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Southwest Companion Pass: Fall 2025 Timeline (Updated Sept 18)

Categories: Southwest Airlines TipsBy Last Updated: September 18, 2025

This guide will give you specific card combinations and considerations for earning the Southwest Companion Pass. We aim to keep this page up to date all through the fall as offers change.

The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.

Southwest Companion Pass Overview

This article is not in depth about the ins and outs of earning a Companion Pass. Those details are covered in this blog post. But they are covered even more in depth in the Southwest Companion Pass Bootcamp module in my free course. Sign up today! This is the most complete set of resources I have (arguably, the most complete set on the whole internet, as far as I know).

In the free course, I cover one person vs two person considerations in depth as well as how to earn two passes with three years and set yourself up to do it perpetually.

Quick overview: The most straightforward way to earn a companion pass way is by opening 1 or 2 new Southwest credit cards from Chase, which is the exclusive issuer of Southwest cards.

If a person earns 135,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year, besides all those points you just got, you will also earn a Southwest Companion Pass.

Once you earn the Companion Pass: for the rest of that calendar year and the next calendar year, you can name a person who will then fly with you anytime you fly and only pay about $5 in fees each way. (International Flights will have higher taxes).

Southwest credit card holders also automatically earn 10,000 Companion Pass "Qualifying Points" so the requirement essentially if you hold a Southwest credit card is to earn 125,000 points. These are not points that you can redeem for flights, these just basically jumpstart your Companion Pass Tracker with 10,000 points.

Each dollar spent on a Southwest credit card earns you at least 1 Southwest Rapid Rewards point but it is the sign up bonus that is most helpful in earning a companion pass.

Since earning our first companion pass in 2015, we have exclusively traveled on Southwest for domestic flights. For much of that time, my husband and I EACH held a companion pass. That means both of our kids were flying domestically for $5 each!

Timing Is Everything

Timing is important when it comes to the companion pass.

You have to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year (January 1 – December 31) in order to earn your Companion Pass.

When you log in to Southwest's website, you'll see your Companion Pass Tracker on your Account page. This resets on January 1 each year.

The good news: if you're applying for cards early in the year, you really don't have to worry about timing. Those warnings are all for people who are jump starting the process in the fall.

Check your Eligibility

Card eligibility varies by card. Use this flow chart to easily check if you're eligible. 

To be eligible for the Southwest personal credit card bonuses you need to:

  • have good or excellent credit
  • qualify under Chase's unofficial "5/24 rule"
  • not be a current cardholder of any Southwest personal card
  • not have earned a welcome bonus in the past 24 months from any personal Southwest card

The free course covers how to close your Southwest card for max value in depth and I recommend you review that lesson.

Business Card Tips

In contrast to the personal cards, you are allowed to open each of the Southwest business cards. Chase business cards seem to be following some unpublished guidelines and you can find data points and analysis here. 

If you have 3 or more Chase business cards open and you will be applying as a sole proprietor, I recommend you consider cancelling business cards until you have only 1 or 2 before applying. 

Will Southwest discontinue or change the Companion Pass? 

There are rumors flying everywhere about changes Southwest may be making to make it harder to earn a Companion Pass. At this point, these are rumors. I haven't seen anything from any credible sources. 

Go into this knowing that like all the points deals — this could change at any time. 

It could change in the fall for 2026-2027. It also might not. Officially Southwest has said no changes are coming to the Companion Pass. Southwest also said that bags fly free forever and we know how that ended. So we can't exactly take them at their word. 

I personally think if any change happens, the most likely would be a change to the number of points required to earn it. This has happened twice in my memory. The reason I personally don't think it's going away entirely or massively changing its earning is that the landing pages for the Southwest cards still clearly state that the points from the cards–even bonus offer points– count towards a Companion Pass. 

Ultimately, I don't know. No one knows. If you start trying to earn a Companion Pass and it goes away in a puff of smoke — the worst case scenario is that you end up with some Southwest points and no Companion Pass. You'll still have some free flights coming your way, it might just not be as many. 

