How to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass in 2027

How to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass in 2027

If you’re looking for one of the best travel tricks in the game, the Southwest Companion Pass is it. Once you earn the Companion Pass, you can designate one person to travel with you on qualifying Southwest flights for just taxes and fees, when you purchase or redeem points for your flight.

And here’s the best part: if you time it right, you can earn the pass in January and hold it for almost two full years.

Let’s break down exactly how to earn the Companion Pass with two different strategies: One-Person and Two-Person (Player 2) Referral Strategy.

Understand the Requirements

To earn a Companion Pass, you’ll need 135,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points (CPQPs) in a single calendar year. These can come from:

• Welcome bonuses from Southwest credit cards (my favorite).

• Everyday spending on those cards.

• Referral bonuses.

• Flying Southwest (base fare points).

Why Timing Matters

To qualify for the Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points in a single calendar year. The trick is that welcome bonuses and referrals only count in the year they post—so you don’t want to finish your minimum spend until after January 1st.

That way, all your points hit in the following year, giving you nearly two full years of Companion Pass fun.

Leverage Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

Utilizing Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards is one of the fastest ways to accumulate the points needed for the Companion Pass. These cards frequently offer substantial sign-up bonuses that can significantly boost your point total. The bonuses vary, and at certain times of the year, earning two sign-up bonuses can get you most of the way to the required 135,000 points. You can then top off your points balance with additional spending. To qualify for these credit card bonuses, good to excellent credit is required. Additionally, you need to be mindful of Chase's "5/24 rule," which restricts approvals if you have opened five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months.

Note: You are only eligible for a bonus on one personal Southwest card every 24 months. To maximize your chances of earning the Companion Pass through credit card bonuses, consider applying for one personal and one business Southwest card.

Before jumping in, make sure you qualify:

• ✅ You’re under Chase’s 5/24 rule (fewer than 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months).

• ✅ It’s been at least 24 months since you last earned a welcome bonus on a personal Southwest card.

• ✅ You don’t currently hold any Southwest personal credit card.

Strategy 1: One-Person (Solo) Strategy

This option works if you’re flying solo with just your own cards. You’ll use one personal card and one business card.

Steps

1. October 15 - Apply for a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Personal Card (50,000-point bonus).

   • Spend up to $1,000 - complete most - but not all of the minimum spending in 2026. Leave enough spending to complete the $1,000 requirement in January 2027.

2. Late November / December 2026 – Apply for a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card.

   • Wait until your December statement closes, then hold off on spending until January.

3. January 2027 – Complete the minimum spend on both cards.

   • This makes both welcome bonuses post in 2027.

Points Breakdown Example

• Personal card welcome bonus: 50,000 points

• Personal card spending (~$1,000): 1,000 points

• Business card welcome bonus: 80,000 points*

• Business card spending (~$5,000): 5,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 146,000 points

✅ Result: Companion Pass earned with plenty of points left over for flights.

Strategy 2: Two-Person Strategy with 3 Cards

If you have a partner (Player 2), this strategy can help both of you earn the Companion Pass by stacking referrals and welcome bonuses.

Steps

1. October 2026 – Player 1 (P1) applies for a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Card( 80,000 bonus).

   • P1 spends up to $4,500 in 2026 but waits until January 2027 to finish the rest of $500.

2. After December statement closes – P1 refers Player 2 (P2) to a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card.

   • P1 earns 20,000 referral points when P2 is approved.

3. January 2027 – P1 refers P2 to a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Personal Card.

   • P1 earns another 20,000 referral points.

4. January 2027 – Both P1 and P2 complete their minimum spends, so all bonuses post in the new year.

Points Breakdown Example

Player 1 (P1)

• Business card welcome bonus: 80,000 points

• Business card spending (~$5,000): 5,000 points

• Referral for Player 2’s business card: 20,000 points

• Referral for Player 2’s personal card: 20,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 135,000 points

✅ Companion Pass earned!

Player 2 (P2)

• Business card welcome bonus: 60,000 points*

• Business card spending (~$3,000): 3,000 points

• Personal card welcome bonus: 60,000 points

• Personal card spending (~$2,000): 2,000 points

• Annual Companion Pass boost: 10,000 points

Grand Total: 135,000 points

✅ Companion Pass earned for P2 too!

Optional Timing Adjustment

If you’re aiming to start earning early in January, call Chase to adjust the payment due date. This ensures the statement closing date is closer to December 3 (or later) to align with your timeline.

🚨 2027 Business Card Approval Trends

We noticed a noticeable increase in denials for Chase business credit cards.

The most common trend? Applicants who already had three or more Chase business cards were far more likely to be declined when applying for another.

If that’s you, there may still be a workaround:
👉 If you have older Chase business cards (at least a year old) that you’re not actively using, consider closing one and waiting a few weeks before submitting a new application. This seems to improve approval odds for many people.

❌ Which Points Don’t Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?

Not every Rapid Rewards point you earn will move you closer to the 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying-point requirement. Here are the main categories that won’t count:

• Purchased points (buying points directly doesn’t help)

• Hotel or car rental transfers (converting loyalty points into Southwest doesn’t qualify)

• Transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards® (even though Chase Sapphire cards can send points to Southwest, they won’t count toward the Companion Pass)

• Survey and third-party earnings (like e-Rewards, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club)

• Bonus points tied to flights, tiers, or partners (except bonuses earned directly from the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards themselves)

Important:

The 135,00 points must be Companion Pass qualifying points earned during the same calendar year. Simply having 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in your account does not automatically qualify you for the Companion Pass.

Earning the Southwest Companion Pass opens up a world of travel possibilities, allowing you to bring a designated companion with you on qualifying Southwest flights for the applicable taxes and fees. By strategically earning Rapid Rewards points through credit cards, shopping portals, and travel bookings, you can achieve this valuable perk and enjoy incredible savings on your future travels with Southwest Airlines.

Recommended Cards to Get Started

Here are the Southwest cards you’ll want to consider for your strategy (personal and business):

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

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