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In 2008, I was introduced into the world of the Southwest Companion Pass. I was flying Southwest more for work, and after learning about the opportunity to have a friend or family member fly with me for free, I was hooked. Quickly, I was on my way to earning the pass for my first time ever.
The Southwest program — and how you earned the pass — was very different at that point, but it was the start of my Southwest loyalty. Being in my mid-20s, I had not a care in the world. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) and I would jet off for long weekends, flying two-for-one on every single vacation we took. It definitely was a jump start to my traveling lifestyle.
Fast forward 15 years and I still have that exact same love for Southwest — specifically due to the Companion Pass. While I’ve let the pass lapse for a few months here and there, I can proudly say that I’ve been a Companion Pass member for 15 years. Now, with two kids, it still allows my husband or one of my kids to fly with me for free anytime we embark on a Southwest flight. Truth be told, it has changed the way I’ve traveled — for the better — for the past 15 years.
For those of you who are unaware of the pass, it ultimately allows a friend or family member to fly with you for free (plus taxes and fees) an unlimited number of times during the life of the pass. Yes, you read that right: There’s no cap on the number of times you can use the pass throughout the year! And best of all, there are no blackout dates or any other restrictions. As long as there’s at least one seat for sale, you can add your companion onto the flight.
While I haven’t actually documented my true savings, I do know that it has saved me well over $10,000 over the years. The pass has taken my family to destinations such as Washington, D.C.; Orlando; Ft. Lauderdale; Tampa; Fort Myers; Jacksonville; New Orleans; Chicago; Denver; Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco; and even Cancun, Aruba, Punta Cana, Nassau and Costa Rica. The pass can be used wherever Southwest flies, even Hawaii.
So, how have I earned the pass for the past 15 years — and more importantly, how can you earn it now yourself? Keep on reading to learn more about how the pass can save you a ton of money on your travels as well.
How I earn the Southwest Companion Pass year after year
People often ask me how I earn the pass year after year, and truthfully, I don’t have a quick answer.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve earned the pass many different ways — which typically doesn’t include actually paying for a Southwest flight. In the early days, I used to earn the pass from a combination of crediting hotel stays and car rentals to Southwest and transferring partner points to Southwest. There were also many promotions to help me along the way.
Unfortunately, many of those methods are no longer eligible, most notably transferring points to Southwest. Thankfully, there are still a few ways I’ve earned the pass that are still valid today.
These days, I’ve continued to earn the pass by using the Southwest shopping portal, Southwest credit card welcome bonuses and regular credit card spend on the card.
Southwest credit card welcome bonuses are some of the easiest ways to earn the pass. However, with certain application restrictions imposed by Chase, this method won’t work every year.
But by being creative, taking advantage of promotions and ensuring I am on top of the credit card application rules, I’ve been able to figure out a way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass quite often.
How you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass credit card offers
As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways to earn the Southwest Companion Pass is through the welcome bonuses offered on the Southwest credit cards. And with many credit card options earning the pass is easier than ever.
With the current offer on the three Southwest personal credit cards, earning the pass is easier than ever. This is because right now, after meeting the minimum spend requirement for each card, you’ll be about one-third of the way there.
That is because all three cards currently come with the opportunity to earn 50,000 bonus after spending $1,000 on the card within the first 3 months. You can then earn the rest of the points with regular credit card spend, using Southwest’s shopping portal or participating in partner offers.
But if you want to earn the pass for 2025 and 2026 — which is what we suggest — you’ll want to wait until January 1st to meet the minimum spend requirement. This will ensure that your points count towards the 2025 qualifying year. This is because the pass is valid for the remainder of the year it’s earned, plus the entire following year — giving you almost two years with the pass
Additional Southwest credit card options to earning the pass
Although Chase doesn’t allow you to have two personal Southwest credit cards open at a time, you are allowed to have both a personal and business credit card (or even multiple business cards). This comes in handy if you’re not going to be able to earn the additional qualifying points required after earning the welcome bonus offer. By applying for both a personal and business card, there’s the possibility to cross the threshold automatically, without any additional spend needed. Just make sure that the welcome bonus for each card hits in the same calendar year as qualifying points don’t transfer over to the following year.
And with many Southwest credit card options, applying for multiple cards is quite easy. The current cards include:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
With the current welcome offers, flying two-for-one on the Southwest Companion Pass couldn’t be easier. And the credit card welcome bonus options are some of my favorite — and easiest — ways to earn the pass. Over the past few years, I’ve used credit card welcome offers to earn the pass for 2012 and 2013, 2017 and 2018, and then again for 2020 and 2021.
But welcome offers come and go, and you never know what offers we’ll see over the next year. So, if you’re looking to fly Southwest over the next year, then applying for a card — or two — can put you in the direction of many free flights. And there’s nothing I love better than traveling for free.
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