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Southwest Companion Pass Trick: Complete Guide
Learn the easy way to get a Southwest Companion Pass! One of my favorite travel deals is the Southwest Airlines Companion pass. Learn about the Southwest Companion Pass trick here. This guide aims to tell you everything you need to know to earn two-for-one travel for your family!
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.
Southwest Companion Pass 2024 Basics
Let’s start with the basics: 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).
Note: Starting January 1, 2023 — Southwest credit card holders will 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.
You can also change your companion 3 times per year.
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!
There are a few tricks to earning it and maximizing your Companion Pass, as well as some restrictions. I’m going to try to lay them all out here, so you can enjoy two-for-one travel, too.
If you’ve never flown Southwest, check out my intro guide to flying Southwest. We love the customer service we get on Southwest, as well as the free checked bags and freedom to change our flights up until 10 minutes before take off.
Trick #1: Timing
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.
You’re not redeeming points for a Companion Pass, it is just an extra perk that Southwest gives to reward you for your loyalty — their way of saying “Thanks for earning those points, here’s a bonus!”
Remember, if you have a Southwest credit card — by January 31 you will have 10,000 qualifying points automatically added to your tracker.
Best time to earn
As soon as you’ve earned your required points, you will get the companion pass for the rest of that calendar year plus the NEXT calendar year.
Earning it early in the year will give you the most time with your Companion Pass.
If you earn the companion pass on January 31, 2023, you will have it until December 2024– the rest of 2023 and the whole next year (2024) — 23 months.
If you earn the companion pass in December 2022, you will only have it until December 31, 2023 which is about 12 months.
For maximum value, you want to try to earn it as early in the year as possible. Keep reading to find out the strategies I use to earn it as early in the year as possible.
Trick #2: Earn a Companion Pass by opening new credit cards
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. There are 3 Southwest branded personal cards to choose from and 2 Southwest branded business cards. 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.
Sign up bonuses vary, and often during the year, you will be able to earn the Companion Pass just by earning two sign up bonuses. Other times, the sign up bonuses will get you most of the way there and then you will need to top off your earning with a few more points.
Sign up bonuses on the personal cards start at 40,000 points after spending $1000 in 3 months, but often go up to 60,000+ points after spending $2,000 to $3,000 a few times a year. Some bonuses will have different tiers — like earn 50,000 points after you spend $3,000 in 3 months, and earn 50,000 more after you spend $12,000 total in 12 months. Occasionally Southwest offers a limited time Companion Pass as part of the sign up offer on a credit card. The offer on the Southwest Performance Business card is pretty standard at 80,000 points (after spending $5,000 in 3 months). Annual fees range from $69 to $199 depending on the perks of the cards.
To be eligible for the credit card bonuses you need to have good or excellent credit. 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. Head back to my getting started with credit cards page if you’re just starting out with opening credit cards for free travel.
Note: you are only allowed to earn a bonus on 1 personal Southwest card per 24 months, so if you want to earn the Companion Pass solely through credit card bonuses, the easiest way is a combination of 1 business Southwest card and one personal Southwest card.
Here are all your card options. If you’re interested in applying for one of these cards, please use my affiliate links as it helps support my site and doesn’t cost you anything!
Personal Cards
Find a full comparison of Southwest Cards here.
I think the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the best value by far, even though it has the highest annual fee. The annual fee effectively drops to $74 after the $75 annual statement credit. The statement credit is extremely easy to redeem, you can even buy $75 of Southwest Giftcards on their website each year and the credit comes off on my statement automatically. You could also use it for taxes and fees or in-flight food and beverages.
The Priority card also offers 4 upgraded boardings (instead of the 2 early bird check ins) and more points on your card anniversary.
Keep in mind that you are only eligible for a new personal card if you haven’t received a bonus on a personal card in the past 24 months. Essentially 24 months after you receive your bonus you are eligible to apply for another card and get another bonus (as long as you have cancelled your previous card).
welcome offer:
Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/26 + 30,000 points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
All information about this card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks. This card is no longer available through Katie’s Travel Tricks.
Annual Fee:
Business Cards
Southwest business cards tend to have very consistent offers and we don’t see the same variation as we do on the personal cards.
If you have any side hustle that generates income, you probably qualify! This includes things like selling old toys on Facebook marketplace, walking dogs, babysitting, tutoring, and more.
For those types of “small businesses” you will apply as a sole proprietor and use your Social Security number where it asks for an EIN.
Trick #3: Time your Credit Card Applications
As discussed above, the best time to earn the companion pass is in January. So how do you accomplish that with credit cards? Part of the Southwest Companion pass trick is to get your timing right.
