One Person Modifications
If you are in a one person household -- meaning that only one person in your household will be applying for credit cards to earn a Companion Pass, your strategy needs to be slightly different to earn an ongoing Companion Pass.
There are also some strategy considerations for people who are in a two person household but only have one person that can open business cards.
This is somewhat of an educated guess based on the offers we've seen for the past 3 years. These offers could change which means this strategy might change.
Earning a bonus again
The exact timing on when you're eligible to earn a bonus on a Southwest card again is what makes this specific strategy different.
I used to not spend as much time teaching people how to think longer term with their Companion Pass strategy. There's a lot of information to take in and then to add the next layer of how to keep earning it seemed to add extra confusion.
But I've realized that almost everyone who gets a Southwest Companion Pass following these methods wants to keep earning one.
As of now, all the Southwest cards require you to wait 24 months after you've earned the welcome bonus before you could apply for the same card again.
Let's say you apply for a Southwest personal card in November 2026 and then earn the welcome bonus on January 15, 2027.
If you want to apply for another Southwest personal card, you're going to have to wait until January 16, 2029 to be able to apply.
That means that over time your application date would keep getting pushed further and further back out of the more ideal timing of earning a Companion Pass early in the year.
If you're in a two person household and you flip flop who opens the cards for the Companion Pass this doesn't matter because each individual will only be applying for a set of Southwest cards about every 45 months.
If you're in a two person household and are following the 3 card/2 pass plan -- I've included information specific to that plan about how to earn it perpetually and it's possible because each person is either getting 1 or 2 Southwest cards every 24 months.
But in a single person household you need a different strategy. This is also true in a household where only one person opens business cards.
Open both business cards in late fall
The easiest way to earn a perpetual Companion Pass in 1 person mode is for that person to focus first on opening both business cards.
The first person is going to open the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card sometime after October 15th. And then follow it with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card at least 30 days later.
Like with all the plans, it is essential that the card bonuses don't post until January.
This first year, you're using the “standard” two cards/one pass method. If you are applying for cards late in a calendar year, you need to do everything to make sure your points do not post until after January 1st the following year.
The main difference is that you're getting both business cards (no personal card).
Earning your next Companion Pass
As your Companion Pass is coming close to expiring, you're actually going to wait and let it expire.
You won't be eligible for any of the business card offers until 24 months have passed since you earned your bonus.
But for the past 4 years at least, the Southwest personal cards have run a unique promotional offer that seems to start in late January or early February.
This offer has been that you earn a shortened promotional Companion Pass (typically good for about a year) and a certain number of points -- about 30,000 points.
Assuming this offer keeps returning at this time, you can open this personal card and get this offer.
Then start again in the fall
When the fall rolls around, you'll also be eligible for the business cards again. So that means you'll start back up with the 2 business card method -- no earlier than October 15th.
Example
It's the year 2026....
STEP ONE: In mid-October, Katie opens the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card which will eventually earn her an 80,000 point bonus + 5,000 points for the $5000 she spent on it. She does some spending but doesn't come close to the $5000 required.
STEP TWO: On November 15, she opens the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card which will eventually earn her a 60,000 point bonus + $3000 for spending. She does some spending but doesn't come close to the $3000 required.
STEP THREE: After January 1, Katie spends to reach her minimum spend requirements. She earns 140,000 points in bonuses when her statement closes and gets her Companion Pass!
Now it's July 2028...
Katie's Companion Pass is expiring on December 31. It's been a great run!
If she has some travel for January/February 2028 next year, she's watching for the fall Companion Pass Promo which gives you a 2 month pass for booking 1 flight in a specific window.
Now it's January 2029....
Katie's on the lookout for the Southwest personal card to change its offer to one that offers the promotional Companion Pass plus 30,000ish points. When the offer releases (let's hope it does!), she gets the personal card and earns the bonus. If it is like past years, she'll have this promotional pass through February 2029.
Now it's October 2029...
Time to start over again! Go back to STEP ONE!
