The Southwest Companion Pass (CP) is something that is coveted in the travel world especially if you do a lot of domestic flying. It can save you a significant amount of money and if you time it right you can have the pass for nearly two years.
Let’s get into the ins and outs of the Companion Pass.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is a pass that you can earn and once you have it you can bring a companion along with you basically for free.
The only thing that you need to pay is taxes and fees. This is usually $5.60 for a one way flight or $11.20 round trip when flying domestically.
Other major airlines that have a companion pass have restrictions on how you can use it but that is not the case with Southwest’s.
Key points to the Companion Pass include:
- Pass can be used on paid flights and flights that are booked with points. This even includes flights that you don’t purchase.
- No blackout dates.
- No limits on how many times you can use the pass.
- Only pay the taxes and fees.
- No restrictions on flights or destinations.
There is one caveat to the points above and that is you cannot use your companion pass when you are flying as a companion with someone else.
If you were looking for a loophole in some way, that door has been closed. Otherwise, you could create a chain of people who all are on the plane for free.
How Long does the Companion Pass Last?
The Companion Pass is valid for the rest of the year in which you earned it as well as the following year.
For example, if you earn the pass in January of 2025, it will be good for the rest of the year, plus all of 2026. So the earlier in the year that you earn it, the more value you can possibly get out of it.
How Many Companions Can I Have?
Once you earn the pass, you pick a person to be your companion. You could then change to persons B, C, and D for a total of 4 people in a calendar year.
It is possible to make one of your former companions the companion again. You could start with person A and then switch to B, C and then back to A.
If you do make a former companion the companion again, it counts towards your four people for a calendar year. Once you reach the start of the new calendar year, you will have a chance to switch up to three more companions for the year.
How Can You Earn the Companion Pass?
The two different ways to earn the Companion Pass include:
- Fly 100 one way flights in a calendar year.
- Earn 135,000 qualifying Southwest Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. This is not a rolling year. It starts on January 1st and ends on December 31st.
Option A is going to be pretty daunting for someone to earn the companion pass. One hundred flights is basically two flights a week for a whole year.
Option B at first glance may seem just as daunting but in reality it is by far the easiest way to earn the pass.
Types of Southwest Credit Cards
You can earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points by applying and receiving any of the different Southwest credit cards that are available and earning the sign up bonuses.
Southwest offers five different credit cards. Three of them are personal cards and the other two are business cards.
Personal Cards
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Business Cards
Historically these cards offer anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 point sign up bonuses. You can click on the links to see what they are offering right now.
At the time of this writing the personal cards are all offering 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months.
The Premier business card has a 60,000 point sign up bonus after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
The Performance business card is offering an 80,000 point sign up bonus after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.
Southwest Personal Card Rules
Southwest has some rules pertaining to the personal credit cards. The rules are:
- You cannot hold two individual Southwest personal cards at the same time. If you have one of the personal cards right now, you must cancel it to apply for another one.
- You cannot earn a sign up bonus if you have earned one in the last 24 months from any of the different personal cards.
These rules don’t apply to the Southwest business cards. You can hold both of the Southwest business cards at the same time. You can also apply for one of the personal cards with having both business cards, but you wouldn’t need to apply for that personal card to reach the companion pass, which I explain more below.
Plus, if you have one of the Southwest business cards and have received a bonus for it less than 24 months ago, you can open the other business card and still receive the bonus.
Southwest Business Card Rules
- If you have one of the Southwest business credit cards, you cannot apply for the same card. You can have both business cards, just not two of the same card.
- You cannot earn a sign up bonus with a business card if you have earned a sign up bonus with that same business card in the last 24 months.
Side Note on Business Cards
Many people think that they are not eligible for a business card. In reality many people can apply for and receive a business card. You don’t have to have a physical business to apply for a business card. For example, I have worked for an online company for years. I am classified as an independent contractor. As an independent contractor, I can get a business credit card.