You need to time your card applications carefully. Business card applications from Chase can take a few weeks to process, so I recommend starting the application process as early as October 15. You can try applying for both a business card and a personal card on the same day and it might get approved. Or you can apply for 1 first, wait 30 days and apply for the other.
The next step is critical: timing when you will receive your bonus points.
After you complete your minimum spending requirements, Chase typically gives you your bonus points on the day that month’s statement closes.
Let’s say you apply for the card in early October and complete your $1000 spending pretty easily in November. When your statement closes on December 15 (for example), you will earn your 50,000 bonus points. But wait! That’s NOT what you want to do. You are trying to get those bonus points to post in January at the earliest.
You absolutely don’t want to complete your minimum spending before January 1.
Got it? Don’t complete your minimum spending before January 1!
Technically you should be able to complete it as soon as your December statement closes. The date will vary for each person. You can call to confirm your statement closing date and often you can change the date you want it to close.
If you want to do some end of year charitable giving on your card (one of our favorite ways to complete minimum spending requirements) you could do that on December 31 and you should be fine, most transactions don’t post on your credit card for a few days anyway.
But if you want to be absolutely sure, just wait till January 1 to spend big. You could apply for your cards as early as October 3. You need to complete your spending within 3 months so watch your dates very carefully. You can also wait until December or January to apply for the cards if you don’t have any travel planned early in the year. Historically, usually in the late fall and winter, Chase raises the sign up bonuses on all the Southwest credit cards, so personally, I like to wait until I see an offer of 60,000 points before I jump on it.
The 10,000 “qualifying” points from having a credit card will appear on your Companion Pass Tracker by January 31.
Want more details? Check our our timeline here or our free Southwest Companion Pass Bootcamp within our free course!
Sample card combos to earn the Companion Pass
These calculations were calculated with the 50,000 point bonus on the personal cards that was available on January 1, 2024. See current combos here.
Remember: effective January 2023, if you hold a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card on the “first business day of the calendar year” you will get a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass Qualifying points. These will be deposited by January 31st. You only get one boost, even if you have two different cards. This “boost” is not giving you points you can redeem but just points that will get added to your Companion Pass tracker.
Personal Cards Only:
Opening any Southwest personal card will give you 51,000 points after completing your spending. I prefer the Priority card over the lower annual fee Plus card due to all the benefits it adds. If you open only a personal card, you will still need to find other ways to earn the 74,000 other points to earn the Companion Pass. This can be through a combination of additional spending, referring friends and family to the card, or using shopping portals. It is hard to do, I’d recommend waiting for another higher offer.
| Card Opened | Southwest Priority Card |
| Total Annual Fees paid | $149 |
| Total points earned after minimum spending | 51,000 points 50,000 from bonus + 1,000 from spending |
| Additional points needed to reach 135,000 and earn Companion Pass | 84,000 points (you’ll get 10k added to your tracker by holding a card) |
| Additional premium benefits | 4 upgraded boardings per year + $75 back on Southwest purchases, which includes taxes and fees from booking flights |
One Personal + One Business Card:
Southwest Priority Card + Southwest Premier Business Card
This combo will give you the lowest total spending across two cards to reach your bonuses. You could also substitute the $69 annual fee Plus card if you wanted lower annual fees.
| Cards Opened | Southwest Priority Card Southwest Premier Business Card |
| Total Annual Fees paid | $248 |
| Total points earned after minimum spending | 114,000 points 110,000 from both bonuses combined + 4,000 from spending |
| Total spending needed to earn bonus points | $6000 |
| Additional points needed to reach 135k and earn a Companion Pass | 11,000 |
| Additional premium benefits | 4 upgraded boardings per year $75 back on Southwest purchases, which includes taxes and fees from booking flights 2 Early Bird Check Ins per year |
Southwest Priority Card + Southwest Performance Business card
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.
| Cards Opened | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Total Annual Fees paid | $348 |
| Total points earned after minimum spending | 136,000 points 130,000 from both bonuses combined + 6,000 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 | 8 upgraded boardings per year $75 back on Southwest purchases, which includes taxes and fees from booking flights Free Wifi on flights TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit |
Business Cards Only:
While you can only open one personal card, the rules for business cards are different. You can open both business cards in the same year if you choose to.
Southwest Premier Business card + Southwest Performance Business card
| Cards Opened | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Total Annual Fees paid | $298 |
| 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 | 4 upgraded boardings per year 2 free Early Bird Check-Ins per year Free Wifi on flights TSA Precheck/Global Entry credit |
Trick 4: Earn 2 passes with just 3 card sign ups
This trick is perfect for families. Watch my YouTube video to learn more. This is also covered in the Southwest Companion Pass module of our free course.
