2023 marked my fifteenth 12 months as a Southwest Companion Cross holder. If all goes as deliberate, I’ll safe years 16 and 17 quickly, too.
For the final decade and a half, I’ve earned the cross in some ways. One among my favourite strategies is thru Southwest bank cards. Actually, that is how I’ve earned the cross just a few instances up to now and the way I hope to earn it once more in 2024 and 2025.
With the present heightened provides on Southwest bank cards, incomes the cross by means of the bank card welcome bonuses is considerably simpler. My aim this time is to earn the cross as early in 2024 as potential, permitting me to be a passholder for 51 weeks in 2024 and a full 52 weeks in 2025.
Due to the Southwest Companion Cross, I have been in a position to fly to home and worldwide locations the place my husband, my daughter, my son, my mother, my sister or a pal flies with me totally free (aside from taxes) as my companion. Sadly, I’ve by no means calculated my true financial savings, however I do know it is properly over $10,000 at this level.
When you’re craving in your personal likelihood to fly two-for-one, this explicit second is definitely probably the greatest instances to earn the Southwest Companion Cross. You may even comply with the identical course of I went by means of by making use of for one (or two) Southwest’s bank cards at times ready till January in your factors to submit.
Proper now, with the Southwest Fast Rewards Plus Credit score Card, Southwest Fast Rewards Premier Credit score Card and Southwest Fast Rewards Precedence Credit score Card, you’ll be able to earn 75,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
When you meet the complete minimal spend requirement, you will find yourself with 75,000 qualifying factors towards the Companion Cross.
To earn the cross, you must earn 135,000 factors in a calendar 12 months. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re a cardmember on the primary of the 12 months, you will earn a further 10,000 qualifying bonus factors towards the cross. So as soon as all the qualifying factors are posted to your account, that’ll depart you with 50,000 factors remaining to earn the cross.
To earn the remainder of the wanted 50,000 factors, there are just a few choices.
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The best technique — and the one I’m pursuing presently — is to use for a Southwest enterprise bank card and get its welcome bonus. At the moment, each the Southwest Fast Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card and Southwest Fast Rewards Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card are providing welcome bonuses that can earn you the remaining factors required.
When you aren’t eligible for a enterprise card (though, lots of people are), you’ll be able to earn the mandatory factors with further bank card spending, flying Southwest factors or doing accomplice exercise, corresponding to utilizing the Southwest procuring portal.
To maximise the cross size, nevertheless, you will need to apply for the cardboard(s) now however guarantee your whole welcome bonus factors are posted in 2024. This can earn you the cross for the remainder of 2024 and all of 2025, which means you will need to wait till 2024 to fulfill the minimal spend on the bank card.
Associated: How one can rapidly earn the Southwest Companion Cross
Though the cross is fairly simple, there are nonetheless some issues you need to know. Fortuitously, by having the cross for properly greater than a decade, I’ve discovered the ins and outs of the cross. Hopefully, I may help you notice its most potential.
Maximize your time with the cross
Though I lined a few of this above, being strategic as to when to earn the Companion Cross is extraordinarily vital. You will earn the cross for the remainder of the calendar 12 months wherein you attain the qualifying threshold, plus your complete following 12 months.
For instance, incomes the cross on Jan. 15, 2024, provides you with the cross by means of Dec. 31, 2025 — that is 23 and a half months as a passholder. Earn the cross in November 2024, and it’ll nonetheless expire on Dec. 31, 2025, supplying you with solely 15 months to make use of it. When you earn the cross this 12 months, for instance, in December 2023, it would expire on Dec. 31, 2024. That is simply 13 months at most with the cross.
So, now could be the right time to start out engaged on incomes the cross.
Despite the fact that you would possibly apply for the bank cards now whereas it is nonetheless 2023, the factors solely depend towards the 12 months they’re posted to your account, no matter once you apply for the cardboard. So, if you happen to apply in November or December 2023 and wait till January 2024 (or later) to fulfill the minimal spend, you will earn the factors in 2024. This can depend towards the 135,000 qualifying factors required to be a passholder for 2024 and 2025.
Sometimes, factors submit two to 5 days after your assertion closes within the month you meet the minimal spend requirement. So, if you’re trying to earn the cross as rapidly as potential, attempt to meet the minimal spend the second Jan. 1 hits. When you accomplish that, the factors will submit as soon as your assertion closes, permitting you to start out utilizing the cross as quickly as potential — so long as you have earned the complete 135,000 qualifying factors.
You may ebook the first passenger’s flight now
Even if you happen to’ve not but earned the cross, you’ll be able to nonetheless ebook the first passenger’s flight now. Then, when you earn the cross, you’ll be able to add your companion to your flight. Simply know that if the flight sells out earlier than you safe your cross, you will not be capable of tack in your companion.
Due to that, I like to recommend reserving a seat with factors in your companion. This can save a spot for them on the airplane, after which you’ll be able to cancel that factors reservation and rebook with the Companion Cross with out dropping the seat. When you do not earn it in time, your companion will nonetheless be in your flight through factors.
Anybody could be your companion
You may designate anybody as your companion. It may be your vital different, your baby, your dad or mum, your greatest pal, your worst enemy — anybody.
You may change your companion as much as thrice per calendar 12 months. After you set your preliminary companion, you’ll be able to change it thrice in 2024 after which thrice in 2025 — if you happen to earn the cross in 2024.
This implies you’ll be able to have as much as seven totally different individuals fly with you on the cross over two totally different calendar years. You can even choose an individual as a companion a number of instances. For instance, as an example you earn the cross in just a few months and designate your partner because the companion. You may then change your companion to your baby (the primary change), then just a few months later to your pal (the second change). Just a few months after that, you’ll be able to change again to your partner (the third change).
Tip: When you do not deplete your three modifications in a given 12 months, change your companion in December to the particular person flying with you first within the following 12 months.
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Companion modifications occur immediately
Though you’ll be able to initially designate your companion on-line by means of your Southwest account proper after incomes your cross, you will should name the airline at 800-435-9792 when you must designate a special companion.
On-line, the Southwest Companion Cross FAQs inform you that it might probably take as much as 21 enterprise days to course of your new companion, however this is not the case in observe. As quickly as you name Southwest and provides them your new companion’s info, your cross is immediately up to date, and you’ll ebook your companion’s ticket immediately.
Inside just a few weeks (more than likely that “21 enterprise days”), you will obtain your new Companion Cross within the mail together with your title and your companion’s. Having the bodily cross is good, however I’ve by no means wanted to indicate it to anybody in all my years.
Depart with one companion, return with one other
As a result of the companion change is quick, there have been instances once I used the cross for one passenger on my departure and one other passenger for my return. For instance, just a few years in the past, I flew to Florida with my dad and mom and met my husband there. I used the Companion Cross for my mother on the flight down and for my husband on the return flight.
Instantly after my flight with my mother landed, I referred to as Southwest and had them change the title on my Companion Cross to my husband. As soon as he was listed as my companion, I booked his flight for the return. There’s a slight danger to this since you are not including your companion till just a few days earlier than departure. There solely must be one seat out there in your flight to ebook your companion’s reservation, but when the flight occurs to be bought out, you can find yourself in a not-so-great state of affairs.
Tip: Despite the fact that the primary passenger is not flying with you on the return, ebook a companion ticket for them for the return. This can maintain a seat, and once you change your companion (and cancel the primary companion’s reservation), that ought to open up a seat on the flight. You may then rapidly ebook your new companion onto the flight. The Southwest consultant whom you communicate with can do all of it for you. There will probably be somewhat lag time between canceling the outdated ticket and reserving the brand new ticket. So, for a completely booked flight, you danger the prospect that one other passenger swoops in inside these jiffy and books that seat.
The cross has no blackout dates or seat restrictions
This can be a actually no-strings-attached cross.
So long as there’s a minimum of one seat out there for buy in your flight (after you ebook your individual ticket), you’ll be able to add the companion to your reservation. This is applicable even when a “Wanna Getaway” fare is bought out and solely the actually costly Enterprise Choose fare is offered.
Associated: How one can use the Southwest Companion Cross
Use the cross limitless instances all year long
Sure, you learn that appropriately. Your companion can fly with you totally free a vast variety of instances whereas the Companion Cross is legitimate. Not like another passes, it isn’t a one-time cross. Theoretically, you should use it each single day for a 12 months with no restrictions.
Tip: The Companion Cross passenger should all the time fly with the first passenger.
Your companion should verify in individually
Though your companion is tied to your reservation, each passengers obtain totally different affirmation numbers. Which means that the 2 passengers should verify in individually.
Since Southwest does not have seat assignments, you board primarily based on the boarding quantity proven in your boarding cross. Southwest will will let you begin checking in in your flight 24 hours prematurely; the sooner you verify in, the higher the boarding quantity you will have.
You will need to verify in each passengers on the similar time so the boarding numbers are again to again if potential. When you overlook to verify in together with your companion, the 2 of you is probably not in the identical boarding group, making it tougher to seek out seats collectively. Different choices embrace Early Fowl Test-In, or utilizing a few of the 4 upgraded boarding positions out there per 12 months with the Southwest Fast Rewards Precedence Credit score Card.
