The coveted Southwest Companion Pass lets you bring a companion on any Southwest flight, whether booked with cash or points, for just the cost of taxes and fees. Companion Pass holders can also switch their designated companion up to three times per calendar year, making the pass incredibly flexible.
To earn Companion Pass, you need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or accumulate 135,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar year. As a Southwest cardholder that requirement is dropped to 125,000, and even better, points earned through credit cards and their welcome bonuses count.
Here are the current offers for Southwest cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: 50k points after spending $1k in 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: $400 + 40k points after spending $1k in 4 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: $400 + 40k points after spending $1k in 4 months.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: 60k points after spending $3k in 3 months.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: 80k points after spending $5k in 3 months.
Tip to Extend the Companion Pass for 2 Years
When you earn Companion Pass, you get it for the remainder of that year and the following year, so timing is absolutely crucial. The goal is to earn your Companion Pass in early in the year, so you have it for that entire year AND the next year. Now points and welcome bonuses post when the statement closes, so my strategy is to wait to hit any spending requirements for a welcome bonus until I'm spending on a statement that closes in January.
For example, if your statement closes on the 7th of the month, you'd want to avoid spending enough to trigger the welcome bonus until after December 7th, so your spending is all on the statement that closes January 7th. If you're approved for the card sometime in mid-to-late September and end up with a statement closing date towards the end of the month, you can request a new closing date towards the beginning of the month, which should give you a window to meet your minimum spend for the welcome bonus within the 3 month requirement that still falls during a statement window that won't close until January. That said, if you hold off on getting the card until a few days into October, it'd be much easier.
Quick Reminder: The Chase 5/24 Rule
Before applying, remember Chase’s "5/24 Rule," which limits approvals if you’ve opened 5 or more personal credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months. Most business cards (including Southwest's) don't count, but certain business cards from TD Bank, Discover, and Capital One do count toward this 5/24 limit.
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