Trick 5: Other Ways to Earn Rapid Rewards Points
New credit card sign up bonuses are the fastest way to give yourself a huge points boost on your quest to earn a Companion Pass. But it isn’t the only way! Here are a few more options. These are also the best options for card offers that get you most of the way there but maybe not all the way.
Refer a friend (or spouse) to any Southwest Credit card if you already have one
- Referral bonuses are usually 20,000 points per referral. If you have any Southwest credit card, you can generate a personalized link that will allow you to refer a friend to any of the Southwest cards.
- Sometimes Chase will release a lower offer through the referral page.
- If you refer a friend to a Southwest credit card in December after your December statement is closed, this referral will post to your account in January and will count for your next year’s companion pass earning. This is a great way to get a boost on your earning.
Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal
- Earn points by clicking through the links from a wide variety of online shopping options
- Note: bonuses sometimes allow you to earn as much as 3500 bonus points after spending certain amounts — but technically these bonus points won’t count towards the Companion Pass. Just the base points on your portal purchases. In practice, though, sometimes these bonus points often count towards your companion pass.
Book Hotels Through Southwest Hotels
- Earn points per dollar you spend on Southwesthotels.com – and bonus points of up to 10,000 per night!
- Southwest partners with Booking.com for this and guarantees the best rates
Rapid Rewards Dining Program
- Register any credit or debit card to earn points when you dine at participating restaurants.
- Technically only the base points you earn count towards the companion pass, not any bonus promotions — but in practice the bonus promotions seem to count as well.
Earn points for flights you take and pay cash for on Southwest
- Depending on which card you have, you will earn 2x-4x points on any Southwest flight you’ve purchased, in additional to the points you get for your actual flight.
Earn bonus points though Southwest partners (base points only, not bonus points)
- Hotel stays booked through Rocketmiles can earn up to 10,000 Rapid Rewards points per night
- Car rentals booked through the Southwest partner site can earn points per booking
- Check the Southwest site for all the current deals!
Quarterly bonus points from Chase
- Every quarter, Chase targets some cardholders for bonus spend opportunities. Sometimes it is as simple as earn 5x on all spend. Or it might be spend $1,000 and earn 3000 points.
- Check your cards here: https://www.chase.com/mybonus to see if they qualify every quarter!
Which Points Don’t Count Towards Earning a Companion Pass?
It is important to note that not all Rapid Rewards points you earn will count towards the 125,000 you need to earn a companion pass. Here are the points that technically DON’T count:
- Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards® accounts (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card)
- Points converted from hotel or car loyalty programs
- Purchased points
- Points from e-Rewards?, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club?
- Tier bonus points
- Flight bonus points
- Partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase).
In practice, some people find that partner bonus points DO actually count towards the Companion Pass, so your results may vary.
Check out the full terms here.
Trick #6: Complete your minimum spend with low monthly expenses
One of the key parts of using credit cards to earn miles and points is not spending more money to reach these bonuses, but just to leverage your everyday spending. We have monthly expenses that are around $1,000 a month so we often need to use other strategies to help us reach minimum spends. This is also helpful with bonuses that require a larger amount of spending (like $10,000+) if we want to complete it more quickly. Read our full article here.
- Move all your spending to your new card. We use Google Pay to set up both of us to use the new card for stores that accept contactless payment.
- Buy store gift cards. You can’t do this perpetually, but if you are a few hundred dollars short on a minimum spend, it can help to buy a gift card to a store where you know you will use it. I sometimes buy as much as $1,000 in Costco gift cards, knowing I will spend it eventually. This only works if you have the cash flow to essentially pre-pay your biggest expenses.
- Buy Visa gift cards when your grocery store or Staples has a promo (otherwise the activation fees might not be really worth it). I then register these gift cards with a PIN number online and use them for bills that I can only pay with a debit card, like my health insurance (many online processors will consider them a debit card — always test with a smaller amount first!)
- Pay your car or home insurance (or time a new card sign-up to when you have an insurance bill coming). Many companies will even allow you to pre-pay.
- Pay your property taxes. This varies depending on location. In our county, I am charged a small fee to do this but I often find it worth it anyway if I’m working on a new card bonus.
- Fund micro loans through Kiva. You will get paid back eventually and do good in the process!
- Save up your charitable giving and use your credit cards to give.
