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The absolute most essential travel tip

southwest companion pass

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Once you experience the Southwest Companion Pass, You'll never go back!

OK, fine. I’ll tell you. The Southwest Companion Pass is the best travel tip for any frequent traveling partners. It makes traveling possible for larger families and makes you feel like you’re getting a steal of a deal on EVERY flight, because, well, you are.

Unlike other airlines which may give you a single companion pass ticket, the Southwest Companion Pass allows the person who earns it to bring along a free traveler (well--a $5.60 traveler) on each and every flight they travel.

LET'S LEARN HOW TO EARN IT!

01.

earning it!

The Southwest Companion Pass is received by earning 135,000 qualifying points in one calendar year.

When you earn the Southwest Companion Pass, it is good for the remainder of the year you earn it in and the ENTIRE next year. For this purpose, timing is key.

Before we get into WHAT qualifying points are, these points must be earned by ONE person (meaning, you can’t combine your points with those earned from a Player 2).

Additionally, they must be earned in one calendar year (January - December)

Applying for the cards or meeting the minimum spend at the wrong time could really mess this up.

02.

Various Ways to Earn 135k Qualifying Points

You can spend $135k dollars on a Southwest Card in one calendar year. Let’s not do that.

You can book 100 one way Southwest flights - nope.

Points earned through credit card spending INCLUDING credit card welcome offers.

There are other ways that add up. You can refer friends to credit cards -- each will earn you 20k points (up to 100k/year). At the beginning of each year, if you hold a card you will receive a 10k point annual bonus.

Mix and match any combination of these to earn 135k points in one calendar year.

Spending

Booking Flights

Credit Cards

Miscellaneous

Combo

03.

The Best Time To Apply

But really -- if you aren’t flying in Jan - March, there isn’t a hurry to earn it by then! Take your time and earn it for when YOU need it.

I’ll share how you can earn it at the EARLIEST possible moment. But don’t stress out!! Earn it at your pace but DO NOT accidentally earn it at the end of this calendar year! DO NOT HIT THE MINIMUM SPEND BEFORE JAN 1! Do NOT! I would recommend giving a good $500 buffer. Southwest has been known to grant points early if you are near the minimum spend cut off.

What if I hit the minimum spend before Jan 1? Can it be fixed. No. You would miss out on a full year of the companion pass, as it would go into effect for the rest

The ideal time to earn the Southwest Companion Pass is between January and March-ish.

04.

The Cards

Side note, I would be so thankful if you used my links! This is a free way for you to support me at NO COST to you. Click "learn how to apply" below to support me and get started.

personal

BUSINESS

LET'S LEARN HOW TO USE IT!

05.

now you have 135,000 southwest points!

The best part of all of this is that after you open up a personal card and one business card, you suddenly have over 100,000 points that you can use to book flights at a buy-one-get-one-free discount! Here's where Southwest can take you! Book on the Southwest app or website.

VISIT SW WEBSITE

06.

How to book your companion

Login to your Rapid Rewards account on www.southwest.com
On your snapshot tab, choose "Find Your Companion", click "Enter Companion Info" and follow the prompts from there.
Or call 800-495-99792
Personal Note: When I'm on my app, I always have to call.

Now I have my trip booked, How do I add my companion?

Go to "My Trips" section on your account. Find your flight in the Upcoming section and click "Add Companion".
Click continue and review the information.
Click "Purchase". You will need to pay for your companions taxes.
Or call 800-248-4377

LET'S LEARN HOW TO KEEP IT!

07.

re-qualifying for the companion pass

If you have a Player 2 (Spouse, Travel Friend, Partner) I typically recommend referring them to open their 2 cards BEFORE you cancel your last card. Then, they can apply to the cards and go on earn the Companion Pass the traditional way.

However, if you go into the app (click on the person in the upper right, find My Rapid Rewards section, click on the graphic), this will show how many points you need to extend your Companion Pass for ONE additional year.

Depending on how much you've spent, how many flights you've taken, or how many friends you've referred, you might have enough to attempt to renew the Companion Pass for the upcoming year.

The easiest way is typically 1. Apply for an additional business card or 2. Refer a friend!

So you had the Companion Pass and it's expiring, can anything be done?

Okayyyy... it's time to apply!

If your only hesitation is that you don't think you can apply for a business card, think again! Do you babysit? Sell anything on Facebook Marketplace? Do photography? If you don't have an LLC or Tax ID, that's ok! Apply as a Sole Proprietor and use your SSN instead of your Tax ID!

LEARN MORE!

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or MasterCard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

EDITORIAL NOTE:
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included with the post.

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Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or MasterCard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

EDITORIAL NOTE:

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included with the post.