The Ultimate Guide to Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
Top Questions About the Southwest Companion Pass
What Is It Exactly?
It is the best deal in travel and one of the easiest ways to begin traveling nearly free. Southwest Airlines allows travelers to bring along one Companion of their choice for up to two years once they have earned 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards (the airline’s frequent flyer program) points in ONE CALENDAR YEAR (that’s January 1-December 31, folks :)).
The trick is earning those 110,000 points.
It’s actually quite simple to quickly accumulate these points and it can be done in literally TWO STEPS. I’ll show you exactly how in my free guide.
The SWCP is valid from the time you earn it until THE END of the FOLLOWING YEAR. If you earn it in 2018, it’s good until the end of 2019. So the earlier in the calendar year you earn it, the longer you will be able to use it. If you earn it in February 2018, it’s good until December 2019, which is almost TWO FULL YEARS. Yes, please!
Please note that while the SWCP does not require you to pay any money or use any points for your companion, you will have to pay a mandatory $5.60 government security fee per way. That’s the “nearly” free part of it
Why Should I Earn the Pass?
You should earn it if you want to travel and vacation more — especially in the U.S. (Southwest’s international flights include Mexico, Cuba and the Caribbean, though they now have plans for Hawaii!) — but don’t have the money to do it.
What Will I Learn in Your Free Guide?
In “The Step-by-Step Guide to Earning the SWCP and Flying Free Around the U.S.” I’ll take away all the guesswork and research on other blogs and sites like Reddit needed to earn this awesome perk. I’ll show you:
How Do I Earn It?
While I’ll carefully walk you through the process in my free guide, the basics include applying for 2 of Southwest’s Chase Rapid Rewards credit cards when they have high sign-up bonuses of at least 50,000 points.
Just by signing up for two cards, you can quickly net between 90,000 and 110,000 points. That’s either ALL the points you need, automatically qualifying you, or between 10,000 and 20,000 points shy of what you need to reach Companion Pass status.
There are easy ways to earn those additional points through everyday spending on these credit cards, starting all shopping at the online Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, earning points automatically when dining out through Rapid Rewards Dining and even by easy tasks like subscribing to the Wall Street Journal or Barron’s for 3 months for $12 to earn up to 1400 points! If you love to travel then the chances are you are looking a good travel credit card with amazing perks and benefits.
Which Points Qualify for the Pass?
When it comes to earning the pass, unfortunately, not all Southwest points are created equal :). Some qualify towards the pass and some do not. While there are not quite a million ways to earn points, there are plenty of opportunities to earn qualifying points.
The following points count toward the 110,000 Southwest points that you will need to earn. They include points earned via:
Paid flights on Southwest (6X points per $1 for Wanna Getaway fares, 10X points per $1 for Anytime fares and 12X points per $1 for Business Select fares)
Points earned after meeting the minimum spend on Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
Through spending on Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa credit cards
Base points (not BONUS points) earned via transactions with Rapid Rewards partners, which may include the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, car rentals, paying your electric bill, Rapid Rewards Dining, booking a hotel through SouthwestHotels.com, and other programs.
When Should I Start the Process?
As early in a calendar year as possible is the ideal time to start the process, as it will allow you to use it the longest (through the end of the following year). But so long as you earn your 110,000 points before the END of a calendar year, it will be good for the following year.
You can alternatively apply for the Southwest Chase Rapid Rewards Visa cards the year PRIOR to when you want to earn the pass, but you will have to ensure that the points you earn for meeting the minimum spend don’t credit to your Rapid Rewards account until the following year.
You accomplish this by ensuring you do not meet your minimum spend until AFTER your December credit card close date (call and ask the bank if you are not sure when that is) or to be absolutely certain, you can wait to meet the minimum spend until January 1.
How Will I Know I’ve officially earned the Pass?
The airline will send you an email as soon as you have completed earning 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points. You can then go into your Rapid Rewards account and add your companion, which I show you how to do in my free guide.
You can even change companions up to three times in one calendar year!
After you get your email, you’ll get a plastic card in the mail, the size of a credit card, that shows you hold the SWCP and it lists your companion. You will need to carry this with you on any flights where your companion is flying with you in case an airline employee asks to see it though I’ve yet to have this occur.
What Is It Exactly?
It is the best deal in travel and one of the easiest ways to begin traveling nearly free. Southwest Airlines allows travelers to bring along one Companion of their choice for up to two years once they have earned 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards (the airline’s frequent flyer program) points in ONE CALENDAR YEAR (that’s January 1-December 31, folks :)).
