It's Time To Apply To Earn The Southwest Companion Pass

 

If you are planning to earn your Southwest Companion Pass along with me this year, now is the time to apply for your Southwest credit cards.

The Southwest Companion Pass is the best perk in travel. It is BOGO for up to two years on any Southwest flight. You need 135,000 points in a single calendar year to earn the pass. 

Hopefully, you cancelled your old personal card at least 30 days ago. I find it takes about 30 days for the system to process the cancellation. 

But if it hasn't been 30 days, you may still get approved or you can wait a bit longer. The deadline for the increased bonus offer ends December 5th so you have time. However, it would be nice to have your new card for those Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. :) 

Remember you can start charging your new card, but DO NOT reach the minimum spend until after your December statement closes or January 1st. 

Now the question is which card to apply for. All three personal cards have the same bonus offer right now: 75,000 bonus points for a $3,000 minimum spend. Each card has different benefits and a different annual fee which could make a difference for you. So let's take a look:

Plus card - this is the basic card with an annual fee of $69. It includes 2 early bird check ins, 2x points on streaming, rideshare, Southwest, hotels and cars and 1x points on everything else plus 3,000 anniversary points. 

Premier card - annual fee of $99. It includes 2 Early Bird check ins, 3x points on Southwest, 2x points on streaming, rideshare, hotels and cars and 1x points on everything else plus 6,000 anniversary points. 

Priority card - annual fee of $149. It includes 4 upgraded boardings, $75 Southwest credit, 3x points on Southwest, 2x points on streaming, rideshare, hotels and cars and 1x points on everything else plus 7,500 anniversary points. 

My favorite is the Priority card because once you deduct the Southwest credit from the annual fee, the card really only costs $74. So for $5 more than the Plus card, you get four upgraded boardings per year and 3x points on Southwest. 

Once you are approved for the personal card, then go ahead and apply for a Southwest business card. You have two choices here:

Premier Business - the offer is 60,000 bonus points for a $3,000 minimum spend. It's a $99 annual fee and the card comes with 2 Early Bird check ins. 

Performance Business - the offer is 80,000 bonus points for a $5,000 minimum spend. It's a $199 annual fee and the card comes with 4 upgraded boardings plus $100 Global Entry credit. 

Since the personal card has an increased bonus offer of 75,000 points, either business card will earn you the companion pass. So it just depends on whether you want to reach a $6,000 minimum spend or $8,000 minimum spend, want the Global Entry credit or upgraded boardings. And you can hold both of these business cards at the same time! 

For all of these cards, please consider using my referral link to apply and keep me posted!