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Companion Pass is a unique and highly lucrative benefit offered by 
Southwest Airlines, which essentially allows elite members to travel with a companion for almost free. Customers still have to pay the taxes and fees for the second passenger (starting at $5.60 per way), but that’s it. In addition, the Companion Pass can be used with no limits within a program year, and it stands as uniquely valuable during an era where scores of airlines have devalued loyalty programs to boost profit margins.
Companion Pass has been offered for decades and is a relic of a bygone era where Southwest differentiated itself through unique attributes like open seating and complimentary checked bags. Today, however, Southwest has reinvented itself by ending certain practices, adding new fees to boost ancillary revenue, and revising its fare classes, among other changes. These changes were made to improve financial performance and appear to have been successful, but the Companion Pass remains.
The Full Benefits Of The Companion Pass
Companion Pass is positioned above its A-List and A-List Preferred tiers, although it is not a Rapid Rewards tier. The A-List status is the entry-level Rapid Rewards tier, offering benefits such as priority boarding, same-day standby, a complimentary checked bag, and seating benefits.
The A-List Preferred status further expands on this through pre-boarding and two free checked bags, while also granting passengers two complimentary premium drinks. Companion Pass, however, is much different. The main benefit of the Companion Pass is that it allows members to fly with one guest free of charge, apart from taxes and fees. This applies to all flights within a program year, and tier member seating/checked bag benefits also apply to the companion.
This is particularly beneficial for Southwest members who frequently travel with their partner/spouse, and essentially cuts the cost of flying in half when traveling together, a unique benefit that’s unmatched by any other airline. The downside is that the Companion Pass doesn’t offer any additional benefits over A-List Preferred because it’s not an elite tier.
Other US airlines feature more comprehensive top tiers above Southwest’s A-List Preferred status, with benefits such as complimentary domestic upgrades. However, Southwest does not have any true premium cabins, nor does it operate airport lounges or long-distance flights. Therefore, its loyalty program inherently comes with fewer benefits for elite members, with the Companion Pass being its ultimate trump card.
How To Earn A Companion Pass
Elite status within Rapid Rewards is earned by either taking a certain number of flights in a year or by racking up tier-qualifying points. These points can be earned from airfare purchases as well as through eligible credit card spending. The Companion Pass benefit requires either 100 one-way qualifying flights or 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, whereas the A-List Preferred tier requires either 40 segments or 70,000 tier qualifying points.
Meanwhile, the base A-List tier requires either 20 segments or 35,000 tier qualifying points. Companion Pass is expensive to qualify for, but the earning rate helps to quicken the process. All points earned from credit card spend qualify as Companion Pass points, while some credit card points count separately for earning elite status.
While Companion Pass and the two elite tiers are technically independent of one another, the high number of points needed means that you’d likely also qualify for A-List or A-List Preferred at the same time. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority and Performance Business cards each earn up to four points per dollar on Southwest flights, while the top Choice Extra fare class earns 14 points per dollar.
In addition, the Priority card also offers a yearly 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying point boost. With these factors in mind, it’s possible to earn a Southwest Rapid Rewards Companion Pass by spending less than $10,000 a year, achievable by using the carrier’s top credit cards while buying the top fare class on each flight.
Southwest Airlines’ Fare Classes
One of the major changes implemented by Southwest Airlines in recent years was the introduction of new fare categories. Previously, Southwest had four ticket types, named Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, and Business Select, which have since been replaced with new fare classes. The tickets are now named Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra, roughly corresponding to the old fare types but with new conditions and benefits to better match market demand.
The Basic fare does not include a checked bag or seat selection and can only be canceled for a non-refundable travel credit (valid for six months), while earning passengers two points per dollar spent. Choice includes complimentary seat selection, but not a checked bag, and Choice passengers board before those with Basic tickets.
Canceling a Choice ticket gives you a 12-month travel credit, and this fare tier earns six points per dollar. The Choice Preferred fare is similar, except that the ticket is refundable, earns ten points per dollar, and includes priority boarding/security. The top-tier Choice Extra ticket includes the complimentary selection of extra-legroom, preferred, and standard seats, along with two free checked bags.
This ticket has the highest boarding priority and is fully refundable, while earning passengers 14 points per dollar spent. It’s the most expensive ticket type sold by Southwest Airlines, but those looking to quickly earn status and qualify for a Companion Pass will want to stick with Choice Extra tickets since these earn qualifying points much quicker.
