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Southwest Companion Pass.

What is it:

The SW CP is arguably the most valuable airline perk available today. It allows you to bring a companion with you for free on any Southwest flight, regardless of whether you are on a revenue or award ticket. All you pay are the government taxes on the ticket. The pass works for all Southwest flights, including international flights. The pass also works on Airtran flights that are sold on Southwest.com. Airtran flights that are not sold on Southwest.com are not eligible.
Like all other Southwest award bookings, the CP is not subject to any capacity controls, and as long as there is still a seat for sale on a particular flight, it is yours.
The pass is valid for the year it is earned in and the entire next calendar year. If you earned your CP in July 2014, your pass will be valid for the remainder of 2014 and the entirety of 2015.

How to get it:

The SW CP is obtained by earning 125,000 Southwest points in one calendar year. For example, if you earned 8k points by flying at the beginning of 2014, you need to earn another 117k points throughout the rest of 2014 in order to qualify for CP. Once 2015 rolls around, the points you've earned in 2014 no longer qualify for earning your CP, although they will still be redeemable points.

The primary method of accumulating Southwest points is CC signup bonuses. The Southwest CC frequently offers 50k point signup bonuses on all 4 flavors of Southwest cards and signup bonuses count towards earning the CP. Get approved for 2 of these cards, meet the 2k spending requirement on each and you are only 21k points away from the CP.

All points earned through the Rapid Rewards shopping mall also count towards SW CP eligibility.
Points transferred from Hyatt, Club Carlson, Marriott, and Wyndham all count towards CP status.
Points transferred from Ultimate Rewards do not count towards CP, although you can transfer can transfer 50K Ultimate Rewards points into 50K Hyatt and 50K Hyatt transfers into 30K Southwest.

Points earned by crediting hotel stays and car rentals to Southwest also count towards CP.

Using the CP:

Using your CP is very simple. Once you book a flight on Southwest, an "Add a companion" button will appear under your reservation. Just fill out the info and pay the taxes and you are done.
It is best to add your companion right when you book your own flight as there have been instances where people have forgotten to add their companion, the flight subsequently sold out and they were not able to add their companion. One thing to keep in mind is that online changes with a companion booked are not possible, you need to cancel the companion, wait 10-15 min, make the change and then add the companion again. You can make the necessary changes over the phone though.
You can change your companion up to 3 times during the life of your CP. (I believe you can change it 3 times per calendar year.)

« Last edited by pointer on January 23, 2020, 03:35:55 PM »

Author Topic: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread  (Read 316313 times)

Online Geshmak25

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1120 on: January 09, 2017, 01:28:19 PM »
My pass is expiring next year at this time but may as well ask for future planning - does companion pass work on a ticket that is booked in 2017 but flown in 2018?
PUTPAC = PITA

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1121 on: January 09, 2017, 01:28:47 PM »
My pass is expiring next year at this time but may as well ask for future planning - does companion pass work on a ticket that is booked in 2017 but flown in 2018?

No.

Offline ShlockDoc

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1122 on: January 09, 2017, 02:14:04 PM »
My pass is expiring next year at this time but may as well ask for future planning - does companion pass work on a ticket that is booked in 2017 but flown in 2018?

As long as your CP is still valid in 2018 then sure!

Offline Mountain Man

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1123 on: January 09, 2017, 02:15:39 PM »
Guys- wondering about your thoughts here for a family of 6 to utilize this promo from NYC area.
Seems flights from NYC airports (nonstop ones anyway) seem to be double the other airlines rendering this companion ticket a wash...

Anyone else going through this or have any thoughts on the matter?

Thanks All.
How much do you pay for baggage? That might make the offer worthwhile. Also there are free changes and cancellations which means if the ticket price drops you can save the difference.
Quote from: JTZ link=topic=10531.msg1695873
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1124 on: January 09, 2017, 04:18:26 PM »


How much do you pay for baggage? That might make the offer worthwhile. Also there are free changes and cancellations which means if the ticket price drops you can save the difference.

Usually no more than $60-80/ trip for 6 people.
I dont think that moves the needle really. max $20/ ticket.

Do you find that the tickets from NYC are generally more expensive as well?

Would i be able to buy 3 tickets and get 3 free using companion? Or using myself and my wife- would max 2 be allowed as companion?


Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1125 on: January 09, 2017, 04:20:23 PM »

Usually no more than $60-80/ trip for 6 people.
I dont think that moves the needle really. max $20/ ticket.

Do you find that the tickets from NYC are generally more expensive as well?

