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Last call for Companion Pass
For many years, Southwest loyalists have been able to get an unlimited use Companion Pass thanks to lucrative credit card signup bonuses.
Alas, that is coming to an end. The final day to apply and have those bonuses count towards earning a Companion Pass will be 12/2/26. Keep reading to learn more about how you can take advantage one last time.
Limited time card signup bonuses:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 90K bonus points for $3K spend in 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 80K bonus points for $1K spend in 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: 80K bonus points for $5K spend in 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: 60K bonus points for $3K spend in 3 months.
Card details:
Through 12/2, you can earn a limited time signup bonus on Southwest cards:
- The Chase Southwest Consumer Priority card has a signup bonus of 90K Southwest points for spending $3,000 in 3 months. The card offers some amazing benefits for Southwest loyalists, including:
- Cardholders and up to 8 companions on the same reservation will receive their first checked bag for free, a $90 value per bag round-trip.
- Preferred seat selection (located in the front of the cabin without extra legroom) or standard seat selection at the time of booking or anytime until 30 minutes before flight departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- Extra legroom seat upgrade (located in the front of the cabin) within 48 hours of departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation, when available.
- Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- 7,500 bonus points every cardmember anniversary.
- 2026: Earn 2,500 TQPs towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent.
- 2027: Earn 1 TQP per dollar spent.
- Earn 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases.
- Earn 2 points per dollar on restaurants and gas station spending.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $229 annual fee.
- The Chase Southwest Consumer Plus card has a signup bonus of 80K Southwest points for spending $1,000 in 3 months. The card offers some great benefits for Southwest loyalists, including:
- Cardholders and up to 8 companions on the same reservation will receive their first checked bag for free, a $90 value per bag round-trip.
- Standard seat selection (located in the rear of the cabin) within 48 hours of departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- 3,000 bonus points every cardmember anniversary.
- One 10% flight discount each anniversary year, not valid on basic economy.
- 2026: No TQPs for spending.
- 2027: Earn 1 TQP per dollar spent.
- Earn 2 points per dollar on up to $5,000 of gas and grocery spending each cardmember year.
- Earn 2 points per dollar on Southwest.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $99 annual fee.
- The Chase Southwest Performance Business Credit Card has a signup bonus of 80K Southwest points for spending $5,000 in 3 months. The card offers some amazing benefits for Southwest loyalists, including:
- Cardholders and up to 8 companions on the same reservation will receive their first checked bag for free, a $90 value per bag round-trip.
- Preferred seat selection (located in the front of the cabin without extra legroom) or standard seat selection at the time of booking or anytime until 30 minutes before flight departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- Extra legroom seat upgrade (located in the front of the cabin) within 48 hours of departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation, when available.
- Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- 9,000 bonus points every cardmember anniversary.
- 2026: Earn 2,500 TQPs towards A-List status for every $5,000 spentt, up from 1,500.
- 2027: Earn 1 TQP per dollar spent.
- Earn 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases.
- Earn 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, restaurants, gas station spending, and hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel.
- $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit every 4 years.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $299 annual fee.
- The Chase Southwest Business Premier card has a signup bonus of 60K Southwest points for spending $3,000 in 3 months. The card offers some great benefits for Southwest loyalists, including:
- Cardholders and up to 8 companions on the same reservation will receive their first checked bag for free, a $90 value per bag round-trip.
- Preferred seat selection (located in the front of the cabin without extra legroom) or standard seat selection within 48 hours of departure for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
- 6,000 bonus points every cardmember anniversary.
- One 15% flight discount each anniversary year, not valid on basic economy.
- 2026: Earn 2,000 TQPs towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent.
- 2027: Earn 1 TQP per dollar spent.
- Earn 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases.
- Earn 2 points per dollar on up to $8,000 of restaurants and gas station spending each cardmember year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $149 annual fee.