Update September 2025

Offers on the personal cards as well as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Business Performance Credit Card have changed as of September 18, 2025. 

The new business offer opens the possibility to earn the Companion Pass with just that card — but note that it has a high spend requirement. 

We have updated our detailed digital tracker to reflect these changes. Sign up here to get it via email. 

Using the 120,000 point offer

The current 120,000 point offer on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Business Performance Credit Card makes it possible to earn a Companion Pass with just one card. 

If you want to get this 120k offer you must:

  1. Make sure you're eligible. Are you under 5/24? 
  2. Not be a current cardholder of the Business Performance Card.
  3. Apply by October 22, 2025 which is the end date the referral landing pages for this card.

The most popular way to earn those points is by earning welcome offers on 2 Southwest cards. You can see other sample card combos below. With the current 120,000 point offer — you could get by with just opening a business card and timing it all very carefully. This is a great offer for people with large expenses in late December or early January. 

2025 Business Card Approval Issues

We saw a lot more people getting denied for these business cards in early 2025. Here's our findings.  The biggest pattern so far is that almost everyone with 3 or more business cards from Chase is getting denied for additional business cards. 

If you have other Chase business cards that you're not using that are 1+ year old, you may have better success getting approved if you cancel them and wait a few weeks before applying. 

Example: How to use the 120,000 point business offer to earn a Companion Pass

This offer currently is showing an end date of 10/22/2025. 

October 15: Apply for the Performance business card

October 15-December 31: Spend no more than $9500 on your card. Ideally you would leave $5,000 of the minimum spend off your card until your December statement closes. This would leave you enough points posting to earn the Companion Pass with no extra effort. The more you spend before your December statement closes, the more points will post in 2025 and won't help you with your 2026-2027 Companion Pass.

January 15: Complete the spending on your business card. You must spend a total of $10,000 by January 15th (or 90 days after you opened it, if you opened it later).

January 31: 10,000 "boost" points will be added to your Companion Pass Tracker by January 31. These aren't points you can spend but help you get closer to the 135,000 you need. 

February: By the time your January statement closes (And you get your 120,000 point bonus) and you see your 10,000 boost you will have:

120,000 points (bonus)

10,000 points (boost)

Points from spending (varies from 500-10,000 depending on when you did your spending). If you spent at least $5,000 after your December statement closed, you will have at least 5,000 here.

Once you have 135,000 points on your tracker, you will earn a Companion Pass! 

Standard Method (Opening 2 Cards)

We now have a detailed Google sheet that you can use to follow along to earn a Companion Pass. Sign up here to get it via email. 

With the standard method to earn 1 Companion Pass, you'll open 1 business card and 1 personal card to earn the total 135,000 needed for a Companion Pass.

The exact dates of when you open the cards aren't so specific. What IS important is that you do not earn your points too soon. You cannot have your bonus points post in 2025.

Current Card Combos Compared

We now have a detailed Google sheet that you can use to follow along to earn a Companion Pass. Sign up here to get it via email. 

I've added tables to compare how you can earn a Companion Pass. You can do any combination of a personal card + business card with this 100,000 point offer. 

Lowest Annual Fee Combo

This method uses this link for the 65k airport offer may work for you and allow you to have a lower spend overall 

Cards Opened Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Total Annual Fees paid $248
Total points earned after minimum spending 129,000 points
125,000 from both bonuses combined + 4,000 from spending
Total spending needed to earn bonus points $4000
Additional points needed to reach 135k and earn a Companion Pass None, you've earned it thanks to the bonuses, spending + 10k boost to your tracker
   

 

Higher Annual Fee and Highest Total Points

This card combo gives you the highest level of benefits from Southwest cards. It requires a higher level of spending to achieve both bonuses but will offer more points, too. This combo calculation will only work if the offer on the Performance card returns to standard offer on October 23. 

