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What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is a flight benefit earned after receiving 135,000 miles with Southwest in a calendar year. It allows you to designate a companion who can fly free with you on all flights for the remainder of the year that you earn it in, as well as the following year.
The Traditional Earn
The traditional way to earn this pass, would be to fly enough miles in a calendar year (135,000) and get the companion pass. We had one year where my husband was constantly flying for work that we earned it this way, and let me tell you, that’s a whole lot of travel. You are also likely to get A-list status with this method. Thankfully, there’s a less travel-heavy way to earn this!
Hack It
Choice #1 – Personal Card + Flights + Spending
All the Southwest Personal Cards are 50,000 points for their standard offer. After reaching the minimum spend, you would have 51,000 points, you would also get an extra 10,000 points bonus toward companion pass for having the card. You could then spend the remainder of the year working to spend towards the companion pass, through shopping in the Southwest Shopping Portal, the spending on the card, and purchasing flights. This is certainly the more challenging way to travel hack it, but still very possible.
Choice #2 – Personal Card + Business Card
If you combine a Southwest Personal Card, and a Southwest Business Card, you will get the companion pass sweet spot. For a standard offer with a Southwest Personal Card you will get 51,000 points, and with the Performance Business Card it is 85,000 points. If you add the 10,000 bonus companion pass qualifying points from your personal card, you will get a total of 146,000 points. This is more than enough to qualify you for the companion pass. If you are nervous about the business card, check our post on those, HERE. If you really want to make the most of this, you want the October Sweet Spot.
The October Sweet Spot
The October sweet spot refers to the time period where you can start to get the Southwest credit cards, and be within the 3 month time frame for your points to hit in the new year. Receiving these points early in the calendar year, gives you the Companion pass for the remainder of the year you earn them in, and the ENTIRE next year!
How to do it:
- Apply for your cards AFTER October 15th.
- Start spending on them and watch your spending on them very carefully so you do not meet your minimum spend. Leave yourself a buffer of $500-$1,000 to spend in the new year. If you don’t have early in the year travel, you could also wait until late December or January 1 to apply and start your spend.
- Whatever you do, DO NOT meet your minimum spend until January 1st or later.
- After January 1, meet your minimum spend.
- Get your points.
- Get your companion pass.
- Go on your trip!
Avoid These
Ignoring 5/24
Your 5/24 is an important thing to stay aware of if you want Chase cards, and Southwest is a Chase card. If you struggle to monitor 5/24, seriously consider getting the FREE Travel Freely App.
Getting 2 Personal Cards
Southwest will only give you the bonus on one personal card. Do not make the mistake of applying for 2 separate personal cards. You won’t get the bonus for one of the cards.
GettinG too Close to the Minimum Spend
If you get too close to the minimum spend, Southwest has been known to credit your account early. This would kill a year of your companion pass. We recommend that you leave yourself a buffer. We like to leave $1000, some people are comfortable with $500.
Complete Minimum Spend Early
If you complete your minimum spend on either of those cards in the current year, you will not get the companion pass because your earning years have been split. If you complete both of your minimum spends in the current year, you will only get the companion pass for the end of the current year, and the entire following year. You will miss out on an entire year if you do not wait until January to meet your minimum spend.
Counting Transferred Points towards your total
Points that are transferred in to your account from another credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, will not count towards your final points total.
Counting Annual Fees Towards Your Total
Annual Fees will not count towards your total, but you will have to pay them up front. This can often leave a discrepancy if you were counting on that money to hit your minimum spend.
FAQ
Can I get two business Cards instead of One Personal and one business?
Yes! You can do this, but you will need to leave 31 days between your card applications, as you cannot get two business cards in the same month.
Do I have to leave 90 days between my card applications?
Normally, Yes! But for the companion pass, since you are getting a business and personal card both, you can apply for them together. I wouldn’t make it a habit of this, as it could harm your long term relationship with the banks. However, it is totally fine to do it this one time! If this makes you nervous, leave 31 days between these applications, and you will be all set.
Can I earn one of my bonuses now and another next year and still get the points?
NO! This is why we consistently recommend that you wait to get your cards until after October 15th and wait to finish meeting your minimum spend until January 1st! It is so important that you do not hit your total minimum spend on either card until after the new year!
HELP! I didn’t hit my minimum spend, but i got close to it, and southwest gave me the points early!!
Yikes! This has been known to happen. We recommend leaving $500-$1000 dollars off the minimum spend as a buffer until January. Because……you DO NOT want to meet that spend before January.
Do i need to get the Cards in October?
Absolutely not! You can get them anytime, but if you need an extended period of time to get the $4000-$8000 minimum spend, you may want to get them in October and spend slowly, just DO NOT go over the minimum spend, leave yourself a buffer window until January.
Often times Southwest will have sign up bonuses in October-December which can be a great thing to wait for if you don’t need that companion pass in the first two months of the year.
I qualified for the companion pass, but they didnt put the 10,000 extra points in my account
These “extra” companion pass qualifying points, are only there to help you qualify for companion pass, and you cannot book flights with them. It came about when Southwest jumped up the qualifying number from 125,000points to 135,000 points, and they gave their credit card users a leg up, by requiring the same number of points for them, essentially.
I HAve the Companion Pass, but how do I use it?
Check out out post HERE all about how to use the Southwest companion pass once you have it!
