If there’s one travel reward that makes families lose their minds when they find out about it, it’s the Southwest Companion Pass. BOGO flights. For up to two years. On every single Southwest flight you take.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best travel perks available to everyday families, and the best part is that you don’t need to be a points expert to earn it. You just need the right credit cards and the right timing.

Here’s everything you need to know to earn the Southwest Companion Pass and start flying your favorite person for free.

What is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass is a great perk from Southwest Airlines that lets you bring a friend or family member for free on all of your Southwest flights. You just have to pay the taxes and fees, which are usually $5.60. The pass can be earned easily with just one or two credit card welcome offers, and it is good for the rest of the year in which you earned it, plus all of the following year.

How to earn it

To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you must collect at least 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in one calendar year. Southwest cardholders automatically get a 10,000-point boost each year, which means that you technically only need to earn 125,000 Rapid Rewards points to qualify for the pass. This can be done by opening one to two Chase co-branded credit cards.

Card Options

Here are the cards that earn Southwest Rapid Rewards.

Personal:

<All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier, and Priority Credit Cards has been collected independently by The Traveling Hansens. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.>

Business:

<All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier and Performance Business Credit Cards has been collected independently by The Traveling Hansens. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.>

Southwest card eligibility

Here are a few important things to be aware of:

• What if I currently have a Southwest personal card? If you currently have a Southwest personal card and you want to earn the Companion Pass, you will need to cancel your current card at least 30 days before reapplying for a new one.
• What if I currently have a Southwest business card? If you currently have a business Southwest card, you can still open the other business card. You can have both at the same time.
• Am I eligible to open a business credit card? It is much easier to be eligible for a business credit card than you think! You do not need a registered business; you can apply as a sole proprietor using your SSN. Any side hustle income counts – photography, Facebook Marketplace sales, dog walking, freelance writing, tutoring, rideshare, etc. Learn more about business cards here.
• What if I’ve earned the bonus on one of these cards before? You can earn the bonus on a Southwest card again if it has been at least 24 months since you last earned the bonus and you no longer have that card open.
• Can I apply for multiple cards so close together? 90 days is a good general guideline, but it is not a hard and fast rule. In cases like this, it is totally fine to open multiple cards close together, just make sure to space out your next card applications more.

A note on timing

As I mentioned, when you earn the pass, it’s good for the rest of the year in which you earned it and all of the following year. This means that it’s possible to have the pass for nearly two years if you earn it very early in the year. Because of this, the timing of opening cards and hitting the minimum spending requirement is very important. The points have to be earned in the same calendar year to count toward the pass.

All of that being said, these strategies can be done at any point during the year. You will just have your pass for less time if you earn it later.

Offers and strategies

Here are a few example card strategies for how to earn the pass, plus the timing if you’re trying to earn it as early in the year as possible. These are based on the offers that are currently available, so these strategies may shift over time if the offers change. I keep this post updated when that happens.

Card Strategy #1 – Business and personal card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Open this card in late October to early November. Begin working on the spending right away, but DO NOT meet the spending requirement until early January.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Open this card in late November – at least 30 days after your previous card. DO NOT meet the spending requirement until early January or later.
• Continue working on the spending requirements for both cards and track your spending closely so you do not meet it too early!
• Complete the spending on both cards as early in January as possible so you can get the most use out of your pass.
• Between these two cards, you should have close to enough points. You will have some additional points from the spending, and you’ll have the 10,000 Companion Pass points boost for being a cardholder. You may need to refer a friend or family member or put some additional spending on the card to reach 135,000 points.
• Once you’ve completed the points requirement, monitor your email for your official Companion Pass email notification!

Card Strategy #2 – Two business cards

• Either Southwest business card in late October to early November. Begin working on the spending right away, but DO NOT meet the spending requirement until early January.
• The other Southwest business card in late November – at least 30 days after your previous card. Note – Chase has been cracking down on the amount of business cards they’ll let you have open at one time. So, if you have any Chase business cards older than one year, I recommend closing those first. It’s best to have less than three open.
• Continue working on the spending requirements for both cards and track your spending closely so you do not meet it too early!
• Complete the spending on both cards as early in January as possible so you can get the most use out of your pass.
• Once you’ve hit the spending requirements, monitor your email for your official Companion Pass email notification!

Card Strategy #3 – One personal card and spending/referring

This requires a lot of extra referring and/or spending, but it’s doable.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Open this card in late October to early November. You could also open either of the other two personal cards; I just like that this card has the lowest annual fee.
• Begin working on the spending right away, but DO NOT meet the spending requirement until early January. Track your spending closely so you do not meet it too early!
• After January 1st, refer your player two and/or family and friends to any Southwest card. This will earn you 20,000 additional points per person you refer. If you refer four people, you’ll have at least 130,000 points. You’ll also earn the extra 10,000 points boost for being a cardholder.
• Once you’ve reached 135,000 points, monitor your email for your official Companion Pass email notification!

Card Strategy #4 – Two passes

This uses a two-person (or “player”) strategy to earn two passes with a combination of cards and referral points.

• Player One opens the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Open this card in late October to early November. Begin working on the spending right away, but DO NOT meet the spending requirement until early January.
• Player One then refers Player Two to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card sometime after January 1st. P1 will earn a 20,000-point referral bonus.
• P2 will work on the spending requirement and hit it as early as possible.
• Once P2 has met the spending on their first card, P1 refers P2 to the second Southwest business card OR a Southwest personal card. I recommend one of the personal cards since the annual fee and spending requirement are much lower.
• At this point, P1 will have received 40,000 points in referral bonuses, plus their welcome offer, plus the 10,000 points for being a cardholder, which is enough for one pass.
• P2 completes the spending requirement on their second Southwest card and earns enough points for a second pass.
• Monitor your emails for your official Companion Pass notifications for both passes!

FAQ

Can I change my companion on the Southwest Companion Pass? Yes, you can change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year.

Does the Southwest Companion Pass work on award flights? Yes! Your companion flies free on both cash and award flights, making it even more valuable.

Can married couples both earn the Companion Pass? Yes, this is the “two passes” strategy covered above. Each person earns their own pass and designates the other as their companion.

Is the Southwest Companion Pass worth it for families? Absolutely, especially if you fly Southwest regularly. With multiple kids, the savings add up fast since one person always flies free on every flight.

Wrapping Up

The Southwest Companion Pass is a fantastic travel perk that lets you get BOGO flights for up to two years, effectively doubling the value of your points. There is some strategy involved in opening the right cards at the right time, but it’s totally doable and well worth the effort.

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