Cards Opened Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card – using 65k airport link
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Total Annual Fees paid $398
Total points earned after minimum spending 151,000 points
145,000 from both bonuses combined + 6,000 from spending
Total spending needed to earn bonus points $9000
Additional points needed to earn Companion Pass None! You've earned it!
Additional premium benefits Choose your assigned seat when booking
Upgrade (for free) to Extra Legroom 48 hours before departure if available
TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit

 

 

 

 

 

Card Combo for 2 business cards

If you aren't eligible for any of the Southwest personal cards, you can also earn a Companion Pass by opening both business cards.

Cards Opened Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Total Annual Fees paid $398
Total points earned after minimum spending 148,000 points
-140,000 from bonus
-8,000 from spending
Total spending needed to earn bonus points $8000
Additional points needed to earn Companion Pass None! You've earned it!
Additional premium benefits Choose your assigned seat when booking
Upgrade (for free) to Extra Legroom 48 hours before departure if available
TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit

 

Family Method (3 cards, 2 Pass)

We now have a detailed Google sheet that you can use to follow along to earn a Companion Pass. Sign up here to get it via email.

This method is described in detail in my free course as well as in this YouTube video. It leverages referral bonuses to earn 2 Companion Passes with 3 cards total. 

 

Southwest Cards (Affiliate Links)

Personal Cards

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • $75 annual statement credit for Southwest purchases (ends Dec 31, 2025)
  • 4 upgraded boardings per year (ends Dec 31, 2025)
  • 7500 points per year on your card member anniversary
  • 4x earning on Southwest flights; 2X at Gas stations; 2X at Restaurants
  • 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 spent
  • Pick a Preferred Seat at booking for free for cardmember + up to 8 people on same reservation
  • Complimentary upgrade to Extra Legroom Seats 48 hours before departure, if available
  • Free bag for cardholder + up to 8 people on their reservation

My Take

This card used to be the best value of the three Southwest personal cards. But after July 2025, it lost a lot of its luster. Compare them here.

The Priority is the only personal Southwest card that offers free seat selection at booking, even when booking the "basic" fare class.

This card is now only worth it if you really value being able to pick your seats right at the time of booking and want to hope for Extra Legroom seats 48 hours in advance. Oddly the Priority card doesn't include any anniversary coupon like the lower annual fee cards do.

With any offer, pay close attention to Companion Pass timelines if you're hoping to earn a Companion Pass.

Want to check your eligibility for this card? Find our flow chart here.

Southwest offers 3 personal credit cards with different annual fees — they usually have identical offers. Offers change throughout the year typically offering 40,000-85,000 bonus points. Higher bonus points usually require higher spending. The past few years in early Spring, an offer appears that also includes a promotional Companion Pass.

An elevated sign up offer of 100,000 bonus points ended in September 2025.

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

ELEVATED OFFER!

alternate offer – non-affiliate:

65,000 Bonus Points

Earn 65,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.

The information related to Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card was collected by Katie's Travel Tricks and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer website for current information. Katie's Travel Tricks does not receive commission for this product.

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • Select a Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, when available. For flights operating in 2026 and beyond.
  • 2 early bird check-ins per year through 2025
  • 25% back on in-flight purchases
  • 2x points on Southwest purchases
  • 2X at Gas stations and Grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per year
  • 10% promo code each year on card member anniversary
  • First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3,000 points per year on your card member anniversary

My Take

This is the lowest annual fee Southwest card and the value is decent for what you pay. The anniversary points are worth about $40-45. You can compare this to other Southwest cards in our Southwest card guide where we even have benefit calculators.

With any offer, pay close attention to Companion Pass timelines if you're hoping to earn a Companion Pass.

Want to check your eligibility for this card? Use our flow chart here.

Southwest offers 3 personal credit cards with different annual fees — they usually have identical offers. Offers change throughout the year typically offering 40,000-100,000 bonus points. Higher bonus points usually require higher spending. The past few years in early Spring, an offer appears that also includes a promotional Companion Pass.

Business Cards

card_name
card_name

ELEVATED OFFER!

