Use The Southwest Companion Pass

If you are planning to fly with Southwest Airlines and want to save a generous amount of money on traveling then the Southwest Companion Pass is just for you. Hearing this term for the first time? Well, no worries. In this blog, you will get all the details about the beneficial companion pass. Such as how it works, how can you earn it, and what are the benefits. Along with these, you will get some additional information at the end of the article.

Overview of the Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass is a benefit that allows a designated companion to travel with the pass holder for free (excluding taxes and fees) on both paid and award flights. The companion can be your family member, friend, or anyone you choose.

This pass basically enables you to buy one ticket and get the second one for your companion without using additional points or money for their fare. Additionally, you can change your designated companion up to three times in a calendar year.

How does the Southwest Companion Pass work?

The Companion Pass is earned by accumulating 125,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year or by taking 100 qualifying one-way flights.

Once you earn the points, you can choose a companion with whom you want to travel. After that, book your flight. To do that, simply log in to your Southwest account and search for your desired itinerary. The Companion Pass will automatically be applied to your booking, allowing you to add your companion for free.

After that, you have to fill in the details of the companion on the reservation box. Make sure you have their correct information, as it will be required for check-in. Although the companion pass covers the cost of your companion's ticket, still you are responsible for paying taxes and fees, which are very minimal. All the charges will be displayed during the booking process, and you can pay for them using a credit card.

Once the procedure is complete, you and your companion will be issued separate tickets. Then on the day of flight boarding, your companion will have to show the ID at the security gate of the airport. Once the formalities are done, you both can enjoy your travel journey.

How to use the Southwest Companion Pass?

If you are wondering about the procedure to use Southwest Companion Pass, then no need to look any further. All the details are mentioned below;

Set up your Companion Pass

Once you get a companion pass, you will get an email of confirmation from Southwest Airlines. You can also track down your status by login into your rapid reward account. After you receive the mail, click on the link to enter the details of your companion such as their personal details which include full name, date of birth, mail ID, and their rapid reward point.

Confirm flight availability for your entire traveling party

After confirming the companion passenger, book flight tickets for everyone who is going to travel. However, before you proceed further, you must check the seat availability to avoid any unforeseen problems.

Book flights for everyone other than your companion

The next thing you need to do is to book flight tickets for everyone except the companion. To make the reservations, you need to use Southwest Companion Pass. For instance, if 5 people are going to travel then only 4 tickets are required to be booked. No need to book a ticket for the person who is holding the companion pass.

Note: No matter how you are booking the flight just do not forget to add the Rapid Rewards numbers to everyone's booking.

Make your companion’s flight booking

Once you are done with the booking of flights for everyone except the companion. Take the next step by visiting your account's My Trips area. In the Upcoming section, locate your flight, then click the Add Companion button. Click Review your Companion information before moving on to the purchase screen. To finalize your companion's flight reservation, click Purchase.

Note: Another Companion Pass reservation cannot be made from a Companion's reservation since it is not regarded as a purchased flight.

Benefits of the Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass offers several valuable benefits Some major benefits are listed here;

The primary benefit of the Southwest Companion Pass is that it allows your designated companion to travel with you for free (excluding taxes and fees) on both paid and award flights. This means you can essentially buy one ticket and get the second one for your companion without using any additional points or money for their fare.
If you compare the companion pass Southwest with other airlines’ companion passes, you will notice that Southwest Airlines’ pass has no restrictions on the number of times you can bring your companion along for free. You can use it on every eligible flight throughout the validity of your pass.
With the Companion Pass, there are no blackout dates or seat restrictions when booking for your companion. As long as there is an available seat for purchase, you can add your companion to your reservation. This gives you greater flexibility in your travel plans.
With the companion pass, you can stretch the value of your Rapid Rewards points even further.
The Companion Pass allows you to designate a companion who doesn't have to be related to you. This means you can bring along a family member, friend, or anyone else you choose as long as they are willing and available to travel with you.
With this pass, you can save a huge amount of your money. This pass will lower your overall travel expenses and make it more affordable to explore new destinations together.
The Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which it was earned, as well as the entire following calendar year. For instance, if you earn this pass in April 2023, it will be valid until December 31, 2024.

Note: A companion who is using a companion pass to book a flight is not eligible to get any points or Companion Pass.

How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass?

Wondering how to get Southwest companion pass? Then, just follow the below-given steps;

You can earn around 125,000 points through various activities, such as flying on Southwest Airlines, using a Southwest Companion pass credit card while making purchases, staying at partner hotels, renting cars from partner companies, and shopping with Rapid Rewards partners.
Keep a close eye on your Rapid Rewards account to track your point accumulation progress. Southwest's website and mobile app provide up-to-date information on your points balance.
Alternatively, you can qualify for the Companion Pass by taking 100 qualifying one-way flights within a calendar year. However, only revenue flights (flights paid for with cash, not points) qualify for the flight-based qualification.
Try to earn 125,000 points early in a calendar year to get the companion Pass for the remainder of that year and the entire following year.
After earning a companion pass, redeem the points very wisely to get full-fledged benefits.

Earning Companion Pass Qualifying Points Through Credit Cards

To boost your companion pass Southwest points, you must use your Southwest credit card welcome bonuses and spending. You can check the details below;

Southwest Rapid Reward Plus Credit Card, Premier Credit Card, and Priority Credit Card: If you spend $1,000 on any purchases within the first 3 months from the day of account opening then you will get 50,000 bonus points.
Southwest Rapid Reward Premier Business Credit Card: If you spend around $3,000 from your Premier Business Credit Card on any purchases then you will earn 60,000 bonus points.
Southwest Rapid Reward Performance Business Credit Card: After spending $5,000 from Performance Business Credit Card on purchases, you will get 80,000 bonus points.

Eligibility Requirements for Obtaining the Southwest Companion Pass

To be eligible for the Southwest Companion Pass, you need to meet certain requirements set by Southwest Airlines. Details are provided below;

You must be a member of Southwest's Rapid Rewards program to earn and use the Companion Pass. If you're not already a member, you can easily sign up for free on the Southwest Airlines website.
The Companion Pass qualification is based on a calendar year, which runs from January 1st to December 31st. You must earn the required points or complete the qualifying flights within a single calendar year.

Points That Don’t Qualify for the Companion Pass

There are some activities under which you are not qualified for the companion passes The list is given below;

Any purchased points
Points that are being transferred between Members
Points that are converted from the hotel and car loyalty programs, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club
You are not eligible for the companion passes if your points are earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment
Tier bonus points
Flight bonus points
Partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase).

How to Change Companion?

You can change your companion 3 times per calendar year which means you will have 4 companions in total. But you can have only one companion at a time.

If you want to change your designated companion then you can do by following the below-given steps;
Call the customer care service of Southwest Airlines at 1-800-248-4377.
Then, provide the necessary information about your new companion such as their name, ID proof, date of birth, and rapid reward number.
Confirm the changes.
Within 21 working days, your changes will be done.

Note: You cannot make any changes to your companion pass online.