- Use Plastiq to pay bills where credit isn’t usually accepted. Again, there is a fee but sometimes the fee is worth it for us, like if we pay a $50 fee but then get $700 of travel! If you want to pay your mortgage, you can only use a Mastercard, so this doesn’t work for the Southwest cards.
- Open a new bank account and fund it with a credit card – Doctor of Credit has a great resource on this. I recently opened a money market account with Great Southern Bank and was able to fund $4900 with a Chase credit card. It coded as a “Financial Purchase” and I received points for the purchase. I will keep the account open for 30 days and then close it.
- Prepay monthly expenses like Netflix, gym memberships or tuition.
- Pay a car down payment. When we bought a car we were allowed to put $2500 of the down payment on a credit card. Varies by dealer.
- Load your Amazon account with Amazon gift cards.
- Add a trusted family member or friend as an authorized user and let them reimburse you for their purchases.
- Pick up the tab if out to dinner with friends and have them pay you back via Venmo or another electronic cash app.
- Get reimbursed for business expenses. Clear this with your company first.
- Pay your rent with a service like RadPad or Place. Usually about a three percent fee.
- Pay your federal income or state income taxes (fees of 1.67%+ will apply.
- Pay tuition.
Companion Pass FAQs
When Does My Companion Pass Start?
After you’ve earned your 135,000 points in a calendar year, you should get access to your Companion Pass within a few days.
If you’ve completed your spending on a credit card, your points will generally post within a day of when your statement closes. This date varies from person to person.
How will I know I’ve earned the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass?
When you log into your Southwest Account, you can see your progress right on the dashboard.
When you have earned the Companion Pass, you will receive an email from Southwest congratulating you on earning it.
How to use Southwest Companion Pass: Designating your Companion
The email you receive 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 Southwest 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!
Occasionally we have run into problems with adding a companion to our reservation. Sometimes with International itineraries you need to call in to add a companion. You will also pay additional taxes when flying internationally. Sometimes because we have 2 companion passes, we need to call in to add the 2nd companion because the screens error out and tell us we already have added a companion to the reservation. Sometimes if we want to change a reservation and have already added our companion to the reservation, we need to call in to do so. Southwest customer service is always helpful and friendly so really, don’t be afraid to call and ask for help!
What other questions do you have about the Companion Pass? Do you need help with the Southwest Companion Pass Trick? I’d love to help you get some two-for-one tickets!
Table of Contents
- Southwest Companion Pass 2024 Basics
- Trick #1: Timing
- Trick #2: Earn a Companion Pass by opening new credit cards
- Trick #3: Time your Credit Card Applications
- Sample card combos to earn the Companion Pass
- Trick 4: Earn 2 passes with just 3 card sign ups
- Trick 5: Other Ways to Earn Rapid Rewards Points
- Which Points Don’t Count Towards Earning a Companion Pass?
- Trick #6: Complete your minimum spend with low monthly expenses
- When Does My Companion Pass Start?
- How will I know I’ve earned the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass?
- How to use Southwest Companion Pass: Designating your Companion
- How to Book with Southwest Companion Pass
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Hi. I just canceled my personal card 11/16/23 that I have had for 5 years. How long should I wait to apply for a new personal card?
Usually I recommend about 14 days to make sure it clears out of Chase’s system
Hi, Katie. I have a Southwest personal card that I have had for several years. Can i apply for the Priority card and get the bonus points even though I already have a personal card?
You would need to cancel your SW personal card first before applying for a new bonus
Hi Katie! We’re a couple trying to start earning Companion Passed on alternating 2yr cycles. Thanks for your advice.
On March 9, 2024, P1 received the SW personal card 30k bonus and companion pass til 2/28/25…
What do you think is the best approach to start getting on a 2yr cycle?
Should P1 try to get business cards to extend the companion pass? Or should P2 apply for cards in late 2024 to get a pass through 2026?
When should P1 cancel his card?
Are you hoping to just hold one at a time? Or would you ultimately like to hold 2 at a time (like if you have 2 kids)
And, one more question – if i cannot what do you think about my wife opening a Priority card to get the Companion pass for 2025?
Yes, this is a good plan, especially because you can refer her to her own card and you will get a 20k referral bonus
I just realized I have 125K points and it’s the end of November. I am signed up for 3x points on purchases and 25% extra points on purchases. do earn the 10K points…
1. will the 3xs points be included?
2. Will any purchase I do with my card before 12/31 go towards the 2023 points I have accumulated?
Help? any other ideas?
Only purchases for a statement that CLOSES in December will count towards this year. 3x points would count IF they post in December
What happens after you have already opened up several cards and earned the bonuses? Do you just close the accounts, then reopen them in a few years? Is there another way to continue to earn the companion pass without opening/closing credit cards and earning the sign-up bonuses?
