If you want to unlock incredible travel savings for nearly two full years, this guide will walk you through the process of earning and maximizing the Southwest Companion Pass.

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Why Fly Southwest?

Before diving into the Companion Pass, let’s look at some standout perks of flying with Southwest Airlines:
✅ No cancellation fees – Cancel your flights booked with points and get your miles back instantly.
✅ Two free checked bags – No baggage fees on your first two checked bags.
✅ No change fees – Flexibility to modify your bookings without penalty.

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How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass

To qualify for the Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. Once earned, the pass is valid for:

• The remainder of the year you earned it, AND
• The entire following year.

For example, if you earn the pass in early 2025, you’ll have it for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026.

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Ways to Earn Rapid Rewards Points Toward the Companion Pass

Here’s how you can accumulate points that qualify for the Companion Pass:

1️⃣ Welcome Bonuses from Southwest Credit Cards

• Apply for Southwest personal and business credit cards.
• Complete the required minimum spend to earn generous welcome bonuses (these are the fastest way to earn points).

2️⃣ Refer Others for Southwest Credit Cards

• Earn 20,000 points for each referral. (These points count toward the Companion Pass threshold!)

3️⃣ Everyday Purchases on Southwest Credit Cards

• Earn points for every dollar spent on your card.

4️⃣ Southwest Shopping Portal

• Shop online through the portal to earn bonus points on everyday purchases (clothing, electronics, household items).

5️⃣ Southwest Travel Portal

• Book hotels, car rentals, and other travel through Southwest’s portal to rack up extra points.

6️⃣ Flying Southwest Airlines

• Pay cash for flights and earn points for your ticket price.

7️⃣ Southwest Dining Program

• Earn points dining at participating restaurants.

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Points That DO NOT Count Toward the Companion Pass

Avoid wasting effort on points that don’t help you earn the pass:

• Points transferred from Chase or other programs.
• Points purchased directly from Southwest.
• Points earned from hotel/car loyalty program conversions.
• Points transferred between Rapid Rewards accounts.

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Timing: When to Start Working Toward the Companion Pass

Planning is key to strategically earning the Companion Pass.

💡 For 2026 and 2027:

• Open Southwest credit cards in October 2025 or later.
• Avoid meeting the minimum spend requirements in 2025—let the bonus post to your Southwest account in early 2026.

💡 Companion Pass Season (Starts in October):

• This is when you aim to earn as close to 135,000 points after January 1st as possible.
• Open your card no earlier than October 12th, 2025, to ensure you meet the spending requirement after January 1st, 2026.

💡 Play it safe: Allow a buffer for transactions to process and post correctly.

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Two-Player Strategy: Maximizing Points with Referrals

If you’re a two-person household:
1️⃣ Have one person open a Southwest card and earn the welcome bonus.
2️⃣ Refer the second person to open their own card (earning referral points for the first person).

🔑 Important: Referral points count toward the Companion Pass threshold but are applied in the year the referral is made. Time referrals carefully to optimize your points.

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How to Keep Earning the Companion Pass Year After Year

Earning the Companion Pass isn’t a one-time deal—you can keep earning it repeatedly.

Here’s how:

• Southwest credit cards allow you to earn a welcome bonus every 24 months (from the date your last bonus was received).
• Southwest Personal Cards are considered a “Card Family”. This means you can earn a welcome bonus for one of the personal cards every 24 months.
• The business cards are not considered a family. You can even hold them both at the same time.
• Cancel cards when the annual fee hits after the first year (unless the benefits justify keeping them).
• Apply for new cards and repeat the process.

Pro Tip: You can hold both Southwest business cards at the same time but only one personal card at a time.

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Who Can Be Your Companion?

You can designate anyone as your companion—family, friends, or even a coworker.

• You can change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year, giving you flexibility.
• Now, you can even change who your companion is online. No need to call in to change it anymore.

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Southwest Travel Strategy

The Companion Pass is just the beginning. Master these additional tips to save even more:

• Boarding Process: Southwest uses an open-seating policy. Check-in 24 hours before your flight to secure an earlier boarding position. However, this boarding procedure will change in 2025.
• Low-Fare Calendar: Use Southwest’s tool to find the cheapest flights for your dates.
• Combine Points and Cash: Stretch your points further by booking with a mix of points and cash.

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Next Steps

🎯 Ready to become a Southwest pro? Check out my instant class HERE, where I share detailed strategies for flying Southwest, maximizing the Companion Pass, and saving even more with points.

If you plan to apply for a card and don’t have a referral link, I always appreciate you using mine. Send me a DM, and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.

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Final Thought

The Southwest Companion Pass isn’t for everyone, but it’s a value that cannot be beaten if you’re a frequent flyer or have upcoming travel plans.

💰 My family of four flies roundtrip for just $45 in taxes. Imagine what you could do!

Save this post for your travel planning and share it with someone who needs to know about this incredible perk!