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It’s Never Been Easier to Earn a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass | Credit Cards
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Key Takeaways
- There are three Southwest Airlines credit cards offering a new way to earn a Companion Pass.
- The Companion Pass offer is unique and runs through March 11 for new cardholders only.
- Companion Pass allows you to get a free guest ticket – although you must pay taxes and fees – as long as you purchase a ticket on the same flight.
If you enjoy flying Southwest Airlines and have been thinking about getting one of its co-branded credit cards to earn miles and other benefits, you might want to jump on it before March 11. For a limited time, new cardholders can also earn a Southwest Companion Pass in addition to the typical welcome offer of bonus points.
A Companion Pass is a highly valuable benefit not found on many travel credit cards, and in most cases you have to do a fair amount of flying or spending to earn one. Now, Southwest Airlines credit card customers can earn it as part of their sign-up bonus.
What Is a Companion Pass?
A Companion Pass allows you to bring along a guest of your choosing to fly practically free – the companion’s ticket costs just taxes and fees, which start at $5.60. And if you earn the Companion Pass as part of this sign-up offer, you can use it for every trip you make through Feb. 28, 2025.
The main rule is that your companion must be with you on the same Southwest Airlines flight that’s purchased by you with cash or points.
Why This Offer Is So Good
Before this new welcome offer, you had to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 points by making purchases with a Southwest Rapid Rewards® credit card in a calendar year – in other words, it required a lot of flying or a lot of spending to qualify for a Southwest Companion Pass. Once issued, the Companion Pass was good for the remainder of the year in which you earned it and for the following calendar year.
With this new offer, a downside is that the Companion Pass expires on Feb. 28, 2025, so you could end up with a shorter period when your guest can fly free.
How to Get the Companion Pass
To earn the Companion Pass plus 30,000 bonus points, you must spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your Southwest credit card in the first three months you have the card. This offer is available on three Southwest Rapid Rewards® credit cards through March 11.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. This card has an annual fee of $69, and earns two points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases; Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners; local transit and commuting including ride-hailing; and internet, cable and phone services, along with select streaming. All other purchases earn one point per dollar.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. For an annual fee of $99, this slightly higher-tier card has the same bonus categories as the Plus card, but offers three points per dollar on Southwest purchases. You’ll also earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. The $149 annual fee on this card gets you the same rewards, perks and qualifying points as the Premier card, as well as four upgraded boardings (when available) per year and a $75 Southwest annual travel credit.
Companion Pass Offer Is for New Members Only
If you already have a Southwest Rapid Rewards® card or received a new cardholder bonus within the last 24 months, you won’t be able to take advantage of this bonus. It’s also not available for Southwest business credit card and employee credit card products.
