Updated Oct 20, 2026

Last call
to fly BOGO.

Southwest is ending the credit card route to the Companion Pass. Get approved for a Southwest card by December 2, 2026 and you can still bring someone along free on every flight through the end of 2027.

--Days

--Hours

--Min

--Sec

Until the Dec 2, 2026 approval cutoff

I've held the Southwest Companion Pass since 2014. Starting January 1, 2027, credit card sign-up bonuses no longer count toward it. The pass becomes a perk of a new top elite tier that takes 140,000 tier points or 100 flights to reach. That's not realistic for most people, so this will be the last easy window for most. I'll mourn the loss of the best deal in travel, but I'm telling everyone I know to get the pass now while it still works, and we'll all figure out the rest as we adapt.

What's changing Do I need one card or two? The checklist Card details

The cards (pick one or two)

Read my recommended steps first, or if you're ready, apply now.

Referral links. I may earn a bonus if you're approved, at no cost to you.

Disclosure: this site uses referral links. If you apply through one, I may earn a referral bonus. I'm not affiliated with or endorsed by Southwest or Chase. Always check the terms on the application page.

Stop 02 · What Southwest announced

What's changing

On October 15, Southwest announced a Rapid Rewards overhaul that starts January 1, 2027. For more than a decade, strategically using credit cards got you the Companion Pass without taking a single flight. Sadly that is all coming to an end.

Through 2026

135,000

qualifying points. Card sign-up bonuses count, so two cards usually gets you there.

Starting 2027

140,000

tier points (or 100 flights) for the new Platinum tier. Bonuses don't count, and card spend earns 1 point per dollar.

Dec 2, 2026

Last day to be approved for a card under the old rules

Dec 31, 2026

Old qualifying points retired

Jan 1, 2027

New program starts

Dec 31, 2027

Passes earned now expire

The backdating rule

Approved by Dec 2? Your bonus counts as 2026, even if it posts in 2027.

This is what makes a late application still work. If you're approved by December 2 and meet the spend, Southwest will count the welcome bonus toward the Companion Pass as if you'd earned it in 2026, even if you don't finish the spend until January or February. What to know:

Only the welcome bonus is backdated. Regular spending, referral points, and anything else that posts in 2027 won't help. Points beyond the bonus need to post by your December statement.
It doesn't add time. No matter when the bonus posts, the pass ends December 31, 2027. Frequent Miler is clear that welcome bonuses can't get you a 2028 pass.
So don't lean on it. Every week you wait on the spend is a week you could've been flying BOGO. Treat backdating as a safety net and finish the spend as soon as you can.

Stop 03 · Flight plan

It depends on your points
and your cards.

Two things inform your next steps: how many qualifying points you've already earned in 2026 (check the Companion Pass tracker in your Southwest account), and which Southwest cards you hold or got a bonus on in the last 24 months.

Tap a path for the details

Path 02

One personal card + one business card

This is the classic two-step, and it's what I've recommended for years. Chase lets you hold only one personal Southwest card, but business cards are tracked separately, so you can stack one of each.

Combos that work (bonus + minimum spend)

Spend counted at 1 point per $1. Bonus categories and the 10,000-point cardholder boost push you higher. Over 5/24 for personal cards? Both business cards together also work.

Don't think you qualify for a business card? You probably do. Selling stuff online, freelancing, driving for Uber, renting out a room: all count. Apply as a sole proprietor with your Social Security number.

Path 03

One card closes the gap

If you fly Southwest or already put spending on a Southwest card, you may be closer than you think. Log in to Southwest and check your Companion Pass progress for 2026. Then, roughly:

Less than that? Go with Path 02. Or plug your number into the calculator below.

Watch the timing on your other points. The welcome bonus gets backdated, but nothing else does. Spending and flights have to post in 2026 to count.

Path 01

Close your card, open a different one

This is the move I'm telling friends to make right now. Chase won't pay a personal card bonus while you hold any personal Southwest card. So if you've got one, close it first.

