I've earned the Southwest Companion Pass for over a decade — here's how I maximize its value
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This year marked my 16th year as a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass holder. And, if all goes as planned, I will also secure this lucrative BOGO pass in 2026 and 2027.
Thanks to the Southwest Companion Pass, I’ve been able to fly to domestic and international destinations where my husband, my daughter, my son, my mom, my sister or a friend flies with me for free (other than taxes) as my companion. Unfortunately, I've never calculated my true savings, but I know it’s well over $20,000 at this point.
For over a decade, I've earned the pass in many ways, but one of my favorite methods is through Southwest credit cards.
And, with a limited-time offer on one particular Southwest credit card, earning the Companion Pass will be significantly easier. Heading into 2026, my goal is to earn it early in the new year, which will allow me to be a passholder for almost all of 2026 and through Dec. 31, 2027.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 120,000 points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
If you’re yearning for your own chance to fly two-for-one, this particular moment is actually one of the best times to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. You can even follow the same process I went through by applying for one Southwest credit card now and then waiting until January for your points to post.
Although the pass is pretty straightforward, there are still some things you should know. Fortunately, by having the pass for well over a decade, I’ve learned the ins and outs. Hopefully, I can help you realize its maximum potential.
Maximize your time with the Southwest Companion Pass
Being strategic as to when to earn the Companion Pass is extremely important. You’ll earn the pass for the rest of the calendar year in which you reach the qualifying threshold, plus the entire following year.
For example, earning the pass Jan. 15, 2026, will give you the pass through Dec. 31, 2027 — that's 23 and a half months as a passholder. Earn the pass in November 2026, and it will still expire Dec. 31, 2027, giving you only 15 months to use it. If you earn the pass this year, for example, in December 2025, it will expire Dec. 31, 2026. That's just 13 months at most.
So, now is the perfect time to start working on earning the pass.
Even though you might apply for a Southwest credit card in 2025, the points earned toward a Companion Pass only count for the year they are posted to your account, regardless of when you apply for the card.
For example, if you apply now and wait until January 2026 to meet the minimum spending to earn that card's welcome offer, you’ll earn the bonus points in 2026. This will count toward the 135,000 qualifying points required to be a passholder for 2026 and 2027.
So, if you are looking to earn the pass as quickly as possible, try to meet the minimum spending requirement once your December 2025 statement closes. That way, the welcome bonus points you earn, which also count as Companion Pass-qualifying points, will post to your account in January.
With one credit card welcome offer, you could potentially earn the Companion Pass — or be really close.
Related: Earn the Southwest Companion Pass with this 1 card
You can book the primary passenger's flight now
Even if you’ve not yet earned the pass, you can still book the primary passenger’s flight now. Then, once you earn the pass, you can add your companion to your flight. Just know that if the flight sells out before you secure your pass, you won’t be able to tack on your companion.
To ensure that your companion has a seat on your flight, I recommend booking a refundable award ticket. Then, if you earn the Companion Pass, you can cancel the award flight and add your designated travel person to your reservation.
Fares purchased using Southwest Rapid Rewards points are refunded to the account used to purchase the flight. You will receive a flight credit for the associated taxes and fees. Note that Basic fare flight credits are valid for up to six months, while Choice fare flight credits are valid for 12 months.
Designate anyone to be your companion
You can designate anyone as your companion. It can be your significant other, your child, your parent, your best friend, your worst enemy — anyone.
You can change your companion up to three times per calendar year. After you set your initial companion, you can change it three times in 2026 and then three times in 2027 — if you earn the pass in 2026.
This means you can have up to seven different people fly with you over two calendar years. You can also pick a person as a companion multiple times. For example, let’s say you designate your spouse as the companion. You can then change your companion to your child (the first change), then a few months later to your friend (the second change). A few months after that, you can change back to your spouse (the third change).
Tip: If you don’t use up your three changes in a given year, change your companion in December to the person flying with you first in the following year.
Related: The best Southwest Airlines credit cards
Companion changes happen instantly
In 2024, Southwest made it much easier to change your designated companion. Previously, you'd have to call Southwest directly, but now, you can do it on your own, right within your airline account.
Either online or in the Southwest app, you can fill out your companion's information — while also being notified of the number of companion changes you have left for the calendar year.
However, there's no option to enter your companion's Southwest Rapid Rewards number when changing it online or through the app. If you want your companion's number to be tied to their reservation, you're still going to want to call Southwest at 800-435-9792 to designate your new companion. This is because if you change your companion online and then call later on to attach the companion's Rapid Rewards number, in the backend of the system, it's ultimately "changing" your companion again, thus taking away another one of the three slots.
Once the change is made, you can immediately add your companion to any upcoming reservation.
Depart with one companion, return with another
Because the companion change is immediate, there have been times when I used the pass for one passenger on my departure and another passenger on my return. For example, a few years ago, I flew to Florida with my parents and met my husband there. I used the Companion Pass for my mom on the flight down and for my husband on the return flight.
Immediately after my flight with my mom landed, I called Southwest and had it change the name on my Companion Pass to my husband. Once he was listed as my companion, I booked his return flight. There is a slight risk to this since you aren’t adding your companion until a few days before departure. There only needs to be one seat available on your flight to book your companion’s reservation, but if the flight happens to be sold out, you could end up in a not-so-great situation.
Tip: Even though the first passenger isn’t flying with you on the return, book a companion ticket for them for the return. This will hold a seat, and when you change your companion (and cancel the first companion’s reservation), that should open up a seat on the flight. You can then quickly book your new companion onto the flight. The Southwest representative whom you speak with can do it all for you. There will be a little lag time between canceling the old ticket and booking the new ticket. So, for a fully booked flight, you risk the chance that another passenger could swoop in within those few minutes and book that seat.
The pass has no blackout dates or seat restrictions
This is a truly no-strings-attached pass.
Unlike many other companion passes in the travel world, there are no blackout dates, seat restrictions or fare restrictions. Your companion can fly with you for free seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. This even includes peak times, such as the day before Thanksgiving, winter break and any other day when many other airlines block their mileage redemption options.
As long as there’s at least one seat available for purchase on your flight (after you book your own ticket), you can add the companion to your reservation. This applies even if a Basic fare is sold out and only the really expensive Choice Extra fare is available.
Related: How to use the Southwest Companion Pass
Use the pass unlimited times throughout the year
Yes, you read that correctly. Your companion can fly with you for free an unlimited number of times while the Companion Pass is valid. Unlike some other passes, it’s not a one-time pass. Theoretically, you can use it every single day for a year with no restrictions.
Tip: The Companion Pass passenger must always fly with the primary passenger.
Your companion can board with you
For flights between now and Jan. 26, 2026 — where Southwest offers an open-seating policy and no seat assignments — you board based on the boarding number shown on your boarding pass. While your companion must check in for their flight on their own, their boarding position will be right after the primary passenger's position. This means your companion will always be able to board with you, even if they check in at a much later time. The only caveat to the rule is if the primary traveler adds the companion after checking in for their flight, makes changes to the flight within 36 hours of departure or purchases an upgraded boarding position.
But once seat assignments are in place — after Jan. 26, 2026 — the boarding process will change. At this point, you'll be given a boarding group between 1 and 8, which will correlate to your fare type, Rapid Rewards status, and whether or not you are a Southwest credit card holder. While there's no firsthand experience of the boarding process yet, it appears as though the companion will inherit any status that the primary member might have. So, if the Companion Pass holder is able to board in an early group, then so is the companion.
Your companion will inherit the primary member's benefits
For flights after Jan. 26, 2026, the companion will inherit the perks of the primary traveler. This means if the primary traveler has A-List status or a Southwest credit card that gives them select perks such as free advance seat assignments, upgraded seats or checked bags, the companion will also reap those benefits.
The pass can be used on any ticket type
As I mentioned earlier, there are no restrictions on using the pass. You can use the Companion Pass on any ticket type, regardless of whether the primary passenger paid for a ticket with cash or points. This means you can use your points from the current credit card welcome bonus to pay for your flight, and both you and your companion will fly for just the associated taxes and fees.
You can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) at a 1:1 ratio.
Points can be redeemed from the companion's account
The points used to book your flight can come from any account, even your companion's Rapid Rewards account. You just need to make the reservation in your name and attach your Rapid Rewards number to the flight. The reservation will then show up in your Southwest account and allow you to tack on your companion’s reservation.
Southwest doesn’t automatically add your companion to the reservation
When you book your flight, Southwest won’t automatically add your companion to your reservation. You need to make the reservation yourself manually, but it only takes a minute.
Tip: Once you book your flight, make sure to add your companion right away, so you don’t forget. If you change your companion, you can easily cancel the old companion’s ticket for no fee. The amount paid on taxes and fees will be credited right back to the credit card used. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the Southwest Companion Pass.
Also, if you by chance forget to add your companion to your flight and the flight ends up selling out, keep on refreshing for the next few days, as a seat typically becomes available at some point.
Companions cannot fly without the passholder
Although companions have a different Southwest reservation number, tickets are still linked. This means if the Southwest Companion Pass holder doesn't show up for the flight, the companion could be removed from it.
Related: What it's really like flying Southwest Airlines all the way to Hawaii
You can use the pass for any route or destination
The Companion Pass allows a passenger to fly for free (aside from the cost of the taxes and fees) to any destination Southwest flies to. This includes all domestic (even Hawaii and Alaska) and international destinations.
Note that the taxes and fees you pay on your companion ticket for international flights can be significantly more than those for domestic flights. On domestic flights, all you have to pay is the Passenger Fee, also known as the September 11 Security Fee, which is $5.60 per ticket per one-way flight. However, you’ll pay the same amount in fees on international flights as if you used points for the flight.
You can easily see the fees by making a mock reservation for the two city pairs while selecting the points option. For example, a round-trip flight to Aruba will cost you about $95 in taxes and fees. A round-trip flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, will cost you more than $145. (If your flight requires a layover, your taxes and fees might be slightly higher.)
Tip: For a Caribbean-esque getaway, check out Puerto Rico or one of Hawaii’s many islands to avoid international taxes.
Related: The best all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, from honeymoon hot spots to family-friendly resorts
Cancel your companion’s reservation if you need to change a flight
Southwest has one of the best ticket-change policies in the airline industry. You can change a flight for no fee up to 10 minutes before departure time. This means you can always rebook a flight if the price goes down — saving your family money and/or points.
The only caveat to this policy is if you have a companion already added to your reservation. In that case, to change a ticket (or rebook the same flight at a lower price), you’ll need to cancel your companion’s reservation first. After changing your ticket, manually add your companion to the reservation. Your companion’s ticket will not automatically follow your reservation to your new flight, even if you are rebooking the same flight to capture a price drop.
Companions get the same perks as other passengers
Even though your companion’s reservation is essentially free, they still get the same perks as any other passenger booked on points. This means if you’re flying for free with the Companion Pass, you still pay no change or cancellation fees and receive any benefits you are entitled to, either through credit card perks or A-List status.
The companion won’t receive Rapid Reward points for their flight or segments toward status (similar to a passenger who uses points for a flight), but it’s great that Southwest still provides many perks to those flying for free.
Bottom line
Southwest makes using the Companion Pass extremely easy — which is a large part of why the perk is so valuable.
There are no hidden surprises, and it’s a terrific value for families. So get the Companion Pass and start flying. It could save your family thousands of dollars a year, depending on how much you travel.
Apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card to earn 120,000 points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.