It’s SWA Companion Pass season!  This is the time of year that you can start the process of earning a Southwest Companion Pass that you can use for almost 2 years.  This works because the Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which it’s earned, PLUS the entire next year.  If you start this strategy after November 1, the goal is to EARN the pass in early 2024, which gives you the benefits for the remainder of 2024 PLUS all of 2025.

What it is:  You can add a companion to your ticket for free (paying only the taxes).  You can use the pass whether you pay cash or use points for your ticket.  The Southwest Companion pass is coveted because of its ease of use and lack of restrictions, plus you can use it as many times as you want during the years that it is valid!

How to earn:  You need to earn 135,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points (earned through card bonuses, credit card spend or revenue flights) in one CALENDAR year to earn this pass.

 The easiest and fastest way to earn the 135,000 is with welcome bonuses on Southwest Credit Cards. 

Basic strategy:

• Open one or two Southwest Credit cards in November or December.
• DO NOT reach the minimum spend until January or after your December statement closes. (Remember, you don’t want you bonus to post until early 2024 so you get that full year of benefits).
• Finish the minimum spend in January so the bonus points post and account for the 2024 pass.

To effectively use this strategy, you will likely need to open 2 new Southwest Credit cards (you cannot have received a welcome bonus for these cards in the past 24 months).  A brief description of the card options are: 

• Personal Cards: Southwest restricts you to holding only one of their personal cards at a time, so if you already have one, you will need to cancel it and wait 30 days to apply for a different personal card (there are 3 choices) or get 2 business cards.

Right now, Southwest is offering an increased bonus on their personal cards at 75,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 month.

• Business Cards: You can hold 2 Southwest business cards at one time, but we recommend applying for one business card and one personal card. There are two business cards to chose from, the “Premier” that will earn 60,000 points after a $3,000 spend in the first 3 months or the “Performance” card where you can earn 85,000 points after a $3,000 spend.

The latter card has a higher annual fee and some other benefits. If you are unsure on how to you can qualify for a business card, read Travel Freely’s guide.

Click on this link to find out more about the Southwest cards and to apply:  

1. Bonnie’s direct link to apply: Southwest Referral 
2. Robin’s direct link to apply: Southwest Referral 

(we might receive compensation if you use our links-Thank you)

Or visit our credit card page on our website.

If you get a personal card you can earn a 75,000 point welcome bonus (the 75,000 points is an increased offer that will end on 12/11/23 at 9:00pm EST) and with the Premier Business card you will earn a welcome bonus of 60,000. Both cards together will bring you to the 135,000 required to earn the pass.  Plus, by holding any of the Southwest credit cards, Southwest will automatically post 10,000 towards the 135,000 for the companion pass.

If you hit the minimums spend requirements in January, you will have earned the pass for the rest of 2024 and for all of 2025. You can save $1,000’s of dollars using this pass for 2 years.  Plus, all these bonus points can be used for travel through Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program.  After spending the required $3,000 on both cards, you will have a total of 141,000 points in your account to use for free flights!

Important Information:

• Do not finish the $3,000 minimum spend on either card prior to 2024 or the welcome bonus will post this calendar year and you won’t have the pass for next year.
• Applying for Southwest cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule: If you have opened 5 or more consumer cards from any provider in the last 24 months you probably won’t be approved (see our beginners guide for more information, which you can download here).
• You are not eligible to for the bonus on the consumer Southwest card if you have received a welcome bonus from that particular card in the last 24 months or if you have another Southwest consumer card open.
• You can change your companion 3 times during a calendar year. For more info on the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, click here. 

If you have any questions or want help deciding which card is best for you, we offer free credit card consultations by emailing us travelmore@360traveltips.com and write consultation in the subject line.