Comparison chart:
| Annual Fee | $99 | $149 | $229 | $149 | $299 |
| First Checked Bag Free | Yes, for cardholder and 8 companions | Yes, for cardholder and 8 companions | Yes, for cardholder and 8 companions | Yes, for cardholder and 8 companions | Yes, for cardholder and 8 companions |
| Priority boarding | Group 5 | Group 5 | Group 5 (Group 2 if you score an extra legroom seat upgrade) | Group 5 | Group 5 (Group 2 if you score an extra legroom seat upgrade) |
| Standard seat selection | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | At booking for cardholder and 8 companions | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | At booking for cardholder and 8 companions |
| Preferred seat selection | None | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | At booking for cardholder and 8 companions | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | At booking for cardholder and 8 companions |
| Extra Legroom seat upgrade | None | None | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions | None | Within 48 hours of departure for cardholder and 8 companions |
| Anniversary Bonus | 3K Southwest points | 6K Southwest points | 7.5K Southwest points | 6K Southwest points | 9K Southwest points |
| Annual Southwest flight discount code | 10%, excluding basic economy | 15%, excluding basic economy | None | 15%, excluding basic economy | None |
| Points per dollar spent on Southwest | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Points per dollar spent on gas | 2, capped at $5,000 per cardmember year together with groceries | 1 | 2 | 2, capped at $8,000 per cardmember year together with restaurants | 2 |
| Points per dollar spent on restaurants | 1 | 2, capped at $8,000 per cardmember year together with groceries | 2 | 2, capped at $8,000 per cardmember year together with gas | 2 |
| Points per dollar spent on grocery stores | 2, capped at $5,000 per cardmember year together with gas | 2, capped at $8,000 per cardmember year together with restaurants | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, and rideshare | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Points per dollar spend elsewhere | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Credit for Southwest in-flight drinks | 25% cash back | 25% cash back | 25% cash back | 25% cash back | 25% cash back |
| Credit for Global Entry/Pre-Check | None | None | None | None | Full credit every 4 years |
| Foreign transaction fees | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Visa Savings Edge cash back | None | None | None | Yes | Yes |
Welcome bonus terms:
Officially you can only have one active Southwest consumer card, but you can have each of the Southwest business cards. However, there are reader reports of getting approved for multiple Southwest consumer cards at the same time. Post your results in the comments!
Consumer cards: You can get the bonus as long as you don’t have an active Southwest consumer card and haven’t received a Southwest consumer card bonus in the past 24 months.
Business cards: You can get the bonus as long as you don’t have the exact same business card active and you haven’t received a bonus on the exact same business card in the past 24 months.
5/24:
Typically, Chase cards are subject to 5/24 restrictions, meaning that you are not likely to be approved if you have been approved for 5 or more consumer credit cards in the past 24 months. Note that the Chase system automatically counts cards like authorized user cards and store cards as cards that count towards 5/24, but if you explain to Chase that those cards are merely authorized user cards or store cards they can manually approve you for a new card.
However there have been many reports of 5/24 rules being waived for co-brand consumer cards like these.
You can check your credit report for free at the federally authorized annualcreditreport.com to check how many accounts are shown as being open in the past 24 months.
Value of Southwest points and signup bonus:
The value of Southwest points is variable based on the paid fare.
- For example:
- A nonstop flight from LaGuardia to Orlando on 1/19 costs $99.40 or 6,000 points+$5.60. That’s a value of 1.56 cents per point.
- A nonstop flight from Philadelphia to Denver on 12/7 costs $121.40 or 7,500 points+$5.60. That’s a value of 1.54 cents per point.
- A nonstop flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles on 12/7 costs $129.40 or 8,000 points+$5.60. That’s a value of 1.55 cents per point.
- A nonstop flight from Chicago/MDW to Fort Lauderdale on 1/19 costs $75.40 or 4,500 points+$5.60. That’s a value of 1.55 cents per point.
- A nonstop flight from Baltimore to Cleveland on 1/19 costs $58.40 or 3,000 points+$5.60. That’s a value of 1.76 cents per point.
If you’ll redeem points for an average of 1.55 cents each, that makes a 90K signup bonus worth $1,395. If you qualify for a companion pass that number can double to a whopping $2,790 signup bonus.
