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Southwest Companion Pass 2026 Promo Offer: BOGO Flights For a Year
A limited time promo makes the Southwest Companion pass easy to earn with one credit card sign up bonus. This year for the first time, the three Southwest personal cards are showing slightly different offers.
All of them will earn you a promotional companion pass through February 28, 2027 after you complete the minimum spend requirements. They have different spend requirements and also all earn you a different number of bonus points.
What Is a Southwest Companion Pass?
A Southwest Companion Pass lets you name a person as your companion. Then they can fly with you anytime you fly and only pay about $5 in fees each way. (International flights will have higher taxes). These BOGO flights last for as long as you hold a Southwest Companion Pass — there is no limit on number of flights!
You can also change your companion 3 times per year.
Generally, you need to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year to earn a Companion Pass. But for this promotion, you can earn a promotional pass with just one credit card offer.
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!
February 2026 Promotional Offer Explained
Instead of earning 135,000 in a calendar year, you can earn a promotional pass with any of the Southwest personal credit card welcome offers.
With these offers, you will have to spend $3,000 to $5,000 in three months, depending on the offer you choose. You will then earn 20,000 – 40,000 bonus points (Again, depending on your chosen offer) as well as a promotional companion pass that is valid through February 28, 2027.
You can use that Companion Pass as many times as you want during that period. All travel has to take place before February 28, 2027.
Pros of this Offer
- Fast way to earn a (shorter) Companion Pass: you’ll have it as soon as your statement closes following when you complete the spend requirement
- Doesn’t require business card to get it
- Still allows a pathway to extend your Companion Pass. You can then apply for a Southwest business card and work on getting to 135,000 total points earned throughout the year and that will extend this promotional pass through the end of 2027.
Cons of this Offer
- You’ll have fewer point to use with the Companion Pass (compared to the regular 2 card method of earning a Companion Pass)
- The Companion Pass earned is a promotional one that is valid for less than a year
| Compare Cards: | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signup Offer | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 20,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 40,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. |
| Preferred Seat selection at booking | -- | -- | |
| Seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure | Standard Seat | Standard or Preferred seat | Standard or Preferred seat |
| Upgrade to Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours | -- | -- | |
| Points earned every year on anniversary | 3,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 |
| Flight Discount (excludes Basic fare) | 10% promo code each year | 15% promo code each year | -- |
| Points earned per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® | 2X | 3X | 4X |
| 2 points per $1 on select everyday purchases | Gas stations and Grocery stores (first $5k) | Grocery stores and Restaurants (first $8k) | Gas stations and Restaurants (unlimited) |
| 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | |||
| Tier qualifying points towards A-List status | -- | 1,500 per $5,000 spent | 2,500 per $5,000 spent |
| Annual Fee | $99 | $149 | $229 |
| Next Steps | Learn More >> | Learn More >> | Learn More >> |
Promo FAQs
Q: If I do this promo, will I have to wait until 2028 to get the Companion Pass again?
A: You can only get a bonus on a Southwest personal card every 24 months, so if you open a card for this promo you will not be able to open any other Southwest personal card until 2028 (24 months after you earn this offer).
However, you could open Southwest business cards to extend your promotional Companion pass or earn it again.
Q: What if I’m in the process of earning a Companion Pass?
A: It may be trickier if you need the previous 50,000 point offer to earn your Companion Pass through 2025. No end date is currently listed for this offer. You could use the in flight offer for the Plus card which is for 65,000 points before then.
Q: Can I earn a Companion Pass with a personal card this year and a business card next year?
A: This specific offer is typically only available for personal cards and will “use up” your one Southwest personal card every 24 months. You could open Southwest business cards to earn points and potentially earn enough for a Companion Pass in future years.
Q: How can I apply for this offer?
A: If your spouse or partner has a Southwest card, they may be able to generate a referral link from Chase. If you don’t know anyone with a referral link, we’d appreciate if you apply through one of our affiliate links found in this article.
