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

Whether you're just hearing about the Companion Pass for the starting time fourth dimension or you're looking for tips on how to finish qualifying, let's take a look at everything y'all need to know about earning and using the Southwest Companion Pass.

How the Southwest Companion Pass Works

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the almost coveted travel perks in travel. Southwest Companion Pass holders can bring a companion with them on all Southwest flights at almost no cost. On domestic U.Due south. flights, travelers simply take to pay $v.60 in taxes each fashion.

The Companion Pass is valid from the date earned through the end of the next agenda twelvemonth. For instance, if the Companion Pass is earned in March 2021, it will be valid through December 21, 2022. That ways that Companion Pass holders go at to the lowest degree a total calendar year of benefiting from a companion ticket on Southwest.

You're not fifty-fifty stuck with the aforementioned companion all twelvemonth. Southwest will let pass holders change their companion upward 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, in that location are no blackout dates or chapters restrictions for using the Companion Pass. Southwest will let laissez passer holders reserve a seat for their companion even if it's the last available seat on the flight.

A companion can join a Companion Laissez passer holder regardless of how they booked the flying. That means Companion Pass holders aren't forced to book cash flights to get the companion flight. Pass holders can apply Rapid Rewards points to pay for their flight and bring a companion for only the cost of taxes and fees. The full out-of-pocket cost could exist as little as $5.lx each way.

Sounds pretty astonishing, right? Well, let's show yous how to earn this incredible laissez passer.

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 wing 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 125,000 Companion Pass-qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass.

If that requirement sounds higher than you recollect, there'due south a reason for that. In Oct 2019, Southwest raised the bar for earning the Companion Pass from 110,000 Companion Laissez passer-qualifying points to 125,000 points. This new requirement took effect on January 1, 2020.

Just Some Points Earned Are Companion Pass Qualifying Points

Not all Rapid Rewards indicate activity counts toward earning the Companion Pass. Even so, most earning activity does authorize. Southwest lists iv major categories of points that authorize toward the Companion Pass:

  • Rapid Rewards Credit Bill of fare
  • Shop & dine
  • Travel
  • Home & lifestyle

As an airline loyalty program perk, the "classic" manner of earning the Companion Pass would be to earn all 125,000-qualifying points through travel. Withal, that's going to be hard for most travelers. Southwest flyers earn Rapid Rewards from revenue flights at the following rates:

  • Wanna Go Away fares: 6 points per dollar in base of operations 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 $20,834—earlier taxes and fees—on Southwest's Wanna Get Away fares to earn plenty qualifying points from flights alone. If you were to but buy the more-expensive Anytime fares, you'd nevertheless demand to spend $12,500 in fares (earlier taxes and fees) to earn the Companion Pass.

Thankfully, the Companion Laissez passer-qualifying points tin can be earned from more than just flying. Southwest partner hotel stays, car rentals and Rapid Rewards credit menu spending—and welcome bonuses—count towards the 125,000-indicate requirement.

Rapid Rewards members can too earn Companion Pass-qualifying points from a long listing of retail and travel partners.

Earning Companion Pass Qualifying Points Through Credit Cards

The easiest fashion to rapidly heave your earnings toward the Companion Laissez passer is through credit menu welcome bonuses and spending.

Credit card welcome bonus rates vary depending on whether there's a limited-fourth dimension offer.

For most travelers, earning the Companion Pass is going to be the result of earning qualifying points from many sources: credit cards, flight and shopping/dining partners. However, some travelers may be able to earn the Companion Laissez passer from merely credit carte bonuses and spending.

There are 5 Southwest credit cards that can fast-track you toward the Companion Pass:

  • Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Bill of fare: Earn xl,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 40,000 bonus points afterward spending $i,000 on purchases in the get-go 3 months
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 40,000 bonus points later spending $one,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Menu: 60,000 points subsequently spending $3,000 on purchases within the offset 3 months of account opening
  • Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Functioning Business Credit Carte du jour: 80,000 points after spending $v,000 on purchases within the starting time 3 months of account opening

Points That Don't Qualify for the Companion Pass

While the list of qualifying activities is long, sure activities won't assistance 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
  • Tier bonus points
  • Promotion bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards)
  • Flight bonus points
  • Partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards)
  • Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • Partner program transfers—including points converted from hotel and auto loyalty programs, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions and Diners Club)
  • Purchased promotional tier qualifying points

While information technology's not explicitly included on this listing, information technology'southward important to note that flights booked with Rapid Rewards points won't help you earn the Companion Pass. Just revenue Southwest flights earn Companion Pass-qualifying points and qualifying flights toward the 100-flight requirement.

The Best Time to Earn the Companion Pass

The Companion Laissez passer is valid for the remainder of the agenda year in which it's earned plus the entire post-obit agenda twelvemonth. That means that the optimal fourth dimension to earn the Companion Pass is early on in a calendar year.

