The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in the points and miles world. With the companion pass, you can fly someone with you for free (minus the price of taxes which are usually $5.60) on every single flight you go on until the pass expires. The pass is good for the rest of the calendar year you earn it and the full following calendar year. This is why timing is evvverything.
In 2024 we used our companion pass for flights to Orlando, Utah, Florida Gulf, Utah (again), Mexico and soon NYC!
How to Earn the Companion Pass
There are two ways to earn it. 1) Take 100 qualifying flights in a calendar year or 2) earn 135,000 rapid rewards miles in a calendar year. I'm not sure about you, but I don't take 100 flights on Southwest in a year. So let's go with option 2, earning 135,000 rapid reward points in a calendar year.
The simplest way to do this is through credit card welcome offers. We can't earn all 135k points with just a single sign up bonus, so we will need to open 2 Southwest cards. You are only allowed to hold 1 personal Southwest card though, so we will need to open 1 personal card and 1 business card. (Or 2 business cards.)
Remember all the points need to be earned in a single calendar year. So in order to maximize the use of our Companion Pass, we will want to earn it in as early in 2025 as we can. By doing so, we will have the pass for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026. We do NOT want any of our points to hit our account in 2024. They all need to hit our account in 2025. So what's the best way to do this?
Timing is evvverything. Everything.
I find that a step-by- step guide can be very helpful! So let me drop a few here for you! Choose the guide that best matches your level of expertise and personality style.
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Intermediate Level Guide
(the one I recommend for those who have great attention to detail)
Step 1: Now-ish (October/November) we will open one of the business cards. I like the one with the lower annual fee, but either will work. We can start spending on that card, but we won't want to spend the entire minimum spend requirement ($5,000) until January. I like to leave at least $500 just to be safe.
Step 2: 30-60 days later we will open one of the personal cards. Any of them will work. Again, we can start spending on this card too, but we won't want to meet the minimum spend requirement ($1,000) until January. Leave about left $500 on this one too.
Step 3: January 1, 2025 you can start finishing off the spend on both of your cards.
Step 4: Once you have met both of the minimum spend requirements on your cards, you will see your points will start pending on your Chase account! Yay! Now all you have to do is wait for those pending points to hit your Southwest account and that will automatically trigger the alert that you have earned your Companion Pass!
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Beginner Level Guide
(the one I recommend for busy families who don't have time to pay super close attention, but still want the pass)
Step 1: After January 1, 2025 we will open one of the business cards. I like the one with the lower annual fee, but either will work. Go ahead and put all your spending on this card until you have met the minimum spend requirement ($5000).
Step 2: 30-60 days later we will open one of the personal cards. Any of them will work. Now you will put all your spend on this card until you have met the minimum spend requirement for this one ($1000).
Step 3: Once you have met both of the minimum spend requirements on your cards, you will see your points will start pending on your Chase account! Yay! Now all you have to do is wait for those pending points to hit your Southwest account and that will automatically trigger the alert that you have earned your Companion Pass!
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Now What?
Now that you have earned the pass, you will get to add your companion to your account. You can do this by calling southwest or by logging into your southwest account and doing it there. This will be your assigned companion until you change it. You are allowed to change your companion 3 times per calendar year. Be aware that you will have to wait until you have completed all travel with your previous companion before you can change to your new companion.
How to Add Your Companion to Your Flight
Once you have a flight booked for yourself, you can log into your account and select "add a companion". This can be done at anytime as long as there is still a seat left on the plane. It doesn't have to be the same type of seat you booked; it can be any seat at all left on the plane. When you add your companion it will prompt you to pay the taxes for your companion's flight. Taxes in US are just $5.60 one way. Taxes on Mexico and Caribbean flights are around $119 round trip.
You're all set! Will you be going for a companion pass for 2025/2026?