To start the week off right, Southwest Airlines is offering travelers a free Southwest Companion Pass, valid for travel from August through October.
Travelers must book a round-trip flight or two one-way before March 27 and redeem it for a trip before the end of May to take advantage of this offer.
Deal Basics
Airlines: Southwest
Routes: About the Southwestern Network
How to book: Register for the promo directly through the airline and then book your trip
Travel dates: Travel before May 22 and use the Companion Pass between August 5 and October 2
Book per: Trips must be booked before March 27
To take advantage of this deal, log into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account using this link before booking travel as you normally would.
As mentioned above, this deal requires you to book and travel before receiving the Companion Pass for your companion. The pass could be for a friend, family member or random person off the street – wouldn’t that make a good reality show?
If you’re not familiar with how the Companion Pass works, pass holders can basically use it to bring a companion on flights for almost free. Southwest Companion Pass holders can use the pass as many times as they want until it expires; this means that your companion can come with you, only at the cost of taxes and fees. The pass can also be used for award tickets, so you can redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for yourself and bring your companion without using additional points.
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When using this pass, travelers can change with which companion they use the pass three times per calendar year; in the case of this promo, this equates to four different people over the stated two-month time frame.
Under normal circumstances, you can earn Southwest’s Companion Pass by accumulating 135,000 qualifying points or flying 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year. This can be accelerated by opening one of the five Southwest credit cards with different sign-up bonuses, as these points count toward the Southwest Companion Pass.
Finally, note that Companion Pass fares do not include $5.60 in taxes and fees one-way and are not valid on award bookings with Rapid Rewards points.
Maximize your purchase
To book Southwest flights and earn points toward a Southwest Companion Pass, use:
In short
This is a good deal for frequent Southwest flyers who haven’t traditionally been able to earn a Southwest Companion Pass and want to try it out. Make sure you book your trip before Thursday, March 27.
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