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Southwest Companion Pass – All the Details

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WHAT IS SOUTHWEST COMPANION PASS

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most valuable tools in award travel.
It is essentially, a 2 for 1 on Southwest flights.


Once you earn the Southwest Companion pass, you will designate a “companion”. That companion can fly with you for the cost of taxes ($5.60 each way for domestic flights).
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve paid for your ticket with points or cash, you’ll still be able to include your companion, for taxes only.

How do you get a Southwest Companion Pass?

There are 2 ways to earn this pass. Fly 100 qualifying one way flights. OR earn 135,000 tier qualifying points within one single year. The easier route to getting the Companion Pass (in my opinion) is earning 135,000 qualifying points. 

How to get 135K qualifying points quickly

Accumulating 135,000 points probably seems pretty daunting. But it’s actually easier than it seems.  With just TWO new card sign up bonuses, you can get the 135K points needed for the Southwest Companion Pass.

Option 1 utilizes 1 personal & 1 business credit card sign up…

  • ANY personal Southwest card
  • Combined with a business Southwest card

Option 2 utilizes 2 business credit card sign ups…

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Fancy Travel Pointers. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. 

With EITHER of these options, the sign up bonuses from just TWO cards will put you at/over the 135K point threshold you need to meet.
* Not sure if you qualify for a business credit card? You probably do!

Length of Pass

Once you earn the Southwest Companion Pass, it is good for the rest of the entire year you earned it.
PLUS, the entire following year.

Additional ways to earn Southwest points

Essential Details

  • You can only have 1 personal Southwest credit card at a time – if you already have one, I recommend cancelling that card then waiting a minimum of 2 weeks to apply for a new personal Southwest card.
  • You can NOT earn a new sign up bonus more than every 24 months from when you earned your last bonus. So, you’ll want to make a note of the date you earn the sign up bonus.
  • It is essential to keep your cards for a minimum of 1 year. 
  • I personally like to keep my cards for 18 – 22 months and then cancel them. This leaves some space in between applying for my next set of cards.
  • You CAN have 2 Southwest business cards at a time

Questions about the Companion Pass? Award travel? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

How to Find the Best Flight Deals on Southwest

On the desktop (this won’t work on app) – Select “Low Fare Calendar”. This will then show you a month by month glance of award flight costs.

Thank you for supporting my small business! When you use my affiliate links to apply for a credit card, I earn a commission from the bank. But you still get the same great offer! And this helps me keep my guides and personal help free.
Opinions expressed here are the 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.

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