Southwest Companion Pass: How to Earn It and Get Two-for-One Flights

Two-for-one flights for up to two years. That's what the Southwest Companion Pass offers — and it's legitimately one of the best deals in domestic travel rewards. Your companion flies free (just pays taxes, usually $5.60 each way) on every Southwest flight you take for the remainder of the calendar year you earn it, plus the entire following year.

Earn it in January 2025, and you've got a companion flying free through December 31, 2026. That's potentially $2,000–$5,000 in free travel depending on how much you fly.

Here's exactly how to earn it.

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How the Companion Pass Works

The Southwest Companion Pass requires 135,000 qualifying points in a single calendar year. Once you hit that threshold, you designate one person as your companion. They fly free on every Southwest flight — cash tickets, award flights, even last-minute bookings — for the rest of the year and all of the next.

Key rules to understand:

• You can change your designated companion up to 3 times per year
• The pass resets every calendar year (you must re-earn 135,000 points annually after the first)
• Your companion pays only government taxes and fees (~$5.60 each way for domestic)
• Works on award flights booked with points, not just paid tickets
• Doesn't work on codeshare flights operated by other airlines

The timing of when you earn it matters enormously.

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The Fastest Way: Credit Card Signup Bonuses

The most efficient path to the Companion Pass is stacking welcome bonuses from Southwest credit cards. Here's why: Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card signup bonuses count toward the 135,000-point threshold.

Southwest Personal Cards (Chase)

Chase issues three personal Southwest cards. Current offers (check chase.com for the latest, as bonuses change frequently):

Card	Annual Fee	Typical Welcome Bonus	Points After Spend
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus	$69	50,000 points	After $1,000 in 3 months
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier	$99	50,000 points	After $1,000 in 3 months
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority	$149	50,000 points	After $1,000 in 3 months

Important: Chase's 5/24 rule applies. If you've opened 5 or more credit cards (any issuer) in the past 24 months, Chase will likely deny your application.

Southwest Business Cards (Chase)

The real power move is combining a personal card with a business card. Southwest's business cards have separate welcome bonuses that also count toward the Companion Pass.

Card	Annual Fee	Typical Welcome Bonus
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business	$199	80,000 points
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business	$99	60,000 points

The math with stacking:

• Personal Priority card: 50,000 bonus + ~3,000 from minimum spend = 53,000 points
• Performance Business card: 80,000 bonus + ~3,000 from minimum spend = 83,000 points
• Total: ~136,000 points → Companion Pass earned

This gets you to 135,000+ points while spending only the minimum required for both bonuses. If you time both applications to open in January, you'll have the pass for nearly two full years.

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Step-by-Step: Earning the Companion Pass in 2025

Step 1: Apply for Two Southwest Cards Simultaneously

Apply for one personal card and one business card on the same day. Chase pulls your credit once for cards applied on the same day (usually). Applying sequentially risks the second card seeing you just opened new credit.

Best combo for most people:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority (personal) — highest earning rate on Southwest purchases, $75 annual travel credit offsets much of the $149 fee
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business — highest business bonus, lounge access, and upgraded boardings

Step 2: Meet Minimum Spend Requirements

The welcome bonuses are triggered after meeting minimum spend — typically $1,000 per card in the first 3 months. This is straightforward for most people. If you need to hit spend faster, use the cards for:

• Grocery stores and restaurants (both earn 2–3x on Southwest cards)
• Utilities, subscriptions, and insurance payments
• Large purchases you were planning anyway (electronics, appliances)

Don't manufacture spend for the sake of it — the bonuses are generous enough without that.

Step 3: Watch Your Point Balance

Log into your Rapid Rewards account and track your qualifying points. Southwest shows your Companion Pass progress in the "My Account" section. Once you cross 135,000 qualifying points, you'll receive an email within 24 hours to designate your companion.

Step 4: Designate Your Companion Strategically

Pick your most frequent travel partner. If you're in a relationship and plan to travel together most, your partner is the obvious choice. If you're single and travel with different people, designate the friend or family member you'll fly with most in the next two years.

Remember: you can change your companion 3x per calendar year, so you're not permanently locked in.

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Other Ways to Earn Qualifying Points

Credit card bonuses are the fastest route, but other activities count toward the 135,000 threshold:

Flights: Flying Southwest earns 6–12 points per dollar depending on fare class and card status. For heavy flyers, this alone can get you to the pass — but it takes significant flying volume.

Rapid Rewards Dining: Register your cards at Southwest Dining and earn points at restaurants in the network (typically 3–5 points per dollar spent).

Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal: Southwest has a shopping portal where purchases at major retailers earn bonus points. Useful for large online purchases.

Car Rentals and Hotels: Southwest partners with Hertz, National, and several hotel brands. Points from these partners count.

Rapid Rewards Partners: Southwest partners with companies like Hyatt (Hyatt points → Southwest points) and Marriott, though rates vary.

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Maximizing the Companion Pass Once You Have It

Having the pass is only valuable if you use it efficiently. A few strategies:

Book award flights for maximum value. When you redeem Rapid Rewards points for flights, your companion still flies free (paying only ~$5.60). Since you're effectively getting two tickets for the price of one in points, this doubles the value of your points.

Fly during Southwest sales. Southwest regularly runs Wanna Getaway sales with significantly discounted fares. With a companion flying free, even a $49 each-way fare becomes exceptional value ($49 round-trip for two people = $25 per person).

Plan back-to-back trips. If you typically take two or three trips a year, plan them while the pass is active. The break-even point where the Companion Pass saves more than its earning cost is usually the first or second trip.

Use it for last-minute travel. Southwest's no change/cancel fees make last-minute travel more practical than most airlines. Your companion can be added at booking or after.

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What Doesn't Count Toward the 135,000 Points

Not all Southwest points qualify. These do NOT count:

• Points purchased directly from Southwest
• Points transferred from other loyalty programs
• Points gifted from other members
• Point bonuses from non-Chase Southwest credit cards (e.g., older discontinued cards)

Always verify the terms on Southwest's Rapid Rewards site, as program rules do change.

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Is the Companion Pass Worth It in 2025?

For most people who fly Southwest regularly with a consistent travel partner, yes — definitively. The math is straightforward:

• Average domestic Southwest flight: $150–$300 each way
• Average domestic trip (round-trip, two people): $600–$1,200
• If you take 3 trips with your companion while the pass is active: $1,800–$3,600 in companion travel saved

Against that, you've paid $69–$149 in card annual fees and spent $2,000 on minimum spend requirements. The cards themselves return value through points on ongoing spend, so the net cost of earning the pass is well under $200 for most people.

The calculus is different if you rarely fly Southwest or don't have a consistent travel companion. But for families, couples, or anyone flying Southwest multiple times a year, the Companion Pass is among the highest-value rewards in domestic travel.

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Plan Your Southwest Trips with Faroway

Once you have the Companion Pass, figuring out how to use it is the fun part. Faroway is an AI trip planner that builds complete day-by-day itineraries for domestic and international travel — plug in your destination and dates, and it maps out where to stay, what to do, and how to get around.

Whether you're using Southwest points for a weekend in Nashville or a week in Hawaii (Southwest flies there), Faroway helps you plan the actual trip, not just the flights. Start planning at faroway.ai.