Current Bonus:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_full

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • TSA Precheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS statement credit (up to $120 every 4 years)
  • 4 upgraded boardings per year (ends December 31, 2025)
  • Free in-flight wifi (ends December 31, 2025)
  • Earn 2,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually
  • 4x earning on Southwest flights; 2x on local transit, internet, cable, and phone services (ends December 31, 2025)
  • 9000 points per year on your card member anniversary
  • $500 Fee credit for points transfers (ends December 31, 2025)
  • First checked bag free for cardholder + up to 8 people on their reservation
  • Select a Preferred seat for free at time of booking for cardholder + up to 8 people on their reservation
  • Upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat for free 48 hours before departure (if available)

My Take

I thought the fee was inflated on this card back when it was $199. At $299 it's a tough calculation to justify keeping long term. But since it typically has a higher welcome offer than the Premier Business card, a lot of people may end up with this one for at least a year to help earn a Companion Pass. It does have perks like the credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre√ or Nexus. Do your own calculation with our benefits calculators on all the Southwest cards.

Once Southwest makes the switch to assigned seating, the ability to select a preferred seat for free at booking is potentially valuable for some people. And if you spend a lot with Southwest, the 4x earning rate is a good way to rack up a lot of Southwest points.

Overall, this card really helps make it so easy to get a Southwest Companion Pass. Just pay close attention to your timing when applying if you're trying to maximize the Companion Pass.

Want to check your eligibility for this card? Use this flow chart here.

card_name
card_name

Current offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_full

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • 2 Early Bird Check Ins per year (ending December 2025)
  • $500 Fee credit for points transfers (ending December 2025)
  • 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 spent
  • 15% promo code on account anniversary
  • 3x earning on Southwest flights; 2X at Gas stations and Restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year
  • 6000 points per year on your card member anniversary
  • Standard or Preferred Seat 48 hours before departure for cardholder and up to 8 people on the same reservation
  • First checked bag free for cardholder + up to 8 people on the same reservation

My Take

This card is the lower annual fee business card to help you earn a Companion Pass. The offer is also typically lower than on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. Compare the Southwest cards in our detailed card guide.

Overall, you'll always need to pay attention to your timing when applying if you're trying to maximize the Companion Pass.

Want to check your eligibility for this card? Use our flow chart here.

The standard offer on this card is 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in 3 months. In Summer 2023 and 2024, we saw an offer that also included a a higher tier bonus (but required an additional $12,000 of spending to get another 60k points).

Advertiser Disclosure

Table of Contents
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Related Posts

Southwest Seating: How it Works
Southwest Airlines 2025 Changes: Important Dates
Southwest LUV Vouchers: A Complete Guide
Southwest Card Guide

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

41s Comments
  1. Angela October 1, 2024 at 2:53 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie, I am wondering for Standard Method (2 cards, 1 Pass): why is there a “Spend no more than $2250 on your card” for the first 2 months October 8-December 31, would it be the same if Dec 31 – Jan 4 I spent 3k all in one go?
    I just opened the personal cc today and want to know if there is a specific reason for the 2250 rules.

    • Katie Holden October 9, 2024 at 1:08 pm - Reply

      Yes, you can spend it all on Jan 1 if you want to! It’s more than you can’t spend it too soon.

    • Kimberly September 30, 2025 at 8:22 am - Reply

      My husband and I have a photo booth buisness we both own. Can we both get a buisness card? our goal would be to get 2 passes to use for our kids.

      • Katie Holden October 2, 2025 at 11:44 am

        yes you could! And what a fun business!

  2. Jennifer October 7, 2024 at 3:27 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie, Just getting started on your Standard Method (2 cards, 1 Pass) and have a similar question to Angela above. I’m not sure how to handle my spend as I was approved for the personal Priority on 10/1/24. Did I make a huge mistake because I have to meet min spend requirements by 12/30/24 (90 days)? Will my SUB apply to 2024? I wish I had found this blog post and your timeline earlier!

