Southwest Companion Pass: Everything You Need To Know (2024)

Airline points and miles are great for getting you almost-free flights. However, there’s one loyalty program perk that provides unlimited, nearly free travel for at least a year: the Southwest Companion Pass®.

How the Southwest Companion Pass Works

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted perks in travel. Southwest Companion Pass holders can bring a companion with them on all Southwest flights at almost no cost. On domestic U.S. flights, travelers only have to pay $5.60 in taxes each way.

The Companion Pass is valid from the date earned through the end of the next calendar year. For example, if the Companion Pass is earned in March 2024, it will be valid through December 31, 2025. That means Companion Pass holders get at least a full calendar year of benefiting from a companion ticket on Southwest.

You’re not even stuck with the same companion all year. Southwest will let pass holders change their companion up to three times per calendar year.

There’s no limit on how many times or on which routes a Companion Pass can be used. Even better, there are no blackout dates or seat restrictions for using the Companion Pass. Southwest will let pass holders reserve a seat for their companion even if it’s the last available seat on the flight.

A companion can join a Companion Pass holder regardless of how they booked the flight. That means Companion Pass holders aren’t forced to book cash flights to get the companion flight. Pass holders can use Rapid Rewards points to pay for their flight and bring a companion for only the cost of taxes and fees. The total out-of-pocket cost could be as little as $5.60 each way.

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If you only fly Southwest occasionally, you may appreciate this entry level co-branded card and its low annual fee.

Pros & Cons

• 3,000 points every year on your Cardmember anniversary
• No seat restrictions or blackout dates
• No change fee or booking fees

• Very high balance transfer fee
• Foreign transaction fee
• Very high cash advance APR and fee
• Mostly US domestic routes

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• Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 3,000 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
• Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
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• 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
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Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

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How To Earn the Southwest Companion Pass

To earn the Companion Pass, you’re going to have to generate a lot of activity with the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. A Rapid Rewards member needs to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 Companion Pass-qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass.

If that requirement sounds higher than you remember, there’s a reason for that. In January 2023, Southwest raised the bar for earning the Companion Pass from 125,000 points to 135,000 points. As a consolation, Rapid Rewards credit card members will now receive 10,000 Companion Pass-qualifying bonus points each year

Only Some Points Earned Are Companion Pass Points

Not all Rapid Rewards point activity counts toward earning the Companion Pass. However, most earning activity does qualify. Southwest lists four major categories that qualify toward the Companion Pass:

• Rapid Rewards credit card
• Shop and dine
• Travel
• Home and lifestyle

As an airline loyalty program perk, the classic way of earning the Companion Pass would be to earn all 135,000 points through travel. However, that’s going to be hard for most travelers. Southwest flyers earn Rapid Rewards from revenue flights at the following rates:

• Wanna Get Away fares: 6 points per dollar in base fare
• Wanna Get Away Plus fares: 8 points per dollar in base fare
• Anytime fares: 10 points per dollar in base fare
• Business Select fares: 12 points per dollar in base fare

That means a Rapid Rewards member would need to spend $22,500—before taxes and fees—on Southwest’s Wanna Get Away fares to earn enough points from flights alone. If you were to only buy the more-expensive Anytime fares, you’d still need to spend $13,500 in fares (before taxes and fees) to earn the Companion Pass.

Thankfully, the Companion Pass points can be earned from more than just flying. Southwest partner hotel stays, car rentals and Rapid Rewards credit card spending—and welcome bonuses—count toward the 135,000-point requirement.

Rapid Rewards members can also earn Companion Pass points from a long list of retail and travel partners.

Earning Companion Pass Points Through Credit Cards

The easiest way to quickly boost your earnings toward the Companion Pass is through credit card welcome bonuses and spending.

Credit card welcome bonus rates vary depending on whether there’s a limited-time offer.

For most travelers, earning the Companion Pass is going to be the result of earning points from many sources: credit cards, flying and shopping/dining partners. However, some travelers may be able to earn the Companion Pass from just credit card bonuses and spending.

There are five Southwest credit cards that can fast-track you toward the Companion Pass:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Points That Don’t Qualify for the Companion Pass

While the list of qualifying activities is long, certain activities won’t help you toward the Companion Pass. The following activity does not count toward earning the Companion Pass:

• Purchased points
• Transferred/gifted points
• Points earned from program enrollment
• Reward flights
• Points transferred from partner programs, e-Rewards®, Valued Opinions and Diners Club
• Tier bonus points
• Promotion bonus points (except Rapid Rewards credit cards)
• Flight bonus points
• Partner bonus points (except Rapid Rewards credit cards)
• Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Partner program transfers
• Purchased promotional tier-qualifying points

While it’s not explicitly included on this list, it’s important to note that flights booked with Rapid Rewards points won’t help you earn the Companion Pass. Only revenue Southwest flights earn Companion Pass points and qualifying flights toward the 100-flight requirement.