Plus, each Southwest card comes with anniversary bonus points!
Companion pass and spend timing:
If you earn 135,000 points in 2026 from select sources, including earnings from credit card signups and credit card spending, you can earn a Companion Pass good through 12/31/27.
If you held a Southwest credit card 1/1/26, you were awarded with 10,000 Companion Pass points, so you would only need to earn 125,000 Companion Pass points to earn a pass good through 12/31/27.
This program will end as of 12/31/26, and signup bonus points will no longer count towards earning a Companion Pass.
Normally, signup bonus points have to post in 2026, but if you apply for a Southwest card by 12/2/26, the signup bonus will retroactively count towards a Companion Pass in 2026, even if you only receive the signup bonus points in 2027.
That means if you apply for 2 Southwest cards, or 1 card and you have enough spending to earn a Companion Pass, you can earn a final Companion Pass good for travel through 12/31/27.
Note that while the signup bonus points will retroactively count for 2026 earnings, spending on the card will only help you earn a 2026 Companion Pass if the points post to your account in 2026.
After getting approved for the card, call Chase to change the payment due date to the 25th of the month, which should make your statement closing date the 28th of the month. That will maximize the time you have to make purchases in December that will still post to your Southwest account in 2026.
The Companion Pass allows you to bring a companion with you for free whenever you fly Southwest, including Hawaii and international flights, even if you are flying on a free ticket! That effectively doubles the value of your Southwest points. There is no limit to the number of free companion flights that you can take.
You can designate a companion and change that companion up to 3 times in a calendar year, so you can name up to 4 companions over the course of a year.
Transfer Chase Points To Southwest to maximize the value of your Companion Pass:
You can transfer points from the following Chase cards to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. You can redeem those Southwest points and bring a companion with you for free!
If you, a member in your household, or an authorized user has one of the following Chase cards, you can transfer points into miles:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a 75K signup bonus for spending $5K in 3 months, earns 2 points per dollar on travel, 3 points per dollar on dining, gas, EV charging, vacation rentals, streaming, and online groceries, 5 points per dollar on Chase Travel℠ and Lyft, has a $100 hotel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee).
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. ($795 annual fee) Read more here.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ has a 200,000 bonus points signup bonus after you spend $30,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening ($795 annual fee). Read more here.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has a 100,000 signup bonus for spending $8K in 3 months, and earns 3 points per dollar on up to $150K of annual spending on shipping; social media and search engine advertising; travel; internet, cable, and phone services, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
Chase no-annual fee cards that are fantastic for earning points, but require one of the cards above for points transfers include:
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has a $750 signup bonus in the form of 75K points for spending $6K in 3 months, and earns 1.5 points per dollar on business purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a $750 signup bonus in the form of 75K points for spending $6K in 3 months. This card earns 5 points per dollar on the first $25,000 in combined purchases on cable, TV, telecom, cellular, and office supply stores, plus 2 points per dollar on dining and gas on up to $25,000 in purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Flex® has a $250 signup bonus for spending $500 in 3 months, plus 5 points on rotating categories, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a $200 signup bonus in the form of 20K points for spending $500 in 3 months, 1.5 points per dollar everywhere, 5 points per dollar (marketed as 5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
2027 Elite Status and Companion Pass:
Southwest is introducing Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers for 2027 and you can qualify for them via TQPs.
You will earn 1 TQP per dollar spent on all Southwest cards in 2027, but you won’t earn TQPs for signup bonuses.
Elite status will have tough qualification requirements for a status that offers no first-class upgrades and are generally uncompetitive with American, Delta, and United, but they will offer a path to Companion Pass.
A List becomes Silver, which will require 35K TQPs or 25 flights. Flights earn between 2-10 TQPs per dollar spent, depending on the fare class. Status includes a free checked bag, same-day standby on basic fares, preferred seats at booking, and extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure.
A List Preferred becomes Gold, which will require 65K TQPs or 50 flights. Status includes 2 free checked bags, 2 free drinks per flight, and extra legroom seats at booking.
