Credit Cards

Southwest Brings Back Companion Pass Offer to Co-Branded Credit Cards

For domestic flyers, one of the best deals in travel has long been the Southwest Companion Pass. With a Companion Pass, flyers can choose a person that gets to travel with them for free on each flight they take (paying only the taxes and fees for their companion’s ticket). Unfortunately, earning a Companion Pass typically requires customers to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 125,000 qualifying points. However, for a limited time, Southwest has brought back a special offer that will give new Rapid Rewards credit cardholders a Companion Pass valid for nearly one year.

Those who apply for one of Southwest’s three co-branded credit cards and who make at least $5,000 in purchases with the card during their first three months will be awarded a Companion Pass valid through February 28th, 2023. Additionally, those who meet this minimum spend requirement will earn a 30,000 point bonus. Currently, this special offer is set to expire on March 14th, 2022.

As mentioned, this Companion Pass offer applies to Chase’s entire Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card line-up, including the $69 annual fee Plus card, the $99 annual fee Premier card, and the $149 Priority card. In terms of what each of these cards has to offer outside of this intro bonus, all three earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases; 2x points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare; 2x points on Internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming; and 1x points on all other purchases. Additionally, while the Plus card earn 2x points on Southwest purchases, the Premier and Priority cards now earn 3x points. Meanwhile, cardholders with any of these options can score 25% back on inflight purchases, earn bonus points on their cardholder anniversaries, and much more.

Looking even more closely at the different benefits between the three cards, the Plus and Premier cards include 2 complimentary EarlyBird check-ins per year while the Priority features 4 upgraded boardings annually. Also notable is that Priority cardholders can utilize an annual $75 Southwest travel credit. Lastly, those with the Premier and Priority cards can now earn 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $10,000 spent.

Overall, this current offer is a great deal for those planning to travel — specifically on Southwest — with a partner or loved one frequently in the year ahead. What’s more, with this offer being presented on all of Southwest’s credit cards, consumers won’t have to worry about paying too large of an annual fee if they don’t want to. That said, flyers should be sure to weigh the pros and cons of the three card options available as the extra benefits that come with the Plus or Priority may actually make them the better pick for some.