In my opinion, one of the best deals in the points and miles world is the Southwest Companion Pass. This is especially true if you travel with a friend, spouse, or kids. Think- two plane tickets for only the price of taxes and fees which is $11.20 roundtrip. It may seem too good to be true, but I’ve personally earned the pass and my sister and I were able to travel to Hawaii, Florida, and Texas, just to name a few.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
So what exactly is the Southwest Companion Pass? Well, it’s essentially a free airplane ticket (plus $11.20 for the taxes and fees) for anyone you want to bring with you on any Southwest flight, as long as there is an available seat on the flight (I’ve never had an issue with seat availability). Your companion can be changed up to 3 times in a year.
The pass is earned by either flying 100 flights with Southwest in a year (not going to happen), or by opening two Southwest credit cards to earn 135,000 points. I utilize the opening credit cards strategy. Once you hit the 135,000 points threshold, Southwest will drop the companion pass into your account and you can start booking trips for you and your companion.
What makes this even better, is that you can use the 135,000 points you just earned to book your flight which makes your flight free (besides the $11.20 for taxes and fees), and then you can add your companion for just $11.20. So two flights for $22.40!!! What a deal! It seems too good to be true.
Where Does Southwest Fly?
Did you know Southwest is not just a domestic airline? They also fly all over the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. They also fly to Hawaii. See the route map below.
Screenshot from Southwest Airlines
Timing Strategy to Earning the Pass
If you want to hold the pass for almost two years, then there is some timing strategy involved. You can earn it any time of year, but to get the most out of the pass, then you can download my FREE guide to earning the pass so you can maximize the value.
