Southwest Airlines recently announced a new promotion that can help you earn the points you need for a companion pass before the end of the year. Let’s take a look.
Southwest Companion Pass Promotion
A companion pass allows you to bring a companion with you for free (just pay taxes) when you purchase a flight with cash or book an award flight with points. During the calendar year, you must earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly on 100 flights to earn a companion pass. Customers who have a Chase Southwest credit card receive a 10k points boost, effectively making the hurdle 125,000 points. The companion pass lasts through the year in which you earned the pass plus the entire next calendar year. So, if you earn a companion pass before the end of 2023, it will be valid through 2024.
This current Southwest Airlines promotion provides a few ways to speed up your earnings for the companion pass:
- Earn 2X on flights.
Earn double Companion Pass qualifying points on all qualifying flights when you register, book, and fly, so you can earn on the double. - Business travelers booking through one of our business channels (SWABIZ.com, GDS, or SPS), will earn 3X Companion Pass qualifying points per flight during the same promotional period.
- Earn 2X with Rapid Rewards® Credit Card purchases.
Earn double Companion Pass qualifying points per $1 spent with your Chase Rapid Rewards Credit Card. - Earn 1X with reward travel.
Every flight you purchase with Rapid Rewards points counts as one Companion Pass qualifying flight
You must register for this promotion here, and all qualifying activity must take place by 11/30/2023.
Note that there is a lot of fine print on this promotion, including this biggie: “Companion Pass qualifying points are not eligible to use for redemption toward flights or with More Rewards.” So, you can’t use these additional points to book award flights.
My Thoughts
My husband and I have each earned Southwest companion passes in the past, and they are very useful for folks who travel frequently in the U.S. Plus, now that Southwest flies to Hawaii and many destinations in the Caribbean, the companion pass is also useful for some international and/or longer haul flights.
If you’re close to earning a companion pass for 2023/2024, this promotion could help get you the points you need. Regardless, I recommend registering for the promotion because there is no harm in registering.
If you’re not anywhere close to earning a companion pass or you don’t think you’d use it that much, I wouldn’t go crazy with putting a ton of effort or spend into this promotion.
Readers, is this Southwest promotion helpful for you?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
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