Introduction
The Southwest Companion Pass is the single most-discussed earn-once-fly-twice perk in domestic travel rewards, and Southwest 2.0 didn't kill it. The program overhaul that rolled through 2025 and 2026 brought assigned seating, paid checked bags, and a new Basic-through-Choice-Extra fare structure. None of that changed the pass itself. Hit 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, then bring one designated companion on every Southwest flight you take for the rest of that year plus all of the next one.
What did change is the math around how you fly Southwest in 2026 and how the credit-card stack lines up against the new program. This guide walks through the path: the cards I'd actually use, the timing trick that turns a 13-month pass into a 23-month pass, and the spots where Southwest 2.0 altered the playbook.
Quick Answer
To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, accumulate 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points (or take 100 qualifying one-way flights) in a single calendar year. The fastest route is opening one personal Southwest card and one Southwest business card on the same day, completing both welcome offers, and collecting the 10,000-point annual boost. Time the bonuses to post in January or February for nearly two years of pass validity.
Why Companion Pass Math Still Wins in 2026
Domestic airfare is up. The cheapest Southwest one-way on a typical leisure route in 2026 hovers around $89 to $129, and a peak-week summer fare to a beach city can top $400. If you're flying with the same person three or four times a year, the pass pays for itself before the second trip. If you're flying with that person monthly, you're looking at four-figure savings every year you hold it.
A misconception worth clearing up: Southwest 2.0 brought paid bags, paid seat assignments, and a fare structure that looks like every other domestic carrier. None of that changed how the Companion Pass works. Your companion still pays only taxes and fees, from $5.60 per one-way trip under Southwest's terms. The pass works on cash and points bookings, on Basic and on Choice Extra. What did change: the credit-card free-bag perk was reshuffled, the fare bundles are now Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra, and points earning is tied to the bundle you book.
What Counts As a Qualifying Point
Not every Rapid Rewards point in your account counts toward the 135,000 threshold. This is the rule that catches people every January.
What does count:
- Points earned from flying Southwest, scaled to your fare class
- Welcome bonuses on Southwest cobranded credit cards
- Spending earnings on Southwest cobranded cards
- Base points from Rapid Rewards hotel, car rental, and shopping portal partners
- Points earned on the cash portion of Cash + Points bookings
- The annual 10,000-point Companion Pass boost (one per Rapid Rewards member per year, not one per card)
What does not count:
- Points purchased outright
- Points gifted or transferred from another Rapid Rewards account
- Points transferred in from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Bilt, or Marriott Bonvoy
- A-List or A-List Preferred tier bonus points
- Promotion bonus points, other than Southwest credit card bonuses and the Southwest Business Refer a Company promotion
- Partner bonus points, other than those from the Chase Southwest cards
- Reward flights
The transfer rule is the trap. Southwest's Rapid Rewards terms list "points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards" among the points that don't count, so a big balance built on Chase transfers can leave you well short of 135,000 qualifying points.
The Two-Card Strategy
If you only ever read one section of this guide, this is the one. Southwest issues five cobranded credit cards through Chase: three personal, two business. Welcome bonuses on all five count as qualifying points. The 5/24 rule applies, so Chase will generally decline you for new cards if you've opened five or more credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months. Plan around that before you apply.
The Personal Cards
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus ($99 annual fee). Welcome bonus of 50,000 points after $1,000 in purchases in the first three months. Earns 2x on Southwest purchases and on the first $5,000 in combined gas station and grocery store purchases each anniversary year, 1x everywhere else. 3,000-point cardmember anniversary bonus. The entry-level option.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier ($149 annual fee). 55,000-point welcome bonus after $1,500 in purchases in the first three months. 6,000-point anniversary bonus. 3x on Southwest purchases and 2x on the first $8,000 in combined grocery store and restaurant purchases each anniversary year. Earns 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List for every $5,000 in purchases. The middle tier and the one most people pick if they're only running one personal Southwest card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority ($229 annual fee). 60,000-point welcome bonus after $2,000 in purchases in the first three months. 7,500-point anniversary bonus. 4x on Southwest purchases and 2x at gas stations and restaurants. A complimentary Preferred seat at booking, unlimited Extra Legroom seat upgrades within 48 hours of departure when available, and 25% back on inflight purchases.
