As you all probably know by now, I am a huge fan of the Southwest Companion Pass. I’ve been a companion pass holder for 10+ years and it has saved my thousands of dollar on travel. I recently wrote a post telling readers that you are now in the “safe” zone to apply for one (or two) of the Southwest credit cards to earn the Companion Pass for 2019 and 2020! The Companion Pass expires on December 31st the year AFTER you earn the pass. So if you earn the pass in January 2024, it will not expire under December 31, 2025 – that gives you almost 2 years to take advantage of the past!
During this post, I had a reader essentially ask me if you had to book by the expiration date or travel by the expiration date. You must travel by the expiration date. So if you are currently a companion pass holder and your pass is set to expire on December 31, 2025, all travel must be completed by December 31, 2025, regardless of when you book your flight. Even if you book as a roundtrip with the outbound in 2025 and the return in 2026, you’ll only be able to apply the pass to the outbound flight. And to apply the pass to the flight the outbound flight, you’ll actually have to book as two one ways.
So make sure to be strategic when you book your flights and earn the pass!
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.
My companion pass is expiring on Feb 28, and I want to book a flight on the last day. However, the flight reaches the destination 5 minutes after midnight (when the pass expires). Does this mean I cannot add a companion for this flight?
@KCN – It should go based by the departure time. But, all you have to do is try adding your companion to your flight and see what happens.