The Southwest Companion Pass is arguably one of the most valuable travel perks that you can earn via credit card rewards. But getting this perk is all about timing. Luckily, right now is one of the best times to go for the Southwest Companion Pass and I’ll show you why.

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Southwest Companion Pass

With the Southwest Companion Pass, a companion can fly with you for free for up to two calendar years on both award flights and cash fares. This pass can be worth more than $3,000 depending on how you utilize it, so it’s a tremendously valuable perk (read more about the pass here).

The Southwest Companion Pass works on a calendar-year basis and that’s why it makes sense to pick it up at the beginning of the year, as early as possible so you can use it for as close to 24 months as possible.

Earning the 110,000 Rapid Rewards needed for the Companion Pass isn’t easy because it requires a lot of flying but it’s very doable when you rely on credit cards to get you there.

In order to get to 110,000 Rapid Rewards via credit cards, you need time your applications so that you’re going for the highest sign-up bonuses. And you want to do this at the very end of a year or at the very beginning of a year to maximize the time that you’ll have the pass.

It’s not always possible to time your apps this way but right now it’s possible to do this and that’s why it’s a perfect time to go for the pass.

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Southwest cards policy

Chase recently changed its policy for approving Chase Southwest credit cards. Now you can no longer pick up two personal Southwest cards. This was a major bummer but it wasn’t a complete loss because it’s still possible to get the personal and the business card, which can get you the Companion Pass.

Two things to note: 

• I would put at least 30 days between applying for the business and the personal card (though you don’t have to).
• Both cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule.

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Southwest business credit card

The Southwest Premier Business Card is offering 60,000 Rapid Rewards after spending $3,000 in the first three months after account opening.

You’ll also get:

• No foreign transaction fees
• 6,000 anniversary points
• Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

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Southwest credit cards

There are multiple offers out for the Southwest personal cards. These are offers for 60,000 miles but they do require more spend than usual.

You’ll be able to earn the full 60,000 Rapid Rewards after you spend $12,000 within your first year. $12,000 in a year is very easy to do. However, you don’t want to take a full year to hit that spend requirement because remember the Companion Pass is only good for two calendar years.

Here are the offers:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

• 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
• Additional 20,000 after spending $12,000 within your first year.

You’ll also get:

• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
• 3,000 anniversary points

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

• 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
• Additional 20,000 after spending $12,000 within your first year.

You’ll also get:

• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• 6,000 anniversary points
• Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

• 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
• Additional 20,000 after spending $12,000 within your first year.

You’ll also get:

• Bonus spending:
  • 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
  • 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
  • 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
• $75 Southwest annual travel credit
• 7,500 anniversary points each year
• Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
• $149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

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Other offer

There is also an offer for the Plus for 50,000 points after $2,000 spend in 3 months. But it looks like the link to this offer was a targeted offer designed to go out in planes and in airports.

If you apply for it, there’s a chance that Chase could argue this was not an offer designed to go out to you or that your account could come under review and you could lose your points. So if you want to avoid the potential risk, you might want to avoid this offer.

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Don’t spend too early

You need to wait until 2019 to hit your minimum spend requirement so that you can use the Companion Pass for 2019 and 2020. You can hit your minimum spend requirement in December 2018 (after your December statement closes) but there’s always a chance your points could post early. Thus, I would wait until January 1, 2019, to hit your minimum spend requirements just to be on the 100% safe side.

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Final word

Now is a great time to go for the Companion Pass due to the time of the year and the credit card bonuses. With just two offers you can easily hit 110,000 Rapid Rewards. However, make sure you follow the application rules when pursuing the Companion Pass and don’t hit your minimum spend until the time is right.

Cover photo by Tom Hart via Flickr.