The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in airline travel. It lets you earn the necessary 110,000 points through credit card bonuses and spending and then you can designate one person (can be up to 4 different people in a year) that get to travel with you for free for that year and the following year! Now, the requirement for the Southwest Companion Pass in 2020 and beyond is changing – here are the details.
New Requirement for the Southwest Companion Pass in 2020
Link: Southwest Companion Pass 2020 Changes
We have long expected that there would be a change since Southwest has been pretty generous in how the pass is earned and even offered it to California residents with just a single credit card bonus!
Well, the change is here (JT Genter did a heads up job finding this before release) and, I have to say, it really is not what I would have expected! Starting in 2020 (so if you were strategizing to get a card now and reach the bonus threshold in early January, this will affect you), the Southwest Companion Pass will require 125,000 points in a calendar year instead of the current 110,000 points.
The good news is that Southwest is NOT touching the bonuses on credit cards as a mean to earn the Companion Pass. That means you can continue to earn bonuses and have them count towards the Companion Pass!
Upside?
Points will no longer expire! That is certainly good news – as long as they do not devalue the points in the near future (something that airlines like to do).
Summary
The requirement for the Southwest Companion Pass in 2020 will require 15,000 additional points. If you don’t fly enough for it, you can get there by spending on the credit card (so, look at it as an extra $15K in spending) or things like referring friends or family members to get the Southwest cards – and earn 5,000 points per successful referral.