Notwithstanding, earning the Companion Pass requires earning a lot of Companion Pass-qualifying points. So, earning all 125,000 points in a brusque fourth dimension span at the beginning of a agenda yr is going to be tough. You can make significant progress toward a Companion Pass past strategically earning credit carte du jour 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 lot time out your applications and spending just right, yous can do only that.

The central 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 ways y'all can go a head get-go qualifying for next yr by signing upward for a Southwest credit card late in the yr.

For example, you can utilize for a credit card in Nov or December and use the new card to earn the welcome bonus. However, you'll want to concord off on reaching the minimum spending threshold until afterwards the close of your Dec statement. That manner the welcome bonus will post to your Rapid Rewards business relationship in January of the side by side twelvemonth. 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 yous know how to earn it, let's show y'all how easy it is to use the Companion Pass.

How to Designate Your Companion for the Southwest Companion Pass

Earlier yous tin use the Companion Laissez passer, you'll need to designate your companion. To designate a companion, log into your Rapid Rewards account. On the Snapshot tab, find "Choose Your Companion", click "Enter Companion Info", and follow the instructions to complete the process.

Yous'll demand to provide Southwest with your companion's total name, gender, engagement of birth, mailing address, email address and phone number. After submitting the info, Southwest volition send a Companion Laissez passer Member kit and membership card to the Companion Pass holder. Southwest notes that the kit will arrive in seven to ten business concern days.

Steps to Using the Southwest Companion Pass

To use the Companion Pass, the laissez passer holder volition first need to book their own flight. If yous're planning to use the Companion Pass, yous might desire to double-check that at that place are at least two seats still available on the flight(south).

Southwest may annotation that at that place is only "1 left" in search results. Don't worry well-nigh that. This is only the number of seats bachelor at this toll. As long every bit there are at least 2 seats available on the plane, a companion can join you.

After booking your flying, yous can add a companion right on the confirmation page.

If yous need to add together a companion afterward, you tin can do so on your Southwest Trips page. In that location will be a convenient link correct on the trip'southward detail card.

Southwest makes the balance of the procedure easy past auto-filling your companion's name, date of birth, Known Traveler Number and other details. You'll simply need to pay the taxes and fees for the companion ticket—which is commonly just $5.lx one-way for flights inside the U.S.

Eligible Flights for the Southwest Companion Pass

Companion Laissez passer holders tin can employ the Companion Pass anywhere that Southwest flies. And there are no blackout dates or availability restrictions to utilise the Companion Pass.

At that place doesn't even need to exist the same blazon of fare available. Yous can add a companion even if yous booked a Wanna Get Abroad fare and only Someday fares are available when y'all go to add together your companion.

A designated companion tin join a pass holder equally long as the flight is during the Companion Pass validity. That means a companion can join you on a flight that y'all booked before earning the Companion Laissez passer. Say you volume a flying in March 2021 for travel in July 2021. If you earn the Companion Laissez passer in June 2021, your companion tin can join you lot for just the toll of taxes and fees.

On the flip side, you lot can't bring a companion on a flying flown after the expiration of the Companion Laissez passer—even if y'all book the flight before the expiration date. The travel must be completed during the Companion Laissez passer validity period.

How to Change Your Southwest Companion Pass Companion

Southwest Companion Pass holders can modify their designated companion upwardly to three times per calendar year. That means you can have a total of four companions: the original companion and upwards to three new companions. However, you tin can just accept i designated companion at a time.

There's no manner to change your Companion Laissez passer designation online. That'southward probable to help prevent fraudulent changes to your account rather than to frustrate Companion Pass holders. Instead, you'll demand to call Southwest at 1-800-435-9792 to change your Companion Pass companion.

But note that it may take up to 21 concern days for Southwest to process the change and effect a new Companion Laissez passer carte du jour. So, you'll want to make any changes to your companion every bit soon as possible if yous're planning a trip.

Southwest Companion Pass Companion Restrictions

There aren't many restrictions on using the Southwest Companion Laissez passer, but it's important to pay attending to the terms and conditions. You don't desire to risk forfeiting this valuable laissez passer!

First, the Southwest Companion Pass is truly a companion laissez passer. If the laissez passer holder's ticket is canceled, the companion'south ticket volition also be canceled. And if the pass holder changes his or her ticket, the companion'south ticket must also be changed to match. The designated companion volition exist required to pay for their ticket if the pass holder doesn't travel with him or her.

This travel-together requirement applies to the travel procedure 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 in order for the companion to travel.
And, only to be safe, Southwest'southward lawyers fabricated certain to state: "corporations and other entities cannot be designated as Companions."

Bottom Line

The Southwest Companion Pass is ane of the most sought-after perks in travel for a reason. It'southward incredible to add a companion to all of your flights for an entire year without having the expense of paying for an boosted full cost ticket. So, it'due south understandable that Southwest makes information technology tough to earn.

However, by utilizing credit card welcome bonuses and other earning strategies, you can fast-track your mode to earning this valuable perk. If you lot get the timing right, you can stretch out your enjoyment of the perk for longer than one year.