarantees you lots of seat options. Priority check-in and security access: Southwest A-List elite members get access to priority check-in lanes for Southwest and priority airport security checkpoints. Dedicated phone line: Southwest A-List elite members can access faster customer service by calling 1-888-737-1006. Free same-day change: Southwest A-List elite members can change their flights without any price difference if there is a seat available on the same calendar day. Free same-day standby: Southwest A-List elite members can add their name to the standby list for an earlier flight without any fees.