Personal cards

The rule: no bonus if you currently hold any personal Southwest card (Plus, Premier, or Priority), or received a bonus on any of them in the last 24 months. The 24 months count from when the bonus posted, not when you opened the card.
The play: close your personal card, wait about a week, then apply for a different personal card. Plus to Priority, Priority to Premier, whatever fits.
Why different? Reports on FlyerTalk suggest a few days to a week is usually enough when you switch cards. Going back to the exact same card has needed closer to 30 days. With December 2 coming, switching is the safer bet.

Business cards

The rule: each business card stands alone. No bonus if you currently hold that specific card or received its bonus in the last 24 months. Having the other business card doesn't matter.
The play: if you have the Performance Business, open the Premier Business (or vice versa). No closing needed, since you can hold both.
Same card again? If you want the same business card back and your last bonus on it was over 24 months ago, the same close-then-wait idea applies. Give it the full 30 days and plan around the deadline. Some offer links have shown "if you have ever had this card" language, so read the terms before you apply.

Before you close anything: your Rapid Rewards points live in your Southwest account, not with Chase, so they stay put. You will lose any anniversary points you haven't received yet. If your annual fee posted recently, Chase usually refunds it when you close soon after. And the 10,000-point cardholder boost is once per person per year, so if you already got it in 2026, a new card won't give you another.

Do I need one card or two?

Enter what you've already earned toward the Companion Pass this year, pick the cards you're eligible for, and see if you clear 135,000.

Points earned in 2026 so far

From the Companion Pass tracker in your Southwest account.

Personal card

Business card(s)

I haven't had a Southwest card at all in 2026, so my new card gets the 10,000-point cardholder boost.

Already earned Bonuses Minimum spend Boost 135,000 goal

—

Counts minimum spend at 1 point per $1, and assumes those spend points post in 2026. Offers as of Oct 20, 2026. Check the current offer when you apply.

Stop 04 · Pre-flight checklist

What to do, in order

The goal is to be approved with time to spare, then earn the pass as early as you can, so you get the rest of 2026 and all of 2027.

Today

Check your points and your cards

Look up your 2026 Companion Pass progress. Note which Southwest cards you hold and when you last got a bonus on each. Also check that you've opened fewer than 5 personal cards (from any bank) in the last 24 months, which is Chase's 5/24 rule.
This week

Close your personal card, if that's your path

Only if your last personal bonus was over 24 months ago. Wait about a week, and make sure the account shows as closed before you apply.
By mid-November

Apply

What matters is when you're approved, not when you apply, and Chase sometimes holds applications for review. If you get a "pending" message, call reconsideration instead of waiting. Chase usually allows about two applications per 30 days, so plan both cards together. Near 5/24? Do the business card first.
As soon as the cards arrive

Hit the minimum spend fast

The bonus posts after the statement where you finish the spend closes. The sooner it posts, the sooner the pass shows up.
When the pass appears

Add your companion and go

Name your companion in your Southwest account and start booking. Unlimited companion trips through December 31, 2027.

Stop 05 · The cards

Card details

Current offers plus my take on each card. If you apply through one of these links, I may get a referral bonus, which helps keep this site going. Offers change, so double-check the bonus on the application page.

Personal (pick one)

Southwest · PersonalSW · PRIORITY

Priority My pick

Preferred seat at booking, first checked bag free
You plus up to 8 people on your reservation board no later than Group 5
4x on Southwest, 2x on gas and dining
7,500 anniversary points

My takeThe personal card I recommend most. It has the biggest personal bonus right now, and if you fly Southwest more than a couple of times a year, the perks cover the fee.

Apply for Priority →

Personal referral link. I may get a bonus if you're approved.

Welcome bonus

60,000

after $2,000 in 3 months

$229 / yr

Southwest · PersonalSW · PREMIER

Premier

Preferred seat at booking, first checked bag free
3x on Southwest, 2x on grocery and dining (first $8,000 a year)
6,000 anniversary points
15% off promo code each year (excludes Basic fares)

My takeThe middle ground. If the Priority's fee is more than you want to pay, get this one.

