The Southwest Companion pass can effectively double the value of your Southwest points.
Associated Press
This post contains links to products from our advertisers, and we may be compensated when you click on these links. Our recommendations and advice are ours alone, and have not been reviewed by any issuers listed. Terms apply to offers listed on this page. Read our editorial standards.
The points you earn from Southwest credit cards qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass.
The welcome bonuses can make it easier to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
If you time it right, your companion can fly with you for (nearly) free through the end of the next year.
Read Insider’s guide to the best airline credit cards.
If you like flying Southwest, or if you’re simply a fan of excellent travel deals, you’ve probably heard of the Southwest Companion Pass. With it, you can bring a travel buddy with you on any paid or award flight for only the cost of taxes and fees.
You can earn it one of two ways:
Accrue 125,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar yearFly 100 eligible one-way flights in a calendar year
This makes the welcome offers on the Southwest credit cards even more compelling. For example, with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, you can earn Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Southwest points
The points from the bonus and from spending on these cards count toward earning the Companion Pass, so opening a card and earning the bonus is an easy way to achieve some of the requirement.
The year in which your qualifying Southwest Companion Pass points post to your account is the year for which they will count towards the Companion Pass. For example, if you open the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card in December 2022 and meet the spending requirement in January 2023, your points will post in 2023 — and therefore count toward a 2023 Companion Pass.
Open a new Chase Southwest card to earn the Companion Pass
It’s worth the extra effort to earn the Companion Pass early in the year. That’s because the Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earn it as well as the entire following year. For example, if you earn the Companion Pass in early 2023, it will be valid for nearly two years (through December 31, 2024).
In either case, you can earn some of the points required from one of the three personal Southwest credit cards. While all three Southwest cards received a benefits refresh, their main differences remain between their annual fees and account anniversary bonuses.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Annual fee
$99
$69
$149
Rewards rate
3x points on Southwest purchases
2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
1x point per dollar on everything else
2x points on Southwest purchases
2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
1x point per dollar on everything else
3x points on Southwest purchases
2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
1x point per dollar on everything else
Welcome bonus
80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months)
80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months)
80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months)
Southwest benefits
6,000 points on your card anniversary
Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status
Two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
25% back on inflight drinks and Wi-Fi
3,000 points on your card anniversary
Two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
25% back on inflight drinks and Wi-Fi
7,500 points on your card anniversary
Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status
$75 annual Southwest travel credit
4 upgraded boardings per year when available
25% back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi
Review
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card review
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card review
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card review
In general, the best Southwest card for you depends on how often you plan to fly on Southwest Airlines. If you fly often, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card comes loaded with benefits like a yearly $75 travel credit on Southwest and priority boarding when available. If you’re a light or casual flyer, you’ll do fine with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card instead.
How to earn the remaining points you need for the Companion Pass
If you earn the full bonus on a Southwest personal card, you’ll make quite a dent in the points you’ll need, but without any other earning you’ll still be shy of the Southwest Companion Pass.
To earn the remaining points, there are a few strategies:
Use the Southwest card for your everyday spending and all other bills and expenses — and boost your earning even more by making online purchases through the Southwest shopping portal.Fly Southwest, where you’ll earn between 6 and 12 points per dollar, depending on the fare type.Open a Southwest small-business credit card and earn its bonus.
The path of least resistance is through opening a Southwest small-business card. By earning a bonus on both a personal and a small business card, you’ll have nearly enough points to qualify for the Companion Pass. The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card offers Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. And the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Read more: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business credit card review
Note: You can’t open an additional Southwest personal card, as Chase will not allow you to hold more than one at a time. You can, however, hold both a personal and a small business Southwest card simultaneously.
You can qualify for business credit cards even if you’re a freelancer or run a small operation (think Uber or DoorDash driver). As long as you’re in business to make a profit, you have a chance of being approved.
What is the Companion Pass worth?
Southwest is largely a domestic airline, but they serve many fun destinations like Mexico, Aruba, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Costa Rica, etc. The value you’ll get from the Southwest Companion Pass depends entirely on how often you and your travel companion fly Southwest. You could easily save many thousands of dollars with this perk.
In general, Southwest points are worth roughly 1.4 cents each toward flights, based on Insider’s current points and miles valuations. But the Companion Pass can effectively double the value of your points.
Read more: I earned 2 Southwest Companion Passes for my family this year without even traveling
Once you’ve successfully earned the 125,000 points necessary to qualify for the Companion Pass, you and your travel partner will have points worth at least $1,750 in Southwest flights (125,000 points x 1.4 cents each). The Companion Pass allows you to bring along another person for just the cost of taxes and fees, meaning you could potentially get $3,500 in flights ($1,750 x 2) from this bonus.
Bottom line
All of the Southwest credit cards give you the opportunity to earn points that can help you achieve the Southwest Companion Pass. By earning it as early in the year as possible, you can maximize the amount of time you can use it.