Would i be able to buy 3 tickets and get 3 free using companion? Or using myself and my wife- would max 2 be allowed as companion?
You get one companion per companion pass so if you and your wife both had one you would get two kids for free.
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Offline bb1836

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1126 on: January 09, 2017, 04:42:18 PM »
You get one companion per companion pass so if you and your wife both had one you would get two kids for free.
If DW is my companion, and our son is her companion, are we all able to fly on one ticket?
As @davidmal says: "Likes" feed the family

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1127 on: January 09, 2017, 04:46:04 PM »
If DW is my companion, and our son is her companion, are we all able to fly on one ticket?
No.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1128 on: January 09, 2017, 07:44:38 PM »
No.
i heard from s/o the opposite...

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1129 on: January 09, 2017, 07:52:36 PM »
i heard from s/o the opposite...
Used to work. Hasn't for quite a while. You can probably thank MMS for  that

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1130 on: January 09, 2017, 07:59:15 PM »
My companion pass posted !!!  8)
Quote from: JTZ link=topic=10531.msg1695873
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Offline miles lover

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1131 on: January 10, 2017, 12:28:17 AM »
My companion pass posted !!!  8)
How long did it take you from when you initiated a transfer ?

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1132 on: January 10, 2017, 01:46:36 AM »
How long did it take you from when you initiated a transfer ?
I initiated on January 2nd. I think it was because of the DoT letter that Dan suggested. I called earlier today and no dice but I got the companion pass shortly after they responded to my letter.
Quote from: JTZ link=topic=10531.msg1695873
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1133 on: January 10, 2017, 01:52:43 AM »
I initiated on January 2nd. I think it was because of the DoT letter that Dan suggested. I called earlier today and no dice but I got the companion pass shortly after they responded to my letter.
What did they respond?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1134 on: January 10, 2017, 08:54:31 AM »
Does the recent change regarding transferring Marriott points also apply to miles from the SW CC, or will they remain a valid option beyond March 31?

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1135 on: January 10, 2017, 09:10:45 AM »
Does the recent change regarding transferring Marriott points also apply to miles from the SW CC, or will they remain a valid option beyond March 31?
Common consensus says no
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1136 on: January 10, 2017, 09:11:53 AM »
Common consensus says no
-1 SW CC should continue to earn CP even after hotel transfers go away.
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1137 on: January 10, 2017, 09:26:55 AM »
-1 SW CC should continue to earn CP even after hotel transfers go away.
I apologize. The no I gave was referring to the first part of the comment.
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1138 on: January 10, 2017, 10:57:02 AM »
What did they respond?

It looks similar to what you posted last week.

Dear Mountain Man,
A copy of your correspondence was forwarded to our office by the Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings. We welcome the opportunity to respond.

Southwest’s Rapid Rewards and Companion Pass programs are very generous—no other airline offers the same flexibility, redemption, or perks. We regret your disappointment with recent changes made to our Companion Pass program.

Please understand that the purpose of the Companion Pass program is to reward Southwest’s best Customers and card-holders. By making this change effective on January 1, Customers have a full calendar year to earn qualifying points toward their 2018 Companion Pass qualification.  Prior to January 1, 2017, Southwest had informally allowed “transferred points” to qualify as Companion Pass Qualifying Points (CPQP), even though our written Rules & Regulations did not allow it. Southwest made the decision to stop this informal practice and enforce the Rules & Regulations as written. Southwest made some minor revisions to our Rules & Regulations to better explain the concept of “transferred points,” but our policy remained the same—“transferred points” do not qualify as CPQP. Southwest does not consider this to be a significant change. Instead, it is the discontinuation of an informal practice that was never allowed in the written Rules & Regulations. While we regret any disappointment this may have caused, as noted in our Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, Southwest reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the program and/or program rules at any time without notice.

The vast majority of our Companion Pass qualifiers do so through purchasing Southwest tickets, or using our credit card. This closing of a loophole impacts only a very small percentage of our Companion Pass holders. That said, we are a Company that values each and every one of our Customers, and we regret if we caused frustration for any Customers who hoped to use transferred points as CPQP on or after January 1, 2017. As a gesture of goodwill, we extended the opportunity to transfer Partner points through March 31, 2017, and this extension will expire at 11:59 p.m. CST. After that, we will no longer make any exceptions to our Rules & Regulations on CPQP. We can see that you have already transferred points, and you should receive notification of your Companion Pass soon.
 
While there are other low-fare carriers, none are quite like Southwest, and we hope that you will continue to find value in our Rapid Rewards program. Your business remains important to us, and we will always welcome the chance to serve you.
Sincerely,



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Quote from: JTZ link=topic=10531.msg1695873
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1139 on: January 10, 2017, 11:04:32 AM »
Nice, when did they send you that?
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