Platinum will require 140K TQPs, or 130K TQPs for cardholders, or 100 flights. Status includes 3 free checked bags and an unlimited use Companion Pass.
In other words, going forward, you’ll need to spend $130K on Southwest cards (or less combined with flight spending) to earn a Companion Pass. Of course, that comes as a massive opportunity cost, as other cards offer significantly more miles per dollar than Southwest cards. You would be much better off with a card earning 2 miles per dollar rather than earning 1 on Southwest cards to chase a Companion Pass.
You can also earn Milestone Rewards in 2027. At 20K TQPs you can choose between 2K points or 2 preferred seat certificates. At 95K TQPs, you will earn 3 individual Companion Pass trips.
How to apply and improve your odds of approval for a business card:
This is a business card, but you may already have a business that needs a card to keep track of expenses.
Chase has been getting stricter about business card approvals. One major factor they’re looking at is whether you are using your existing Chase business cards regularly. Consider closing unused Chase business cards and shifting spending onto Chase business cards to help your approval odds for a new business card.
You should shift spending onto newly opened cards and continue spending on the new card even after earning the bonus, to show the bank in the future that you’re not just opening the card for the signup bonus.
You can apply as a Sole Proprietor, though Chase has been getting stricter on approvals for sole proprietors, so for the highest approval odds, you’ll want to apply as an LLC.
Don’t have an LLC or tax ID number? You can open an LLC through your state or leave it to a company like LegalZoom to take care of everything for you for no fee on top of state filing fees with a basic plan. You can apply for a tax ID number here.
Having a Chase consumer checking account helps your consumer card approval odds, and having a Chase business checking account helps your business card approval odds. If you’re declined, you can also ask a banker to send in a special reconsideration form on your behalf.
If you don’t have an LLC and don’t want to open one, you can still apply for this card. For example, if your name is Joe Smith and you sell items online, or if you have any other side business and want a credit card to better keep track of business expenditures, you can open a business credit card for “Joe Smith” as the business. You don’t need to file any messy government paperwork to be allowed to do that. Just be sure to select “Sole Proprietorship” as the business type and just use your social security number in the Tax Identification Number field.
If you have business paperwork you can apply under your business name. Otherwise, it’s critical to just write your own name as the business name if you are just applying for your own small business as a Sole Proprietorship that doesn’t have any business paperwork. You can then send in bills in your own name for verification.
If you’re like me and you run more than one business, you can signup for multiple of the same card for each business to manage each business’s expenses separately.
Business card perks:
Another benefit of the card not reporting on your personal credit report is that when you spend money on personal cards your credit score will be hurt even if you pay your bill on time. A whopping 30% of your credit score is based on credit utilization. You can pay off your card bill before your statement is generated to avoid that, but that takes effort and laying out money well before you have to. Additionally, it’s good to have the statement close with a couple dollars to show the card is active and being paid every month. On a business card from banks like AMEX and Chase, it’s just not reported, so you can wait until the money is due without it having a negative effect on your score. That also means if you close the card, it won’t have an effect on your credit score.
Dan’s quick thoughts
Southwest counting signup bonus point towards earning a Companion Pass was something unique in the industry. Like all things that seem too good to be true, I suppose it was only a matter of time before that outsized value was removed. It’s sad to see this end of the era, but here’s one last hurrah for Southwest loyalists.
Southwest cards themselves function fairly similarly to elite status, so there is value in holding onto a card if you fly Southwest at least once a year.
Silver and Gold elite tiers aren’t much more valuable than holding onto higher-end Southwest cards. The real value of earning status will come from earning 95K TQPs for 3 single-use Companion passes or 130K TQPs for an unlimited-use Companion Pass. It will take a lot of spending to get there, so the opportunity cost compared to other, more rewarding cards is high, but some may still find it compelling enough to spend their way to a Companion Pass. You can do that every other year, as the Pass lasts until the end of the next calendar year.
Will you signup for any Southwest cards?
