Southwest Companion Pass: Free Travel for Your Bestie on Every Flight Through 2025 With A Single Card Sign-Up (2024)

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews.

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

• The Southwest Companion Passallows you to bring your bestie on every flight for as little as $5.60.

• Passholders can book a travel companion ticket on any flight they take, and just pay taxes and fees.
• Earn the pass by signing up for a single credit card by September 16, and earning the welcome bonus.
• Read Business Insider's guide to the best travel credit cards to learn more creative ways to travel.

Introduction to the Southwest Companion Pass

Traveling can be a great adventure, but it's even better with a friend or loved one. Southwest offers an incredible perk called the Companion Pass, arguably one of the most valuable benefits in the travel industry. This benefit allows you to fly a buddy with you on any flight you take — with a few caveats and exceptions, of course.

Here's everything you need to know about getting and using the Southwest Companion Pass, including the best strategies to keep it for as long as possible.

What is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to choose one person to fly with you on both paid and award tickets for just the cost of taxes and fees, for up to two years (provided your timing is right). To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you must accrue 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 eligible (paid) one-way flights in a calendar year.

But here's a nice little trick: Points earned from Southwest credit card welcome bonuses and spending count toward the Companion Pass, so opening a new card and earning the welcome offer is an easy way to achieve a big part of the requirement.

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to book a designated friend or family member on the same flight you take without needing to pay any cash or points, as long as there's an available seat on the plane. You will be responsible for paying airfare taxes and fees, which typically come to $5.60 on a one-way domestic flight.

Qualification criteria for the Southwest Companion Pass

To qualify for the Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or fly 100 one-way flights per calendar year on Southwest Airlines, which must be earned and posted to your Rapid Rewards account.

However, if you hold a Southwest credit card, you'll receive a "boost" of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year. You won't actually receive 10,000 redeemable points — this benefit effectively reduces the number of points you must collect to 125,000. You'll only receive one boost yearly, even if you have multiple Southwest cards.

You can earn qualifying points by:

• Booking flights
• Earning points issued on Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
• Earning points from Rapid Rewards partners

You won't earn qualifying points for the following:

• Purchased points
• Points transferred between Rapid Rewards members
• Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs
• Points converted from e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club
• Points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment
• Tier bonus points
• Flight bonus points
• Partner bonus points

Maximizing the value of the Southwest Companion Pass

If you want to maximize the time you hold the Companion Pass, you need to plan out the timing just right. If you're going through the work of getting a pass, then you should maximize the amount of time you have to use it.

As soon as you earn the pass, it will be valid through the rest of that calendar year and the following year. For example, if you earn the Companion Pass in 2024, it will expire at the end of December 2025. That means:

• If you earn the required number of points in November 2024, you will only be able to use the Companion Pass through December 2025 — just a little over a year.
• But if you earn the Companion Pass in June 2024, you can use it through December 2025 — nearly two years of nearly-free travel.

The year in which your qualifying Southwest Companion Pass points are posted to your account is the year for which they will count toward the Companion Pass.

With this in mind, the best time to start planning to get the Companion Pass is toward the end of a calendar year, or very early in the new year.

Earn the Southwest Companion Pass with Credit Cards

Earning the Companion Pass by flying thousands of miles is doing it the hard way. You can earn the required number of points more easily by opening and spending on Southwest credit cards, since their welcome bonus offers and points earned from spending count toward the qualifying points you need.

Southwest consumer credit cards

All three of the personal Southwest credit cards offer generous welcome bonuses of 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Southwest business credit cards

You can easily earn the Companion Pass by earning a bonus from one of these personal cards and one from a Southwest business credit card, plus the points you'll earn from spending enough to meet both bonuses.

Here's what the two Southwest business cards currently offer:

• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card — 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card — 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

How to earn the remaining points you need for the Companion Pass

If you only open one Southwest card, you'll usually be short on the number of points you need for earning a 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 earnings 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
• Book hotels through Southwest Hotels (in partnership with Booking.com)
• Rent a car through Southwest Book a Car
• Sign-up for Rapid Rewards Dining and eat out at participating restaurants

Compare Southwest personal credit cards

Each credit card comes with different perks and annual fees.Here's what you should know about each personal card.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the lowest-tier card in this Southwest family, with an annual fee of $69.

Infrequent Southwest flyers get great benefits on this entry-level card:

• 2x on Southwest purchases
• 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2x on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
• 1x on everything else

You'll also get 3,000 points on your card anniversary, two EarlyBird Check-Ins each year, 25% back on inflight drinks and Wi-Fi purchases, and a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per calendar year.

Learn more about this card in our Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card review.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is the middle child of the credit card family, with a good range of benefits to offset the $99 annual fee.

Premier cardholders earn rewards at the following rates:

• 3x on Southwest purchases
• 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
• 2x on Internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
• 1x on everything else

You earn 6,000 Rapid Rewards points each year when you renew the card, and get two complimentary EarlyBird check-in credits each year. You'll also earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend with no limits, as well as 25% back on inflight purchases. Finally, you'll also receive a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points every year, which gives you a head start on earning your next Companion Pass.

Learn more about this card in our Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier credit card review.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is Southwest's top-tier consumer credit card, and a great option for frequent Southwest travelers to keep in their wallet.

