Starting next year, Southwest is scrapping its A-List and A-List Preferred tiers in favor of Silver, Gold and Platinum levels, with A-List members moving to Silver and A-List Preferred members to Gold. Qualifying thresholds are 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or 25 flights for Silver, 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights for Gold, and 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights for the new Platinum tier. From the 2027 earning year, Companion Pass benefits will be earned through TQPs, qualifying flights, milestone rewards or Platinum status, replacing the current requirement of 135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way flights. The airline is also building Icon lounges in four U.S. cities with its credit card partner Chase and adding perks for customers between status tiers.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Related news
- United Airlines is making it harder to reach its top frequent flyer status in 2027
Starting January 1, 2027, United Airlines will drop flight segments as a path to MileagePlus status and count only Premier qualifying points, earned from eligible flight spending, award travel and United credit card spending. The lowest tier, Premier Silver, will be reachable only with 6,000 points, instead of the previous combination of 15 segments and 5,000 points or 6,000 points. The top tier, Premier 1K, will rise from 28,000 to 32,000 qualifying points. Members still need at least four flights on United or United Express jets a year to be eligible. United says the change simplifies how customers earn status, and MileagePlus president Jarad Fisher called flight segments an 'old relic'.
- SpaceX Is Changing: Here's What You Need to Know
SpaceX is shifting toward AI, but its Connectivity division (Starlink) is currently the only one of its three businesses making money, with $13.9 billion in trailing revenue and a $5.3 billion operating profit. Launch cadence may fall from 165 orbital missions in 2025 to as few as 140 in 2026, and lower again in 2027 as Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon are retired, with Starship, carrying about six times Falcon 9's payload, expected to fill the gap. Starship is also the only rocket large enough to carry full-size Starlink V3 satellites, each adding 1 Tbps and 10 times the bandwidth of V2. The article calculates that this could push Connectivity revenue toward nearly $140 billion a year. SpaceX has also spent $8 billion on cellular spectrum licenses and wants Starlink to become a major U.S. mobile carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and Comcast.
- Costco Will Pay a $1.47 Dividend on Nov. 13 -- Here's Whether It Makes More Sense to Use a Dividend Reinvestment Program or Keep the Income
Costco will pay a $1.47-per-share dividend on November 13 to shareholders of record at the October 30 close, and holders can take it as cash or reinvest it through a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP). The article says a DRIP suits investors with many shares and many working years ahead, since reinvested dividends can compound, noting Costco shares rose 117% over five years versus 72.6% for the S&P 500. Taking the income may suit those near retirement or with small stakes, such as a holder of 20 shares who would receive $29.40. With Costco closing at $982 on October 14, the article argues that reinvesting such a small amount buys only fractional shares and may be less meaningful than keeping the cash or investing it in a lower-priced stock.
Related markets
Latest news
- News Analysis : How West Bank settler violence is testing Israel ahead of elections
Israeli police arrested 10 suspects over violent incidents involving foreigners in the West Bank at the weekend, including attacks on a Washington Post photographer and a European diplomatic delegation. The rare move comes amid growing international alarm over settler attacks on Palestinians. With national elections next week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces demands for accountability while depending on far-right coalition partners such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who back settlement expansion. Britain has imposed an import ban on settlement goods, the Netherlands has banned settlement products, and 12 nations have announced coordinated trade restrictions. Meanwhile, 61 Israeli economists warned that unchecked violence and settlement expansion pose a grave economic risk, and an Israel Democracy Institute survey found nearly two-thirds of Jewish Israelis agree that violence against Palestinians damages Israel’s international legitimacy.
- Corporate earnings reports show how inflation affects consumers
Many U.S. companies are set to release quarterly reports this week that could give a clearer picture of how inflation is affecting businesses and consumers. Inflation is weighing on producer and import prices, which measure rising costs before they reach shoppers. Hasbro, Netflix and General Motors report Tuesday, and analysts expect General Motors' profits to have surged; the same day, the government releases its September new-home construction report, which is expected to show homebuilding edged higher after two months of declines. United Airlines Holdings is expected to report a slimmer profit on Wednesday, as airlines have raised fares but face rising fuel and labor costs. Higher fuel prices, especially diesel for long-haul trucks and freight trains, are also pushing up shipping and warehousing costs. Consumer surveys show households are increasingly worried about inflation's effect on their budgets and their ability to plan for the future.
- Wall Street Ends Mixed : NASDAQ Surges , S & P 500 Rises , Dow Dips
U.S. stocks closed Monday mixed: the NASDAQ Composite jumped 290.85 points (1.11%) to 26,430.89 on a strong technology-driven rally, the S&P 500 rose 31.29 points (0.41%) to 7,690.73, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 36.38 points (0.07%) to 51,966.03. European markets broadly declined, with the FTSE 100 down 1.08%, the DAX off 1.18% to 25,319.77, and the CAC 40 down 1.11%. In Asia, results were uneven: the Hang Seng gained 0.52% and the KOSPI rose 1.76%, while the IDX Composite plunged 3.64% and the S&P BSE SENSEX fell 1.17%. In the Americas, the S&P/TSX Composite declined 0.69% to 35,928.63.
- RBNZ Governor Anna Breman Warns Misinformation May Weaken Monetary Policy
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Anna Breman warned that misinformation could distort public beliefs about the economy and weaken monetary policy as central banks work to keep inflation expectations stable. She argued that keeping expectations anchored after a supply shock may reduce the policy tightening needed to contain inflation, limiting costs to output and employment, though policymakers may still need to tighten when warranted. In an unpublished 2026 survey, fewer than 25% of New Zealanders spontaneously mentioned inflation or interest rates when asked about the RBNZ's responsibilities. Breman also raised concerns about AI-generated misinformation, such as deepfake videos and inaccurate search summaries, which make maintaining public trust harder. Stats NZ releases September-quarter inflation data on Oct 22, and the RBNZ's next Official Cash Rate review is set for Oct 28.
- Commentary : Liberty , equality , misery ? Why France is burning
Bloomberg Opinion's Lionel Laurent argues that France's unrest has become regular, following a weekend of rioting that saw looting hit some 1,500 stores nationwide and 500 people detained in Paris alone. Beyond short-term political failures, he points to lopsided public spending: pensioners are the biggest beneficiaries, while spending on security, the courts and education has barely risen as a share of GDP. Surveys suggest the French on average lack €500 a month to comfortably cover their outgoings, and INSEE estimates that a €440 minimum-wage increase would bring only about €100 in extra take-home pay. The French median wage rose 22.8% since 2017, while inflation rose 23.4%. With the 2027 presidential election looming, the column warns the unrest could boost support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
- Tech Stocks Power S & P 500 and NASDAQ Higher
Global equities closed Monday with a mixed picture: a tech-led rally on Wall Street contrasted with broad declines in Europe and uneven results in Asia-Pacific. The S&P 500 rose 31.29 points (0.41%) to 7,690.73 and the NASDAQ Composite jumped 290.85 points (1.11%) to 26,430.89, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 36.38 points (0.07%) to 51,966.03. The CBOE Volatility Index fell 7.76% to 18.44. In Europe, the FTSE 100 dropped 1.08%, the DAX fell 1.18% and the CAC 40 lost 1.11%. In Asia, the KOSPI rose 1.76% and the Hang Seng gained 0.52%, but the Nikkei 225 fell 0.62% and the IDX Composite plunged 3.64%.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.