How Long Do I Wait Until I Apply for Southwest Again

The Chase Southwest Companion Laissez passer is i of, if not the, best airline perks out in that location. For people who wing domestically, it is an absolute must-have.

Even for people who don't fly domestically that ofttimes, information technology can still provide incredible value and is probably worth getting.

Read on to find out what the Southwest Companion Pass is, how to become it, and our favorite ways to use it.

Jump to:

• What Is the Southwest Companion Pass?
• How to Earn the Southwest Companion Laissez passer in 2020
• 5 Awesome Southwest Companion Laissez passer Benefits

What Is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The proper noun of the card is not intended to fool; the Southwest Companion Laissez passer is exactly what information technology says it is.

The pass allows a companion (spouse, mother, friend, favorite blogger) to wing free with you when yous fly on Southwest.

And unlike many other airlines, Southwest does non brand the rules super confusing. In fact, the procedure is adequately straightforward:

1. Once a person earns the Companion Pass (how to earn it is discussed below) they will designate the individual they want as their companion.
2. The Companion Pass arrives in the mail.
3. When the person is booking their tickets online, there is an option to choose to use the Companion Laissez passer. When the person is booking over the telephone, they simply have to tell the representative they want to use the Companion Pass.
4. The companion flies for gratis.

Well-nigh as piece of cake equally it gets, right?

Here's a closer look at how you can earn the Companion Pass:

How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass in 2020

Technically, there are 2 different ways to earn the Companion Pass:

1. By flying 100 qualifying one-way flights with Southwest in a calendar year.
2. Earn 110,00 Southwest points in one calendar year.

Since 99% of people won't fly plenty on Southwest to earn it the showtime way, nosotros volition focus on how to earn 110,000 Southwest points in one calendar year.

At first glance, this may seem hard, just in fact, it's not hard AT ALL – beneath are all the options for earning 110,000 Southwest points in one calendar year.

Option 1: Open Two Southwest Credit Cards

Getting the Companion Pass is and then easy because Chase is currently offering three different Southwest credit cards that EACH earn you Southwest points that count toward the Companion Pass.

The amount of points each credit carte du jour earns changes throughout the twelvemonth, but you can generally get these cards with bonuses betwixt 25-60k.

All you lot have to do is open up ii of these credit cards and you'll be at 110k Southwest points (and the Southwest Companion Pass) earlier you know it!

Plus vs. Premier Southwest Credit Cards

The outset thing to exist aware of is that in that location are 2 types of Southwest cards, the Plus and the Premier. These cards differ slightly:

• The Plus has an almanac fee of $69 and offers 3,000 Southwest points every bit an anniversary bonus each year you keep information technology open. Also, it charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%.
• The Premier has an annual fee of $99 and offers 6,000 Southwest points as an ceremony bonus each year you keep information technology open up. It has no strange transaction fee, so y'all pay nothing extra when yous employ it abroad.

The 2d thing to understand is that Chase offers both a personal and a business version of the Southwest Premier menu.

That means there is a Plus personal card, a Premier personal bill of fare, and a Premier business card — three opportunities to make the Southwest Companion Laissez passer yours!

To ensure that you get the sign-upwards bonus for both cards (more than enough points to authorize for the Companion Pass), nosotros recommend opening both a business and a personal card.

Since one is a personal card and one is a business organization menu, you can apply for them at the same fourth dimension without issues getting approved.

It is possible to reach the necessary number of points by opening 2 personal Southwest credit cards, but nosotros don't recommend it, as Chase is unlikely to approve an application for two personal credit cards so close together.

If applying for a business credit menu feels intimidating, don't worry. Here are some tips to get approved for a business card.

Other Ways to Earn Qualifying Points

If you just become canonical for one Southwest credit carte, or just desire to employ for one of the cards, don't worry, there are plenty of other means to rack upwardly points towards your Southwest Companion Pass.

Just a quick (but very important) heads-up: Non all the ways that you lot can get Southwest Rapid Rewards points to count towards the Companion Pass, and then exist conscientious.

