Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards program is experiencing some turbulence — and other airlines have taken notice. Frontier Airlines recently took aim at Southwest with a limited-time “divorce your old airline” deal, which includes both a free checked bag and an economy bundle add-on (plus a sizable helping of shade).
Now, American Airlines is jumping on the bandwagon (albeit more subtly) by launching a temporary upgraded status match offer just for Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred members, View from the Wing reported.
If Southwest’s shocking changes have you reconsidering your loyalty, here’s how you can turn your Southwest elite status into valuable American Airlines AAdvantage elite status.
How Southwest elite members can get valuable AAdvantage status
For a limited time, Southwest A-List members can match to AAdvantage Platinum, while A-List Preferred members can match to AAdvantage Platinum Pro. That’s one status tier above American’s standard offer for Southwest flyers (A-List members can usually match to AAdvantage Gold and A-List Preferred will get you AAdvantage Platinum).
To take advantage of this offer, submit your status match application here by June 30. You’ll need to include your name, email, AAdvantage number and proof of earned Southwest status.
If approved, you’ll get an Instant Status Pass with access to your new AAdvantage status — either AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Platinum Pro — for four months. These are valuable statuses, offering perks like priority boarding, complimentary Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats at booking and free checked bags for you and up to eight traveling companions on American Airlines flights.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
During your four months of free status, you’ll have a chance to keep your status for another four months by meeting a Loyalty Point goal. Do this three times consecutively, and you’ll qualify for status for the rest of the membership year. Check out our guide to American’s status match challenge for more details on how this works.
If you’re considering switching loyalty, this is a great opportunity to give AAdvantage a try. But be sure to consider your travel plans this year and time your application correctly to give yourself the best chance of maximizing this status match offer.
Related: Complete guide to airline status matches and challenges in 2025
Bottom line
American isn’t the first carrier to try to poach Southwest flyers during this tumultuous time, and we suspect it won’t be the last. If you’re no longer feeling the “luv” from your old airline, consider taking advantage of American’s boosted status match offer by June 30 and snagging valuable AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Platinum Pro status on the cheap.
Or, if American isn’t the best carrier for your needs, keep an eye out — other airlines may launch similar offers in an attempt to win over disgruntled Southwest flyers.