Southwest Cards: Earn Automatic Companion Pass & 30k Points

Update: The offers mentioned below have expired and are no longer available.

All 3 of Chase’s personal co-branded Southwest credit cards — the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card — have increased welcome bonus offers that allow you to automatically earn the Southwest Companion Pass once you meet the minimum spend.

Here’s a look at what you need to know to help you decide if the offer is right for you.

Table of Contents

Welcome Bonus Details
Which Southwest Card Is Best for You?
A Bonus of Buy 1, Get 1 Free Flights for Nearly 1 Year
Final Thoughts

Welcome Bonus Details

Newly-approved cardholders of any of the 3 Southwest personal credit cards earn the Southwest Companion Pass through February 28, 2024, plus 30,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. This offer ends on March 13, 2023.

This is a fantastic deal because you’d ordinarily need to earn 135,000 points in order to qualify for the Companion Pass. So not only are you automatically receiving the Companion Pass through February 28, 2024, but you’re also getting 30,000 points to boot!

Southwest Companion Pass promotion 2023 — New cardholders can earn a Companion Pass plus 30,000 points through March 13, 2023. Image Credit: Southwest

Which Southwest Card Is Best for You?

Since the bonus is the same across all 3 cards, how should you decide which is best for you? Fortunately, Southwest and Chase make this easy as all 3 cards have different price points and benefits.

The Southwest Priority card is best suited for those who frequently fly with Southwest. It comes with the largest annual fee of $149, but with that, you get some pretty fantastic perks like:

$75 Southwest annual travel credit
7,500 bonus points after your account anniversary each year
25% back on inflight drinks and Wi-Fi
4 Upgraded Boardings each year when available

Next up is the middle option, the Southwest Premier card, which charges a $99 annual fee and comes with the following perks:

6,000 bonus points after your account anniversary each year
2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
25% back on inflight purchases

Lastly, the Southwest Plus card charges just a $69 annual fee, but also offers the least perks:

3,000 bonus points after your account anniversary each year
2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
25% back inflight purchases

In our view, the Southwest Priority card is the best option from a value perspective because its benefits easily outweigh the annual fee when factoring in the $75 annual credit and 7,500 bonus points alone. Better yet, this card is a great accompaniment for those with the Southwest Companion Pass to get even more value out of their flights.

However, if you don’t fly with Southwest often enough to get value out of the benefits of the Southwest Priority card, or you simply want to earn the Companion Pass for the lowest out-of-pocket cost, then either the Southwest Premier card or Southwest Plus card would be great options.

Hot Tip: Our guide to the best Southwest Airlines credit cards further compares the benefits and perks of each card!

A Bonus of Buy 1, Get 1 Free Flights for Nearly 1 Year

Southwest Mobile Boarding Pass — Image Credit: Southwest

For those that aren’t aware, the Southwest Companion Pass allows you to bring a friend along on your flights for free on every trip on both cash and award flights (excluding taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way).

Thanks to this bonus, you’ll be getting BOGO flights on all of your Southwest flights through February 28, 2024.

Of course, the bonus doesn’t end there, though. Included in the bonus is 30,000 points when meeting the minimum spending qualification, which will usually yield you somewhere between 1.3 and 1.4 cents per point — this means you can redeem 30,000 Southwest points for at least $390 in Southwest flights!

Don’t forget, though, that the value of those points is effectively doubled thanks to your Companion Pass. While you are booking $390 in flights for yourself, you get to bring your companion along with you for nearly free — giving you $780 in value from those points.

Where can Southwest take you? Fortunately, Southwest services most of the U.S., but also some fantastic vacation destinations including Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.

Final Thoughts

Rest assured, if you’re interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass, this is the easiest way to do just that, and you can choose whichever card works best for you and receive the same great bonus.

Just keep in mind that this bonus ends on March 13, 2023, so if you’re interested in taking advantage of it now is the time to do so!

10 comments

James February 17, 2022

Do you earn and get the companion pass as soon as $5,000 posts to the card or do you have to wait some amount of time after that? Next statement? Exactly 3 months after opening? The mailer I received states to allow up to 8 weeks to receive the companion pass, just not sure when the clock starts for that.

Thanks for your time!

Jarrod West February 17, 2022

Hi James,

It is true that can take up to 8 weeks to receive the bonus. But usually, you’ll receive it after the statement posts in which you meet the minimum spend threshold.

Reply

Maria February 18, 2022

If you cancel your southwest card to qualify for new bonus. How long do you have to wait to reapply for the same credit card? I have not received a bonus in 2 years but my card is still open.

Jarrod West February 18, 2022

Hi Maria,

You would need to wait 2 years from the time that you cancel it. However, since it has been 2 years since you’ve received the bonus, you could cancel your current card and receive the bonus on one of the other Southwest cards immediately.

Reply

Sam February 17, 2023

Are there options to downgrade to a no fee card if I only want this for the 1 year of companion pass or does it have to be closed to avoid annual fee?

Jarrod West February 20, 2023

Hi Sam,

All of the Southwest credit cards charge an annual fee.

Reply

sonia b March 31, 2023

Does this offer usually come back around?

Keri Stooksbury March 31, 2023

Hi Sonia! Variations of this offer have popped up every few months, it seems. Stay tuned to this page and we’ll update it with the next offer that debuts! Thanks for reading!

Reply

Sabrina May 4, 2023

I applied for the credit card on ‘March 6th but didn’t get the card approved until April 3rd. Does that disqualify me from the companion pass and 30K benefits?

Jarrod West May 4, 2023

Hi Sabrina,

You should still be eligble for the welcome offer that was advertised at the time you applied. You can contact Chase to verify the terms of your welcome offer.

Reply