Q: Is it better to do this offer than earn the regular Companion Pass?
A: Earning a Companion Pass the “normal way” will get you more points and a Companion Pass for a longer period of time. But that doesn’t mean this promo isn’t a good offer for you! This is a great way to get it sooner.
I also think this offer gives you some great flexibility. After earning this promo pass, you could still open a Southwest business card to keep earning to get the rest of the way to 135,000 points.
Q: Can I use this promo + a business card to earn a Companion Pass through 2027?
A: Yes! You can’t officially extend the promotional Companion Pass but there is a way to effectively do just that.
This offer earns you a shorter, promotional Companion Pass. But anytime someone earns 135,000 Southwest points in a calendar year, they will earn a Companion Pass that is valid for the rest of that year and the whole next year. If you do that after you’ve earned the promotional companion pass, you’ll see the expiration date extend to December 31, 2027.
There are a few variations of how you can use this offer plus a business card offer to earn enough to extend your Companion Pass through the end of 2027.
Keep in mind you’re trying to reach 135,000 total points on your Companion Pass tracker and just by opening the credit card, you’ll have an additional 10,000 points added to your tracker.
Depending on the combination of offers you pick (personal + business offer), you may end up a few points short of 135,000, but that’s ok. There are other ways to top off your earning and we go over them all here.
Q: I got denied for a Southwest business card this year. Will this offer help me earn my Companion Pass?
A: Yes! Evidence strongly suggests that if you have 3+ business cards from Chase, you have a very high chance of denial for another business card. You could apply for this personal card and earn a Companion Pass quickly. Then if you reduce the business cards you have that are older than 12 months, you might find it easier to get approved for one of the Southwest business cards to top off your points earning to 135,000 points and earn the pass through December 2027.
Am I eligible?
Under 5/24
You also need to qualify under Chase’s unofficial “5/24 rule” which means you need to have opened fewer than 5 credit cards (from any issuer) in the past 24 months.
Not a Current Cardmember of a Southwest Personal Card
You also won’t be able to apply for these cards if you are a current cardmember who has a Southwest personal credit card. If you have want to cancel a Southwest personal card you have held for more than 24 months, make sure your balance has been fully paid when you go to cancel your card, or your waiting period to reapply might be longer.
Have Not Earned a Bonus on a Southwest Card in 24 months
You are only allowed to earn a bonus on 1 personal Southwest card per 24 months. If you earned a bonus more than 24 months ago, you can apply.
Which Southwest card is best?
You can see our full comparison here. Southwest has switched to assigned seating and the cards have different levels of benefits when it comes to when you can pick a seat for free.
If picking seats together with a group is a high priority for you, I’d suggest the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. This is what we personally hold even though on paper the value isn’t necessarily the best — it has the highest annual fee and doesn’t include the coupon the other cards have. But for me, picking seats at the time of booking tickets is important to me. And I like that I’ll be able to upgrade to Extra Legroom Seats 48 hours before departure if they are available.
non affiliate link
welcome offer:
Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 40,000 points
Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 40,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.
All information about this card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks.
Note that this link takes you to all the SW cards, you’ll need to select the exact one you want!
Annual Fee:
non affiliate link
welcome offer:
Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 30,000 points
after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.
Personal Referral: All information about this card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks.
Note that this link takes you to all the SW cards, you’ll need to select the exact one you want!
Annual Fee:
$149
Terms Apply.
non affiliate link
welcome offer:
Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 20,000 points
Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 plus 20,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Personal Referral: All information about this card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks.
Note that this link takes you to all the SW cards, you’ll need to select the exact one you want!
alternate offer – non-affiliate:
Earn 65,000 bonus points
Earn 65,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
In-Airport Offer: All information about this offer has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks.
Annual Fee:
More on Companion Passes
The traditional trick to earn a Southwest Companion Pass involves opening one business and one personal Southwest credit card. You’ll earn more points and have the Companion Pass for longer if you earn it the traditional way. This promotional pass is a great option for people who don’t have a side hustle or small business.