The earning rates on the Priority card mirror those of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. Priority cardholders earn:

• 3x on Southwest purchases
• 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2x on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
• 1 point per dollar on everything else

You'll also receive 7,500 Rapid Rewards points on your card anniversary, earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status when you spend money on this card, and receive a $75 annual Southwest travel credit as well as four upgraded boardings per year when available.

The Priority card also gives you 25% back on inflight drinks and WiFi, and a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year.

Learn more about this card in our Southwest Priority Card review.

Southwest business credit cards

Both of Southwest's business credit cards offer great value for a reasonable annual fee.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

The Southwest Performance Business card is a heavy hitter for frequent Southwest travelers, especially if you often purchase WiFi during your flights. This card currently offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,120 based on Business Insider's valuations.

This card has the highest annual fee out of all Southwest credit cards, at $199. In exchange, you get a slew of benefits that are worth significantly more than what you pay, assuming you can utilize most of them.

You'll earn Rapid Rewards points at the following rates:

• 4x on Southwest purchases
• 3x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners
• 2x on rideshare
• 2x on social media and search engine advertising
• 2x on internet, cable, and phone services
• 1 point per dollar on everything else

You get 365 inflight WiFi credits with the Southwest Performance card. This is one of the most unique (and generous) perks for inflight WiFi across all airlines and credit cards. You'll still earn rewards for each $8 WiFi purchase, but receive it back in the form of a statement credit on your next bill. And the high number of annual WiFi credits available means that you can connect your cellphone, iPad, and laptop on every flight (if you so desire) without ever running out of credits.

You'll also earn 9,000 Rapid Rewards points each year on your card renewal anniversary; 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status for every $5,000 spent on the card;$100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit; four complimentary upgraded boardings per year when available; and a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year.

Read more about this card in our Southwest Performance Business card review.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is a strong choice for business travelers who occasionally fly on this airline, especially if you can make use of the welcome bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

For a $99, you'll get many of the same benefits as the Performance card with slightly lower earning rates:

• 3x on Southwest purchases
• 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners
• 2x on rideshares
• 1 per dollar on everything else

Cardholders get two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year, 25% back on inflight purchases, 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status for every $5,000 spent on the card, and a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year. They also receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards points each year on their card renewal anniversary.

Read more in our Southwest Premier Business card review.

Booking flights with the Southwest Companion Pass

As a Companion Pass holder, you can book your flight to your desired destination using cash or points. Once your flight is confirmed, you can add your companion for the same flight online, through the Southwest mobile app, or by calling Southwest customer service.

There's no limit to how often you can use the Companion Pass — as long as you're flying and there's at least one spare seat on the plane, you can book it for your travel buddy.

How to designate your Southwest companion

Once you earn the Companion Pass, you can designate your travel companion in the Southwest system. The good news is that you can change to a different companion up to three times per calendar year for a total of four separate companions if you so choose. This means that you can bring along different friends for different trips if you plan your strategy correctly.

Before you start scouring the Southwest site for your next bestie adventure, you must first register your designated companion on your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.

To do so, log into your Rapid Rewards account at Southwest and click Choose Your Companion under the Snapshot tab. Enter all of the requested information about your companion until the process is complete. A Companion Pass member kit and membership card will arrive within 10 business days.

You don't need to wait for your Companion Pass member kit to arrive in the mail before you start booking tickets. In fact, you don't really need the pass itself at all; you can add a companion to any flight you've already booked for yourself directly through the app or the website, and they will receive a confirmation number and boarding pass just like any other passenger.

Add your companion to a reservation

Once your own flight is booked, visit the My Trips section of your account. Find your flight in the section titled "Upcoming" and click on the "Add Companion" link. Here, click "Continue" to proceed to the next step where you can purchase your companion fare and review the information. Once you hit the "Purchase" button to complete your booking reservation, you're all set.

You can also book via phone and notify the customer service representative that you will be using a Companion Pass.

How to change your designated companion

You cannot switch your companion online yourself; instead, you need to speak with Southwest directly at 800-435-9792. The process is straightforward: A customer representative will take the information about your new designated companion and make the switch.

You cannot book new travel with your next companion until all travel with your current companion is complete. For example, if you're traveling to New York with your sister in August, but want to fly to Los Angeles with your spouse in September, you cannot add your spouse as your companion until your trip in August is completed.

If you use points and need to cancel for any reason, all of your points will be restored to your account.

What is the Southwest Companion Pass worth?

Southwest is largely a domestic and Caribbean airline, but it also serves many popular destinations such as Mexico, Aruba, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Costa Rica. 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 tens of thousands of dollars with this perk.

Southwest points are worth 1.4 cents each toward flights, on average, based on Business 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 additional points necessary to qualify for the Companion Pass (again, the qualification is 135,000 points, but Southwest cardholders 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) just from the points you earned to qualify for the pass.

Southwest Companion Pass frequently asked questions

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Evaluated the Southwest Companion Pass

Our travel experts at Business Insider have been Southwest Companion Passholders since the early 2010s, utilizing their own passes to bring friends and family across the nation on leisure, business, and other personal travel. We've compiled our best tips and tricks into this guide to help you do the same.