How to earn one Southwest Companion pass
Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
How to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass Again and Again: A Simple, Repeatable Strategy
Are you a mom dreaming of traveling more with your family without the huge cost of airfare? The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best tools out there to make travel with your family more affordable. With it, you can bring a family member along on flights for nearly free (just pay taxes and fees), and even better—you can use this strategy to earn one pass and set yourself up to earn it again and again!
If you have a big family and would prefer 2 passes, you will want to reference this post. For one pass, you are in the right place! I’ll walk you through how to earn one Southwest Companion Pass by strategically using credit card bonuses, and I’ll explain how this method works under Southwest’s current time limits, so you can keep enjoying Companion Pass benefits year after year.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is a game-changer for families who want to travel without blowing their budget. Once you earn it, you can designate a companion (spouse, child, friend) to fly with you for just the cost of taxes and fees. This perk lasts for the remainder of the year in which you earn it, plus the entire following year.
To earn the Companion Pass, you need to accumulate 135,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. Fortunately, you don’t have to fly to rack up these points—credit card sign-up bonuses are the fastest way to get there.
Why Focus on Earning One Pass?
For many families, earning one pass is all they need to drastically cut travel costs. If you’re hoping to earn TWO passes, check out this post. This method is to earn ONE Companion Pass, and even allows you to do it repeatedly over time.
Step-by-Step Guide to Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
Step 1: Apply for a Southwest Personal Credit Card
Start by applying for this card:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Annual Fee: annual_fees
- Points Earned from Spend: In addition to the welcome offer, you will earn all the points from your spend as well.
IMPORTANT: Do not hit your minimum spend on this card until AFTER January 1st. Spend only what you need to be able to hit the minimum spend within the first week or two of January. I recommend having at least $750 left if possible, there have been reports of Southwest awarding points early if you come too close. If you hit your minimum spend too early, the points will post in the wrong year and will reset on January 1. AFTER January 1, you are well on your way to the 135,000 points needed for the Companion Pass.
Step 2: Apply for a Southwest Business Credit Card
You can switch the order of card appllications if you'd like in this scenario, but you will need to apply for both cards. If you have a side hustle, freelancing income, or even a small business (yes, that includes things like selling on Etsy!), you might qualify for a business card. If you’re wondering how to apply for a business card when it’s a side hustle, you can find instructions here.
Here's the card:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
- Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Annual Fee: annual_fees
IMPORTANT: Do not hit your minimum spend on this card until AFTER January 1st. Spend only what you need to be able to hit the minimum spend within the first week or two of January. If you hit your minimum spend too early, the points will post in the wrong year and will reset on January 1.
By combining the personal and business cards, you’ll have earned 120,000 points, plus an additional 8k from your spending. That puts you at 128k points. Each Southwest Rapid Rewards® member receives a single annual boost of 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points, regardless of the number of Southwest credit cards they hold. This means that even if you have multiple Southwest credit cards, you will receive only one 10,000-point boost per calendar year.
So- 128k points from your welcome bonuses and spending, plus 10k boost in January= 138k points and a companion pass 🥳
Timing is Key: Why This Strategy Works Repeatedly
Here’s where it gets even better: under the current terms, this strategy can be repeated every couple of years to keep your Companion Pass benefits rolling.
Southwest personal credit cards fall under Chase’s 5/24 rule, meaning you can only be approved for five new credit cards within a 24-month period. Additionally, you can’t earn another welcome bonus on a Southwest personal card if you’ve earned a bonus in the past 24 months. However, business cards don’t count toward your 5/24 status, which opens up flexibility for earning the pass in the future.
Here’s how to time it:
- Late 2024: Apply for both the personal and business Southwest cards. With 3 months to hit your minimum spend, I like to shoot for around October 10 to apply for the first card, and the second 30 days later to protect my credit score.
- January 2025: Finish your spending on both cards, so the points post in early 2025.
- Rest of 2025 and 2026: Enjoy your Companion Pass for nearly two full years.
- Late 2026: Once 24 months have passed since you earned the bonus on your personal card, you can apply for another personal Southwest card and a different business card, repeating the process.
- Late 2024: Apply for both the personal and business Southwest cards. With 3 months to hit your minimum spend, I like to shoot for around October 10 to apply for the first card, and the second 30 days later to protect my credit score.
- January 2025: Finish your spending on both cards, so the points post in early 2025.
- Rest of 2025 and 2026: Enjoy your Companion Pass for nearly two full years.
- Late 2026: Once 24 months have passed since you earned the bonus on your personal card, you can apply for another personal Southwest card and a different business card, repeating the process.
By carefully timing your applications and taking advantage of Southwest’s sign-up bonuses every two years, you’ll be able to earn a new Companion Pass every two years without ever missing out on free flights!
Sample Schedule for visual learners:
Here’s a sample schedule to help guide you:
Final Thoughts
Following these steps with the right timing will allow you to earn the Southwest Companion Pass repeatedly, making family travel significantly more affordable. It’s one of the best rewards programs for families, and with careful planning, you’ll keep benefiting from it for years to come.
Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Ready to Earn Your Southwest Companion Pass?
Here's the cards you need. For one pass, you'll need ONE of these cards:
Southwest Personal Cards:
And ONE of these cards:
Southwest Business Cards:
Getting started is easy. With the right timing and the right combination of credit cards, you’ll be flying nearly free in no time. And once you’ve earned the Companion Pass, you can set yourself up to keep earning it year after year.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