The following are some other examples of things that you can do to get a business credit card and by no means is this an exhaustive list. Some other things you can do include: pet sitting, selling items online, being a sole proprietor, blogging, vacation rental hosts, consultants, babysitters, home bakers, ride sharing drivers, and being a food delivery driver.
Don’t Forget About the 5/24 rule
The Chase 5/24 rule is a rule that Chase has that says that you can’t get one of their credit cards if you have opened 5 or more personal cards from any credit card company in the last 24 months.
I am not going to go into all the nuances of the rule here but you can read my post “Introduction to the Chase 5/24 Rule” to get a better grasp of what it is all about.
I will share one last thought on the 5/24 rule. If you are at 4/24 and you are thinking about getting a business and personal card, you need to get the business card first.
Chase does not count business cards against your 5/24 status. So, if you get the business card first you will still be at 4/24 which allows you to get the personal card.
If you get the personal card first and you were at 4/24, you won’t be able to get the business card since you would be at 5/24 after receiving the personal card.
Ways to Earn 135,000 Southwest Points
There are a number of options to get to the 135,000 point threshold.
- Get one of the business cards and one of the personal cards.
Right now you would get to the 135,000 points by getting the Performance business card and any of the personal cards.
You would earn 80,000 + 50,000 = 130,000 for reaching the minimum spend. You would also earn points while spending to reach the sign up bonus.
- The second option is to get both of the business credit cards.
Right now if you took out both business cards you would have 140,000 points just from the sign up bonuses, which is well over the 135,000 points that you need.
Like the personal cards, you would also earn points for the money that you spent to reach the sign up bonus.
At the time of this writing, if you decide to get the business Premier card and one of the personal cards you would be 21,000 points short of the 135,000.
Options to Earn Points if Short of the 135,000 Points
You can earn points a number of ways if you find yourself short of the 135,000 points.
- Spend on your credit card to earn the extra points. You get one point for each dollar spent on the card. You get two points for each dollar spent with Southwest.
- Refer friends to get a Southwest credit card. You earn 20,000 points per friend no matter which card they are accepted to receive. You can earn up to 100,000 points in a calendar year.
You will want to make sure that you refer the friend so that the points go towards your account in the year you are trying to earn the bonus.
- Pay for flights with Southwest. You must pay for flights to earn points. You cannot use award flights to earn the extra points needed.
- Shop in the Southwest portal. Earn points through the Southwest partners. This includes dining, travel as well as home and lifestyle.
Steps to Earn and Maximize the Companion Pass
You can earn the Companion Pass anytime of the year but as I mentioned before if you time it right, you can have the Companion Pass for nearly two years. The reason that this is possible is because the pass is good for the rest of the year that you earn it along with the following year.
I know that you are tracking with me now. You may be wondering how can I time it right so that I earn the pass early in the year. October through December is the time to apply for the Southwest credit cards. I would recommend getting the business card first and then applying for a personal card 30 days later.
There are some different nuances with closing dates and putting spend on the card after the December statement closes to earn the pass but I am going to keep it simple. After you get the cards, you can buy things with them, but you don’t want to get too close to the minimum spend in 2023. Chase has been known to award bonuses if you are close to the minimum spend.
I would give at least a $500 or more cushion. There have been reports of people being granted the bonus while $1,000 away from the bonus. I think this is very rare. I would err on the side of caution just to be safe.
The key is to keep track of how much spending you have done on each card in 2024. The last thing you want to do is earn either of the bonuses this year.
Once the ball drops and you sing Auld Lang Syne for 2025, you can break out the cards and spend to your heart’s desire or at least until you reach the minimum spend.
After you have hit the minimum spend in the new year, the points should be posted shortly after your closing date. One thing you can do if your closing date is towards the end of the month on the cards is to contact Chase and request that your closing dates be moved closer to the beginning of the month.
You will get your Companion Pass sooner that way. If you don’t have any travel planned right at the first of the year, it would not be an issue.
Summary of Steps to Earn the Companion Pass
- Apply for one of the two Southwest business cards and then apply for one of the three personal credit cards after waiting 30 days. Do this anytime in October, November or December. Make sure to wait 30 days between applications.
