How to score up to two years of free companion flights

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Imagine flying a friend or family member with you for free — on every Southwest flight — for up to two years.

That’s the power of the Southwest Companion Pass. This no-strings-attached pass is one of the most valuable benefits in the airline industry, and while it’s traditionally tough to earn, credit card welcome bonus offers remain the fastest path to earning it. Here’s how it works.

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The Southwest Companion Pass lets you add one person to any Southwest flight you book — paid with either cash or Rapid Rewards points — as long as a seat is available for sale. The only cost is taxes and fees: $5.60 each way for domestic flights, and slightly more for international routes.

The pass has no limit on use, so your companion could join you on every trip. You can also switch your designated companion up to three times each calendar year.

Once earned, the pass is valid for the remainder of the calendar year plus all of the following year. For example, if you earn the pass in August 2026, you’ll enjoy free companion travel through December 31st, 2027 — giving you a year and a half with the pass.

Best of all, the pass can be added to a previously booked flight, so if you already have a flight booked — prior to earning the pass — your companion can still fly with you for free. Your pass just needs to be active during the time of flying.

To earn the pass, you need to accrue 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a single calendar year. While that may sound daunting, the Southwest credit card welcome bonuses make it much easier.

Here are the current Southwest personal credit card welcome offers and their respective minimum spend requirements

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 55,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.

This means, after meeting the spend requirement and earning the welcome bonus, you'll end up with at least 51,000 to 62,000 points — depending on the card you apply for. Plus, as a cardmember, you’ll also receive 10,000 qualifying points toward the Companion Pass each year.

This brings you almost halfway to the 135,000-point requirement. You could easily earn those remaining points from additional credit card spend, the Southwest shopping portal, partner offers, or from flying Southwest.

But another option is pairing a personal card with a Southwest business credit card, which can easily put you over the threshold. Unlike personal cards, you’re allowed to hold both a personal and a business Southwest card at the same time. The two options are:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.

Right now, pairing any personal card with the Performance Business card will put you over the 135,000-point threshold once you meet both minimum spend requirements and factor in the 10,000-point cardmember boost. Pairing with the Premier Business card can leave you short, so plan to close the gap with additional card spend or Southwest flights.

Because you have to earn all 135,000 points in a single calendar year, timing is everything. In an ideal world, the best approach is to wait until January 1st of a given year to earn any Companion Pass qualifying points. This is because, once you earn the pass, it's yours for the remainder of the year, plus the entire following year. So earning the pass as early into the calendar year as possible will give you more time with the pass.

However, now is still an excellent time to pursue the Companion Pass. If you apply now, you'll want to complete the minimum spending requirement as soon as possible to maximize the amount of time you'll have with the pass.

If you're able to earn the 135,000 qualifying points in 2026, you'll be able to utilize the pass for 2026 and 2027.

Note that the bonus points earned from the welcome offer typically post to your Southwest account 2-5 business days after your statement close date for the month when you cross over the minimum spend threshold.

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With three personal cards available, here’s how the benefits stack up:

• Southwest Plus ($99 annual fee): Includes one free checked bag (plus up to 8 companions on the reservation), 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points annually, 3,000 anniversary points, Group 5 priority boarding, complimentary standard seat within 48 hours of departure, 25% back on inflight purchases, and no foreign transaction fees.
• Southwest Premier ($149 annual fee): Similar to the Plus card, but with 6,000 anniversary points, the option to select a premium seat within 48 hours of departure, and the potential to earn A-List status with credit card spend.
• Southwest Priority ($229 annual fee): Adds 7,500 anniversary points, standard seat reservation at the time of booking, upgrades to extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, and additional status-qualifying points.

The right choice depends on how often you fly and whether you value the added perks enough to justify the higher annual fee.

Absolutely. The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel as it lets you fly a friend for free — again and again. I've been a passholder for more than 15 years, and it's saved my family tens of thousands of dollars over the years.

If you want to stretch your travel budget and bring someone along for free, the Companion Pass is well worth going after. Just make sure you earn the required 135,000 qualifying points, and you could enjoy up to two years of unlimited companion flights.

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