It is easiest to earn a chunk of points by closing the credit cards and re-opening. There are other ways to earn points without the credit cards but it is harder to get to 135,000.
I applied for SW business card because I sell quite a bit n classifieds without. Tax id. SW replied I must have a tax I’d. Any suggestions?
If they are asking for verification, you just need to tell them as a sole proprietor you don’t have a EIN but you use your Social Security number. This is common. Your SSN can become your Tax ID if you are a sole proprietor.
Hello there. Thanks for all the great info. I applied for the SW Visa Rapid Rewards card in Feb 2024 when the SUB was a companion pass through Feb 2025 after min spend (which we just completed). My companion pass should hit any day now. Can I add a SW business card to extend that pass….or do I need to wait 24 months, close the personal card, and restart the process from the beginning following your advice above?
I’m looking to add a business card anyway…but the SW one is only beneficial to me if it extended the companion pass.
Thanks for your help!
Yes you can add the business card to extend it!
I’m 130k out of the 135k required for Companion. Are points accumulated for purchases in December or when you’ve paid your bill in December? I’ve already posted payment Dec 4th and won’t again until Jan 4th. Should I pay the bill early?
Paying the bill early won’t help, unfortunately. Your best bet for quick points is probably Rapid Rewards Shopping and hope the points post quickly.
HI Katie………Love the site and appreciate the content very much. I have a question about Companion Pass please. I was awarded it on 7/15/23 (through 2024), so given that when did or does the calculation for the next one start and run through?
If you were to earn 135,000 points in 2024, it would extend your expiration date through Dec 31, 2025. You can find the Companion Pass Tracker when you log into your Southwest account.
If you say they reset to 0 in Jan – how does the posting of the final $10k in Jan get you to $135k? Am I misunderstanding the reset?
If you have timed it right, all your fall credit card bonuses should not post until after January 1.
Do you perhaps have a diagram for a couple earning SW cards to earn a companion pass every year. I’ve listened to your directions but don’t get how a partner’s application would earn a Sw companion pass in alternate years
For every year you would just alternate. So if P1 applies right now for business and personal card, they will earn it through December 2025. Then in late 2025 or early 2026, P2 would apply for personal and business SW cards.
Hi Katie, your website has been a great source of information! We have used your referral links to open several credit cards. My husband and I both have SW companion passes (first time thanks to you :D). Our two children will be our companions. Do my husband (P2) and I (P1) have to purchase airline tickets separately so we can individually add our companion? Or can P1 purchase tickets for both P1 and P2, and then afterward P1 and P2 can add our companion? Thanks in advance!
You can buy the adult tickets together! And then you can each add your kids as companions.
Thanks for this great information. I should have my companion pass in place next week. My wife will probably not have hers until first week of March. Since we have a family of 5 and will have 2 companion passes with 2 separate Rapid Rewards accounts, am I correct that we need to do two separate bookings? One for me, my companion, and one child and the other for my wife and her companion. We have trip planned this summer and I am probably going to book once my companion is in place and just change her companion from paid to companion once the CP is in place.
You can put you and your wife and one child on the same booking. Then you will each have to add your companions separately.
I just earned my Companion Pass. The points have posted after my statement closed and I have even booked a flight for my companion already. Due to a trip being cancelled, I now have to cancel a large purchase at AirBnb that helped me qualify. Can SW take back the companion pass once granted? Am I at risk of having an issue with Chase? I plan to keep using the card for everyday expenses, to show that this was not a scam, but I won’t have any particularly large charges anytime soon.
They won’t take it back, but it is a good idea to “re-spend”that money to show that it was a legit cancellation and not a scam!
Hi Katie , thank you SO much for your insights! I have 75K points in my account as of today. I received an offer for companion pass / credit card when spending $4k in first three months and as I understand it – this companion pass will be usable for 12 months. Do you recommend that route or is there an option to purchase the needed 60k points ($900) and the companion pass is good for 2 years?
HI-
I earned a companion pass for all of 2023 and 2024 thanks to your great instructions! I opened a personal and business account for myself.
I would now like my husband to open a personal and business account in late Oct/early Nov with points posting in January per your recommendation. Do I close my two accounts first? Also, when do I close my accounts so I can redo this whole process for myself in two years?
Thank you!
Jane
Katie, I know you said wait till Oct and time this for out for next January to reach the companion pass requirements, but I noticed SWA has a great offer right now on the personal card for 85K points instead of the 50K points. Do you think this offer will come around again in Oct? or is it better to take and offer now and try for the 135K points. I think the only downside is you don’t get the full 2yr advantage of companion pass but rather a little less than 1 1/2 yr
Is there a 2 companion pass plan for families of 4? If not, can you make one.