The Business Cards
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business ($149 annual fee). 80,000-point welcome bonus after $3,000 in purchases in the first three months, which Chase marks as a limited-time offer, with 60,000 struck through. 6,000-point anniversary bonus. Free first checked bag, a Standard or Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure when available, and a boarding benefit. Doesn't count against your personal 5/24 slots.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business ($299 annual fee). 80,000-point welcome bonus after $5,000 in purchases in the first three months. A complimentary Preferred seat at booking, Extra Legroom seat upgrades within 48 hours of departure when available, and a free first checked bag. Tied with the Premier Business for the largest current welcome offer in the lineup.
Stacking Them
The whole game is combining one personal and one business card so the bonuses post in the same calendar year, then layering the 10,000-point annual boost on top.
The full stack: Personal + Performance Business
Say you pair a personal card with the Performance Business:
- 50,000 welcome points (personal)
- 80,000 welcome points (Performance Business)
- 10,000 annual Companion Pass boost
- Roughly 6,000 to 8,000 points from organic spend hitting the minimums
- Total: roughly 146,000 to 148,000 qualifying points
That clears 135,000 with a buffer, before you've taken a single Southwest flight.
The lighter stack: Personal + Premier Business
Say you pair the Plus with the Premier Business:
- 50,000 + 80,000 welcome points (the Premier Business's current limited-time offer)
- 10,000 boost
- 4,000 to 6,000 from minimum-spend earnings
- Total: roughly 144,000 to 146,000 qualifying points
While the 80,000 offer lasts, this stack clears 135,000 as well. If the offer is 60,000 when you apply, you'd land around 124,000 to 126,000 and need roughly 10,000 more from flying or partners. One or two Choice Preferred or Choice Extra round-trips usually closes that gap.
Two personal cards (no business)
This one doesn't work for a single person. Chase's personal Southwest card pages say each card is available only if you don't have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card and haven't received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months, a rule Chase says doesn't apply to its business cards. Without a business card, plan on one personal welcome bonus plus the 10,000 boost, then close the gap with flights or partner activity.
If you're eligible for a business card, and most people are because a side hustle or freelance income qualifies, the personal-plus-business path is the one I'd run.
Critical Application Timing
Here is where strategy separates a 13-month pass from a 23-month pass. Your pass is valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you cross 135,000, plus the entire following calendar year. So crossing the threshold on January 5 versus December 5 changes the value enormously.
The Sweet Spot
Apply for both cards in late November and receive them by mid-December, but hold the bulk of your minimum spend until January and early February. Chase's offer details say only points posted on your billing statements and to your Rapid Rewards account in the same calendar year count toward the pass, so purchases after your December statement date count toward the next year. Chase deposits the 10,000-point Companion Pass boost by January 31 each calendar year or up to 30 days after account opening, one boost per Rapid Rewards member per calendar year.
Chase's offer terms allow 6 to 8 weeks for a personal-card bonus to post and up to 8 weeks for a business-card bonus, so leave room. Say you open both cards in November 2026 and the bonuses post in February 2027: the pass runs through December 31, 2028, close to 23 months of companion travel.
The Trap
Don't try to finish all your minimum-spend in November and December. Say your welcome bonuses post in December 2026: the pass is valid through December 31, 2027. Had they posted in January 2027, it would run through December 31, 2028. You just lost a year. The instinct is to think faster is better. With the Companion Pass, slower is better if it lands you on the right side of January 1.
When Speed Beats Patience
If you're already sitting on 105,000 qualifying points heading into November from existing flying and an open card, finish the job this year, then re-earn the pass next year to keep it through the year after. Two consecutive years is sometimes better than one long stretch, especially if your travel pattern is heavy now and tapers later.
Earning Through Flying Under Southwest 2.0
Southwest 2.0 reorganized fare classes. The earning rates per dollar spent on the base fare now look like this:
- Basic at 2 points per dollar. Don't bother for Companion Pass earning. The cheapest fare bucket is fine for cheap tickets, but you're earning at the worst rate.
- Choice at 6 points per dollar. The default leisure-traveler fare.
- Choice Preferred at 10 points per dollar. Adds a Preferred seat, earlier boarding and a refundable fare.
- Choice Extra at 14 points per dollar. Adds an Extra Legroom seat, boarding group 1, two free checked bags and the highest earning rate.
If you're flying anyway, the gap between Basic and Choice Extra is enormous for Companion Pass earning. Say you book a $400 ticket: Choice Extra earns 5,600 points and Basic earns 800, a 4,800-point gap on one ticket.
The play: if you're within 10,000 points of the threshold and you have a flight to book, paying the fare-class premium is often cheaper than chasing the same points through credit-card spending or partners.
Earning Through Partners
This is where casual earners leave qualifying points on the table. Southwest's terms count base points from Rapid Rewards partners but not partner bonus points, other than the Chase Southwest cards' own.
Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal
Southwest's shopping portal works like every other airline portal: you click through, shop at a participating retailer, and earn points at that retailer's rate. Base points count toward the pass; promotional bonus points from the portal don't. Stack the portal click with a Southwest credit card for the spending earnings on top.
Rapid Rewards Dining
Link your Southwest card to the Rapid Rewards Dining program and earn extra points at participating restaurants on top of whatever the card earns. Base points from Rapid Rewards partners count as qualifying points. If you eat out regularly, this is a slow-but-steady contributor.
Hotel and Car Rental Partners
Booking through Southwest's hotel and car rental partners earns base points, which count as qualifying points. Compare the partner rate with booking direct first; I'd only use these when I'm close to the threshold. If you have hotel-program elite status worth keeping, skip the partner booking and protect that status.
Worked Examples
Say you're one of these three earners. The math below uses the card offers on Chase's pages today.
Example 1: Solo Professional, Monthly Long-Distance Trips
Sarah lives in Denver and flies to Chicago monthly to see her partner. Average paid round-trip: $260. In late November 2026 she opens the Southwest Premier and the Performance Business on the same day, then runs her minimum spend ($1,500 personal, $5,000 business) in January and February through normal expenses, with the 10,000-point boost on top.
Bonuses post in late February 2027: 55,000 + 80,000 + 10,000 + roughly 6,500 from spend = 151,500 qualifying points. Pass valid through December 31, 2028.
Over the next 22 months, she takes 22 monthly round-trips with her partner along. Companion fares she doesn't pay: 22 × $260 = $5,720, before taxes and fees. Annual fees: $149 for the Premier and $299 for the Performance Business, each charged on the first statement and again every year.
Example 2: Family of Four, Quarterly Visits to Grandparents
Mark and Jen in Houston fly to see family in California four times a year. Mark opens the Southwest Plus and Performance Business in late November 2026. Jen, who is under 5/24, opens the Southwest Premier the same day. The Performance Business covers Mark's freelance design work.
Total qualifying on Mark's account: 50,000 (Plus) + 80,000 (Performance Business) + 10,000 boost + roughly 5,000 from spend = 145,000. Pass earned in February 2027.
Mark designates Jen as his companion. The kids fly on points (the cheap awards now folded into the Choice fare bucket for award pricing). Across two years, the family takes 8 round-trips. Mark and Jen save roughly $1,800 in companion fares, and Jen's Premier card adds another 55,000 welcome points for additional family flights.
Example 3: Snowbirds Splitting Minneapolis and Phoenix
Retired couple, six round-trips a year between the two cities. He opens the Plus and the Performance Business (for his freelance bookkeeping) in late November 2026 and finishes the welcome-bonus spend in January via everyday charges. Both cards are in his name because qualifying points count per member, and Southwest doesn't count points transferred between members.
Total qualifying: 50,000 + 80,000 + 10,000 boost + roughly 5,000 from spend = 145,000.
Across 2027 and 2028 they take 12 round-trips, booked as Choice Preferred fares for the higher earning rate. Say a typical Minneapolis-Phoenix nonstop runs $230 one-way: across 24 one-way flights, that's $5,520 in companion fares they don't pay, before taxes and fees. Plus side-trips to visit grandkids in Denver where the pass also applies.
Common Mistakes
Earning the pass too late in the year. This is mistake number one and I've watched dozens of people make it. If your bonuses post in November or December, you've capped your pass at 13 to 14 months. Wait. Time the spend so the points land in January.
Forgetting the 10,000-point annual boost. Chase deposits it by January 31 each calendar year, or up to 30 days after account opening, as long as the card account is open and not in default. Check that it posted before you count it.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to top off. Doesn't work. Transferred points don't count as qualifying. Save your Chase points for booking flights after you've earned the pass through other methods.
Not designating your companion. Once the pass posts, you have to log in and pick your companion before you can add them to a booking. New flyers sometimes don't realize there's a separate step beyond just earning the pass.
Letting the year-two annual fees catch you off guard. Chase applies each card's annual fee to the first billing statement, so if you open two cards in November, both fees come around again the following November. Budget for them. Decide whether to product-change the personal card to a no-fee Chase Freedom or keep it for the anniversary points.
Treating the 10,000 boost as one-per-card. Opening three Southwest cards in a year does not get you 30,000 boost points. The boost is tied to your Rapid Rewards account and caps at 10,000 per calendar year regardless of how many Southwest cards you carry.
