Earlier today I wrote about the 2 American Express Hilton card offers that are ending Wednesday 10/4. I also wanted to write about the Southwest 60,000 point offers that are also scheduled to end 10/4. If you’re reading this post on Wednesday, you’ll want to check our top credit card offers page and see if these Hilton and Southwest offers are still around; they’re scheduled to be pulled some time on the 4th, though of course, there always could be zombie links around or they might come back later.
60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards bonus
The 2 Southwest credit cards are at all time high signup bonuses – 60,000 Rapid Rewards points each. Obviously, if you were able to get both of them and meet the spending bonus, 60,000 + 60,000 = 120,000 or more than enough to earn the Southwest Companion Pass
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 60,000 Rapid Rewards points after spending $2000 in the first 3 months; $69 annual fee
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: 60,000 Rapid Rewards points after spending $2000 in the first 3 months; $99 annual fee
Both of these Southwest 60,000 point offers can be found on our top credit card offers page. Both of these cards ARE subject to Chase 5/24. There are also Southwest business cards that are also subject to Chase 5/24 (but don’t count TOWARDS your 5/24 limit)
Southwest Companion Pass
One of the reasons to consider these Southwest 60,000 Rapid Rewards point offers (or their corresponding business cards) is to get the Southwest Companion Pass.
I’ve been getting a lot of emails about the Southwest Companion Pass recently and thought it would be worth a post to talk a little about it and walk through some of the pros and cons of the Companion Pass and whether it makes sense to get the Southwest Companion Pass now or in 2018.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
From my original article about What is the Southwest Companion Pass (and how to get it), here are a few basics of what the Southwest Companion Pass is
- You earn the Southwest Companion Pass by earning at least 110,000 miles in one calendar year
- Flying and points on the Southwest credit cards (see below) count
- Points transferred from Chase do not count (nor do points transferred from hotels)
- Here’s a link on how to change your Southwest Companion Pass companion
- And one on how to check your Companion Pass status
- Once you earn it, then your companion flies FREE on any Southwest flight that you fly on, be that booked with cash or with points. You only need to have one seat available for your companion (not just Wanna Get Away fares)
So you can see that, all things being equal, it behooves you to get the Southwest Companion Pass as early in the year as possible, since you get it for the entire calendar year you earn it AND the next one too. So earning the pass in Dec 2017 would get it through the end of 2018, whereas earning the pass in Jan 2018 would get it through the end of 2019!
Another thing to note is that the Companion Pass is most useful for couples with no kids (since it’s essentially a Buy 1 Get 1 Free ticket). I’ve also heard of families of 4 that get TWO companion passes and then mom and dad each choose one of the kids as a companion. For my family of 8, a Buy 7 get 1 Free pass is not nearly as lucrative. And of course, living near an airport with lots of Southwest availability makes the Companion Pass more lucrative
Are you planning something like the above to get the Southwest Companion Pass in 2018? Thanks in advance if you use the links on our top credit card offers page (I may receive a commission)