Southwest Airlines loyalists have run a convoluted course this year, keeping up with everything from major shifts in its baggage policies, boarding process, seat assignments and route networks to an overhaul of its cobranded credit cards.
But one fan-favorite aspect has remained through the noise: the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, which is easily one of the best deals in travel. This perk essentially allows you to create your own buy-one-get-one airfare voucher, letting you bring a partner, child, parent or friend with you on all of your Southwest flights for just the cost of taxes and fees on their ticket.
Even if you book your flight with Rapid Rewards points, your companion can still fly with you using the Companion Pass.
Here's what you need to know about timing Southwest credit card applications to make your Companion Pass last longer.
How to perfectly time a Southwest Companion Pass
To earn a Companion Pass, you must earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.
Once you obtain the Companion Pass, it's valid for the rest of the year in which you earn it, plus the entire next calendar year.
That timing makes a big difference. For example:
- Earn it in November or December 2025, and it'll be valid through the end of 2026.
- Earn it in Q1 of 2026, and it'll last through December 2027, almost two full years of two-for-one travel.
That's why the best strategy is to start earning late this year and have your qualifying points post early in 2026.
What activity counts toward the Companion Pass?
Since the alternative for earning the Companion Pass requires taking 100 flights with Southwest, earning it through points is the quickest and easiest path for most people. Southwest defines what types of points activity count toward earning the Companion Pass as:
- Paid flights on Southwest Airlines
- Points earned on Southwest Airlines credit cards
- Base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners
The following do not count as qualifying activity:
- Flight bonus points
- Getaways by Southwest™ vacation bookings
- New-member bonuses for joining Rapid Rewards
- Partner bonus points other than those earned with Southwest Airlines cobranded cards
- Points converted from hotel and car rental loyalty programs, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions surveys or Diners Club
- Points purchases
- Points transferred between members
- Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Reward travel
- Tier bonus points
Southwest also notes that the Companion Pass is earned from points posted to your account within the same calendar year, so you must start again from zero on January 1 of each year.
For that reason, it's imperative that bonus points earned from Southwest card welcome bonuses post to your account in early Q1 2026.
Now that you know how the Companion Pass is earned, let's dive into some top strategies for qualifying — and how to keep it for nearly two years.
Related: Got a new credit card? Here are 4 tips to help you earn your welcome bonus
Earning the points you need to achieve the Companion Pass
Knowing you won't want to earn the Companion Pass until Q1 of 2026, the end of this year is a great time to start planning your Southwest Companion Pass acquisition.
With the current bonus offers on Southwest credit cards, you could apply for one personal or business Southwest card (or combine the personal and business cards) to jump-start earning the Companion Pass in 2026 and 2027.
Earn a Companion Pass with a Southwest personal card
The current bonus on all three personal cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (see rates and fees; $99 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card ($149 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees; $229 annual fee)
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Each card allows new cardholders to earn 85,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That welcome bonus gets you well over 50% of the way toward the Companion Pass.
Plus, each card comes with 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points credited to your account within 30 days from account opening. So when combined with the welcome offer, you'd only need to earn 40,000 more points to earn a Companion Pass.
Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Earn a Companion Pass with a Southwest business card
If you're a small-business owner, you could consider applying for one of Southwest's business cards:
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees; $299 annual fee): Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (see rates and fees; $149 annual fee): Offers 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
You could apply for both business cards and earn the Companion Pass through their welcome bonuses, but pairing one personal card and one business card is the cheapest and most efficient way to hit the 135,000-point mark.
For example, opening the Southwest Plus and Southwest Premier Business cards and earning both bonuses could net you around 145,000 points — enough to secure the Companion Pass — with a combined $248 in annual fees.
Additionally, there are other ways to earn the remaining points if you can't open two cards, such as additional credit card spending, actually flying on eligible Southwest fares and partner activity; but the quickest way to earn a Companion Pass is by opening a Southwest business card in tandem with a Southwest personal card now if you're eligible.
Related: Who qualifies for a business card
Strategy for earning the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026-2027
The fastest way to earn a Companion Pass is to open a Southwest personal and business card now. Their combined welcome bonuses alone can earn you one.
However, if you're unable to open both cards, going the personal card route is your best bet, as you'd earn at least 95,000 qualifying points (from the welcome offer and the 10,000 Companion points boost), which would get you closest to earning the Companion Pass.
Regardless of which route you go, you'll want to begin applying for a Southwest card now.
It's important to note that transferred points from cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account don't count toward the Companion Pass.
However, once you have earned the Companion Pass, you can transfer points to Rapid Rewards from Chase to book your Southwest award tickets and have your designated companion fly with you basically for no additional cost.
Related: How to redeem points with the Southwest Rapid Rewards program
Who is eligible for a new Southwest credit card?
The eligibility rules for Southwest's cards are quite strict. The terms state:
"The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products."
This means that you can only receive the new-cardmember bonus on one Southwest personal credit card within a 24-month cycle, so be sure to choose the card that offers the best bonus possible. Also note that if you currently have any open Southwest personal credit cards, you won't be eligible for these offers.
Meanwhile, the business card eligibility rules aren't as strict as those of the personal Southwest cards. The business card restrictions state:
"This new Cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of this business credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of this business credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this business credit card within the last 24 months."
This means you can't have earned a bonus on the Southwest business card you're applying for in the past 24 months, and you also can't currently hold the Southwest business card you're applying for, but you can apply for the other one.
However, remember that you can earn a bonus from a small-business credit card and a personal credit card from Southwest in the same calendar year to get closer to obtaining a Companion Pass. Alternatively, you could get two small-business card bonuses; you just can't get two personal cards.
And don't forget about Chase's 5/24 rule. If you've opened five or more new personal credit cards across any card issuers in the last 24 months, you'll likely be denied if you apply for a Southwest card.
Related: Do I need a business to get a business credit card?
Bottom line
Now's the time to lock in your Southwest Companion Pass strategy. By applying for one personal and one business Southwest card before the year ends — and timing your spend so welcome bonuses post in early 2026 — you can secure nearly two full years of two-for-one travel through the end of 2027.
And if you prefer to start smaller, even one personal card can get you most of the way there and every point you earn after that moves you even closer.
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Learn more: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