For example, buying 6,000 Southwest points WILL Non count towards the Southwest Companion Pass, nor will transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points direct to Southwest. Transferring points from hotel loyalty programs was also cutting out of the equation early in 2017.

Option 2: Spend with the Southwest Credit Carte du jour

For each dollar you spend, you'll earn one Southwest point, so if you spend $half-dozen,000, you'll earn 6k points!

Plus, whatever Southwest flights y'all purchase on the card earn you an additional point, making information technology that much easier to rack up those Rapid Rewards points! For example, if you apply your Southwest credit card to purchase a $300 ticket, you lot'll earn 600 points instead of just the regular 300.

I'd recommend this for anyone who has a big purchase planned or plenty of monthly expenses that y'all can pay with a credit card.

Your regular monthly spending could earn y'all your Southwest Companion Pass in no time!

Selection 3: Book Hotels Through Southwest Hotels

If y'all are planning whatever travel in the almost hereafter, consider booking your hotel through Southwest Hotels.

The base rates for points volition count towards your Southwest Companion Laissez passer.

Generally, y'all'll earn i betoken per dollar spent on hotels. This isn't bad, merely we can practice ameliorate — some hotels give y'all up to 10k points!

For instance, a quick search for a one dark stay in Las Vegas shows many hotels with 1-2k Rapid Rewards points per nighttime. A $254 night at The Palazzo will earn you 7,000 Rapid Rewards points when you book it with your Southwest credit card.

And when you pay for the hotel with your Southwest credit carte, and you'll earn an additional two points per dollar. Meaning that, in the above example, your full earnings would be ($254 x 2) + 7,000 = 7,508 points.

Option iv: Shop Through the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal

Everyone shops online – so why not earn something for it?

In that location are lots of stores on the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal that you probably already shop at, and then make sure you visit those shops through the portal and earn points towards your Southwest Companion Pass for buying what yous were already going to buy!

Earn Rapid Rewards points at websites like Eating house.com, Abode Chef, Shutterstock, Bass Pro Shops, Lord & Taylor, Tumi, Apple, and Nike.

Ownership a new iPad Pro? That's 650 points towards your Southwest Companion Laissez passer.

Buying $100 worth of clothes for the kids at JCPenny? That's three points per dollar equalling 300 points!

The all-time part is that you tin double dip when you pay with your Southwest credit card. This means iPad Pro purchase has turned into 1300 Rapid Rewards points and the vesture from JCPenney has become 400 points.

All of these points count towards your Southwest Companion Pass!

At that place are hundreds of websites listed, and then make sure you check the Rapid Rewards portal before y'all click "buy" and y'all'll exist well on your way to the Southwest Companion Laissez passer!

Option v: Go out to Eat with Rapid Rewards Dining

If you become out to consume a lot, be sure to have advantage of this opportunity to earn points towards the Southwest Companion Laissez passer.

Signing upwards for Rapid Rewards Dining Program will earn you up to three points per dollar towards your Southwest Companion Pass at participating restaurants.

That means a $twenty dinner would net you lot sixty Rapid Rewards points!

If you lot utilize your Southwest credit card, you can double dip and earn even more!

Your $20 dinner just turned into 80 Rapid Rewards points just by using the right credit card. Who thinks double dipping is bad now?

Option 6: Fly Southwest Airlines

This might seem like a no brainer, but it really does make sense. You lot'll earn miles for your fare, plus an boosted two points per dollar when yous volume with your Southwest credit menu.

You'll earn Rapid Rewards points based on the fare you buy:

• half dozen points for Wanna Get Away
• ten points for Someday
• 12 points for Business Select

If you book a $200 Wanna Get Away fare, you'll earn 1,200 Rapid Rewards points.

If y'all book that aforementioned fare with your Southwest Credit card, yous'll earn an boosted 400 points for a total of 1600 Rapid Rewards points!

A $300 Anytime fare will earn you 3000 Rapid Rewards points (300×10=3000!)

