Insider's experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Associated Press
- 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 2024.
- 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 135,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar year
- Fly 100 eligible one-way flights in a calendar year
But here's a nice little trick: The points you'll earn from Southwest credit card bonuses and spending count toward earning the Companion Pass — so opening a card and earning the bonus is an easy way to achieve a big part of the requirement.
And now is one of the the best times to open a Southwest credit card if you're focused on earning a Companion Pass. Here's why.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Open a new Chase Southwest card to earn the Companion Pass
Until March 13, 2023, you can earn a promotional Companion Pass as part of the welcome bonus offer on three Southwest credit cards:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
The Companion Pass that comes with this offer isn't valid for as long as a traditional Companion Pass. But the points you earn with the card can be applied to earning the Companion Pass the regular way.
If you decide to earn the Companion Pass the usual way, it's 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 through December 31, 2024 (nearly two years).
You can earn some of the points required for a Companion Pass by opening one of the three personal Southwest credit cards. While all three personal Southwest cards have the same welcome bonus offer, their main differences remain between their annual fees and account anniversary bonuses.
| |||
Annual fee | |||
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 | |||
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 |
In general, the best Southwest card for you depends on how often you plan to fly on Southwest Airlines. If you fly often, the
How to earn the remaining points you need for the Companion Pass
Southwest credit cards offer an annual 10,000-mile bost towards earning the Companion Pass. These points are not redeemable — they effectively just lower the points requirement you must earn for a Companion Pass by 10,000 (from 135,000 points to 125,000 points).
If you open a Southwest personal card, you'll have at least 34,000 points after meeting minimum spending requirements. With the 10,000-point boost, you'll be 91,000 points short of earning a regular 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 in addition to a personal credit card bonus.
The path of least resistance is through opening a Southwest small-business card. By earning a personal and small business card bonus, you'll be closer to qualifying for the Companion Pass. Here are the current offers on Southwest business cards:
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card —Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card —Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
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 running some sort of business, you have a chance of being approved.
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
If you open a Southwest card in 2023, be sure to meet the minimum spending requirements as soon as you can; that way, you'll be closer to earning the Companion Pass early in the year.
What is the Companion Pass worth?
Southwest is largely a domestic airline, but it serves 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.
Once you've successfully earned the 125,000 points necessary to qualify for the Companion Pass (again, the qualification is 135,000 points, but Southwest cardholders will get a 10,000-mile boost), you'll have enough points for 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.
What to know about timing the Southwest Companion Pass
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.