The trick is earning those 110,000 points.
It’s actually quite simple to quickly accumulate these points and it can be done in literally TWO STEPS. I’ll show you exactly how in my free guide.
The SWCP is valid from the time you earn it until THE END of the FOLLOWING YEAR. If you earn it in 2018, it’s good until the end of 2019. So the earlier in the calendar year you earn it, the longer you will be able to use it. If you earn it in February 2018, it’s good until December 2019, which is almost TWO FULL YEARS. Yes, please!
Please note that while the SWCP does not require you to pay any money or use any points for your companion, you will have to pay a mandatory $5.60 government security fee per way. That’s the “nearly” free part of it
Why Should I Earn the Pass?
You should earn it if you want to travel and vacation more — especially in the U.S. (Southwest’s international flights include Mexico, Cuba and the Caribbean, though they now have plans for Hawaii!) — but don’t have the money to do it.
What Will I Learn in Your Free Guide?
In “The Step-by-Step Guide to Earning the SWCP and Flying Free Around the U.S.” I’ll take away all the guesswork and research on other blogs and sites like Reddit needed to earn this awesome perk. I’ll show you:
- The Benefits of Flying Southwest (no change fees, no checked bag fees, anytime award availability)
- Different Ways to Use the Pass (Retirees, Families, Couples and Singles)
- A Step-by-Step Walk Through of Exactly What to Do
- How to Book a Flight With Your Companion
- Planning How You Will Use It (multiple small trips or one big trip)
- Getting the Most Out of Your Pass and Stretching Your Southwest Points as Far as Possible
- A Timeline for Which Steps to Take When
- Additional Resources Once You Have Earned It
How Do I Earn It?
While I’ll carefully walk you through the process in my free guide, the basics include applying for 2 of Southwest’s Chase Rapid Rewards credit cards when they have high sign-up bonuses of at least 50,000 points.
Just by signing up for two cards, you can quickly net between 90,000 and 110,000 points. That’s either ALL the points you need, automatically qualifying you, or between 10,000 and 20,000 points shy of what you need to reach Companion Pass status.
There are easy ways to earn those additional points through everyday spending on these credit cards, starting all shopping at the online Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, earning points automatically when dining out through Rapid Rewards Dining and even by easy tasks like subscribing to the Wall Street Journal or Barron’s for 3 months for $12 to earn up to 1400 points! If you love to travel then the chances are you are looking a good travel credit card with amazing perks and benefits.
Which Points Qualify for the Pass?
When it comes to earning the pass, unfortunately, not all Southwest points are created equal :). Some qualify towards the pass and some do not. While there are not quite a million ways to earn points, there are plenty of opportunities to earn qualifying points.
The following points count toward the 110,000 Southwest points that you will need to earn. They include points earned via:
Paid flights on Southwest (6X points per $1 for Wanna Getaway fares, 10X points per $1 for Anytime fares and 12X points per $1 for Business Select fares)
Points earned after meeting the minimum spend on Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
Through spending on Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa credit cards
Base points (not BONUS points) earned via transactions with Rapid Rewards partners, which may include the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, car rentals, paying your electric bill, Rapid Rewards Dining, booking a hotel through SouthwestHotels.com, and other programs.
When Should I Start the Process?
As early in a calendar year as possible is the ideal time to start the process, as it will allow you to use it the longest (through the end of the following year). But so long as you earn your 110,000 points before the END of a calendar year, it will be good for the following year.
You can alternatively apply for the Southwest Chase Rapid Rewards Visa cards the year PRIOR to when you want to earn the pass, but you will have to ensure that the points you earn for meeting the minimum spend don’t credit to your Rapid Rewards account until the following year.
You accomplish this by ensuring you do not meet your minimum spend until AFTER your December credit card close date (call and ask the bank if you are not sure when that is) or to be absolutely certain, you can wait to meet the minimum spend until January 1.
How Will I Know I’ve officially earned the Pass?
The airline will send you an email as soon as you have completed earning 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points. You can then go into your Rapid Rewards account and add your companion, which I show you how to do in my free guide.
You can even change companions up to three times in one calendar year!
After you get your email, you’ll get a plastic card in the mail, the size of a credit card, that shows you hold the SWCP and it lists your companion. You will need to carry this with you on any flights where your companion is flying with you in case an airline employee asks to see it though I’ve yet to have this occur.