Have a friend fly with you for free! The coveted Companion Pass with Southwest Airlines is now easier to get; but hurry, this deal will fly by quickly!
What Is A Companion Pass?
The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass allows you to designate one person to fly with you for free for an entire year. That’s right, that lucky person’s airfare is free — aside from the fees, which are typically $5.60 for one-way domestic flights. Achieving the Companion Pass can save you a ton of money. My husband and I each have one and we use it so our two kids can fly free. It allows us to go on more family vacations.
How To Get A Companion Pass
Since the Companion Pass is so valuable, it can be difficult to obtain. Typically, you need to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year or fly 100 flight segments. But right now, Southwest Airlines is awarding a Companion Pass to anyone who opens a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase. That pass will be good for an entire year, until February 28, 2024.
The offer is valid for three types of credit cards: Plus, Premier, and Priority, with each one having a different annual fee and reward-earning structure. But hurry! The promotion is only good for anyone opening a new credit card before March 13, 2023.
The Fine Print
With anything, the Companion Pass comes with some rules. A major one is you can only change your companion three times per calendar year. And each switch counts, regardless of who it is. So, if you start the year with your husband as your companion, then switch it to your mom, then back to your husband, that counts as two switches, even though your husband was your companion twice. So, think carefully about who you want to designate as your companion and use it wisely!
Also, your companion has to fly with you on the same flights. That means your companion cannot just take any flights he or she wants; you have to be on the same flight. And if you want to make a change to your flights, you must first cancel your companion’s ticket, then make the appropriate changes.
Southwest Investigation
Southwest Airlines occasionally runs promotions surrounding its Companion Pass or A-List status, but this particular promotion comes as the airline continues to apologize for its travel meltdown in December. Southwest Airlines canceled the majority of its operating schedule over the busy holiday season, leaving travelers stranded in airports, often without luggage.
This week, Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines’ chief operating officer, is testifying before a Senate committee about the government’s investigation. He says the company is identifying key missteps and correcting them for the future.
“Let me be clear: we messed up,” Watterson told the committee. “In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience. With the short-term mitigation elements that we put in place, along with any other areas of opportunity that we identify, we believe we are well prepared to execute our schedule with the level of reliability that customers and employees expect and deserve.”
For more travel news, check out these stories: