How to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass

How to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass in 2025

If you’re looking for one of the best travel hacks in the game, the Southwest Companion Pass is it. Once you earn it, you’ll be able to bring a friend or family member along on every Southwest flight you book—flights paid with points or cash—for just taxes and fees (as low as $5.60 one-way).

And here’s the best part: if you time it right, you can earn the pass in January and hold it for almost two full years.

Let’s break down exactly how to earn the Companion Pass in 2025 with two different strategies: One-Person and Two-Person (Player 2) Referral Strategy.

Understand the Requirements

To earn a Companion Pass, you’ll need 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points (CPQPs) in a single calendar year. These can come from:

• Welcome bonuses from Southwest credit cards (my favorite).

• Everyday spending on those cards.

• Referral bonuses.

• Flying Southwest (base fare points).

Why Timing Matters

To qualify for the Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points in a single calendar year. The trick is that welcome bonuses and referrals only count in the year they post—so you don’t want to finish your minimum spend until after January 1st.

That way, all your points hit in 2025, giving you nearly two full years of Companion Pass fun.

Leverage Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

Utilizing Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards is one of the fastest ways to accumulate the points needed for the Companion Pass. These cards frequently offer substantial sign-up bonuses that can significantly boost your point total. The bonuses vary, and at certain times of the year, earning two sign-up bonuses can get you most of the way to the required 135,000 points. You can then top off your points balance with additional spending. To qualify for these credit card bonuses, good to excellent credit is required. Additionally, you need to be mindful of Chase's "5/24 rule," which restricts approvals if you have opened five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months.

Note: You are only eligible for a bonus on one personal Southwest card every 24 months. To maximize your chances of earning the Companion Pass through credit card bonuses, consider applying for one personal and one business Southwest card.

✈️ Taking Advantage of the 100,000-Point Offer

Right now, Southwest’s personal credit cards are running a special promotion: earn 100,000 points with an extended spending window of 5 months.

This is different from the typical offers, which usually require you to hit the minimum spend in just 3 months. With this longer timeline, you can apply earlier in the year and still set yourself up for a Companion Pass that lasts all the way through 2026 and 2027.

Before jumping in, make sure you qualify:

• ✅ You’re under Chase’s 5/24 rule (fewer than 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months).

• ✅ It’s been at least 24 months since you last earned a welcome bonus on a personal Southwest card.

• ✅ You don’t currently hold any Southwest personal credit card.

📅 And don’t wait too long—applications for this elevated bonus must be submitted by September 17, 2026 (the date listed on the offer page).

Strategy 1: One-Person (Solo) Strategy

This option works if you’re flying solo with just your own cards. You’ll use one personal card and one business card.

Steps

1. September 2024 (latest by the 17th) – Apply for a Southwest personal card (100,000-point bonus).

   • Spend up to $3,500 in 2024 but stop before you finish the minimum.

2. Late November / December 2024 – Apply for a Southwest business card.

   • Wait until your December statement closes, then hold off on spending until January.

3. January 2025 – Complete the minimum spend on both cards.

   • This makes both welcome bonuses post in 2025.

Points Breakdown Example

• Personal card welcome bonus: 100,000 points

• Personal card spending (~$4,000): 4,000 points

• Business card welcome bonus: 80,000 points*

• Business card spending (~$5,000): 5,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 199,000 points*

*If your business card offer is 60,000 instead of 80,000, your total will be around 179,000 points, which still qualifies.

✅ Result: Companion Pass earned with plenty of points left over for flights.

Strategy 2: Two-Person Strategy with 3 Cards

If you have a partner (Player 2), this strategy can help both of you earn the Companion Pass by stacking referrals and welcome bonuses.

Steps

1. September 2025 (latest by the 17th) – Player 1 (P1) applies for a personal card (100,000 bonus).

   • P1 spends up to $3,500 in 2024 but waits until January to finish.

2. After December statement closes – P1 refers Player 2 (P2) to a business card.

   • P1 earns 20,000 referral points when P2 is approved.

3. January 2025 – P1 refers P2 to a personal card.

   • P1 earns another 20,000 referral points.

4. January 2025 – Both P1 and P2 complete their minimum spends, so all bonuses post in the new year.

Points Breakdown Example

Player 1 (P1)

• Personal card welcome bonus: 100,000 points

• Personal card spending (~$4,000): 4,000 points

• Referral for Player 2’s business card: 20,000 points

• Referral for Player 2’s personal card: 20,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 154,000 points

✅ Companion Pass earned!

Player 2 (P2)

• Business card welcome bonus: 80,000 points*

• Business card spending (~$5,000): 5,000 points

• Personal card welcome bonus: 100,000 points

• Personal card spending (~$4,000): 4,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 199,000 points*

*If the business offer is 60k instead of 80k, P2’s total is about 177,000—still enough for the pass.

✅ Companion Pass earned for P2 too!

Optional Timing Adjustment

If you’re aiming to start earning early in January, call Chase to adjust the payment due date. This ensures the statement closing date is closer to December 1 (or later) to align with your timeline.

🚨 2025 Business Card Approval Trends

In early 2025, we noticed a noticeable increase in denials for Chase business credit cards.

The most common trend? Applicants who already had three or more Chase business cards were far more likely to be declined when applying for another.

If that’s you, there may still be a workaround:
👉 If you have older Chase business cards (at least a year old) that you’re not actively using, consider closing one and waiting a few weeks before submitting a new application. This seems to improve approval odds for many people.

❌ Which Points Don’t Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?

Not every Rapid Rewards point you earn will move you closer to the 125,000 points required for the Companion Pass. Here are the main categories that won’t count:

• Purchased points (buying points directly doesn’t help)

• Hotel or car rental transfers (converting loyalty points into Southwest doesn’t qualify)

• Transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards® (even though Chase Sapphire cards can send points to Southwest, they won’t count toward the Companion Pass)

• Survey and third-party earnings (like e-Rewards, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club)

• Bonus points tied to flights, tiers, or partners (except bonuses earned directly from the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards themselves)

Earning the Southwest Companion Pass opens up a world of travel possibilities, allowing you to bring a companion along for free on every Southwest flight you take. By strategically earning Rapid Rewards points through credit cards, shopping portals, and travel bookings, you can achieve this valuable perk and enjoy incredible savings on your future travels with Southwest Airlines.

Recommended Cards to Get Started

Here are the Southwest cards you’ll want to consider for your strategy (personal and business):

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

If you use my links, I truly appreciate it—it helps me keep creating free content and guides like this to help families travel more for less.