Yes! https://youtu.be/IwDCsLRtCe8?si=KfnjUohwTxIr1AM-
Thank you, I mean that is awesome, but maybe like chart on paper.
Available here as a download! https://katiestraveltricks.com/southwest-companion-pass-guide/
I would like to earn 2 southwest companion passes (family of 4) ASAP in January. I would love a chart on that, maybe even a 4 year plan to see the back and forth for perpetual companion passes. If I open in November, any money I spend before the new year will not count towards the Companion pass totals, correct? So, if the $5000 spend total contributes to the $135,000, I would have to wait until the December statement closes for that to count for the companion pass. How do we know when our December statement closes?
Thanks for all this great info.
Hi! I just added some very specific details like this into my free course! It’s the last module. You can sign up at learn.katiestraveltricks.com
I see an elevated offer for the personal card for 85K points for 3K spend in 3 months but the offer ends on Oct 9. Is there any way to utilize this for the 3 card-2 CP method for 2025-2026? Thanks
Ahhhh, just here looking for the same answer!
Yes, P1 would apply on Oct 8 for this offer. And then P1 would refer P2 to 2 cards after December statement closes. And P1 would have to complete the spending AFTER December statement closes but before January 8.
It just means in 2 years if you do it again — that the person that got this one personal offer would need to get 2 business offers that round.
Yes, P1 would apply on Oct 8 for this offer. And then P1 would refer P2 to 2 cards after December statement closes. And P1 would have to complete the spending AFTER December statement closes but before January 8.
It just means in 2 years if you do it again — that the person that got this one personal offer would need to get 2 business offers that round.
Hi Katie,
I have a personal SW card with 50k points, and planning on signing up for the business card in Oct for 80k points. Will the points from my personal card (I’ve had it for years), be combined with the 80k new sub, and count towards a companion pass?
Thank you!
Did you earn those 50k points this year? You’ll still keep your points and they will all be in the same account. But you need to earn 135,000 points in the same calendar year in order to earn the Companion Pass, not just have 135,000 points in your account, if that makes sense.
Silly question- but how do the personal and business cards combine points? Do you just include your RR# on both accounts? Thanks!
Yes exactly — when you sign up, it prompts for your RR# and you’ll enter the same for both.
Can you explain the benefit of waiting until October 15 to start applying for cards? I see you also recommend starting to apply October 3 at the earliest. Curious about this timing as I have a purchase around October 20 I’d like to put on the first card. Thinking I should apply for the personal card first since the business car may take longer to process. Thanks!
It’s mostly just to give you extra time to complete the spend. There’s a small window to complete it. You absolutely CAN’T complete it before your December statement closes. But HAVE TO complete it within 90 days of your approval.
Hi Katie, I seem to be kind of frozen in place with the whole closing cards part of this sequence. My husband and I earned CPs in 2024 through end of 2025. Does closing cards affect my CP? I’m scared to lose my points and our CPs, but don’t want to keep the cards since fees will be posting soon. Do I need a SW card open to use the benefits?? Help! (And, thank you for all you do–I’ve learned SO much from you!)
You don’t lose any SW points when you cancel! Since points and CP are already associated with your SW account. If you don’t use the benefits (like the free upgraded boardings), you can cancel without worry. Keep in mind you do get anniversary bonus points each year. And if you keep one open, that will allow you to refer the other person in your household when you need to open them again!
I currently have a personal and a business sw cards and 280,000 sw points. I’d like to go for a companion pass for 2025/2026. Will it jeopardize my points if I cancel the personal card. Both cards are on same RR account.
The points are already in your Southwest account, they’re not tied to a certain credit card. You can cancel the personal card and it won’t affect the Southwest points that are already in your Rapid Rewards account.
I have opened a personal and business card with the intention to spend 1st of Jan 2024 and get my points for the next 2 years. In the meantime, I want to book a flight for an event we need to attend end of Jan 2024 and I don’t want to wait until 2-3 weeks prior and risk flight prices/options. Is it possible to book those flights now and then when my companion pass is awarded, cancel those tickets and rebook as a companion? Hope I’m explaining this well…
yes you can! You can always add your Companion Later. This YouTube video has tips, too: https://youtu.be/cbfIf87ktcg?si=YiGeeLURP3e21RgV
Hi Katie, I just received the SW business card with the 80K bonus after a $4,000 spend. Goal is to earn CP in first 3 months of 2024. If I’m reading your post right I need to aim to hit the $4000 spend after my December statement closes but before 3 months elapses. Question is can I start spending now and spend $3,500 in November, then save the last $500 till after the Dec. statement? Secondly, I will probably need to get the personal card and hit a bonus on that is the easiest way to get to 125000 points in say February? Thanks.
