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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 316404 times)

Offline myi

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1400 on: February 25, 2019, 01:23:15 AM »
Yes, but it's not unique to CP and is illegal.
By booking 2-3 tickets and have one canceled, or will that cause a rippled effect?
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1401 on: February 25, 2019, 07:40:48 AM »
By booking 2-3 tickets and have one canceled, or will that cause a rippled effect?
No, you would have to fly in place of the individual holding the pass. Not a smart idea.
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1402 on: February 25, 2019, 05:24:02 PM »
No, you would have to fly in place of the individual holding the pass. Not a smart idea.
Names not ganna match.
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Offline ShlockDoc

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1403 on: February 25, 2019, 05:25:58 PM »
Names not ganna match.

They don't (often) check ID at the gate.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1404 on: February 25, 2019, 05:30:50 PM »
They don't (often) check ID at the gate.
In my experience they never do.
 But what im ganna do when I get to the tsa before security when he scans your BP and looks at your license or passport? Names don't match?
 Do you want me to use the CP holders place and photo shop his name with mine on the booking and print the paper boarding pass or the pdf online boarding pass which can be photo shopped no biggy?
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1405 on: February 25, 2019, 05:32:23 PM »
In my experience they never do.
 But what im ganna do when I get to the tsa before security when he scans your BP and looks at your license or passport? Names don't match?
 Do you want me to use the CP holders place and photo shop his name with mine on the booking and print the paper boarding pass or the pdf online boarding pass which can be photo shopped no biggy?
The correct name will show up on the screen immediately.
Please don't go down this road...

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1406 on: February 25, 2019, 05:37:22 PM »
The correct name will show up on the screen immediately.
Please don't go down this road...
I've seen such a mehlach on one of the famous blogs when I was searching for something, they mentioned another interesting method, that way you can go greet the ppl at the baggage area and have the baggage waiting for them ready to go by booking some refundable ticket on priceline, get through security and go to arrivals. And then of course cancel the ticket before departure. 
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1407 on: February 25, 2019, 05:50:58 PM »
Names not ganna match.
The correct name will show up on the screen immediately.
Please don't go down this road...
There is a simple way around this, but it's still illegal to fly as another person, and IMO not worth the risk albeit slight.
Memories last forever, make them while you can.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1408 on: February 25, 2019, 05:59:29 PM »
There is a simple way around this, but it's still illegal to fly as another person, and IMO not worth the risk albeit slight.

+1

 I’ve always been tempted to do it, but it’s not worth the jail time.

Offline myi

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1409 on: February 25, 2019, 08:10:40 PM »
There is a simple way around this, but it's still illegal to fly as another person, and IMO not worth the risk albeit slight.
Now I remember the other part, where you create three boarding passes, and one legal one for yourself. And use the CP holders boarding pass and when he says you got the wrong pass, say ooops I was holder onto all three so I mixed up the two, and gave you his by mistake.
 Now you just have to figure out the logistics of how to cancel your own ticket, which won't be so hard as you can book it within 24 hours or so of the flight or a refundable ticket and tadda, your past checkin and never boarded yet so you can still cancel.
 It was more to this effect what I remember reading on one of the famous blogs a few years back.
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1410 on: February 25, 2019, 09:18:28 PM »
Now I remember the other part, where you create three boarding passes, and one legal one for yourself. And use the CP holders boarding pass and when he says you got the wrong pass, say ooops I was holder onto all three so I mixed up the two, and gave you his by mistake.
 Now you just have to figure out the logistics of how to cancel your own ticket, which won't be so hard as you can book it within 24 hours or so of the flight or a refundable ticket and tadda, your past checkin and never boarded yet so you can still cancel.
 It was more to this effect what I remember reading on one of the famous blogs a few years back.
Yet simpler, but really not worth anything. No use in telling someone how to steal money from a bank...
Memories last forever, make them while you can.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1411 on: February 25, 2019, 11:45:18 PM »
Now I remember the other part, where you create three boarding passes, and one legal one for yourself. And use the CP holders boarding pass and when he says you got the wrong pass, say ooops I was holder onto all three so I mixed up the two, and gave you his by mistake.
 Now you just have to figure out the logistics of how to cancel your own ticket, which won't be so hard as you can book it within 24 hours or so of the flight or a refundable ticket and tadda, your past checkin and never boarded yet so you can still cancel.
 It was more to this effect what I remember reading on one of the famous blogs a few years back.
Thanks for thinking this through out loud. Now everyone else too can act without seichel.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1412 on: February 26, 2019, 12:00:50 AM »
Thanks for thinking this through out loud. Now everyone else too can act without seichel.
Meh, if you're stupid enough to try this, you can handle going to jail.
Memories last forever, make them while you can.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1413 on: February 26, 2019, 01:02:28 AM »
Thanks for thinking this through out loud. Now everyone else too can act without seichel.
Looking for someone to try this and report back here or in the county prison, not that I think you would go to prison for using a 3rd boarding pass you printed by mistake.