- Hit your minimum spends on both cards after January 1. Make sure not to do it too early or you will miss out on the pass.
- Depending on what cards you opened, you may have earned the pass or you may be short. If you are short, you can spend on the cards, refer friends or pay for Southwest flights.
- Once you earn the pass add your companion to your account and start using the pass.
- Remember, the pass will be good for the rest of the calendar year that you earned it and for the following calendar year.
How You Know You Earned the Companion Pass
You can log into your Southwest account and then click on “My Account.” You will see your progress for the Companion Pass on the page.
Once you reach the milestone, you will also receive an email from Southwest congratulating you.
Adding Your Companion to Your Account
Once you earn the Companion Pass, you can enter who your first companion is going to be.
You will need to go to Southwest.com and enter your Rapid Rewards account. On the “Snapshot” tab you will find “Choose Your Companion.” Click on the “Enter Companion Info.” and follow the posted instructions.
You can also call Southwest at 1-800-435-9792 and enter your companions information over the phone.
After you complete the above steps, in 7 to 10 business days you will receive a Companion Pass Member kit and Membership card.
Changing the Name of Your Companion
Whenever you change who the companion is you will need to call into Southwest at 1-800-435-9792.
You will need to provide them with all the information pertaining to the new companion, but as soon as you do it, it will go into effect right away.
Before you call Southwest to change your companion, you need to make sure that you cancel any tickets that you may have with your current companion.
How to Use the Companion Pass
Now that you have earned the Companion Pass you will want to start to use it.
You will book your flight like you normally would in your own name. If you have other people in your party besides your Companion, you will also book their flights next.
Once you have booked your flight(s) you will go to the Southwest website and go to “My Account” at the top of the page.
On the left side of the page, there will be a section titled “My Upcoming Trips.” The flights that you have booked will be shown on the page.
Look for your flight in the “Upcoming” section and then click on the “Add Companion” link.
The “Trip and Price Details” will be autofilled with the flight information along with the cost of the taxes and fees for the flight.
Next, click “Continue” to the purchase screen to review the Companion’s flight reservation. This will all be autofilled for you.
You will be taken through the process where you eventually click on “Purchase” to complete your companions flight information.
Your Companion will receive their own confirmation number separate from yours. Their confirmation number will show up right next to yours in your account.
The Companion’s ticket will be treated as if they purchased their ticket separately. They will get their own boarding pass, have to check their own bags, etc.
If you happen to cancel your ticket, your Companion’s ticket will also be canceled.
You Keep the 135,000 Points
Some people think that when you earn the Companion Pass, you have to give Southwest the 125,000 points to get the pass.
This is another great thing about earning the pass. You don’t have to give up the points to earn the pass. The points that you earn are yours to use.
So, not only do you get the Companion Pass but you have at least 125,000 points to use for travel. This is around $1,700 in value.
I would say that is pretty sweet.
Side Notes Pertaining to Companion Pass
- You cannot earn the Companion Pass by transferring credit card points into your Southwest account. For example, if you have 135,000 points in any of the Sapphire cards, you cannot transfer 135,000 points into your Southwest account expecting to receive the Companion Pass.
- Points that you purchase and transfer into your Southwest account don’t count towards the 135,000 points.
- You can spend the points that you earn in your account before you reach the 135,000 point threshold for the year. You don’t need 135,000 points in your account to get the Companion Pass. You just have to earn the points in the same calendar year.
- You can purchase a ticket now and add someone to fly with you once you earn the Companion Pass. There just needs to be a seat available for the companion to fly.
Final Thoughts
Saving money while traveling is something most people like to do. The Southwest Companion Pass can help you do that. For most people cutting your flight cost in half is very appealing. Plus, with little to know restrictions to use it makes it even that more appealing.
I would love to hear from you, so If you have questions or comments don’t be afraid to leave them. Go to my blog Travelwidstom to learn ways to save on travel, travel itineraries, ways to earn and maximize credit card points and miles and more.