How To Maximize Your Southwest Companion Pass

 

You are either waiting for your new Southwest Credit Cards to arrive like I am or you are still on the fence thinking about applying for the cards. Well, let me show you how you can maximize your Southwest Companion Pass. Maybe that will persuade you to push the button on your application. 

I had the Southwest Companion Pass for 6 years and then let it lapse last year.

 So upsetting. 

Remember the Southwest Companion Pass is a BOGO on any Southwest flight anywhere Southwest flies. All you pay is the $5.60 taxes for the companion. To earn the pass, you need to collect 135,000 Southwest points in a calendar year. Then you get the pass for the year you collect the points and the following year. So the best plan is to earn the pass as early in the year as possible so you can use it for almost two years. We show you the best way to earn the pass here. 

In the six years that I had the pass, here's are some of the places I took a companion with me for FREE saving me thousands of dollars. 

How To Maximize Your Southwest Companion Pass 

Some of the trips I took with the BOGO pass: 

San Diego - Washington DC - several times 

San Diego - New York - several times 

San Diego - Cuba 

San Diego - Fort Lauderdale 

San Diego to Boston 

San Diego to Buffalo/Niagara Falls - six times 

San Diego to Chicago 

Detroit to Raleigh 

San Diego to Raleigh - several times 

San Diego - San Francisco 

San Diego - Salt Lake City 

San Diego - Seattle 

San Diego - Spokane

I'm sure there are more flights, but that's all I can remember right now. 

How To Maximize Your Southwest Companion Pass 

So when I get my next pass in January 2023, where am I planning to go?

Well, my youngest child is starting the college search so we will check out colleges, fly back again for admitted student days, fly back again for move in, and fly back again for family weekend. 

The next oldest will be graduating from college so the pass will help to get the family there for graduation. 

Then I looked at the list of countries Southwest flies to that I have not visited yet: 

Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Belize, 

Maybe I'll add a trip to those too to tick off more countries visited. 

Of course, Hawaii is always fun and Puerto Rico is on my list too. If you haven't been to Costa Rica, Southwest flies there too. Turks and Caicos and the Grand Caymans were intriguing, but they are British territories so they don't add numbers to my countries visited list. But I hear they are beautiful. 

New Orleans is, of course, always a winner! 

So many fun places to visit and once you have the pass, it's affordable and even almost FREE. Woohoo! 

If you are ready to apply, check out this overview of the cards to help you decide which one is right for you and please use my referral link.