Families should adopt this Southwest Companion Pass strategy to potentially save thousands in travel, but time is running out to take advantage
This post contains links to products from our advertisers, and we may be compensated when you click on these links. Our recommendations and advice are ours alone, and have not been reviewed by any issuers listed. Terms apply to offers listed on this page. Read our editorial standards.
Brian Stablyk/Getty Images
- The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most lucrative deals in travel.
- If you travel as a family, you and a partner can both earn a Companion Pass to potentially save thousands of dollars on travel into 2023.
- Currently, all three Southwest personal credit cards are offering a promotional Companion Pass after meeting spending requirements.
- Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most powerful money-saving benefits in the travel world.
This golden travel ticket can help you achieve goals you've previously considered unrealistic, and it's now more useful than it's been in years. Disney World is dropping mask mandates for vaccinated travelers; coronavirus restrictions are disappearing from fun and popular areas (like Hawaii!); spring break impends.
The Companion Pass hasn't been this easy to earn in more than a year, thanks to current Southwest credit card bonuses (ending March 14, 2022):
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card —Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
From tropical getaways to Thanksgiving with faraway relatives, the Companion Pass can help you achieve nearly any bucket-list travel domestically and throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.
And if you're a family of four or more, the Companion Pass has the potential to save you many thousands of dollars, depending on how often you use it. Here's how to do it.
Big families can save thousands with the Southwest Companion Pass
You've probably heard mention of airline credit cards that offer companion passes, such as the
The Southwest Companion Pass is refreshingly different. Once you earn it, you've got a specific amount of time to use it (between one and two years, depending on when you earn it), and you can use it as many times as you want.
For example, the
If you and your partner are flying with two or more children, you could save a bundle by both opening a Southwest credit card to earn the Companion Pass. You can each designate a child as your companion and you'll have nearly a year of super cheap travel for spring break, summer and winter vacation, and all the holidays in between.
Plus, you and your partner will each earn 30,000 Southwest points after meeting the spending requirements. Insider estimates Southwest points value to be 1.4 cents each, making 30,000 points worth around $420 in flights. Combined, your family could book $1,680 in Southwest airfare before you'd have to begin paying for flights again:
- Your family would have 60,000 points ($840 in flights)
- Your family would have two Companion Passes, effectively doubling the value of your points (another $840 in flights)
Of course, you'd still have to pay taxes and fees for each flight, but those are only $5.60 one-way when flying domestically.
Earn a more valuable Southwest Companion Pass the "hard" way
Instead of earning the promotional pass through these credit card sign-up bonuses, you can instead earn a Companion Pass by earning 125,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar year. The benefit of earning it this way is that your pass will be valid through the year in which you earn it as well as the entire following calendar year.
Read more: The best Southwest credit cards of 2022
In other words, you'd receive a Companion Pass valid through December 31, 2023, instead of one that expires February 28, 2023.
The easiest way to do this is by earning the bonus on two Southwest credit cards. Unfortunately, you can only have one personal Southwest credit card at a time, and you won't qualify if you've earned the bonus from one in the past 24 months.
There are a couple of ways to go about opening two Southwest cards.
Option 1. Open two small-business Southwest cards
There are two Southwest small-business cards:
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card —Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card —Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
By earning both card bonuses, you'll be swimming in 140,000 Southwest points. Not only will you earn a longer-lasting Companion Pass, but you'll have $1,960 worth of Southwest points.
Option 2. Open one personal and one small-business Southwest card
You could instead open one personal Southwest card and the
Again, the Performance Business Card comes with
Bottom line
Whether you've been itching to complete that postponed trip to Costa Rica, plan to visit grandma for the holidays, or simply want to shake off the cobwebs with an indiscriminate travel spree, the Southwest Companion Pass can be a huge help in cutting costs toward an inexpensive getaway.
Currently, all three Southwest personal credit cards are offering a