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Got the A, Working on A+ (and CP)
May. 22nd, 2026 05:17 amYears ago the status chase used to be a big thing for me. I'd accumulate airline miles and hotel nights in pursuit of elite status with various providers. When I was traveling 100 nights and 150,000 miles a year it made a difference, and I could reach high tier status through my travel. Nowadays it's different. I fly a lot less frequently. I may only log 35k miles this year. And I do still maintain several elite statuses— but most of them are through lifetime achievement (United, Marriott) or owning the right credit cards (Hilton, IHG). There is one airline I still have to get status with the old fashioned way... by earning it every year. That's Southwest.
About 10 years ago I upped my game in the status chase sport. Instead of just logging on to Southwest's portal frequently to see how close I was to requalifying for status, I started maintaining my own spreadsheet. I'd track not only what flights I'd already flow and how much they'd earned me but I'd forecast future activity & earnings, too. Here's a screenshot I made when I wrote about this a few years ago.
So, how am I doing this year on Southwest? Pretty decently, actually, though I've still got a gap to close.
What's this "later in the year" I'm talking about? Well, right now I don't have anything booked after August. That leaves a whole 'nother 4 months to fly. Hawk and I have been talking about a trip to Maui in December. I'm going to try to book that next week. (I've been waiting for hotel points to fall in place so we can book an award stay.) It's also likely we'll take at least one other long-haul domestic flight, possibly another trip to visit her parents, and maybe a short-haul or two for weekend-sized trips up or down the west coast. Tracking my spreadsheet allows me to plan when to book such flights using points instead of earning points and when to consider another airline vs. concentrating my activity on Southwest.
About 10 years ago I upped my game in the status chase sport. Instead of just logging on to Southwest's portal frequently to see how close I was to requalifying for status, I started maintaining my own spreadsheet. I'd track not only what flights I'd already flow and how much they'd earned me but I'd forecast future activity & earnings, too. Here's a screenshot I made when I wrote about this a few years ago.
So, how am I doing this year on Southwest? Pretty decently, actually, though I've still got a gap to close.
- I passed the threshold for Southwest's "A List" elite status with 35,000 Tier Qualify Points (TQPs) two weeks ago. My flight to Cabo took me across the line on that.
- An A on Southwest isn't my goal, though. I'm shooting for A+... aka A-List Preferred status. That requires 70,000 TQP. I'm near 41,000 currently. With future activity already planned I'll hit 56,000 TQP by the end of August. I'll have to generate another 15k by the end of the year to hit A+. I don't see that being a problem. (Though of course last year I said that, too, then needed a mileage run to cinch the last 150 or so points.)
- Southwest also has a separate elite status, the Companion Pass (CP). That's the two-for-one flying I've written about many times before. CP requires 135,000 CP Qualifying Points (CPQPs). Right now I've got 93,000 with a forecast of 116,000 through August. Again, there's some work to do to get across the line, and I'm reasonably confident I'll hit it with flying later in the year.
What's this "later in the year" I'm talking about? Well, right now I don't have anything booked after August. That leaves a whole 'nother 4 months to fly. Hawk and I have been talking about a trip to Maui in December. I'm going to try to book that next week. (I've been waiting for hotel points to fall in place so we can book an award stay.) It's also likely we'll take at least one other long-haul domestic flight, possibly another trip to visit her parents, and maybe a short-haul or two for weekend-sized trips up or down the west coast. Tracking my spreadsheet allows me to plan when to book such flights using points instead of earning points and when to consider another airline vs. concentrating my activity on Southwest.
