The Southwest Airlines status match and challenge program is a way for travelers to match their elite status with other airlines to Southwest A-List status.
A status match is a great way to test out an airline’s elite program without having to commit for a full year fully.
Southwest Status Match
Southwest Airlines offers a Status Match with any competing U.S. airline. All elite tiers will automatically match to A-List, but you can always call customer service to see if they offer a status match to A-List preferred. After being granted an A-List status, you get to keep it for 90 days, with a chance to extend it up to 12 months. To extend your status, you must book and complete six one-way flights (or three roundtrips) within the 90-day period. To start the status match, you will need to email to [email protected] your information:
What Are the Normal Requirements for A-List?
To qualify for Southwest Airlines elite status you either need to complete a number of flights or earn Tier Qualifying Points via flying or Southwest credit cards.
A-List: 20 one-way qualifying flight segments or 35,000 tier qualifying points. By using a status match, you can quickly get upgraded to A-List without the traditional requirements.
A-List Benefits
A-List members will receive the following benefits: 25% Points Bonus: Earn 25% more Rapid Rewards points on qualifying flights. For example, you could earn 7.5x points for Wanna Get Away, 10x points for Wanna Get Away Plus, 12.5x points for Anytime, and 15x points for Business Select. 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 1-888-737-1005. 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.
