The Southwest Companion Pass is quite simply one of the best things in free travel, especially for those who love Southwest. If you don’t take big international vacations, you’re probably always looking to Southwest for the best deals on domestic travel (and some nearby international destinations). Here’s an easy way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Before we begin, we want to state how much we love flying Southwest and the points earned from the program. First off, this is one of the only airlines where bags fly free — in fact, each passenger is able to check two bags for no additional cost.
Additionally, Southwest has no cancellation fees when it comes to using points. When you cancel a ticket — booked on points — the points redeemed will immediately go back to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account and taxes/fees back to the credit card used for payment. There’s absolutely no fee and this policy exists for all ticket types (as long as you cancel at least 10 minutes prior to the flight’s departure time). The same holds true for all paid tickets, where even if you cancel a flight booked with the lowest fare ticket, you’ll receive a credit for the amount paid (with no expiration date).
For these reasons — and many more — this is why we love booking Southwest. If we’re not absolutely sure if we’re taking a trip, we can always book knowing that we can cancel. This also comes in handy if you need to book a backup flight for any reason, such as weather or any other uncertainty.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
Before we begin on how to earn the pass, you’re probably wondering what exactly is the Southwest Companion Pass. Simply stated, the pass allows a travel companion to fly with you for free (plus taxes and fees) on any flight you book using cash OR Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
The pass is valid for the rest of the calendar year in which it’s earned, plus the following year! So if you earn it in 2024, the pass is good for the rest of 2024 AND ALL of 2025 — expiring on December 31, 2025. That is a lot of value right there, especially if you get on this early in the year. Unlike other airline incentives, the Southwest Companion Pass can be used an unlimited number of times during the life of the pass! Note, if you earned the pass during a promotional offer, you might have a different expiration date.
You are able to change your companion three times per calendar year (in addition to the companion you initially set upon earning the pass). Your companion can also repeat themselves throughout the year.
Taxes and fees are also incredibly minimal with most domestic flights costing just $5.60 each way. International flights can sometimes cost slightly more — depending on the destination.
How to earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Southwest requires 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass. No need to worry though. The way many Travel Freely members earn this so easily is through the signup bonuses of Southwest credit cards. Check out the eligibility rules from Southwest:
“Companion Pass Qualifying Points are earned from your revenue flights booked through Southwest Airlines, your points earned by making purchases with a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card, and your base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners.” – from Southwest on the Companion Pass.
The base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners include signup bonuses from Rapid Rewards credit cards. Here’s what does and does not qualify.
“Qualifying points” for Southwest include:
- Points earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest Airlines
- Points earned on Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
- Base points earned from Rapid Reward Partners
The following do NOT count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass:
- Points transferred to Southwest (from programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards)
- Points you purchase from Southwest
- 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
Additionally, if you’re a Southwest credit card holder (personal and business) on the first of the year, you’ll earn an additional 10,000 qualifying points towards the Companion pass. If, you earn the pass now, those 10,000 bonus qualifying points won’t count for earning the pass this year, but will count if you’re trying to earn the pass again next year — leaving you with just 125,000 points required.
For a breakdown of the Southwest Companion Pass, check out my 12-minute How-to Earn Southwest Companion Pass video.
So here’s how Travel Freely members earn the Southwest Companion Pass:
The Travel Freely EASIEST Strategy: Credit Card Signup Bonuses
The easiest and fastest way to earn this pass is for you (or your significant other) to sign up for 1 personal card (Plus, Priority, or Premier) and 1 business card (Performance or Premier). We recommend the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card since it has a great signup bonus.
You can only be approved for a Southwest personal credit card if:
a) You do NOT currently have any Southwest personal credit card, and
b) It has been 24 months since your last bonus on a Southwest personal credit card. If you’ve had a card in the past 28 months, you need to know the date opened, and you might need to consider having your significant other get the Companion Pass instead, and
c) You are under 5/24. Learn about the 5/24 rule here.
By getting a personal AND business card, you can easily reach the 135,000 points required after meeting the minimum spend on both cards and earning the bonuses. As of posting date, there are no known rules against getting both Southwest business cards (the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card), so another easy option is to get both business cards and avoid applying for personal cards altogether.
