Southwest Airlines Companion Pass

Southwest Airlines has typically been one of the higher rated US airlines, and now that JetBlue has announced they will start charging for checked baggage, that leaves Southwest as the only major US airline to let your “bags fly free.”  However, one of the greatest – and often unannounced – perks of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program is its Companion Pass.  In short, the Companion Pass allows you to book a flight for you and a designated companion for the price of one ticket…the companion flies free.  Sounds great, but it’s probably pretty hard to get, right?  Actually, it’s not…

How to Qualify for Companion Pass Status

Within a calendar year (Jan 1-Dec 31), either fly 100 one-way qualifying flights OR earn 110,000 qualifying points.  Pretty straightforward. When breaking down the numbers, 100 one-way flights is the equivalent of flying about 1 round trip flight per week.  This may be attainable for business travelers, but for most people, the easiest way to qualify for the Companion Pass is by earning the points.  Here’s a quick way to do just that…

Southwest Credit Card Strategy

Southwest currently has 3 types of credit cards, all offered by Chase bank:

1. Southwest Premier Card
2. Southwest Plus Card
3. Southwest Premier Business Card

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to ignore the Business Card (as most people will not be able to apply for this one) and focus on the first 2 personal credit cards.  Typically, both the Premier and Plus cards come with a 25,000 point bonus after meeting a minimum spend amount.  However, sometimes that offer jumps to 50,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening.  When that happens, GET ON IT!  Those 50,000 points count towards the 110,000 qualifying points, as does the $2,000 minimum spend (1 point per $1 spent = 2,000 points), so with 1 credit card you’re looking at 52,000 points, and with 2 credit cards you’re looking at 104,000 points right off the bat!!  You can apply and be approved for both cards, and Chase allows you to earn the bonus points on BOTH cards.

Earning the remaining 6,000 points can be done rather quickly with the right strategy.  Using your credit card(s) to pay for all utilities, groceries, and gas is a great way to rack up points quickly.  You can even pay your mortgage online with a credit card using the website Charge Smart.  In addition, if you’re planning on flying Southwest, using your card to book a ticket will get you double points, so a $400 ticket will get you 800 points.  The key is to use the card for things you’d be paying for anyway.

Benefits/Terms of the Companion Pass

There really isn’t a long list of benefits that comes with the Companion Pass.  The biggest thing is that a Companion Pass allows a companion of your choosing to fly free with you anywhere that Southwest flies (including to Latin America and the Caribbean), which can potentially save you thousands of dollars, especially if you earn the Companion Pass early in the calendar year.  Here are a couple important things to keep in mind about the Companion Pass:

1. Once you have earned the 110,000 points, the Companion Pass becomes active immediately.  The great thing is that the pass is valid not only for the rest of that calendar year, but also for the entire following calendar year.  In other words, if you earn your pass in August, you get the pass for the rest of that year plus the entire next year.  Obviously, the earlier in the calendar year you earn your pass, the more time you’ll have to use it, potentially saving you even more money.
2. You can designate your companion 2 ways: by phone at 1-800-435-9792, or online under “My Rapid Rewards” -> “Companion Pass Qualification” -> “Setup Now”
3. A Companion Pass can be changed up to 3 times for as long as the pass is valid (may take up to 21 days to process).
4. Your designated companion cannot use the pass without you.  You must accompany the companion.
5. No blackout dates or seat restrictions.

With Southwest’s acquisition of AirTran now complete, Southwest not only gained international destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they have forged their way into domestic markets they were previously shut out from, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington-Reagan.  And with this in mind, the Companion Pass becomes even more desirable.  The best part is, it is easily attainable.