  Also not sure what each scan by tsa accomplishes, the first one by security once you have the real boarding pass you want to board the plane with, as that gets you the companion pass, does that break the glass and he can't rewind in the scan and he'll just continue scanning the right one?
or is that whole TSA scan by security just to see if you're not a criminal and you're not on the do not fly list...
 while the real scan is when you board the plane? That's the  actual scan that you're on the plane or when they recheck the passengers before boarding?
  Then I know for sure when you board the plane they never asked for ID they just ask you for your boarding pass, and then scan it into the system to confirm that you're on the flight so you just use the companion pass holders boarding pass and cancel your ticket once you get on that plane or even before you board.
  Now when you flying domestic in the US I don't think they ever make you recheck before boarding and need to come with your license and or passport? Just the last scan before boarding.
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1414 on: February 26, 2019, 07:57:21 AM »
Now I remember the other part, where you create three boarding passes, and one legal one for yourself. And use the CP holders boarding pass and when he says you got the wrong pass, say ooops I was holder onto all three so I mixed up the two, and gave you his by mistake.
 Now you just have to figure out the logistics of how to cancel your own ticket, which won't be so hard as you can book it within 24 hours or so of the flight or a refundable ticket and tadda, your past checkin and never boarded yet so you can still cancel.
 It was more to this effect what I remember reading on one of the famous blogs a few years back.

You are way over thinking this.  Take a second to think and you’ll come up with a MUCH simpler way.  It’s not really a secret.  I do it all the time to get past security to take my kid to the gate when he flies on his own. 

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1415 on: February 26, 2019, 08:11:16 AM »
You are way over thinking this.  Take a second to think and you’ll come up with a MUCH simpler way.  It’s not really a secret.  I do it all the time to get past security to take my kid to the gate when he flies on his own.
As he continues thinking out loud it don't think he will get there.

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1416 on: February 26, 2019, 01:28:33 PM »
You are way over thinking this.  Take a second to think and you’ll come up with a MUCH simpler way.  It’s not really a secret.  I do it all the time to get past security to take my kid to the gate when he flies on his own.
For what you're doing that's no big deal all you do is you book a ticket on Priceline and cancel it after you take your son, but over here you trying to get or rather use the companion passes ticket not your own ticket with your name on it.

 And should you need an excuse to why you have to leave the airport you just say you forgot your religious articles, or whatever your heart desires and that you can't fly without it...
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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1417 on: March 11, 2019, 07:08:17 PM »
Is there any way to get the SWA points into the account after the spend but before the Chase statement closes?
Thanks

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1418 on: October 30, 2019, 07:18:17 PM »
Can you change your companion after a trip is booked, but before it is flown? So, if I have a trip booked on Sun-Weds morning with companion 1, can I fly on Weds night with companion 2, and book Weds night flight today?

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Re: Southwest Companion Pass Master Thread
« Reply #1419 on: August 23, 2020, 10:24:50 PM »
Can you change your companion after a trip is booked, but before it is flown? So, if I have a trip booked on Sun-Weds morning with companion 1, can I fly on Weds night with companion 2, and book Weds night flight today?
No