How To Earn the Southwest Companion Pass With Credit Cards [2024]

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If I told you that you could get a 2-for-1 deal on flights for almost 2 full years, you’d be over the moon excited, right?! Well, you can with the Southwest Companion Pass — and now is the best time to start thinking about it.

In this post, I’ll explain what the Southwest Companion Pass is and, most importantly, how to get it. The cool part is you don’t have to fly a bunch on Southwest to earn it…you can actually get it with just 2 credit card sign-up bonuses!

What Is The Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel! With this pass, you can bring a companion with you on any Southwest flight, and you’ll only pay the taxes and fees ($5.60 one way for a domestic flight).

This isn’t a one-time deal, either. Depending on when you earn the Companion Pass, you can bring a guest with you for up to 2 years!

I’ve had a Companion Pass since 2017 and have saved thousands of dollars on Southwest flights over the years.

My 2017 Travel Plans...And Why I Love The Southwest Companion Pass
Southwest used to send out physical cards even though you didn’t actually need it to fly.

How Do I Get A Southwest Companion Pass?

To earn a Southwest Companion Pass, you’ll need to earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but I will show you some easy ways to earn enough points for a Companion Pass without flying 100 one-way flights.

Here’s one of the best parts — once you earn enough points for the Companion Pass, you can still use those points for flights — you don’t have to use them to “purchase” the Pass.

Once you earn the pass, it will be valid for the remaining calendar year and the entire next year. That means if you earn the Companion Pass in January 2024, it would be good through December 31, 2025!

While Southwest Companion Pass is considered a status level, it doesn’t come with any A-List or A-List Preferred perks. Image Credit: Southwest

How To Earn Enough Points For A Companion Pass

Here are the types of points that will count toward your Companion Pass:

  • Points earned from Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards (including sign-on bonuses)
  • Points earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest Airlines
  • Base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners
  • Points earned from the Rapid Rewards shopping and dining portals

These points do not count toward the Companion Pass:

  • Purchased points
  • Transferred points (from other members, hotel/car partners, or Chase Ultimate Rewards)
  • Points earned from e-Rewards and Diners Club
  • Tier bonus points
  • Flight bonus points
  • Partner bonus points

Southwest Shopping Portal

Using the Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal is an easy way to earn more points that will count toward your Companion Pass. Just click through the portal before you do your online shopping, and you’ll earn points that will get you one step closer to the Companion Pass. Only base points earned through the shopping portal will count.

Southwest Dining Program

Earn points for your Southwest Companion Pass by going out to eat. When you sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program, you’ll register your credit card. When you use that card to dine out at select restaurants, you’ll earn points that count toward Companion Pass Qualification.

Credit Card Referrals

If you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, you can also earn points for referring your friends and family to get a card. Currently, the referral bonus is 20,000 points for each friend who is approved for a Southwest credit card through your link.

To access your credit card referral link, log into your account, click on the 3 lines icon in the upper left-hand corner, then click on Just for You.

Pro Tip: You can earn up to 100,000 Rapid Rewards points through credit card referrals!

Southwest credit card referral links
Image Credit: Southwest

Book a Southwest Partner Hotel

You’ll earn Companion Pass qualifying points by booking a hotel through SouthwestHotels.com.

Book a Car Rental Through Southwest

Earn qualifying points by booking your car rental through Southwest.com.

Pro Tip: You can add a companion to any Southwest flight, including award flights.

How To Earn A Southwest Companion Pass With Credit Cards

The easiest and quickest way to earn a Southwest Companion Pass is through Southwest co-branded credit cards. That’s because the sign-up bonus you can earn on these cards will count toward your Companion Pass qualification. Any other points you earn from a Southwest credit card will also qualify.

You can earn enough points for a Southwest Companion Pass with just 2 credit card sign-up bonuses.

Southwest has 5 co-branded credit cards available — 3 personal and 2 business cards.

You can’t have 2 personal Southwest credit cards simultaneously, but you can have 1 personal and 1 business card. Remember that you don’t have to have a large business to qualify for a business credit card. Something as simple as re-selling items on eBay or selling a craft at a local market can qualify as a business.

