Jono's Corner

Jono's Guide to getting the Southwest Companion Pass

companion pass cards

TLDR: The Companion Pass is a low effort way to get a bunch of free flights on Southwest.

For the past 10+ years, around this time I either present my talk on financial independence at work or give this spiel for friends and family. So I figured I would codify it once and for all here. You can find more current and detailed guides, but here is my concise bullet point version.

Credit card churning is not for everyone, but most people can see great benefits with some minimal effort and without getting too deep into the weeds. For a long time, the holy grail of these benefits has been the Southwest Companion pass.

I get the same questions every year, so read this in full to get yours answered.

Why get the companion pass?

The Southwest Companion pass is a way to bring a friend with you on all Southwest trips you take for free, for around 2 years. For many travelers this adds up to a savings of hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Most other credit card bonuses allow for only one to two flights total.

If you live close to a southwest hub (most people in the US do), it's quite worth the effort.

In the process of getting the companion pass you also get thousands of Southwest Rapids Rewards points, worth over $1000. I use these points to pay for the first traveler on a flight. Then use the companion pass to pay for the next traveler.

How to get it

Note that these details change regularly, so this uses the current (December 2025) deals. However I have done this consecutively for many years, and the deals have been comparable every time. I have had 5+ of these companion passes over time.

The companion pass spans two calendar years and always ends in December. So the sooner you get the pass, the longer you can use it. I typically manage to spend the whole $6k in January, so for this year that would mean I have the pass from Feb 2025 to December 2026 - about 2 years.

FAQ

What is churning exactly?

The short of it is: regularly opening new credit cards to only get the sign up bonus. Once you get the bonus, don't use that card again. In practice this means you are always getting 10-20% back on spending, instead of the 1-2% most cards provide.

It's not for everyone, but there are thousands of people who do. It mostly just takes a little bookkeeping.

How can I get a business card if I don't run a business?

Sure you do. Or maybe you are about to start a business giving people advice on how to use credit cards? It does not matter. There is no business police here.

Is it worth paying the yearly fee for these cards?

Yes, but I only pay for the first year. Once the year is up I close the cards. The points you earn alone from these cards, without even using the companion pass are worth $1000-$2000. That much more then the $250 spend to open these cards.

Will this affect my credit score?

Short answer: No

Longer answer: Closing personal cards can cause a short negligible dip in your score. It typically recovers in a couple months. I have been doing this for over a decade and never gone much below 800.

Why do you personally like the companion pass?

How do you manage to spend so much to get the sign up bonus?

This is part of the reason why churning is not for everyone. For me, I try to line up a bunch of expenses for Jan 1. For example:

This is too complicated. Is there a simpler way?

Southwest often offers a "Companion pass" credit card. This is no mess since you don't need to collect points or apply for multiple cards. However these cards give you the pass for 1 year, not 2.

This is not complicated enough. Where can I find more details?

The rules and rates change year to year, but there are online communities that take it upon their selves to collect and advice. Here is my favorite:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d9wey2/southwest_companion_pass_megathread/