If yous're a little short on Companion Laissez passer qualifying points, spending a little extra on your next Southwest flying could bump you up to two for one travel for the adjacent year!

5 Awesome Southwest Companion Pass Benefits

Still not convinced of the value of the Southwest Companion Pass? There are five things that make the Companion Laissez passer especially awesome. Allow's take a await at them:

1. Yous Tin can Use the Pass Unlimited Times

This is not a one-time pass, just instead allows a companion to wing gratuitous with you EVERY Time you wing Southwest.

Yes, you are hearing me correctly: EVERY Unmarried TIME yous fly Southwest.

Theoretically, I could fly Southwest every solar day and my companion would fly free with me each and every time.

2. The Companion Pass Can Remain Valid for Upwards to ii Years

You may think you are mishearing misreading me, but you aren't. The Companion Pass is proficient for the year y'all earn it and the next calendar year too.

Instance: Allow'south say you go your Companion Laissez passer on October 1st. Your Companion Pass will then be good for Oct, November, and December of 2022 and then all of 2021, for a total of 15 months.

Of course, the way to clasp maximum value out of information technology is to get information technology as early in the yr every bit possible (like January) and then you'd have information technology for a full two years.

Bingo!

iii. Your Companion Flies Completely Free

With well-nigh things in life, free doesn't mean free, and a lot of times at that place is plenty scarlet tape and rules to brand the "free" particular not fifty-fifty worth information technology.

This is NOT the case with the Southwest Companion Pass.

In this case, costless really does mean gratis.

The simply affair that the companion will be required to pay is a authorities-mandated September 11th security fee and taxes which is about $five.threescore ane way.

Other than that, there are no costs for the companion whatsoever.

And in case you've been hiding nether a rock for the last two years, yous should be enlightened that bags fly free on Southwest (awesome commercial evidence here, hither, and here), so the companion won't even take to worry about that cost!

four. You Can Use the Companion Pass on Both Paid and Award Flights

Whether you pay out of pocket for your flight or utilise some of the Southwest miles y'all've accumulated to get an honour ticket, your companion tin still wing gratis with you.

This is basically unheard of in the airline world, as every other companion pass (that I'm aware of) requires the original person to pay for their ticket.

Not on Southwest.

Then whether you pay $500 for a last-minute ticket, $150 for their ordinarily cheap regular fares, or fly gratuitous yourself using your Southwest miles, your companion can come up along besides.

What'southward meliorate than one person flight gratuitous on Southwest?

2 PEOPLE FLYING FREE ON SOUTHWEST!

five. You Can Alter Your Designated Companion Up to iii Times Per Year

Later y'all originally designate your companion you lot can change it and get a Companion Pass reissued with another person's proper name up to three times a calendar year each year you maintain your Companion Pass.

This can be washed instantly over the telephone and is an awesome perk that ofttimes gets overlooked among all the other amazing things about the pass.

I'll give you a good case of how I program to use this to my reward.

Naturally, Heather (my wife) will exist my companion on many of my trips.

However, instead of designating her as my original companion, I programme on designating my all-time friend Jon considering we are planning a trip together downwards to Florida.

After we accept our trip and he flies for free (saving him anywhere between $150-300), I'll call in and enquire to designate Heather as my new companion.

Then, we'll use the Companion Pass to wing all over this crawly country of ours.

You can fifty-fifty designate a new companion (i.e. Jon), alter it to someone else (Heather) and so change it dorsum to the original person (Jon).

FINAL Discussion(S)

The Southwest Companion Pass is an amazing, amazing perk and fifty-fifty those who but occasionally fly domestic should consider it. Southwest is expanding its route network every year with flights to the Caribbean and Latin America already happening.

For anyone who flies a decent amount (or would if it was cheaper), it'southward an absolute must.

Grab a personal and concern carte du jour, notice a good companion, and experience the joys of free travel!

If you've got the Southwest Companion Laissez passer, weigh in below. Is my beloved for it justified? Where have you gone with information technology? If you don't accept it, how do yous plan on getting it? Fire away!

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