    • Katie Holden October 9, 2024 at 1:06 pm - Reply

      You will be okay. You can complete your spending after your December statement closes. I go into statement close dates in my free course as well in the Southwest Bootcamp section. learn.katiestraveltricks.com

  3. Kimberly A October 9, 2024 at 6:43 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie. In February 2024, I opened a personal card with Southwest and got a promotion for the free companion pass for the remainder of 2024. I then referred my husband who also did the same. I currently have 67,000 points towards my next companion pass. My question is, should I open a business card now to get the companion pass for 2025? I so, when do I have to complete all my spending? Is it January 2025? Is there anyway I can work the system to get the companion pass for 2025 and 2026? I heard something about doing your spending early in the year gets you the pass for the reminder of that year and the following year. Or because the points reset January 1 can I only get the companion pass for 2025?

    • Katie Holden November 1, 2024 at 2:41 pm - Reply

      In your case, if you got a business card today and completed the full spending before your December statement closes, you’d earn enough to extend your Companion Pass by one year (to end of 2025). Those 67k you have on your tracker will reset to 0 on January 1 so that is why you need it to post before January 1 (And it only posts when your statement closes). Another option for you would be to get both business cards and make sure your points don’t post until AFTER January 1.

  4. Sherri October 17, 2024 at 10:09 am - Reply

    Question about timing for a SW Companion pass. I applied for SW card on 10/2 (mainly for the 85,000 points to use toward tickets for a vacation I have planned in May 2025). However, I am thinking about trying for a companion pass. For the intro offer, I have to have minimum spend done by 1/2/25. My 1st statement is from 10/2-10/15. So I am assuming that my closing statement date will be on the 15th of each month. Question: if I complete my minimum spend after my December 15th statement close date, would that work to satisfy my minimum spend for the into offer but yet allow the points to post on Jan 15th statement toward my companion pass in 2025?

    • Katie Holden November 1, 2024 at 2:37 pm - Reply

      Correct! You’ll need to finish off between Dec 15 and Jan 2! I’d recommend Jan 1 or Dec 31 to be safe and make sure the transactions fully post.

  5. Kari Q November 2, 2024 at 1:04 am - Reply

    Can you help me understand why the spend limit needs to be $2250 and no higher? I understand not fully spending until January 1, but needing some clarification about the under $750 amount.

    • Miranda B. November 10, 2024 at 5:37 pm - Reply

      Hi Kari, I’ve listened to Katies podcast episodes on the Southwest companion pass and she mentions some people having have been awarded the sign-up bonus points in December if they’re within $500 spend of hitting the minimum, even if they didn’t spend the full minimum yet! That has thrown off some people’s companion pass by a whole year! Yikes, so she states to be safe, best to not get within $750 of spending minimum to avoid Chase awarding those sign-up bonuse points early :)

    • Katie Holden November 19, 2024 at 8:01 am - Reply

      It’s mostly just because we see people accidentally overspend a lot and have their points post to early. Or people spend and then return an item and forget to account for this. So this just helps be extra cautious. Some people report their points post even if they are within $500 of their spend and it’s never clear if it was an error on their part or Chase awarding early — so we just give people conservative advice to be safe.

  6. Shirley November 16, 2024 at 12:52 pm - Reply

    Is there an easy way to see the date when I earned last bonus? I canceled my card like a year ago and do t have information to log in to cc.

    • Katie Holden November 19, 2024 at 7:48 am - Reply

      You might be able to go back on your SW account history to see directly with Southwest.

  7. Kimberly C November 23, 2024 at 10:40 am - Reply

    Hi Katie,
    I have the Southwest Performance Business Card.
    My points total today is 96,430 out of 135,000. My statement date Hi Katie,
    I have the Southwest Performance Business Card.
    My points total today is 96,430 out of 135,000. My statement date is ended November 22nd with a balance of 4574.46. My payment due date is by December 19th. What formula/new card do you think I should use to earn my 2025 companion pass?

  8. Kimberly C November 23, 2024 at 10:42 am - Reply

    Hi Katie, I’m not sure why my comment post some of the words 2x.

    Here is my post so it not confusing.

    Hi Katie,
    I have the Southwest Performance Business Card.

    My points total today is 96,430 out of 135,000. My statement date ended November 22nd with a balance of 4574.46. My payment due date is by December 19th. What formula/new card do you think I should use to earn my 2025 companion pass?

    • Katie Holden December 16, 2024 at 9:05 am - Reply

      Hi Kimberly, sorry for my delay on this! For future reference, if you email us (or message on Facebook or IG), we get those messages more reliably!. Are you still trying to earn the CP?

  9. Tyrone C December 12, 2024 at 1:22 am - Reply

    Hi. I just finished my spend on the personal card for 85K (closing date 1/3/25). But I got denied for the business card application for having too many accounts and not having enough biz revenue ($1000). Is my only option to refer partner 2 to two cards? Or 1 card and $15k spend? Thanks

    • Katie Holden December 16, 2024 at 8:38 am - Reply

      If you can spend to get to 135k total points that will work, but it will just take longer to spend enough. Did you try calling to get the denial reconsidered?

  10. Renee January 3, 2025 at 5:19 pm - Reply

    Hi, will the 3 card/2 pass method still work even with a 40k SUB for the SW Personal CC?

    • Katie Holden January 7, 2025 at 8:23 am - Reply

      it does if you get the 80k + 40k offers — with spending and the 10k bonus on the tracker it will get you to 135k

  11. Charlie January 12, 2025 at 10:33 pm - Reply

    I opened the SW priority with the 4K points on 12/30/24. Prior to this I opened the Chase Ink Bisiness Preferred in 9/24. Is it likely to be approved for an additional Chase business card to get the SW pass?

    • Katie Holden January 15, 2025 at 12:02 pm - Reply

      You’ll probably have the best chance if you wait at least 30 days from the personal card approval — so at least till 1/30/25.

  12. Andrea January 16, 2025 at 4:16 pm - Reply

    So I opened a personal card when I was suppose to last year, got the rest of the spend for the bonus the first week of January. For the business card, I had less than $3000 by statement end on December 27th but accidentally put over $3000 already. I know I was suppose to wait until the first week of February for the rest of the spend but I am not sure how bad of a mistake that was. I’ll be awarded the companion pass just for this year then? TIA!

    • Katie Holden January 24, 2025 at 7:37 am - Reply

      As long as. all your points posted in 2025, you’re good to go!

  13. Lindsay February 3, 2025 at 7:35 am - Reply

    Hi Katie, we are trying to earn 2 CP for the first time using the 3 card, 2 person method for 2026/27. I’m not sure we can meet the spend. Could you breakdown exactly how much we need to spend within given dates? We will be meticulous with the spend tracking. We want to earn the CPs as early in the year as possible. Also, we plan to travel in April 2026 and hope to use the passes for that trip. Are we cutting it too close with the timing?
    The cards we want are P1 ( SW Biz Performance), and P2 (SW Biz Premier and SW Priority Personal). If you could do a sample breakdown of dates and spend that would be so helpful. Thank you!

    • Katie Holden February 6, 2025 at 8:09 am - Reply

      So you’re saying you’re going to wait for Fall 2025 to apply? Why don’t you send me an email katie@katiestraveltricks.com — it may be easier via email to write that up

  14. Katie February 6, 2025 at 3:19 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie, we received a referral from a friend for the Feb/March 2025 personal card CP offer. My husband and daughter travel frequently together for travel on SW so we were thinking of having him take out the Priority personal card and put our D down for the CP. I am a business owner and can also apply for the Business Performance card and can get to the spending levels for a 2nd CP reward for daughter #2. Is there any extra benefit to having me be the cardholder for the personal and business cards? If so, should I apply for one before the other? It sounds like I could get referral bonuses if I refer my husband to his personal card?

    • Katie Holden February 14, 2025 at 10:27 am - Reply

      The order doesn’t specifically matter — once you or your husband have any Southwest card, you can refer the other to any of the Southwest cards!

  15. Brian February 17, 2025 at 11:19 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie,

    “If you are a current cardholder of any Southwest personal card and want to earn another bonus, you need to (1) make sure it has been 24 months since you got your bonus and (2) cancel your card and wait at least 14 days before applying to a new card.”