You can only be approved for a Southwest business credit card if:
The same person must sign up for both cards. In other words, the primary cardholder of both cards must have the same Rapid Rewards number so that the bonuses go to the same account.
You also want to make sure that the points earned from the two different credit cards are posted in the same calendar year.
Note: Many people stop when they realize that they have to get a business card. Don’t stop! It is very possible to get a business card even if you have a tiny side hustle. Read our post “Am I Eligible For a Business Credit Card?” on this topic. It’s not necessary to have an EIN number to apply for a business credit card if you are a Sole Proprietor. You simply use your SSN as the EIN and make sure to put your actual name as the business name instead of the business name. Here are specific instructions on how to apply as a Sole Proprietor.
Southwest Personal Cards
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Personal Card, OR
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Personal Card, OR
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Personal Card
This is Southwest's highest personal card annual fee card with a lot of perks for people who fly often on Southwest.
Has an annual fee at $99 and comes with two Early Bird Check-In credits each year.
Has the lowest annual fee of all Southwest personal cards, and comes with two EarlyBird passes per year.
Southwest Business Card
Highest bonus amongst the Southwest business cards. You are eligible even if you have the Southwest Premier Business card. Great to combine with personal card to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Great Southwest business credit card with a low annual fee. Card offers two free Early Bird Check-Ins each year and the points earned from the signup bonus count towards the Companion Pass.
4 Details to Remember:
Detail #1: Chase Rules Regarding Signup Bonuses
If you have had a personal or business card in the past, you can only get that same card again IF a) it has been 24 months since you received a bonus on the card (normally 28 months since the card opened date); and b) You do not currently have the card. For personal cards, there are extra rules. The personal cards are considered a family, so you cannot have received a bonus from any personal Southwest card in the last 24 months, and you cannot currently have any personal Southwest card. This is why Travel Freely software is SO helpful. It will track these dates and the CardGenie will only recommend cards you are eligible to receive. Sign up for free (no credit card required).
Detail #2: It’s Important to Know Your 5/24 Number
Chase is the bank issuer for these cards. Southwest cards are subject to Chase’s “unofficial” 5/24 rule. So, make sure your cards are added to your Travel Freely dashboard, and make sure your 5/24 number is under 5. Not sure what your 5/24 number is? Here’s an article that is also in our Travel Freely resources. Basically, you need to prioritize signing up for Chase credit cards above others in order to be approved for Chase cards.
The Southwest Companion Pass is by far the best deal in free travel for the average traveler. There’s no comparison. While we still recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred as the best starter card for those with good credit, this is the best play for those ready to get more than one card. If you can jump on this early in the year, it brings even more value.
Detail #3: Remember Transfer Points Will NOT Count
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards. BUT, these transferred points will NOT count towards your Companion Pass points total.
Detail #4: When will points earned from the credit card hit your account
Bonus points earned from the credit card welcome offer will typically hit your Southwest account 2-5 days after the credit card statement closes from when you meet the minimum spend requirement. So let’s say you hit the minimum spend on one of the Southwest credit cards on April 1st, but your statement doesn’t close until April 15th, the bonus points earned will hit your Southwest account typically anywhere between April 17th and April 20th. If this then brings you over the 135,000 qualifying points required, you’ll earn the Companion Pass almost immediately. While the pass might not show up in your account right away, you can typically call and add your companion to any upcoming flights.
When to start? The end and beginning of the year.
If you are aiming to earn the Companion Pass in 2024, you can go ahead and get your first card now.
Some people have been successful at getting approved for both a personal and business card on the same day, but it is more difficult compared to spacing out applications. The best strategy is to separate your personal and business card applications by 30+ days. So, if you want to space them out, you can apply for one now and then the other 31 days later. Some people have success only waiting 5-6 days between applications. This also then helps you meet the minimum spent required on both cards easier.