Here’s a timeline of how to earn the Southwest Companion Pass with credit cards:

  1. Apply for a Southwest business credit card
  2. Meet the minimum spending requirements to earn the sign-up bonus
  3. Apply for a Southwest personal credit card
  4. Meet the minimum spending requirements to earn the sign-up bonus
  5. Earn the Southwest Companion Pass!

If you have lots of expenses, you can apply for a personal card before you are finished with the minimum spending requirement on the business card. Just ensure you can pay your bill in full and on time. If you run a balance on your card, any benefits you get from bonus points or a Companion Pass will be negated by finance charges and ruined credit.

Credit Card Application Timing

The timing of your credit card applications is important if you want to maximize the time you hold the Companion Pass. Once you earn it, it’s good for the rest of the year plus the following calendar year. So, the best time to earn it is at the beginning of the year.

Current Southwest Credit Card Bonuses

Here are the current Southwest credit cards, along with their sign-up bonuses.

Personal Southwest Credit Cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card Earn 50,000 Southwest points!

  • Earn 2x points on Southwest purchases
  • Earn 2x points on local transit/commuting and internet/cable/phone/streaming
  • 3,000 yearly bonus points
  • $69 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card – Earn 50,000 Southwest points!

  • Earn 3x points on Southwest purchases
  • Earn 2x points on local transit/commuting and internet/cable/phone/streaming
  • 6,000 yearly bonus points
  • 2 Early Bird Check-Ins each year
  • $99 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card – Earn 50,000 Southwest points!

  • Earn 3x points on Southwest purchases
  • Earn 2x points on local transit/commuting and internet/cable/phone/streaming
  • 7,500 yearly bonus points
  • $75 annual Southwest credit
  • 4 upgraded boardings per year
  • $149 annual fee

Southwest Business Credit Cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card – Earn 80,000 Southwest Points!

  • Earn 3x points on Southwest purchases
  • Earn 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
  • Earn 2x points on local transit/commuting
  • 6,000 yearly bonus points
  • 2 Early Bird Check-Ins each year
  • $99 annual fee

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card – Earn 80,000 Southwest Points!

  • Earn 4x points on Southwest purchases
  • Earn 3x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
  • Earn 2x points on local transit/commuting
  • Earn 2x on social media/search engine advertising and cable/internet/phone
  • 9,000 yearly bonus points
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit
  • $199 annual fee

Track Your Progress Toward Companion Pass

You can easily track your progress toward the Southwest Companion Pass by logging into your Rapid Rewards account and clicking on My Account. You’ll see a quick snapshot of your qualifying flights and qualifying points. You only need to hit one of those goals, not both, to earn the Companion Pass.

Companion Pass account snapshot
Image Credit: Southwest

If you want to see what points qualify, scroll down on the My Account Page and click on See all points activity. Then, you can sort the list of your points by Companion Pass Qualifying Points to see exactly which points are helping you get closer to your goal.

Companion Pass Qualifying Points activity
Image Credit: Southwest

Where Can You Go With The Southwest Companion Pass?

You can use the Southwest Companion Pass to fly anywhere that Southwest flies to — including international destinations and even Hawaii.

Over the years, I’ve flown all over the country and to Grand Cayman, Cancun, Punta Cana, and Costa Rica twice using my Companion Pass.

Southwest route map
You can use the Companion Pass to fly anywhere Southwest goes. Image Credit: Southwest

Final Thoughts

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the single biggest tricks I’ve used over the years to save a ton of money on flights. It allows you to bring a companion with you for only the cost of taxes and fees on any flight for up to 2 years.

After earning at least 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, you’ll earn a Companion Pass. Once you earn the pass, it’s valid for the remainder of the year and the entire following calendar year.

The best time to apply for your Southwest credit cards is early 2024 — then you’ll earn the Southwest Companion Pass through the end of 2025. Save

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Shannon

    Does this mean that you have to spend the $2,000 by October 4 as well or just sign up by then and spend it in the next 3 months?

    1. Katie @ ZenLifeandTravel

      You have to apply by Oct 4 and do the minimum spend within 3 months of the date you apply (in this scenario you would want to get the spend done asap). To get the Companion pass, you would need to hit the minimum spend on 2 cards before your statement closes in mid December. The bonus points need to post in the same calendar year to trigger the companion pass.

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