    You suggested it’s possible to only wait 14 days before applying to a new card and still being eligible for the new card bonus. When I called Chase, they suggested waiting 30 days. We currently having the RR Priority Card and are planning to apply for the RR Premier Card (Personal). I’d prefer to only wait 14 days but don’t want to risk getting denied by the system and hurting my chances of getting the companion pass bonus.

  16. Evan March 8, 2025 at 2:22 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie! I had a couple possible scenarios that I’m thinking about and wondering which you might think is better for what we’re wanting to do:

    P1 (has a RR account, but no cards currently) signs up for current Personal Card 65k airline offer, then signs up for the Biz Card 60k offer to try and extend the CP through the end of 2026:

    65k (personal card bonus) +
    60k (biz card bonus) +
    4k (spending) +
    10k boost (we get that within 30 days of signing up for our first CC, correct? It’s not Jan 2026 when we get it, right?) =
    139,000k (triggering CP through 2026)
    Question – what do you think the realistic earliest we could make this happen (let’s say we have $4k of spending lined up and ready to go)?

    P2 (currently has a personal card that can be canceled once they get the 20k referral for the business card sign up above) waits and signs up for whatever the current personal card promo is towards the end of the year and the biz card offer…not triggering any of the bonuses until the first month or two of 2026 (thus getting a CP through the end of 2027).

    This scenario really only gets us a double CP life for 2026, correct? We’ll have a gap of only one CP for a chunk of early 2027 because P1 can’t do the Persona/Biz combo signups until this time of the year in 2027.

    Really, we’re just hoping to get a double CP life for as long and consistently as possible, while still starting a CP signup process now (hopefully to use for trips over summer and fall of 2025). Am I missing a scenario that might be better that allows for a CP as soon as we can while still getting a system in place that maintains a dual CP life consistently?

    Thank you SO much!

  17. Jason July 31, 2025 at 5:56 pm - Reply

    Southwest Fall 2025 Question

    Hi Katie, question. If I do the one personal card for 100k and then go the route of earning the other 21k points, do i have to truly earn the final 21k all by Feb 1? Or if it takes me a few more months to hit that, I can still get to the companion, I’m just losing a few months of pass time? Thanks!

    • Katie Holden August 4, 2025 at 9:42 am - Reply

      You don’t have to earn the 21k by Feb 1, sorry if that was unclear! Just whenever you earn it, you’ll earn a Companion Pass

  18. Thea August 16, 2025 at 6:31 am - Reply

    Katie, we are trying to re-earn 2 CP for our family of 6. the spreadsheet with all the options on how to earn a SW CP is AMAZING! Thank you and your team for that resource! I’ve read that starting October 7th, 2025, Chase will grant referral bonuses only when the referred person is a brand-new Chase business card customer—meaning they must not have any existing Chase business card account, regardless of the type. Is that true? Wouldn’t that affect these timelines?

    • Katie Holden August 18, 2025 at 1:52 pm - Reply

      So far the only cards that seem to be affected by the new Chase for Business referral rules are in the Ink family — the Southwest cards do not show that language on the landing page like the Ink cards do. So glad the spreadsheet is helpful!

  19. Nick August 24, 2025 at 1:51 pm - Reply

    Hi Katie,

    If I’m doing the 2 business card route, then what would be the application timelines? October and December?

    Thank you!

    • Katie Holden August 26, 2025 at 7:01 am - Reply

      Yes, October/December would be good. Ideally you’d hold max of 1 other business card from Chase, unless you are an LLC!

      • Nick August 26, 2025 at 11:03 pm

        I’m only holding a Chase Ink Cash at the moment!

        Thank you for the guide and help!

  20. greg marino October 1, 2025 at 9:19 am - Reply

    Help! Im confused and don’t want to mess this up. currently have companion pass for 2025, and got the 100K chase card last week to help get 135K points for the 2026 companion pass. Do i spend the $4000 dollars before december? it seems if I don’t then i won’t have a pass for early 2026 at all. I appreciate all your newsletter advice. thank you

    • Katie Holden October 2, 2025 at 11:44 am - Reply

      do NOT spend it before December! You could spend partially but do not finish the spending until Jan!

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