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The cross can be utilized on any ticket sort
As I discussed earlier, there aren’t any restrictions on utilizing the cross. You should use the Companion Cross reservation on any ticket sort, no matter whether or not the first passenger paid for a ticket with money or factors. This implies you should use your factors from the present bank card welcome bonus to pay in your flight, and each you and your companion will fly just about free.
You can even switch factors from Chase Final Rewards to Southwest from playing cards just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Most popular Card at a 1:1 ratio and ebook journey that manner.
Factors redeemed can be utilized from the companion’s account
The factors used to ebook your flight can come from any account, even your companion’s Fast Rewards account. You simply have to make the reservation in your title and fix your Fast Rewards quantity to the flight. The reservation will then present up in your Southwest account and will let you tack in your companion’s reservation.
Southwest does not routinely add your companion to the reservation
While you ebook your flight, Southwest will not routinely add your companion to your reservation. You should make the reservation your self manually, but it surely solely takes a minute.
Tip: When you ebook your flight, be certain so as to add your companion immediately, so you do not overlook. When you change your companion, you’ll be able to simply cancel the outdated companion’s ticket for no payment. The quantity paid on taxes/charges will probably be credited proper again to the bank card used. Here is a step-by-step information on tips on how to use the Southwest Companion Cross.
Additionally, if you happen to, by likelihood overlook so as to add your companion onto your flight and the flight finally ends up bought out, carry on refreshing for the following few days as a seat usually comes out there in some unspecified time in the future.
Your companion can fly standby
Earlier this 12 months, Southwest added an exceptional profit for all passengers: the choice to fly standby totally free. Which means that no matter your fare sort, you’ll be able to fly standby.
Nonetheless, the method works barely otherwise when flying on the Companion Cross. When you and your companion need to use the same-day standby profit, the one strategy to get added to the standby listing is in particular person on the airport — you’ll be able to’t use the Southwest app or web site.
Moreover, there have to be a seat out there for each you and your companion on the specified flight.
Associated: What it is actually like flying Southwest Airways all the best way to Hawaii
You should use the cross for any route or vacation spot
The Companion Cross can fly a passenger totally free to any vacation spot Southwest flies. This consists of all home and worldwide locations, together with Hawaii.
Observe that the taxes and costs you pay in your companion ticket for worldwide flights could be considerably greater than these for home flights. On home flights, all you must pay is the Passenger Payment, also called the September 11 Safety Payment, which is $5.60 per ticket per one-way flight. Nonetheless, you will pay the identical quantity in charges on worldwide flights as if you happen to used factors for the flight.
You may simply see the charges by making a mock reservation for the 2 metropolis pairs whereas deciding on the factors possibility. For instance, a round-trip flight to Aruba will value you about $90. A round-trip flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, will value you greater than $140. (In case your flight requires a layover, your taxes and costs is perhaps barely larger nonetheless.)
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Tip: Look to Puerto Rico for a Caribbean really feel or at one in all Hawaii’s many islands to keep away from worldwide taxes.
Cancel your companion’s reservation if you must change a flight
Southwest has probably the greatest ticket change insurance policies within the airline trade. You may change a flight at any time for no payment as much as 10 minutes earlier than departure time. This implies you’ll be able to all the time rebook a flight if the worth goes down — saving your loved ones cash and/or factors.
The one caveat to this coverage is in case you have a companion already added to your reservation. In that case, to vary a ticket (or rebook the identical flight at a lower cost), you will have to cancel your companion’s reservation first. After altering your ticket, manually add your companion to the reservation. Your companion’s ticket is not going to routinely comply with your reservation to your new flight, even if you’re rebooking the identical flight to seize a worth drop.
Companions get the identical perks as different passengers
Despite the fact that your companion’s reservation is actually free, they nonetheless get the identical perks as every other passenger booked on factors. This implies if you happen to’re flying totally free with the Companion Cross, you continue to obtain two free checked luggage and no change or cancellation charges.
Companion reservations are additionally eligible to board the airplane early by buying Early Fowl Test-In or an upgraded boarding place. You may even use the complimentary upgraded boardings from the Southwest Fast Rewards Precedence card if the first traveler makes use of the cardboard to pay for the upgraded boarding place.
The companion will not obtain Fast Reward factors in your flight or segments towards standing (just like a passenger who makes use of factors for a flight), but it surely’s nice that Southwest nonetheless gives many perks to these flying totally free.
Backside line
Southwest makes utilizing the Companion Cross extraordinarily straightforward — which is a big a part of why the perk is so worthwhile.
There aren’t any hidden surprises, and it is a terrific worth for households. So get the Companion Cross and begin flying. It might save your loved ones 1000’s of {dollars} a 12 months, relying on how a lot you journey.
