The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the Southwest Companion Pass


Southwest
Southwest has flown my family to many destinations, but our favorite is flying over the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean!
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The Southwest Companion Pass is by far the best travel perk in the entire travel world. Period. There is quite honestly no other airline that offers anything even remotely similar or as amazing. Of course flying Southwest Airlines is not for everyone, but if you like to travel 30,000 feet in the air and you are near a Southwest hub, I highly suggest considering this pass. It allows you to fly a friend or family member with you for free every single day of the year.

As you probably know by now, the bonus points earned from the Southwest credit cards will also count towards the 110,000 qualifying points needed to earn the pass.

Credit Card Key Links

  • Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. ($69 annual fee)
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card: Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. ($99 annual fee)
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. ($149 annual fee)

On a daily basis I receive many questions about the pass, so here is everything you need to know! 

Who?

Who is eligible for the Southwest credit card? 

Chase states that you are only eligible as long as you have not received a sign up bonus for that particular card in the past 24 months and that you are not currently a cardmember. Also, Chase no longer allows you to have more than one personal Southwest credit card open at a time, so if you already are a cardmember for one of their cards, you’ll need to cancel before you apply for a different version of the card. Remember though, even if you’ve received a sign up bonus for one of the cards in the past, you are still eligible for another card as they are considered three different products.

Chase also put in place a “5/24” rule awhile ago which means if you’ve been approved for 5 or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months, Chase will not approve you for another card. Unfortunately, all Southwest credit cards are subject to this rule.

Who can be my Companion?

Anyone can serve as your Companion! It can be a friend, family member, complete stranger, really anyone! Once you earn the pass you will need to designate someone to be your companion. Then, throughout the calendar year you are allowed to change your companion up to three times. This means up to 4 different people can fly with you for free throughout the year.

To change your companion, you’ll need to call Southwest and they can change it for you immediately. This is great since there is no lag time and your new companion can be booked instantly.

a couple of kids in a hallway
Have your children fly with you for free thanks to the Companion Pass!

What?

What exactly is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass allows another passenger to fly with the Companion Pass holder for free. The only cost for the person flying on the pass is that they will have to pay the “9/11 Security Fee” which costs $5.60 per one-way flight on domestic flights. For international flights, however, the fees charged will be quite a bit more and can cost up to $100 roundtrip depending on the country you are visiting. You are ultimately paying the same fee as you would if you were to use Southwest points for your ticket.

The first flier just needs to book his or her ticket and after that flight is booked, you can add the Companion Pass member onto your flight. The primarily traveler can even use points for their own flight! It takes an extra minute to book the Companion Pass flight and you can even do it online. Just remember, your companion must be booked on the same exact itinerary as you. If you need to cancel your ticket, it will result in the companions ticket being canceled as well.

Even if you do not currently have the Companion Pass yet, you can still book your flight and once you receive the pass you can add your companion onto your itinerary. There just needs to be at least one seat left on the flight.

a screen shot of a phone
Once you book your flight, you can easily add your companion onto your itinerary

When?

When will the Southwest Companion Pass actually hit my account?

Once you earn 110,000 qualifying points, the pass is yours! If you are earning points with credit card spend, the points will post to your Southwest account within a few days of your credit card statement closing. Once you earn the required 110,000 points, the pass is yours! Although you might not actually receive the physical pass in the mail for a few weeks, once your account is updated, you can start booking your companion immediately.

When is the Southwest Companion Pass valid through?

After earning the pass, it is valid through December 31 of the following calendar year. So let’s say you earn the pass now, the pass will not expire until December 31, 2020!

a close up of a card

When can I use the Southwest Companion Pass?

You can use the companion pass as much you’d like! There are no blackout dates with the pass and as long as there is a seat available for purchase, you can use your companion pass. Unlike some other airline’s companion passes, there are no requirements to use it—no route restrictions, no date restrictions, no dollar minimum for the first passengers flight, etc. This is really one of those no strings attached passes!

Where?

Where does Southwest fly?

Southwest currently flies to more than destinations throughout the US, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and now even Hawaii! You can check out the route map here and see if Southwest flies to where you are looking to go.

a map of the united states

Can the Southwest Companion Pass be used to fly to all Southwest destinations?

Yes! As I mentioned above, there truly are no restrictions. You can use the companion pass to even fly to their international destinations such as Costa Rica and Aruba.

a two children on a beach
We just flew Southwest and used the Companion Pass to go to the Bahamas!

Why?

Why should I get the Southwest Companion Pass

I am a huge advocate of the Southwest Companion Pass. I’ve had it for 11 years actually. My response to why you should get it is “because it is awesome and will save you thousands of dollars”. With that being said, the Southwest Companion Pass is only a good option for those looking to fly Southwest. If you do not live in a Southwest hub or prefer not to fly Southwest for many other reasons, then the pass is absolutely not worth it for you.

Southwest is also my favorite airline due to many favorable policies, such as:

  • No checked bag fees — This is the only airline that does not charge you a dime for checking your bag. In fact, each passenger (including those who are flying on the Companion Pass!) can check two bags for free.
  • No change or cancelation fees — Again, this is the only airline that will not charge you for changing or canceling a flight. While some other airlines might waive the fee for those who have status, this policy is for every Southwest flier. This is the case for booking both revenue tickets and free tickets using points
  • Family boarding — Southwest allows for family boarding where if there is a child 6 years old or younger in your group, the entire family will board after the “A” group. This will ensure your family can always sit together and there is no need to pay for your seats.

Overall…

If you think you’ll fly Southwest often this year, the companion pass is great and earning points via the credit card offers are by far the easiest way to help earn the pass!

Will you be flying 2-for-1?

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.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Patrick
Patrick
5 years ago

And as an added “strategy”… If I have the companion pass and no points and my wife is the companion and she has a bunch of points, she can book a flight for me using her points and then she can fly with me for free.
Might be obvious but at one time a few years ago, I thought the person who “owned” that pass had to have the points.

Benji
Benji
5 years ago

Any recommendations for how long to wait between applying for the cards? I was just approved for the Chase Southwest Business card and I want to apply for the Chase Southwest Personal card. Should I wait a few weeks or am I good to go because I haven’t applied for any other Chase cards in my life?

Daniel Cooper
Daniel Cooper
5 years ago
Reply to  Benji

I waited a week and had no problems getting the personal card. The one thing I would do is look for an offer that get you to the 110,000 points so you have the companion pass for next year as well. I found an in flight offer link on reddit for 50,000 points after spending $2000. This was the fastest way to get the CP for next year with the lowest amount of credit card spend.

Good luck and safe travels

BETH ZABEL
4 years ago

If u don’t do the offers is $1=1 point?

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