[Expired] Earn Double Southwest Companion Pass-Qualifying Points With Your Credit Card This Quarter

Updated: October 1, 2026, 10:18am CDT

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Earn Double Companion Pass-Qualifying Points in 2026
How To Register
Final Thoughts

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Update:

The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

If you’re interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass and you have a Southwest Airlines credit card, head to your online account to see if you’ve been targeted for this new quarterly bonus.

If you’ve been targeted, you can earn double Companion Pass-qualifying points for purchases in a specific category each quarter using your Rapid Rewards credit card. For Q3 in 2026, running from July to September, you can earn 2x Companion Pass qualifying points on hotels and lodging purchases.

This is a great opportunity to jumpstart your Southwest Companion Pass qualification. Let’s dive into the details.

Earn Double Companion Pass-Qualifying Points in 2026

Southwest Airlines introduced a new quarterly promotion this year that will help some lucky flyers earn a Companion Pass faster than usual.

After registration, you can earn 2x Companion Pass-qualifying points per dollar spent (up to 10,000 bonus points) on hotels and lodging purchases using your Southwest credit card through September 30, 2026.

southwest 2x promo — Screenshot: Southwest Airlines

If you spend $10,000 on hotels and lodging using your Southwest card during the promotional time period, you’d earn 10,000 base points (which would be redeemable as points for flights and would count toward the Companion Pass), and you’d earn an additional 10,000 bonus points toward Companion Pass qualification. Those bonus points won’t be available as redeemable Rapid Rewards points for flights, however.

If you have a Southwest credit card, you’ll want to check whether you were targeted.

Southwest Companion Pass and credit cards — The easiest way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass is through Southwest credit cards. Image Credit: Katie Corrigan Seemann

Promotion details:

Register between July 1 and September 30, 2026.
Earn 2x Companion Pass-qualifying points on hotels and lodging purchases using your Southwest credit card between July 1 and September 30, 2026.
Purchases other than your room bill on the hotel premises will not be included in the category unless they are classified as a hotel merchant, for example, restaurant or entertainment purchases. In addition, the purchase of hotel points will not qualify in this category.
Registration is required.
You can earn a maximum of 10,000 bonus Companion Pass-qualifying points. These points aren’t redeemable for flights.
Points will be posted to your account 6 to 8 weeks after the promotion ends.
Hotel accommodations not booked directly with the hotel will not qualify; for example, hotel accommodations purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or as part of a package offered by merchants such as cruise lines and railways.

Bottom Line:

Southwest credit card holders have a new opportunity to earn 2x Companion Pass-qualifying points each quarter. From July 1 to September 30, 2026, you can earn double points on hotel and lodging purchases using your Southwest card (up to 10,000 bonus points).

What Is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to add a companion to any Southwest ticket. All you need to do is pay the taxes and fees for the companion, which are $5.60 for a one-way flight within the U.S. ($11.20 round-trip). It applies whether you’re booking your flight with cash, points, or both.

To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year. Southwest credit card holders automatically get a 10,000-point boost, which means they only need to earn 125,000 qualifying points.

This new promotion makes it even more important to have a Southwest credit card if you’re pursuing a Southwest Companion Pass. If you don’t already have one, now might be the right time to apply. Don’t forget that the Southwest credit card welcome offer points also count toward the Companion Pass!

There are 3 personal and 2 small business cards to choose from:

Hot Tip:

Once you earn the Southwest Companion Pass, it’s valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you earned it and the entire following calendar year. So, if you earned a Southwest Companion Pass in September of 2026, it would be valid through December 2027.

How To Register

To take advantage of this new promotion, you must register. To do that, just log in to your Southwest account. Click My Account, then scroll to the bottom of the page. If you were targeted, you’ll see information about the promotion.

Register for double Companion Pass points bonus — Registration is required for this promotion. Image Credit: Southwest

Final Thoughts

There’s a new, targeted promotion for Southwest credit cardholders. If you’ve been targeted, you can earn 2x Companion Pass-qualifying points (up to 10,000 bonus points) on hotels and lodging purchases using your Southwest credit card between July 1 and September 30, 2026.

This promotion will continue with a new bonus category each quarter. This new offer, combined with the fact that Rapid Reward credit cards already come with a 10,000-point Companion Pass boost each year, makes having a Southwest card integral to earning a Southwest Companion Pass quickly.