Yes, you can! To clarify, your card most likely has a $5000 spend requirement. I’d also recommend you get the personal card by early Jan as they seem to change that offer in mid-January lately to one that makes it harder to earn the CP!
Circling back to say thank you. With a bit of research, planning, and using your strategy I hit companion pass in mid-February, so now I have CP for rest of 25 and all of 26! We had a couple of house purchase that helped to meet the spend. but with the CP and using earned points for flights, we will easily break even and/or come out ahead of the $8K spend by the end of 26.
so glad to hear it! Enjoy those trips!
If I’m opening 1 business + 1 personal SW card in my name to get the companion pass and want to follow your plan to continue getting the companion pass, would it be a mistake to add husband/P2 as an authorized signer on these cards? Will that disqualify them from being the next “opener of the cards”? Thanks.
It won’t disqualify them from getting their own welcome offer some day! The personal card sort of will add to his 5/24 count which is the main reason we don’t always recommend it for personal cards.
hi, we have 70344 towards the cp. Would it be best to wait until next year (October) to close my priority card and reopen it and a business card to get cp for 2026 OR is there still a way to get cp to use 2 years verse only the year we qualify for?
Do you have another person in your household who could apply for the cards now and get the CP? Then you could get it again in 2 years?
Hi Katie – I think I may have read your post about two weeks too late (!) as I just hit my $5K mark for my SWA Biz account. But just double checking…my first statement payment date is December 14th. I do not yet have a SWA personal card but was planning to apply soon. Will this sequence and timing make it impossible to get the almost two year benefit of the companion pass? Your neighbor, Damon & Crystal.
Hi Damon — if your 80k points from your card post in December, it will make it hard to earn all 135k points in one calendar year at this point. If they did, you still have a few options. If they did post, just send me an email at katie@katiestraveltricks.com and we’ll make you a backup plan!
Hi Katie – We earned the companion pass for 2024/2025. We have the following cards:
P1 – Performance Business
P2 – Premiere Business and Priority Personal
I just had the Performance Business annual fee post and am thinking I’d like to cancel and see if they’ll remove the fee but I also want to keep in mind re-earning 2 companion passes for 2026/2027. Which cards am I ok to cancel and which card(s) should I retain to set myself up for that? Will they remove the annual fee if I cancel prior to the statement due date?
You have 30 days to cancel after an annual fee posts and still get a refund. Here’s everything to know about closing a card: https://katiestraveltricks.com/ultimate-guide-to-closing-a-credit-card/
I am trying to do the 3 card, 2 passes with 2 players. I got my Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card. My December statement just closed, so it is time to refer my partner (my husband). When I look at the options for my husband, I see the personal cards are only worth 40,000 points (spend $3,000) and the business is 80,000 points (spend $5000). The total will be 128,000 points. It is still short of the 135,000 points. Any other way get the the additional 7,000 points needed other than spend $7,000? Was there something about cards get 10,000 points in January for having a card? I cannot find information on that for any websites.
Thanks! All your information has been so helpful!
you get a 10k “boost” on your Companion Pass tracker on Jan 31 for holding a card! So that gets you there
I just posted, but I have one more question. As I am reading I realize that if I want this to be continue to have a companion passes eternally on the 3 card, 2 pass, 2 player mode, you recommend the 2nd play get the business card that only gives out 60,000 points. Tips to make that work, especially since personal cards are now worth 40,000 instead of 50,000 points?
it depends on offers so right now it’s easiest to get the 80k offer! And then next round you would just delay a little bit to get it in 2 years
In your Southwest Podcast, you mentioned that you could open the personal and business on the same day or wait 30 days. We are doing 3 card, 2 player mode, to get 2 companion passes for family of 4.
If my husband just received his personal card today (Dec 16) with only 40,000 points and we need to get him one more business, how soon can we do this? I have the 80,000 point business card already (got this Nov). I guess we will go ahead and get my husband the same 80,000 business card since 60,000 just is so short of the amount we need. But then you said, the next round, we would need to delay it a bit, so I am assuming the sooner we get his next business card the better, but I do not want him to get denied either. Thoughts? Also, is there info out there on your sites about what to do if you do have to get the same card and then delay? Thanks for all your help!!!!