We have an extensive module on the Southwest Companion Pass to our free course. This includes videos on how to get the best prices on Southwest!
Sign up for the free course here and scroll to the bottom for the Southwest lessons.
Designating your Companion
Once you earn a Companion Pass, you will receive an email from Southwest will invite you to designate your companion. When you log into your account, you should also be prompted to designate a person.
Keep in mind, you can change your companion 3 times in a calendar year, so you do have some flexibility. But after the 3rd change, your companion will be locked onto that person.
After designating your companion, you will also receive a physical card in the mail that says “Companion Pass” with your companion’s name. We have always just stuck this in a drawer and never looked at it again. We’ve never needed it.
How to Book with a Companion Pass
If you already have a flight booked, you can now add your companion to it. You can always do this over the phone if you want to. Or generally it can be done online. Log into your account and find your booking. You should see a link to “Add Companion” to your reservation. The reservation screen is very similar to booking a regular ticket.
You always have to book your flight and then add your companion separately. You can use your Rapid Rewards points to book more than one ticket. So if you are a family of 4 with one companion pass, you can book 3 tickets together from one Rapid Rewards account and then add the companion. You and your companion will also always have separate reservation numbers so it is an extra step on check-in. You will need to check in separately.
We love that Southwest doesn’t charge change fees and will just deposit your miles back into your account as long as you cancel at least 10 minutes before your flight leaves!
Related Posts
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.
Hi,
If I use this promo + a business card to earn a Companion Pass through 2025, will I have 2 companion passes under my name until the end of Feb 2024 and then just 1 until the end of 2024? Or just 1 the whole time? Thanks!
Sarah
You can only ever have one companion under your name. My player 2 and I each have our own companions since we have 4 kids and our personal experience has been interesting with having both of them on a reservation at a time.
In the offer where you have 3 months to charge the 4,000…what if I charge that amount in one month? Does it get me the card quicker? or do I have to wait the three months?
I would like to earn a companion pass that is good for 2 years–or better than the ones for an year. Where do I find that?
Thank you love your tips Kaitie!
In our experience of earning the companion pass last year, we received the companion passes within 30 days of meeting the spend, so yes, you would earn it faster.
I have an old Southwest card from 3- 4 yrs ago. Do I need to cancel it before applying for the new one? I still have 4000 points from that card. Will I still have those points if I cancel the card?
You won’t lose the points because they are already safe in your SW account. Yes, if it is a personal card and you want the personal card bonus, you do have to cancel and then reapply.
Is this information accurate? I just called Chase Credit Card bc and there’s no such offer.
Offers can be released through different channels at different times. I’m not sure why a Chase rep would say there is no such offer when it was advertised on some of their channels. But to be honest, we have a lot of instances of the reps giving wrong info. You can google the offer and find it.
Hi Katie! Can you clarify that the 5/24 rule with Chase is for personal cards only. Business cards don’t typically count against the 5/24, unless otherwise stated, correct? I’m at 4/24 and was hoping to start looking at other banks and their business cards to keep my points earning going. I’ve been loosely following your 3 year 2 player strategy and I think I’ll need to start closing cards with Chase this year.
Business cards don’t count towards 5/24 but Chase seems to be restricting business card approvals right now for people who have 3+ Chase business cards.
hi Kate the referral code showed a screen you have to fill out to see if you are eligible to refer a friend.
yes, you do have to fill that out to generate your own referral. Or do you mean you’re looking for our referral and the link didn’t work?
Hi Katie, while talking to SW’s customer service today about a different issue, I asked about this promotion. I was told by 2 reps that they are not running this promotion right now. Is it real?
Southwest isnt’ running the promo, Chase is (the bank) — the Southwest reps don’t know about the credit card promos!
