Earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Editorial Disclosure – Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post..
Updated: December 2024
The Southwest Companion Pass is the benefit that allows you to choose one person to fly with you, free of airline charges (it does not include taxes and fees, which are $5.60 for one way in the US).
But before I get into the Companion Pass, here are some awesome perks with Southwest.
No cancellation fees! Southwest has no cancellation fees for using miles. You can cancel at any time and get your miles back immediately.
To earn a Southwest Companion Pass, you must earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (really, it’s 125,000 points in most cases, but I’ll go over that in detail below). The Companion Pass is good for the remaining days of the year you earn it and the entirety of the following year.
There are many opportunities to earn Rapid Rewards points. Some earn many points, and others earn a smaller amount.
How to earn points toward your Companion Pass
(Points must be earned January 1st or after.)
Earn a welcome offer
Refer others to earn referral points
Earn points by shopping for clothes, household items, etc., through the Southwest Shopping Portal.
Book travel accommodations through the Southwest Travel Portal
Fly Southwest Airlines and pay cash for flights
Every day spend purchased on your corresponding card.
Southwest Dining Program
The following do NOT count
- Points transferred to Southwest from Chase.
- Points you purchase from Southwest for flights
- Points you convert from hotel and car loyalty programs
- Points you earn from Rapid Rewards Program enrollment
- Points you transfer from another Southwest Rapid Rewards member (This can be costly anyways.)
Minimum Spends Timing
Opening Southwest credit cards and earning welcome bonuses is the fastest way to hitting the 135,000-point threshold.
If you aim to earn the Southwest Companion Pass for 2025 and 2026, you can open credit cards in 2024. You WOULD NOT want to meet the minimum spend in 2024. You want the welcome bonus to hit your Southwest account in 2025.
Earn a Companion Pass Again and Again
You can earn the companion pass over and over again.
Here is the short of it: You can receive a welcome bonus for Southwest cards every 24 months from when the welcome bonus hits your account.
This is one of the only instances where I suggest canceling the card after the annual fee hits after the first year. There is often little reason to keep a Southwest card open after the first year unless you find yourself using the benefits that can come along with the card to warrant keeping it open the second year.
When planning, it is important to note that you can hold both business cards simultaneously but only one personal card at a time.
You will need to pace your personal card applications out 24 months due to Chase’s card “family” restrictions stating that if you’ve earned a welcome bonus with a personal card, you will need to wait 24 months to earn another welcome bonus from any personal card.
What is Companion Pass Season? (begins in mid-October)
This is when you try to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points as close to January 1st (not before) to get a companion pass for almost two full years. If you open a card too early, your 90-day timeline to meet the minimum spend will end before January 1.
Timing Precaution
I like to give my transactions a few days to process and hit my account. So even though October 3rd is technically 90 days before January 1, 2025, I recommend giving yourself more of a buffer and would wait until October 10th or after to open a card. People have their own opinions about this, but this is mine. I like to play it safe with this particular travel since so much of my yearly points and miles strategy rides on it.
Who can be your companion?
Anyone can be your companion. It doesn’t have to be a family member. You choose one person at a time to be your companion. You can only change your companion on the pass up to three times per calendar year.
Referrals
If you are working on a two-player strategy, make sure you refer each other for cards. You will earn 20,000 Southwest miles. Note that the referral points count toward meeting the Companion Pass 135,000 point threshold, but they count toward the year the referral is made.
Next Steps:
If you are ready to learn everything you need about flying Southwest, like boarding procedures, plans to earn the Companion Pass, and SW strategy to save you even more points, check out my instant class HERE.
Final thought: The Southwest Companion Pass isn’t for everyone, but if it is, it is a value that CANNOT be beaten! My family of four flies roundtrips for $45 in taxes.
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
I found out about points and miles accidentally.
I was researching index funds and happened upon the points and miles community through creators who also post about budgets, financial independence, and investing.
Points and miles allowed those people to travel and work toward financial independence simultaneously.
Thank goodness I got started when I did. The past almost two years of travel have been something we will never forget.
Earning points and miles through credit cards is only a good choice if you have the financial discipline to use them, like cash/debit cards.
Since we started traveling with points and miles, we have had more money going into our investment and savings accounts than ever.
Now I'm excited to teach you!
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