We fly on Southwest very often due to the large amount of nonstop flights from our home airport and more importantly the companion pass.
The companion pass allows you to add a companion to any Southwest flight ticket for the cost of taxes and fees as long as there is a seat available. Domestic flights cost $5.60 for a one way flight and some international flights are higher fees. You can change who your companion is up to 3 times per year.
I have been on over 18 Southwest flights in the last year and a half for a total of $100.80. We decided to have my husband earn the companion pass because he sometimes gets paid to travel for work however most people select their children. I am typically the companion and we buy our toddler a ticket. You better believe she is racking up her Rapid Rewards miles.
There are two ways to earn the Companion Pass
Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year
Earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year
Here is the route our family took:
Open the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card with a sign on bonus of 50,000 miles after spending $1,000 in 3 months.
Open the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business credit card with a sign on bonus of 80,000 miles after spending $5,000 in 3 months.
3. As a Southwest credit card holder you get a 10,000 point boost per calendar year which counts against the Companion Pass qualification.
4. This successfully gave us the points needed for the companion pass.
There are some important key points to understand while you are obtaining your Companion Pass.
You cannot have 2 personal credit cards at one time which is why you need to do a combination of 1 personal card and 1 business card. The business can be as easy as selling things in Marketplace.
To qualify for the personal card sign on bonus you cannot currently hold a personal card and cannot have had a personal card sign on bonus in the last 24 months. You would be eligible for a business card sign on bonus in this instance and vice versa.
Timing is key while opening these cards to make sure you can have the companion pass for as long as possible. This strategy will get you a companion pass for almost 2 years.
We opened the cards in November and December but it is very important to make sure you do not hit the spending requirement for the sign on bonus until after January 1st. This will qualify you for all the current calendar year and most of the next calendar year.
Bonus tip: The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card currently has a elevated bonus of 85,000 miles after spending $3000 in 3 months
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