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Southwest Airlines’ Credit Cards
To quickly earn points to qualify for a Companion Pass, you’ll want to primarily buy Choice Extra tickets while also signing up for a Rapid Rewards co-branded credit card. These are issued by Chase, and the airline offers three personal credit cards along with two business cards. Each one earns Rapid Rewards points on purchases in select categories, while also earning added points on Southwest tickets. Every year, cardholders also receive an annual 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying point boost.
The Rapid Rewards Plus card has a $99 annual fee and includes the annual points boost, but it does not otherwise earn qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred. For that, you’ll need to upgrade to the Rapid Rewards Premier card, which has a $149 annual fee and awards 1,500 qualifying points after you spend $5,000.
Rapid Rewards Plus Benefits ($99 Annual Fee) | Rapid Rewards Premier Benefits ($149 Annual Fee) | Rapid Rewards Priority Benefits ($229 Annual Fee) |
|---|---|---|
10% off code on the anniversary | 15% off code on anniversary | Extra legroom upgrade within 48 hours |
2x points on Southwest purchases | 3x points on Southwest purchases | 4x points on Southwest purchases |
2x points on gas stations/groceries on the first $5,000 spent per year | 2x points on gas stations/groceries on the first $8,000 spent per year | 2x points at gas stations/restaurants |
1x on all other purchases | 1x on all other purchases | 1x on all other purchases |
10,000 Companion Pass annual qualifying points boost | 1,500 tier qualifying point bonus for every $5,000 spent | 2,500 tier qualifying point bonus for every $5,000 spent |
Group Five boarding | 10,000 Companion Pass annual qualifying points boost | 10,000 Companion Pass annual qualifying points boost |
No foreign transaction fees | Group Five boarding | Group Five boarding |
25% back on in-flight purchases | No foreign transaction fees | No foreign transaction fees |
25% back on in-flight purchases | 25% back on in-flight purchases |
Meanwhile, the top-tier Rapid Rewards Priority Card has a $229 annual fee and grants 2,500 tier qualifying points after $5,000 of qualifying spending. The Southwest business credit cards are largely equivalent to the personal cards, with the carrier offering the Rapid Rewards Premier Business card (equivalent to the Premier card) and the Rapid Rewards Performance Business card (equivalent to the Priority card).
They feature the same annual fee as their personal counterparts, and the benefits are largely the same. Regarding tier qualifying points, the Premier Business card awards 2,000 points after $5,000 in qualifying spending, while the Performance Business card grants 2,500 qualifying points.
The Future Of Rapid Rewards
Southwest is increasingly aligning itself with legacy carriers in terms of its model and market positioning, but its Rapid Rewards loyalty program is quite different. It only has two elite tiers as well as the Companion Pass, whereas 
American Airlines, 
Delta Air Lines, and 
United Airlines each have four elite tiers. In addition, each has four personal credit card options compared to Southwest’s three, while the benefits of each loyalty program are more varied than those of Rapid Rewards.
In large part, this is because Southwest is primarily a domestic airline that only operates all-economy 737s. Companion Pass exists as a unique point of differentiation because Southwest can’t compete on premium products, long-haul network, or lounges. These are some of the largest reasons as to why people choose to engage in loyalty programs, but since Southwest doesn’t currently have any of these three, it offers the Companion Pass as a lucrative way to save money.
US Airlines With Domestic First Class |
|---|
Alaska Airlines |
American Airlines |
Breeze Airways |
Delta Air Lines |
Frontier (In development) |
Hawaiian Airlines |
JetBlue (In development) |
United Airlines |
The carrier has not announced plans to discontinue or significantly alter the Companion Pass, but it is making other changes. For one, Southwest is currently working on a network of airport lounges, which will be comparable to the clubs offered by the legacy US carriers. At the same time, the airline is also working with Chase on a new top-tier co-branded credit card, which is believed to have an annual fee of roughly $650 and will also include lounge access as a benefit.
In addition, Southwest has recently introduced extra legroom seats and is reported to be looking at introducing a domestic first class cabin. The carrier has launched new partnerships with foreign carriers, while also discussing beginning new services to Europe (namely Iceland). The carrier is changing in an effort to boost loyalty program engagement while increasing profits, and whether the Companion Pass is part of the future or not, Southwest continues to evolve into a very different airline than what it was for decades.