I’m planning to create a better more clear resource on how to get the 3 card/2 pass method the 2nd time around. That will be ready in January or February. So plenty of time before the next round! If you can meet the spending, you could apply for the 80k business card close to the one you just got. I’m not sure there is a strong difference between applying right away and waiting 30 days.
Hey Katie, I have the sw personal and business card that I plan on meeting the spend for companion pass by Jan 8th. It would give me a total of 165000 just on opening offers. My question is- I don’t see my business card stuff on my sw app. Do I need to do something to connect the two? Can you give me some advise?
Do you mean on the Chase app? If it is your first time opening a business card with Chase, you do need to set up a separate business profile and then you can link in your personal cards. Here’s how: https://www.chase.com/digital/customer-service/helpful-tips/business-banking/general/cbo-account-linking
Hi Katie
I am trying to earn the CP with the two business cards. How long should i wait between applications? As always, thanks for all your help!
I suggest 30 days between business cards!
I just listened to your podcast and learned about this strategy. Should I go ahead and do it (either 2 player or 1 player) now (currently mid-January 2025)or wait and be more strategic in October 2025 to maximize it for years 2026 and 2027?
This is a great time of year to do it! You’re only slightly delayed but none of the drama with the timing!
Hi Katie! I screwed up royally. I did everything right. I opened both a personal and business card in October and November of ’24. I spent up to $2800 on both cards and on the Chase portal both of my year end spend was less than 3,000. I completed my spend Jan 3 on both cards. However, I made a Christmas purchase of $210 mid December and that item was returned the next day. Apparently, that put me over the $3,000 spend even though on my Chase portal my year end spending was still under the mark. I am devastated! So here is my question. Do I have any recourse with Chase? I’m now 39,000 miles from getting the companion pass. Do everyday purchases count towards the 39,000? I do have some hefty bills coming. I believe I read that I will receive a 10,000 mile boost by January 31 which will also help. Will I have to rely on referrals and or must I open another SW business card? I don’t want to do that! What am I to do??? Cady
First thing to check is whether your 10,000 points already posted on your tracker. Then the next thing is making a plan for the rest of your points. SW cards DO have 2x on insurance this quarter if you opt into that promo (you should have an email). You can also earn through continued spending on your cards, referral bonuses, and Southwest shopping often has decent deals, too, to earn more points. I have a little section on this also in my course in the SW Companion Pass module — learn.katiestraveltricks.com
Hi Katie,
My husband and I are doing the 3 card two companion pass. He referred me for the business card but he still doesn’t have the points showing up as pending in his account. It’s been over three weeks. I know they say it can take up to 8 weeks, but was wondering if you have more data points on this? I was thinking of sending a secure message, but wasn’t sure if I should.
you could definitely send a message to check. I had someone tell me it took the full 8 weeks and see other people with points posting on the first statement that closes after the referral. Unfortunately we haven’t noticed a confirmed pattern.
Hi Katie,
We just got a SW personal card for my husband in Jan and have met the spending requirement. I wanted him to get a SW business card but he has opened 5 credit cards (3 personal 2 business) in the last 24 months. Do the 2 business cards count toward his 5/24 in this scenario?
they don’t — BUT — we are seeing a lot of denials for anyone with 3+ Chase business cards. As long as those are his only 2 Chase business cards, he’ll likely be fine.
Hi Katie,
I was not paying attention and was short 10k points for a CP to continue into 2025.
I have a side hustle consulting gig. What should I do to get a CP quickly and can I use the 125 points from 2024?
Thank you.
You can use your points from 2024, but it won’t help you earn the Companion Pass in 2025. Fastest way would be to follow one of these methods here: https://katiestraveltricks.com/southwest-companion-pass-fall-2024-timelines/#toc_Updates_February_2025
Can you explain again how to extend companion pass by opening another business Southwest card. I plan to open Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card to use their February 2025 offer – it will last me through 02/26. If I open business card then, what happens, how my companion pass gets extended?
Anytime a person earns 135,000 SW points in a calendar year they will earn a Companion Pass for the rest of the year + the whole next year. With the current (Feb 2025) promo — the card offer earns you 30,000 points plus a promo Companion Pass. So essentially as far as extending it, you ignore the promo pass. You are going to need 135,000 points earned in order to earn a CP that would be valid for the rest of this year (which is actually redundant since you already would get the promo pass) and all of next year (this is the extension). You can earn that with 30,000 points + 4000 points spending + 80,000 points offer + 5000 points spending +10,000 (boost onto your tracker for holding a SW card) = 129,000. You’ll still be slightly short by 6000 points which you can earn through more spending or by SW shopping promos, etc.