Note: You can book your flight before earning the Companion Pass. Once the pass is earned, you can then add your companion onto the flight — as long as there’s at least one seat available for sale. If you have already booked both you and your companions flight, and you’re looking to earn the pass prior to departure, you can always cancel the second passengers flight and then add them on as your companion. If the companion’s flight was initially booked with cash, you’ll receive a credit back in the amount paid. Fortunately, credits no longer expire, so you can always use it at a future point.
For a closer look at when you should earn the Companion Pass, check out my 12-minute How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass video.
Earn Additional Points
Besides signup bonuses, the easiest ways to quickly earn points is through:
To earn the remaining points, or if you’re not interested in opening a business card, there are a few ways to earn a larger amount of Southwest points. Remember that points need to be earned in the same calendar year. Besides signup bonuses, the easiest ways to quickly earn points is through:
- Consider booking hotels through SouthwestHotels.com where you can sometimes earn up to 10,000 points per night!
- Use Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal. Note, anything earned specifically as “bonus” points will not count towards your Companion Pass total.
- Put additional monthly, everyday spending on this card.
Choosing and changing your Southwest Companion
Once a member has earned 135,000 Rapid Rewards points, they can designate a companion to fly with the pass holder for free. Note that this companion can be changed up to 3 times per calendar year.
While initial companion selection is done online through the “My Account” section at Southwest.com, any subsequent changes to your companion require a phone call to Southwest Rapid Rewards at 1-800-435-9792. The phone process is simple and in my experience, it has taken less than 5 minutes to change companions.
The terms on Southwest.com state that you should “allow 21 business days for processing” after calling to change your companion in order to be able to add your new companion to bookings. In my experience, it didn’t take any time at all — I was able to add my new companion to my reservations immediately after I changed companions. I’ve even gone as far as having one person being my companion on the departure, and another person being my companion on the return. Note that you will need to cancel any existing companion reservations before changing your companion.
Southwest Companion Pass FAQ’s
Q: Can you add your Southwest companion if you bought your ticket using your Rapid Rewards points?
A: Yes. It doesn’t matter whether you booked your ticket with a credit card or with Rapid Rewards points, you can add your companion and just pay the taxes and fees.
Q: Can you add your Southwest companion if someone else bought your ticket?
A: Yes. The companion pass holder can add their companion to nearly any reservation in the pass holder’s name — even if the ticket was booked with points from someone else’s account. In fact, you can even use points from your companion’s account.
Q: Can you add your Southwest companion if your company bought the ticket?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you add your Southwest companion if you bought a Wanna Get Away fare and now there is only Business Select available?
A: Yes. As long as there is one seat available for sale on the flight you would like to book, you can add your companion. It does not need to be in the same “fare class” as the one you originally purchased.
Q: Are there any situations in which you can not add your Southwest companion?
A: Yes, but not many.
One example of a situation in which it would NOT be possible to add a companion is this: You can not daisy-chain companions, which means if your companion also has the Companion Pass, your companion can’t also add a companion onto their companion pass ticket. That is to say this: Let’s imagine Bob earned a companion pass. He designates Shelly as his companion. Shelly is also a companion pass holder that same year and designates Billy as her companion. Bob buys a ticket and adds Shelly as his companion. Shelly cannot then add Billy to the reservation.
Adding a companion
The process of adding a companion is quite easy and can be done at any time until tickets are no longer sold for the flight in question. The companion pass holder simply needs to log in to Southwest.com and view My Reservations. From the reservation view, they will see a link that says “Add Companion.”
From here, it is straightforward. The system will just charge taxes and fees for the companion ($5.60 one-way for most domestic flights within the US; taxes to international destinations vary).
Again, this can be done up until Southwest stops selling tickets. It doesn’t matter if you paid $59 for your ticket, and the only seats left are selling for $590 — if there is a seat available for purchase, you can add your companion.
Some other common questions
Here are a few other common questions that people ask about the Southwest Companion Pass:
Q: Can I change my flight on a companion booking?
A: Yes. You will first need to cancel the companion’s reservation. You can then change the primary traveler’s flight, and will then need to add your companion back onto the new flight.
Q: Can I just cancel the companion’s reservation if they cannot travel with me?
