Southwest Rewards Changes Coming, Don't Worry

 

You may have seen this email this morning in your inbox. We are going to break down the changes coming in 2023 and yes, we saw the increase in the number of points needed to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. We will address that since many of us, including myself, are planning to earn the pass in January 2023.  

Just a reminder, the Southwest Companion Pass is the best travel perk out there. It is a BOGO pass good for up to two years on any flight Southwest operates. 

So the changes are as follows: 

1. Points needed to earn the Companion Pass will increase from 125,000 to 135,000. However, if you have a Southwest credit card, you will receive a 10,000 point boost every year to help you reach that goal. Existing card members will get the boost at the beginning of the year and points will post by January 31st, new card holders in 2023 will get the boost 30 days after opening their credit card. Only one boost per Rapid Rewards account. More on how this affects our strategy below. 

2. Companions will now board with the companion pass holder. When the pass holder checks in, the companion will be given a sequential boarding pass number. However, if the pass holder is A-list, purchased an upgrade or Business Select ticket, the companion will not be upgraded. 

3.  You must cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before departure in order to get your points returned to your account. Starts summer 2023. 

Now back to the increase in points needed to qualify for the Southwest companion pass. For our purposes, the change to the Companion Pass is important. This year, you will get the 10,000 point boost so really there is no change at all. Your goal is still 125,000 points since Southwest will gift you the extra 10,000 points to reach the new tier of 135,000. 

If you are working towards getting the pass with me, you can relax and stay the course. 

Remember you will only get ONE boost even though our strategy includes applying for two Southwest credit cards. And the boost starts in January 2023 so the timing of opening your Southwest card will not be affected THIS year. However, if you follow this strategy next year, you will need to pay very close attention to the timing of opening your Southwest cards so the boost posts after your December closing date. 

If you are following our strategy, then you are not opening a Southwest card yet so I am not including any referral links here.