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• With the Southwest Companion Pass, you can fly your travel buddy almost free.
• To earn the Companion Pass, you need to accumulate 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year — but this will change to 135,000 points in 2023.
• Southwest credit card holders get 10,000 points to qualify for Companion Pass, which will be available in 2023.
• The Insider’s guide on the best travel rewards credit card cards.

It’s great to travel, but it’s even better when you have a friend or loved one. A free flight ticket for your best travel buddy for up 2 years could help you create more memorable travel experiences. It sounds too good to true. It’s true.

The Southwest Companion PassYou can choose to have one person fly with you on both your award and paid flights, and they will pay no taxes or fees for as long as you need (subject to your timing).

If you can qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass — whether you do so the traditional way, or with the help of one of the Special Southwest personal cards with limited time offers — it’s a worthwhile endeavor. 

How the Southwest Companion Pass works

The Southwest Companion Pass lets you book the plane ticket of a friend or family member on the same flight as yourself. You don’t need to pay cash or points. These fees and taxes will apply to domestic flights, which typically cost about $6 each.

You will be able designate your companion once you have earned Companion Pass. You can switch to a new companion up to 3 times per year, which is great news. You can also bring different friends along on different trips.

The Companion Pass should be earned early in the year.

If you are interested in earning the Companion Pass, You need to plan the timing carefully. If you want to pass the exam, you need to maximize the time that you can use it. 

It will be valid for one year from the date you receive it. The pass will also be valid for all of the years that follow. It will not be valid until December 2023 if it is earned in November 2022. It would still be valid if it was earned in January 2023. That effectively doubles how long you can use the Companion Pass.

The best time to begin planning for the Companion Pass is towards the end or early in the new calendar year. You can use your credit card spending and welcome bonuses to help you reach the Companion Pass requirements early next year if you plan well. This could mean that you have an active Companion Pass for nearly two years.

How to get Southwest Companion Pass

To be eligible for the pass, you will need to earn 125,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points or fly 100 Southwest Airlines One-way Flights per calendar year. These points must be posted to your Rapid Rewards account.

This requirement will change to 135,000 Southwest qualifying points from January 1, 2023. This requirement will be 10,000 points more than the current one. However, Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cardHolders will be eligible for a boost in Companion Pass Qualifying points of 10,000 each calendar year.

If you have a card open on the first business day of the calendar year, you’ll receive the 10,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points by January 31 — otherwise, you’ll receive your 10,000-point boost up to 30 days after opening a Southwest credit card.

Additionally, there is a limit of 10,000 points per member regardless of how many Southwest cards they have. Remember that the 10,000 points can only be used for qualifying purposes and cannot be redeemed for award flights.

Earning qualifying points can be done by:

• Book flights
• Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards: Earn points
• Rapid Rewards partners offer points

Companion Pass points you cannot earn with your Rapid Rewards account

• Points purchased
• Points can be transferred between Rapid Rewards members
• Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Convert points from loyalty programs to hotels and cars
• Points can be converted from e–Rewards and e–Miles. Valued Opinions and Diners Club.
• Rapid Rewards Program enrollment earns points
• Tier bonus points
• Flight bonus points
• Bonus points for Partners

Southwest credit cards offer the Companion Pass.

The easiest way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, is to receive credit card welcome bonuses. All Southwest credit cards have bonuses and points that can be earned through spending. Cardholders will also receive an additional 10,000 point “boost” each calendar year to help them qualify for the Companion Pass. These points can’t be redeemed, however.

You can only have one Southwest personal card at a time — regardless of which one you choose. You can still earn the bonus for one personal and one small-business card within a year. Remember that your bonus may be redeemed for another card. You may be eligible for a credit card for small businesses — even if you’re a freelancer, work a side gig, or occasionally sell things on eBay.

Personal Southwest credit cards

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card?, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card?, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit CardAll offer a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 within the first three months. These bonus points can be used to fulfill the Companion Pass requirement.

Each comes with its own perks and fees. Below is a comparison of all three Southwest personal cards.

Southwest business credit cards

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit CardSign up bonus of 60,000 points for purchases over $3,000 in the first three months. Companion Pass eligibility is easy if you have 75,000 bonus points and spend $3,000 within the first three months.

There are also premium options. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit CardThe annual fee is $199, and you get a sign up bonus of 80,000 points for spending $5,000 within the first three months. It is ideal for frequent Southwest flyers and comes with more perks as well as a higher anniversary bonus.

Here is a side-byside comparison of both cards

Bottom line

Companion Pass can be a very lucrative benefit for those who qualify. Although it may require extra effort and planning in the timing of your purchases, it can be worth it to create precious travel memories with family and friends.

You can also apply for the benefit by working towards it at the end a calendar year.

Learn more about the Rules and regulations for Southwest Companion Pass.