Without a doubt, one of the best deals in the travel world is the Southwest Companion Pass. This allows the Companion Pass holder to designate anyone to fly for free on any flight the pass holder flies on – whether it is booked with points or cash! This can really help extend the value you get from Southwest’s already positive offerings (free ticket changes/cancellations, free bags, etc.). Here is how you can get the valuable Southwest Companion Pass with just one card bonus and $2,000 (or $3,000 if you get the business card)in spending.
How to Get the Southwest Companion Pass With Just One Card Bonus & Minimal Spending
Quick Overview – How Do You Earn the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass requires 110,000 points in a calendar year. These points can be earned by flying but many people earn it by using the Southwest credit cards. The sign-up bonuses count towards that 110,000 point amount as does shopping portal earnings, everyday spending on the cards, and other earning methods.
Once you hit 110,000 points in a calendar year, you will have earned the Southwest Companion Pass. You do not trade those 110,000 points in for the pass, those points are yours for all of your travels. The Pass is earned when you cross that earning threshold. To read more about the Southwest Companion Pass, check out this post.
How To Earn The Southwest Companion Pass With Just One Card Bonus?!
Right now, all three Southwest credit cards are offering exceptional sign-up bonuses of 60,000 points after you meet the required spending on the cards. If you have not had two of those card bonuses in the past 24 months (and you fall under 5/24 and do not currently hold the cards), you can go ahead and sign up for two cards and hit the threshold for the Southwest Companion Pass just with the sign-up bonuses. That is the easy way.
Here are the three card sign-up links:
- Southwest Premier Personal Card
- Earn 60,000 points after spending $2,000 in 3 months
- Annual fee of $99 not waived
- Receive 6,000 bonus points each card anniversary
- Application Link
- Southwest Plus Personal Card
- Earn 60,000 points after spending $2,000 in 3 months
- Annual fee of $69 not waived
- Received 3,000 bonus points each card anniversary
- Application Link
- Southwest Premier Business Card
- Earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months
- Annual fee of $99 not waived
- Receive 6,000 bonus points each card anniversary
- Application Link
But, maybe you are only able to get one of the Southwest cards right now (maybe you had two of the other ones and their bonuses in the last 24 months or maybe you only have enough ceiling under 5/24 for a single Chase application). It that is the case, or maybe you only want one right now, here is how you can get the other 50,000 points you will need to hit the 110,000 points for the Southwest Companion Pass.
So, one card will give you 60,000 points (plus the 2,000 or 3,000 extra from the minimum spending). Where do you get the other 50,000 points?
Refer-A-Friend Bonuses!
Chase offers a very generous 10,000 points per successful referral of the Southwest card – up to 50,000 points per calendar year. That means you only need to get 5 friends/family members to sign up for the card you get (through your link) and you will get the other 50,000 points!
Referral points count towards the Southwest Companion Pass
These referral points actually do count towards the Companion Pass so you can lock up the Southwest Companion Pass with just one card bonus and 5 successful referral bonuses from that card. While 5 cards may sound like a lot, remember that these bonuses are incredibly valuable and can give each cardholder at least $900 in travel on Southwest. If they do not travel much, they could also exchange those points in for gift cards.
You can trade your Southwest points in for Amazon gift cards
Yes, that’s right – for the non-traveler, they can trade those 60,000 points in for $600 in Amazon gift cards (minus the $69 or $99 annual fee they pay for the card). That is some great value for anyone! It is all up to you to sell the value of this card and you should get to the 50,000 points in no time!
Getting Your Referral Links
To begin, head over to the Chase Refer a Friend website and have the last 4 digits of the card ready that you want to get a referral link for.
Next, enter your Last Name, your Zip Code, and your Last 4 Digits of the card,. This will let you into the Chase Referrals portal. If you try to use a card that is not currently allowing you to get Chase referrals, you will have a pop up informing you that this card is not valid for the referrals.
The best thing to do is to go the Twitter route. This is because it will pre-populate a Tweet with your referral link and you can copy that to put it anywhere else.
Takeaway
There are many reasons that people may choose to just get one card now (or they may only be able to) and if that is you, you can still get the Southwest Companion Pass without having to do crazy spending. Just get the card and tell everyone you know why you did and the value that exists with the card! Before you know it, you will be at the 110,000 points and will have received the Southwest Companion Pass!
Probably the best part is that you could do one card this year and go ahead and get a different one and do the whole process over again the next time you need the Southwest Companion Pass (which wouldn’t be until 2019 if you get it now). That makes it easier to keep your card count down!
If you have a referral link, leave it over at this post – DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS ON THIS POST!
I have the companion pass. It’s great.
If I apply for the cards and add my daughter to be authorized user on card would she be able to use as main flyer and her husband as companion?
If I apply for
Great article.
You said ‘if you have not had the card in the last 24 months’. Is this correct, or is it really ‘if you have not applied for this card in the last 24 months’? I thought as long as it’s been two years since you applied for the card, you could reapply….am I wrong?