Right now, you can receive a Southwest Companion Pass as part of a limited-time welcome offer for three Southwest credit cards:
A Southwest Companion Pass allows you to bring a designated companion on any Southwest flight for the cost of taxes and fees. You can use it an unlimited number of times, and the Companion Pass that’s available through these offers is valid through Feb. 28, 2027. That’s a shorter timeframe than a standard Companion Pass, but it’s much easier to earn. You can also earn 20,000 to 40,000 bonus points with these welcome bonuses.
The bonuses on the Southwest Plus and Southwest Priority cards, in particular, are ending soon; you have until March 19, 2026, at 9 a.m. EST to apply and take advantage of them.
Last chance: Southwest credit card Companion Pass offers
A Southwest Companion Pass is normally valid for the rest of the year you earn it in and all of the following calendar year. So, if you earn a Companion Pass right now, it would be valid through the end of 2027.
However, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points or take 100 qualifying flights in the same calendar year to earn a Southwest Companion Pass. Having a Southwest credit card makes meeting these requirements easier, and right now, you can skip all of that by opening a personal Southwest credit card and meeting its spending requirements.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
After spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, you’ll receive 20,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass that’s valid through Feb. 28, 2027. Offer ends March 19, 2026, at 9 a.m. EST.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is an affordable card that makes sense for the occasional Southwest traveler.
- Valuable welcome bonus
- 3,000 bonus points every card member anniversary
- Not especially rewarding for common expenses such as groceries or dining
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 20,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year”
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost.
- Select a Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, when available.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
After you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, you’ll receive 30,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass that’s valid through Feb. 28, 2027.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is Southwest’s mid-tier card and is valuable if you regularly travel to or from destinations Southwest serves.
- 6,000 bonus points on each account anniversary
- Rapid Rewards Points never expire
- Travel protections
- Limited value when you’re not traveling with Southwest
- $149 annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
After spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, you’ll receive 40,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass that’s valid through Feb. 28, 2027. Offer ends March 19, 2026, at 9 a.m. EST.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is a perfect fit for serious Southwest fans who can easily maximize its benefits like upgraded boardings and an annual travel credit.
- Valuable welcome bonus
- 7,500 bonus points every card member anniversary
- $75 annual Southwest travel credit
- Limited value when you’re not traveling with Southwest
- High annual fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 40,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines®
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants.
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Select a Preferred seat at booking, at no additional charge, when available.
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
How do these welcome bonuses compare to previous offers?
The standard intro offer for these Southwest credit cards is typically 50,000 points after spending $1,000 in three months. The current elevated bonuses are worth far more if you frequently travel with someone else.
Since you’re getting an automatic Companion Pass, you could think of it as doubling the value of your points — but the value extends beyond that. The Southwest Companion Pass applies to flights paid for with points or cash, so you can also book unlimited travel for two people and pay almost half the cash price (though you’ll still pay the taxes and fees).
Unless you’re strictly a solo traveler or won’t be flying Southwest with someone else over the next year, it’s easy to squeeze a ton of value from these deals. That said, there are caveats.
You need to spend more to earn these bonuses, so they’re a bit more difficult to earn. And before you jump on these offers, be sure to read all the rules of the Companion Pass. For example, you have to designate a companion, and only that person may travel with you. Additionally, you can only change your companion up to three times per calendar year.
How to qualify for these Southwest card offers
These Southwest cards typically require a good-to-excellent credit score, but there are additional application restrictions. You aren’t eligible for a Southwest consumer card if you:
- Currently have a Southwest consumer credit card
- Have earned a welcome offer from any Southwest consumer credit card in the past 24 months
This means you can’t have more than one personal Southwest card, but having a Southwest business credit card doesn’t disqualify you from getting any of these personal cards. Also, Southwest cards are subject to Chase’s unofficial 5/24 rule, so if you’ve opened five or more cards from any issuer in the past 24 months, you’re less likely to get approved for a new Chase credit card.
Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter!
Money matters —so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage ofcredit cards,bankingandmoney, and follow us onTikTok,Facebook,InstagramandXto stay up to date.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
About The Author