A: Yes. You can cancel the companion’s reservation and either receive a refund of the taxes and fees or keep it as a credit to use on a future flight. Note that you need to choose the option to refund the amount to your credit card — rather than as travel funds — if that is what you prefer. Southwest will not automatically refund the amount to your credit card.
Q: Can my companion travel without me?
A: NO! The terms of the program explicitly forbid the companion from flying without the primary traveler, and Southwest will likely revoke your companion pass if you do this. It is theoretically possible to do — both travelers check in, and only the companion shows up — but will almost certainly get you in trouble with Southwest. Furthermore, if the itinerary is round-trip, the companion might have their return flight canceled. Don’t do this.
Q: Does my companion earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points?
A: No, they do not. The primary traveler does earn points on a paid reservation (not a reservation made on points).
Q: Do I need to carry the Companion Pass card with me?
A: No, you do not need the card. The terms may state that you should have the card with you, but in over a dozen years of being a Companion Pass holder, nobody has ever asked to see mine (or anyone else’s as far as I know).
Q: What happens to my companion’s reservations if I change my companion?
A: You must first cancel your companion’s reservations before changing companions.
Q: Can I book a round-trip flight that begins before my Companion Pass expires on December 31st but returns after the pass has expired?
A: This isn’t possible. Southwest won’t let you add a companion to a reservation that extends beyond the pass’s validity period. You would have to book a one-way in December (you could add your companion to this reservation) and then a one-way flight returning in the new year where you pay for both seats.
Q: Is there an advantage to booking one-way flights or round-trip flights with the Southwest Companion Pass?
A: It makes more sense to book one-way flights with Southwest in general. In the vast majority of cases, the round-trip price (at least on domestic flights within the US) is simply the cumulative total of the 2 one-way flights. You will enjoy greater flexibility in making changes to one segment or the other if you book one-way flights.
Q: What are some of the best uses of the Southwest Companion Pass?
A: This is obviously completely subjective. You can definitely enjoy some cheaper trips around the US (including Hawaii!). Southwest also flies to a growing number of international destinations, including:
Aruba
Belize
Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Mexico
Cancun, Mexico
Cuba
Grand Cayman Island
Liberia, Costa Rica
Mexico City
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Nassau, Bahamas
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
San Jose, Costa Rica
Additionally, you can use Southwest to position for an award flight or cheap flight deal out of a different city. This can be a great option when saver-level awards on American/United/Delta are not available from your city.
Ready to go for the companion pass? Have a question specific to your situation? Please email us at letstalk at travelfreely.com for any help.
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Can you open two Southwest Cards in late 2019 and wait to complete the full minimum spend in January 2020? In other words, is it required to have all the minimum spend in the same calendar year or does it only matter when the points are actually earned?
Thanks
Great question, John. One, you can only open one personal card (Chase’s rules on personal SW cards). Yes – current rules allow you to apply and get the cards in late 2019 provided you hit your bonuses in 2020. As long as you hit the minimum spend in 2020, then the bonuses will count towards your 2020 tally for the companion pass. Keep in mind that any spending you do in 2019 will not count towards the 110,000 miles goal.
Clarification comment: If I get a card in October (with 5K min spend) . Lets say I spend a total of 4k in the months Oct, nov and december. Then spend the final 1k in January 2020 before the 90 days deadline, why would the spend in 2019 not count towards the mini spend? Using this strategy will it not count towards the greater 110K goal and meeting the min spend ? Thanks
Hi Avi, Your spending in Oct-Dec would count towards your minimum required spending to hit your bonus, but that specific $4,000 spending would not count on your Companion Pass tally if you are trying to hit the 110,000 total in January. In this scenario, if you got the SW Performance Business card with an 80k mile bonus and spent the final $1,000 in January to hit the bonus, your 2020 total towards the companion pass would be 81,000 miles.
Ok, I got the 80,000point business card the first week in Oct, and started spending the next week. How do I know the 90 day end-date for the $5000 to qualify for the points.
Hi Warren, The 90 days begins from the date you were approved. It’s not when you receive or activate the card. Best thing to do is to call Chase and ask when your deadline is. – Zac