Southwest Companion Pass

-

 

Earning the Southwest Companion Pass

At first, the Southwest Companion Pass sounded impossible — buy one ticket and your companion flies free, every time? But it’s real, and it’s changed everything for our family. We’ve flown to Hawaii (twice!), explored Grand Cayman together, slipped away to Mexico more times than I can count, and booked several spontaneous weekend trips. Even with Southwest rolling out changes, it’s still the best perk in the sky.

What Is the Companion Pass?

The Companion Pass allows you to bring one person with you for free, excluding taxes and fees ($5.60 each way in the U.S.).

  • You can change your companion up to three times a year.

  • It works on flights booked with cash, points, or credits.

  • Once you qualify, the pass is valid for the remainder of that year and the entire following year.

For my family of four, it’s the best perk out there. When my husband and I both hold Companion Passes, our kids fly free. Or he and I can take trips without the kids and only need to buy one flight! We’ve saved thousands this way (both in points and cash).

And here’s what makes it even better: when you earn Companion Pass, you’ve also earned 135,000+ Rapid Rewards points. That’s over 100,000 points to use for booking flights. You just cover the taxes and fees — $5.60 each way for domestic flights. International flights have higher fees that vary by country, but it’s still a steal.

So not only does your companion fly free, but you also have a giant pile of points to cover your own flights.

How Do You Earn It?

You have two choices:

  1. Fly 100 one-way flights in a year (not realistic for most families).

  2. Earn 135,000 qualifying points in a year (the way I do it).

The easiest path is through credit card bonuses.

Timing Is Everything

Here’s the trick: when your points post to your account determines how long your pass lasts.

  • Qualify in November 2025 → good through December 2026.

  • Qualify in January 2026 → good through December 2027.

That’s almost two years of buy-one-get-one-free travel if you plan it right.

⚠️ Key rule: All 135,000 points must post in the same calendar year. It doesn’t matter if they come from flights, credit card spend, shopping portal bonuses, or referrals — they all need to post in the same year to qualify. This is where most people trip up, and why timing is everything.

Current Offer (October 2025)

Right now, the Southwest Performance Business card is offering 120k points after spending $10k in 3 months. This means that you can earn a Companion Pass by opening ONE card! This is such an incredible deal! While the annual fee ($299) is steep, BOGO flights for nearly 2 years will offset that cost! And you can cancel after 12 months if you want. Read here to learn more about applying for a business card even without an LLC or EIN. 

Here’s how to make it work:

  1. Apply for this card AFTER October 15th, but before October 27th.

  2. Spend up to $9,000 before December 31, 2025 — then stop using the card.

  3. Finish spending the last $1000 in January 2026.

That way, the 120K bonus posts in 2026. This is the KEY to earning the pass for nearly two years. 

With the 120K bonus + 10K annual boost, you’ll start 2026 with 130,000 points. You’ll just need fewer than 5K points, which you can earn by:

  • Spending on your card

  • Using the shopping portal, or

  • Booking and flying a trip or two

BOGO Flights

It can be a little tricky to line up the timing just right, but once you understand the rules, it really is the easiest way to lock in nearly two years of buy-one-get-one-free flights.

✈️ Want help making sure you set this up the right way? I’m happy to answer questions one-on-one and walk you through it. It might feel complicated, but I promise it’s doable — and once you’ve got it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

As always, I greatly appreciate it when you use my referral link as a small thank you for sharing this content. 

Happy travel! ✈️🌍

The Travel Savvy Family

- Wander More, Spend Less

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Chase Ink Business Cards Help Families Earn More Travel Points

-
Image
How Chase Ink Business Cards Help Families Earn More Travel Points If you’ve already dipped your toes into earning travel rewards with personal credit cards, you may be wondering: What’s next? Here’s our answer—business credit cards. Especially the Chase Ink  lineup. These cards are a smart way to: Earn generous welcome offers Boost your everyday spending with valuable bonus categories Keep your travel points strategy going for the long run And no, you don’t need a registered LLC or brick-and-mortar business to qualify. Let’s break down how this works—and why it makes sense for families like yours. You Might Already Qualify for a Business Card This is where many people pause: Do I really qualify for a business credit card? If you earn income—or even plan to—from any small or side business activity, you likely qualify. You’re considered a sole proprietor, which is a valid business structure. This is very common and widely accepted by banks. Some examples: Selling items online (Etsy,...
Read more

Getting Started -- The Basics

-
Image
The Basics of Travel Hacking: How to Travel the World Using Credit Card Points What if we told you that you could take your family on incredible vacations—flights, hotels, and even experiences—for a fraction of the cost? That’s exactly what travel hacking is all about! By strategically earning and redeeming credit card points, you can turn everyday spending into free (or nearly free) travel. Welcome to the world of travel hacking! Our Journey Two years ago, I ran across a Facebook post where a local mom was sharing about travel hacking. I was intrigued. Travel has always been a dream of mine. Since getting married, my husband and I, have prioritized getting away at least once every two years or so, but it just wasn't enough for me. I wanted to travel with our kids. Experiences over stuff, right? But let's be honest. Experiences, at least those with air travel, can be very expensive for a family of 4.  Back to the post -- I followed her recommendation and started reading. I stay...
Read more