I just applied for this card and promotion (I’ve been waiting for it). I’d like to book my flights now and I can meet the spending limit quicky, but of course it will take time to actually have to companion pass. If I book the flights before I officially have the companion pass, can I still add the companion to those flights once the pass is earned?
yes, you can!
Hi Katie, I just got approved for the priority card and should meet the companion require within the first month. If I apply for the business performance next month and meet the $5000 fast, that will most likely hit the 135,000 companion pass by May. Should my companion pass extend to Feb 28, 2028? current promotion Feb 28, 2026 + 2 years from the regular 135,000 points requirement or it will end 12/31/2027? Thanks
It would end 12/31/2026. Anytime you earn 135,000 in a calendar year, you get the pass for the rest of that year + the whole next year. The promo pass is separate, it can’t be extended officially. But the 30k points you earn from the offer will help you earn 135k in a calendar year (2025) and if you do that, you’ll have your pass through 2026.
Thank you very much
Hi Katie. I am working on the typical Companion Pass. This new offer messes up my timing. If I apply for the personal card using your hidden referral link, will I still get the 65k bonus or will Chase switch me to the current offer?
The 65k offer is the “airport” offer — not a referral link — and yes, if you use it, you will get 65,000 points! You can always take a screenshot as you’re applying so you have the proof!
hi Katie! thanks for all your tips! I started working on the 2 player companion pass strategy in Jan. My husband opened a business card first and just reached his spending. should I now have him open the personal one with this promo?
we were hoping to earn his companion pass first so we can have a one child fly free at least while I work on mine. so I have no cards towards the pass.
what’s the best strategy? we both can open business cards and are under the 5/24 rule
Did he open the Performance card for the 80k offer? Are you trying to earn 2 CP or just his?
My husband just qualified for the Promo Companion Pass after spending $4k in his first billing statement with the Priority card. The 30k points transferred to his RR account the day after, but no Companion Pass yet. I’ve been reading online that many people are still without theirs. Do you have any data on how long it’s taking this year? I read it could be up to 8 weeks but seems like most people got them within 1-2 with the same promo in 2024…Thanks!
I haven’t seen any data points yet! Hopefully it comes soon.
I got my points from this offer a week ago, but still haven’t gotten the pass! Should I be worried? I have a flight I need to add a companion for mid-April!
It should post soon! If it doesn’t, you could reach out to customer support
FYi there seems to be a mismatch on the promotion dates between Chase and SW.
I signed up on 2/8 for the 30k points + CP offer through Chase for the SW RR Plus CC. Qualified in 1st month and was awarded the 30k points and have the CP noted in my point history but no CP available in my account. Called SW and they said I am ineligible for the CP offer since I signed up in the promotion dates for their prior January offer ending 2/10/25 (offer: 50k points, no CP).
After disputing with SW rep on the date discrepancy they said to file a complaint with SW.com (corporate) and see what they say. Countless people on Reddit are in the same boat: signed up for this offer prior to 2/11 through Chase (who was advertising it), awarded the 30k points and have CP noted in account activity but no active CP.
Others signed up after 2/11 and are having CP active in their account immediately on statement closing.
Recommend contacting SW on their website > file a complaint > Rapid Rewards and confirm the dates you opened the card and adding any screenshots or details confirming eligibility. Otherwise there is likely no amount of “waiting” time necessary for processing since they are auto-processing those who opened after 2/11 and have an active discrepancy in dates w/ Chase.
Thank you for the update on this and the details for anyone in the same boat! Hopefully with these steps people can resolve it soon.
I applied for this promo as well and called today to see about my CP (as I met all qualifications)and SW said there was no promo & transferred me to Chase who said they would send my complaint to marketing and respond by mail within 7-10 business days. 🙃 I distinctly remember reading the fine print. Am I losing my mind?
so frustrating. You are not losing your mind, this was a real promo. But Southwest is right that Chase is the one that is probably responsible if you didn’t get it. I can’t believe they are making you wait that long. You could also try sending a secure message.