The Southwest Companion Pass is hands down my favorite travel accessory. With it, one person can fly with me for practically free (just the cost of tax) every time I book a Southwest flight.

That means:

• I spend way less money on travel overall.
• My points stretch so much further.
• My travel buddy (usually my husband, but sometimes one of my kids) comes along for nearly nothing.

This year alone, I’ve used my Companion Pass 10 times—and I’m not ready to give it up.

My Current Companion Pass Is Expiring

Right now, my Companion Pass is valid through the end of 2025. But to keep this magic going, I need to re-earn it.

Here’s how it works:

• You earn the pass by collecting 135,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points in a single calendar year.
• Once you earn it, you hold the pass for the rest of that year + the entire following year.

So if I earn mine early in 2026, I’ll keep it for:
✅ All of 2026
✅ All of 2027

That’s nearly two full years of buy-one-get-one flights.

How You Can Earn It

Technically, there are a few ways to earn the 135,000 points:

• Fly 100 one-way flights (nope).
• Spend $135,000 on a Southwest credit card (ha, if only).
• Go wild on the Southwest shopping portal (no thanks).
• Refer people to the card (a good option, but capped at 100K points per year).
• Open a Southwest credit card and earn a big welcome offer (BINGO 💥).

The last one is my secret weapon and the fastest way to get a giant pile of points with the least amount of effort. Normally, I open 2 Southwest credit cards to earn the 135,000 points… but this year, there is an even better strategy to earning the pass with just 1 credit card sign up!

My One Credit Card Plan For Two Years of Free Flights

Southwest is currently offering a limited-time 100,000 point welcome offer on their personal credit cards when you spend $4,000 in the first 5 months.

Here’s exactly how I’m using it to lock in my Companion Pass early in 2026:

1. Open the card with this extra high elevated offer before Sept 17, 2025.
   • This timing is key! I’ll have until the end of January 2026 to meet the $4,000 spend. To be safe, I’ll put about $3,000 of spend on the card in 2025, then hold back the last $1,000 until January 2026. That way, the welcome offer points (100,000!) post in 2026.
   👉 Running total: 100,000 points
2. Get the automatic Companion Pass 10K boost.
   • Just by holding a Southwest credit card, you get a free 10,000 point head start every January.
   • These aren’t spendable points for flights, but they do count toward the Companion Pass.
   👉 Running total: 110,000 points
3. Refer one person to a Southwest credit card.
   • If a friend or family member uses my referral link and opens any Southwest card, I earn a 20,000 point bonus.
   👉 Running total: 130,000 points
4. Earn the last 5,000 points with regular spending.
   • I’ll easily hit this with everyday family expenses or one bigger bill like summer camp, car insurance, or pre-paying taxes.
   👉 Final total: 135,000+ points = Companion Pass earned!

The Results

By the end of January 2026, I’ll have all the points I need. By February, I’ll officially hold the Companion Pass (again!) for 23 months of BOGO flights.

That means:

• 2026 spring break? Two-for-one flights.
• Holiday travel? Half the cost.
• Maybe even another Hawaii trip? My points stretch twice as far.

Plus, those 100,000 points from the welcome offer aren’t just getting me the pass. They’re also sitting in my account ready to book flights. That’s a boatload of travel covered for free.

Don’t Sleep on This Offer!!

The 100K welcome offer on the Southwest personal cards is one of the best we’ve seen in years and with the right timing, it can set you up with the Companion Pass through the end of 2027. The offer is scheduled to end on September 17, 2025, but I would not wait till the last day to apply as this bank is known to end offers early.

📲 Click here to apply with my referral link and start your own plan.

Trust me, if you love traveling with your family (without blowing your budget), this is the travel trick that changes everything.