The Best Time To Earn the Companion Pass

The Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which it’s earned plus the entire following calendar year. That means the optimal time to earn the Companion Pass is early in a calendar year.

However, earning the Companion Pass requires earning a lot of Companion Pass points. So, earning all 135,000 points in a short time span at the beginning of a calendar year is going to be tough. You can make significant progress toward a Companion Pass by strategically earning credit card welcome bonuses at the beginning of a calendar year.

A Strategy for Earning the Companion Pass for Almost Two Years

What’s better than getting the Southwest Companion Pass for one year? Getting it for two years. If you time out your applications and spending right, you can do just that.

The key is timing when exactly the welcome bonus hits your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. The credit card welcome bonus counts toward the Companion Pass when it posts to your account. That means you can get a head start qualifying for next year by signing up for a Southwest credit card late in the year.

For example, you can apply for a credit card in November or December and use the new card to earn the welcome bonus. However, you’ll want to hold off on reaching the minimum spending threshold until after the close of your December statement. That way the welcome bonus will post to your Rapid Rewards account in January of the next year. Depending on the welcome bonus you’re getting, this could give you a huge boost toward earning the Companion Pass that year.

How To Use the Southwest Companion Pass

Now that you know how to earn it, let’s show you how easy it is to use the Companion Pass.

How To Designate Your Companion for the Southwest Companion Pass

Before you can use the Companion Pass, you’ll need to designate your companion. To designate a companion, log into your Rapid Rewards account. Click on “My Account” at the top and then find the “Choose Your Companion” section, click “Enter Companion Info” and follow the instructions to complete the process.

After submitting your companion’s info, Southwest will send a Companion Pass Member kit and membership card to the Companion Pass holder. Southwest notes that the kit will arrive in seven to 10 business days.

Steps To Using the Southwest Companion Pass

To use the Companion Pass, the pass holder will first need to book their own flight. If you’re planning to use the Companion Pass, you might want to check that there are at least two seats still available on the flight(s).

Southwest may note that there is only “1 left” in search results. Don’t worry about that. This is only the number of seats available at this price. As long as there are at least two seats available on the plane, a companion can join you.

After booking your flight, visit the My Trips section of your account, find your flight in the Upcoming section and click on the Add Companion link, following the prompts to purchase and review companion information.

Southwest makes the rest of the process easy by auto-filling your companion’s name, date of birth, Known Traveler Number and other details. You’ll just need to pay the taxes and fees for the companion ticket—which is usually just $5.60 one-way for flights within the U.S.

Eligible Flights for the Southwest Companion Pass

Companion Pass holders can use the Companion Pass anywhere that Southwest flies. And there are no blackout dates or availability restrictions to use the Companion Pass.

There doesn’t even need to be the same type of fare available. You can add a companion even if you book a Wanna Get Away fare and only Anytime fares are available when you go to add your companion.

A designated companion can join a pass holder as long as the flight is during the Companion Pass validity. That means a companion can join you on a flight that you booked before earning the Companion Pass. Say you book a flight in March 2024 for travel in July 2024. If you earn the Companion Pass in June 2024, your companion can join you for just the cost of taxes and fees.

On the flip side, you can’t bring a companion on a flight flown after the expiration of the Companion Pass—even if you book the flight before the expiration date. The travel must be completed during the Companion Pass validity period.

How To Change Your Southwest Companion Pass Companion

Southwest Companion Pass holders can change their designated companion up to three times per calendar year.That means you can have a total of four companions: the original companion and up to three new companions. However, you can only have one designated companion at a time.

There’s no way to change your Companion Pass designation online. That’s likely to help prevent fraudulent changes to your account rather than to frustrate Companion Pass holders. Instead, you’ll need to call Southwest at 1-800-435-9792 to change your Companion Pass companion.

Note that it may take up to 21 business days for Southwest to process the change and issue a new Companion Pass card. So, you’ll want to make any changes to your companion as soon as possible if you’re planning a trip.

Southwest Companion Pass Restrictions

There aren’t many restrictions on using the Southwest Companion Pass, but it’s important to pay attention to the terms and conditions.

First, the Southwest Companion Pass is truly a companion pass. If the member’s ticket is canceled, the companion’s ticket will also be canceled. And if the pass holder changes his or her ticket, the companion’s ticket must also be changed to match. The designated companion will be required to pay for their ticket if the pass holder doesn’t travel with them.

This travel-together requirement applies to the travel process as well. The Companion Pass holder and the companion must check in together. The check-in agent may require the Companion Pass card to be displayed for the companion to travel.
And to be safe, Southwest’s lawyers made sure to state: “Corporations and other entities cannot be designated as Companions.”

Bottom Line

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most sought-after perks in travel for a reason. It’s incredible to add a companion to all of your flights for an entire year without having the expense of paying for an additional full price ticket. So, it’s understandable that Southwest makes it tough to earn.

By utilizing credit card welcome bonuses and other strategies, you can fast-track your way to earning this valuable perk. And if you get the timing right, you can stretch out your enjoyment of the perk for longer than one year.