Why Southwest Companion Pass is the Best Deal in Travel

Buy one, get one free, commonly referred to as BOGO, is rarely ever found in the vast world of travel. Now imagine you want to buy plane tickets for yourself and a friend, spouse or family member. If you came across a free flight for that friend, spouse or family member, you would take it, right? Companion Pass is an unlimited flight pass where you can take someone for free anytime you fly, paid or on points. If you need some Southwest Points for any reason, check out a Southwest co-branded credit card or transfer points from UR that you can get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. 

The Companion Pass can be worth thousands if you fly frequently and take your companion with you. Even if you only use it two or three times a year, that can add up. Think about this: if you want to fly with another person from Washington, DC to Aruba on Southwest’s direct flight from BWI to AUA, those tickets can easily cost over $400 round trip. If you have a Companion Pass, it would be only $200 round trip, a great deal, that’s unbeatable by any other airline. Anytime you want to take your spouse on a weekend getaway, free ticket. Anytime you want to take your employee on a trip with you, but don’t want to pay, free ticket. 

Personally, Southwest’s Companion Pass has saved my family thousands and allowed me to travel where I would not have been able to previously. In just nine months of having it, I have flown to Cancun, Los Angeles, Boston, and Buffalo. My dad also used it to take my mom on a weekend trip to New Orleans. The Los Angeles trip would not have been possible without the Pass. My dad had a business trip to meet clients the week after my school ended and, only because of the Pass, I was able to accompany him.

Now you are probably wondering how you can get a Companion Pass. Through traditional methods, getting the card would have been difficult and impossible for my family. For 2020, you need to earn 125,000 points or take 100 one way flights. If you are still trying to qualify for this year, you need 110,000 points. That is a lot of flying, nearly enough flights to qualify for top tier status with any of the legacy carriers (without United’s new status earning plans). The optimal way to get a Companion Pass, if you missed getting it as a sign up bonus earlier this year, is to sign up for a credit card. There are three personal cards:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

They are all currently offering 40,000 points after you sign up and spend $1,000 in the first three months. There are also two business Southwest co-branded credit cards:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

The Performance Business card offers 70,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months, and the Premier Business card offers 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. These points count towards the 125,000 points required for the Companion Pass.

The best option for acquiring a Companion Pass would be the same method my family used this year. Fly on Southwest when it is convenient, sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, and spend on the card. With the mixture of all three, we were able to requalify for the Pass and have already used it to book tickets to go skiing in Colorado next year, as well as snorkeling in Aruba in the spring. Anytime anyone asks me for the best flight deal I know of, without a doubt, I tell him/her to get a Companion Pass. Now imagine all the places that you can take a companion for free!