How Southwest Compares to Other Airline Companion Programs
Southwest is the standout, and it isn't close.
Alaska Airlines has a Companion Fare on the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature from Bank of America: each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases in the prior anniversary year, you get a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23). That's a one-shot benefit, not a year-of-unlimited-flights pass. Solid for one big trip. Not in the same league as the Southwest pass for frequent flyers.
Delta offers a Companion Certificate on the Platinum and Reserve consumer cards after each renewal: a Delta Main domestic, Caribbean or Central American round trip on the Platinum, and a Delta First, Delta Comfort or Delta Main round trip within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America on the Reserve. Once a year, and you pay the taxes and fees.
The Southwest Companion Pass remains the only one of the bunch that gives you unlimited companion travel for nearly two years off a credit-card stack. The closest competitor is Alaska's once-a-year fare.
Getting the Most From Your Pass
Once you hold it, a few patterns squeeze the most value out:
Book the expensive routes. On a $650 cross-country flight your companion pays only taxes and fees, just as on an $89 Houston-to-Dallas hop. Use the pass on long-haul, peak-date, and last-minute flights where savings are largest.
Stack it with cheap award redemptions. Say a one-way award costs 7,500 points: your companion rides along for taxes and fees, so two people fly for 7,500 points plus taxes and fees. The cheapest way two people get from A to B domestically.
Use your companion changes. You're allowed three changes per calendar year. Plan them: spouse for a winter trip, child for spring break, parent for the holidays.
Use it for positioning flights. Live in a small city where Southwest doesn't fly? Buy a cheap one-way to a Southwest hub on another carrier, then use the pass for the long leg with your companion.
Is It Still Worth It Under Southwest 2.0?
Short answer: yes, with caveats.
The pass itself is just as valuable as it was pre-2.0. The companion still pays only taxes and fees, from $5.60 per one-way trip. What changed is the surrounding Southwest experience: paid checked bags (cardholders on all five cards still get their first checked bag free), assigned seating, and a fare structure that earns points at very different rates depending on what you book.
The pass is right for you if:
- You fly Southwest 6 or more times a year
- You typically fly with the same person, or you're willing to switch companions across the year
- You can hit the credit-card minimum spend through normal expenses
- You live near a Southwest hub or fly Southwest routes regularly
The pass is the wrong fit if:
- You rarely fly Southwest
- You usually fly alone
- You can't meet minimum spend without artificial spending tricks
- Your typical itineraries are international long-haul where Southwest doesn't compete
The Action Plan
The timeline if you're starting from zero:
Late fall, the year before you want to qualify: check credit (700-plus), verify you're under 5/24, confirm you qualify for a business card, and apply for one personal and one business card on the same day.
December: receive the cards and keep spending light, since purchases after your December statement date post in January and count toward the next year. Chase deposits the 10,000-point boost by January 31 each calendar year or up to 30 days after account opening.
January and February: complete the minimum spend, watch for welcome bonuses to post (Chase's terms allow 6 to 8 weeks on the personal cards and up to 8 weeks on the business cards), and the 135,000 threshold trips. Pass appears in your account.
After earning: log into Southwest, designate your companion, book your first companion trip, and plan around companion travel through December 31 of the following year.
Where I'd Actually Start
If you're flying with the same person regularly, comfortable with credit-card management, and under 5/24, the Southwest Premier plus the Southwest Performance Business is the combo I'd run. The Premier's $149 annual fee and 6,000-point anniversary bonus make it the easiest personal card to keep long-term. The Performance Business carries an 80,000-point welcome offer, tied with the Premier Business's limited-time offer for the biggest of the five.
If you don't qualify for a business card, one personal card still gets you started. Chase's personal Southwest cards are available only if you don't have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card and haven't earned a new Cardmember bonus in the last 24 months (Chase says this doesn't apply to its business cards), so one person can't stack two personal bonuses. Pair the Southwest Plus or the Premier with flights and the shopping portal to cover the rest of the 135,000 qualifying points.
If your travel pattern is lighter than this guide assumes (fewer than four Southwest flights a year, alone most of the time), there's no shame in passing on the strategy entirely. The Companion Pass rewards flyers who fly frequently with someone. For everyone else, a single Southwest card or a flexible-currency travel card you actually use is the better start.
The pass is one of the most durable wins in the points world. Southwest 2.0 didn't change that. What matters now is timing the bonuses to post in January, picking the right two cards, and checking that the 10,000-point boost posted.
For a shorter route through the same subject, see our guide to earning and using the Companion Pass.
Updated October 6, 2026: related articles.
