How to get the Southwest Companion Pass
How would you like to cut the cost of airfare for most domestic flights in half or even fly for free? What about some international flights as well? You can! Say hello to the Southwest Companion Pass. Wondering how to get the Southwest Companion pass? Read on!
Once you qualify, the Companion Pass allows you to book an additional person on any flight that you are currently booked on for only the taxes and fees ($11.20 for domestic round trips, for international the taxes typically range from $60-$80 round trip depending on where you go)!
Even better, you can do the same when booking with Southwest points, essentially getting two flights for the price (in points) of one!
Once you qualify for the Companion Pass, it is good for the rest of the year in which you qualify as well as the whole next year. This means if you qualify early in the year you can reap the benefits for almost a full two years!
So what does it take to get the Companion Pass you ask?
How to get the Southwest Companion Pass fast
You need to earn 110,000 Southwest points or fly 100 qualifying flights in a calendar year. While that sounds like a lot, don’t worry! There is a way to “cheat” the system!
By opening Southwest credit cards that provide huge initial point bonuses, you can reach the 110,000 point threshold extra fast!
Southwest has a few different cards that typically give the bonuses that we’re looking for. However, you need to be careful as the bonuses change throughout the year. We are looking for when the bonuses are at least 50,000 points or more to get the most value.
$99 annual fee, currently offering 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Update: 50,000 pt bonus after $2,000 spend when using this referral link!
$69 annual fee, currently offering 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Update: 50,000 pt bonus after $2,000 spend when using this referral link!
Chase Southwest Premier Business
$99 annual fee, currently offering 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
As you can see by doing some simple math, open up the business card and one of the two personal cards mentioned and you’ll get 110,000 Southwest points after spending $5,000 ($2,000 on personal card and $3,000 on business card) in the first three months. The 110,000 points gets you to the 110,000 amount needed for the companion pass! Plus you have a boatload of points to use for booking free flights! If the signup bonuses are 50,000, you’ll need to do some additional spending after the minimums before you will qualify (if using both personal cards).
Minimum spending strategies to get the Southwest Companion Pass
While spending $4,000-5,000 in three months may seem like a lot, there are strategies that you can use to spend that money on things you would normally buy. Some of my favorite tactics are:
Pre-paying car insurance, home insurance or any other insurance for the year.
If your apartment or bank allows you to pay rent or mortgage with a credit card, do it! Sometimes there is a percentage fee or set fee so evaluate if this works for you in your situation.
If your bank or apartment does not allow you to use credit cards for payments, there are some companies such as Plastiq that will do the transaction for you for a fee (2.5% for Plastiq). I would suggest trying other routes as well as your normal spending before going with this option. Try avoiding the fee if you can, but keep this in mind as a backup plan.
Buying gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, or Walmart. Gift cards to any other store you will be using in the near future are also a great option. This will let you complete the minimum spending now, and then use the gift cards as you need them in the future.
When applying for the Southwest Companion Pass, don’t make these mistakes!
There are some IMPORTANT things to consider when executing this plan to get the companion pass.
First, make sure your credit score is high enough (usually 700 or higher) to be approved for the cards. If your credit score is lower, I would suggest first working on improving your credit before applying for the cards.
You cannot have two different people apply for cards and put the same Rapid Rewards account number on the applications. It must be the same person applying for two different cards.
Chase will typically only allow you to open 5 cards in a 24 month period. If you’ve opened 5 or more cards (from any bank) in the last 24 months you may not be approved.
Also, Chase will typically only approve you for 2 cards in a 30 day period. Make sure you haven’t applied for a Chase card in the last 30 days before applying for the two Southwest cards.
For a full break down of credit card bonus rules from all of the main issuers click here!
How to get the Southwest Companion Pass: Timing Timing Timing!
Third, timing! This is so important to get the maximum value out of your companion pass. As I mentioned before, once you qualify, the Companion Pass is valid for the rest of the year, as well as the next year. Therefore, to get the maximum possible value out of your Companion Pass, you want to qualify as early in the year as possible. Timing when you apply for the cards is very important.
I suggest applying in November or December (assuming Southwest is offering an adequate point bonus on the cards at this time). Be very careful to ensure that you reach the minimum spending requirement AFTER January 1st. The last thing you want to happen is to meet the requirements for both cards at the very end of the year. This would cause you to miss out on an entire year of the companion pass. Even worse, if you get one card bonus at the end of the year and the other at the beginning of the next year. In this scenario you wouldn’t qualify for the pass at all!
Bottom line, you want to complete minimum spending requirements as early as possible in the year to get the most length of time (and therefore value) out of the pass.
Open your Southwest Rapid Rewards account first
Make sure you create a Southwest Rapid Rewards account before applying for the cards. This way you can make sure to put the same rapid rewards number on the application for both cards. You need to have all the points deposited in the same Rapid Rewards account to qualify for the Southwest companion pass.
Applying for two cards in the same day
Pro tip: If you are applying for both personal cards, apply for them in two different internet browsers (I.e. Safari and Chrome, or Firefox and Chrome etc). If you try to apply for both in the same browser it may not let you apply for the second card.
If you are instantly approved, great!
Sometimes, you will get a notice that Chase needs more time/information to process your application. If this happens, don’t freak out! Simply call the reconsideration line and let them know you recently applied for some cards and were told more information was needed.
Reconsideration line number: 1-888-270-2127
If you call the reconsideration line, make sure you know the information given on your applications. They will ask you to confirm your annual income. They have no way to check your income, they just need you to give verbal conformation that matches what was written on your application as well as confirm other information given on your application.
Sometimes, they will need to move around credit on different cards in order to approve you. For example, if you have reached your maximum credit amount that Chase will grant you across 3 cards, they wont approve you for a 4th unless you move some of the credit line from the other cards to the new one. If they ever tell you they cant approve your application, very politely ask why and also ask if there is anything that can be done to get you to an approval. Many times, they will be able to approve you!
Still have questions on how to get the Southwest Companion Pass? See this detailed scenario for timing applications and spending to get the pass for a full two years.
Also read this post for some further tips on getting the Southwest Companion Pass.
Where will you go with your companion pass?? Use these tools to find the cheapest flights and make your points and dollars stretch further!
If you’re looking for suggestions, see where Kim and I went for our first trip with the companion pass, Puerto Rico caving adventure!
Since our first trip, we’ve been to Cancun, Belize, Cuba and more all for free with points and the companion pass!
In addition, Southwest points and the Southwest Companion Pass can be an effective tool in your hurricane evacuation plan.
Great news! Southwest will be flying to Hawaii in 2018! One more awesome destination to utilize your companion pass.
Want to travel to Asia? Check out how I flew for free in Business class using points!
Awesome post and loving your blog! We use our Southwest cards for everything – it’s such a beneficial credit card if you travel often. Cheers!
They are great cards! There are a couple even better ones for getting more Southwest points for every dollar you spend. I’ll post about them soon! Your blog is great too, I follow it!
This information is all incorrect. The Chase Sapphire points do not qualify toward companion. Only transferable to SW points but non companion. If you have a Premium card or Plus card already you cannot apply for the other so really the only way to make this work is of you don’t already have a SW card and if you have a business tax ID