Apply for Premier →

Personal referral link. I may get a bonus if you're approved.

Welcome bonus

55,000

after $1,500 in 3 months

$149 / yr

Southwest · PersonalSW · PLUS

Plus

Standard seat, first checked bag free
2x on Southwest, 2x on gas and grocery (first $5,000 a year)
3,000 anniversary points

My takeThe cheapest way in. It works fine for this, but if you fly Southwest regularly, one of the others is worth the extra fee.

Apply for Plus →

Personal referral link. I may get a bonus if you're approved.

Welcome bonus

50,000

after $1,000 in 3 months

$99 / yr

Business (one or both)

Southwest · BusinessSW · PREMIER BIZ

Premier Business

Preferred seat at booking, first checked bag free
3x on Southwest, 2x on gas and dining (first $8,000 a year)
6,000 anniversary points
15% off promo code each year (excludes Basic fares)

My takeA solid business card with a lower fee and lower spend than the Performance. At 60,000 points, pairing it with a personal card usually leaves you about 10,000 short, so plan on some extra spend.

Apply for Premier Business →

Personal referral link. I may get a bonus if you're approved.

Welcome bonus

60,000

after $3,000 in 3 months

$149 / yr

Southwest · BusinessSW · PERFORMANCE BIZ

Performance Business

Preferred seat at booking, first checked bag free
Extra Legroom seat 48 hours before check-in
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS credit
4x on Southwest, 2x on gas, dining, hotels, and transit
9,000 anniversary points

My takeThe bigger, pricier business card. The 80,000-point bonus clears 135,000 with any personal card, but you need to put $5,000 on it in 3 months. Get it if you'll use the Extra Legroom seats.

Apply for Performance Business →

Personal referral link. I may get a bonus if you're approved.

Welcome bonus

80,000

after $5,000 in 3 months

$299 / yr

Stop 06 · Fine print

Things to know

The December 2 rule, word for word

From Southwest's FAQ: cardmembers "approved for a Rapid Rewards Credit Card on or before Dec. 2, 2026" who meet the welcome bonus requirements "will have the opportunity to have those points count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spend threshold is met in early 2027."

Chase's rules

5/24: Chase generally denies you if you've opened 5 or more personal cards from any bank in the last 24 months. Southwest business cards don't add to that count, but you still need to be under 5/24 to get them.
Pacing: about two Chase applications per 30 days.
Personal Southwest cards: no bonus if you hold any of them, or got a bonus on any of them in the last 24 months. Switching to another card with a product change doesn't earn a bonus.
Business Southwest cards: card by card. No bonus if you hold that card or got its bonus in the last 24 months.

What counts toward 135,000 in 2026

Counts

Southwest card welcome bonuses
Points from Southwest card spending
The 10,000-point cardholder boost
Paid Southwest flights
Base points from partners (hotels, cars, shopping portal)
Card referral bonuses

Doesn't count

Bought, gifted, or transferred points
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers
Tier and flight bonus points
Award flights
Most promo bonus points
Getaways by Southwest packages

After 2027

The unlimited pass becomes a Platinum perk: 140,000 tier points or 100 flights. There's a smaller milestone at 95,000 tier points or 75 flights that gets you three companion trips. Southwest says some promotions may still include Companion Pass trips, so I'll post those here if they show up. But the two-cards-and-done era is over.

Stop 07 · Q&A

Questions I keep getting

Is the Companion Pass really going away?

The easy way to get it is. Starting in 2027, it's a Platinum perk that takes 140,000 tier points or 100 flights. Card bonuses don't count, and spend earns 1 point per dollar. Unless you fly constantly, it's out of reach.

What exactly is the deadline?

You need to be approved for a Southwest card on or before December 2, 2026. I'd apply by mid-November so there's time for a pending review or a reconsideration call.

What's this about backdating?

If you're approved by December 2, your welcome bonus counts toward a 2026 Companion Pass even if it posts in January or February 2027. Only the bonus gets that treatment. Everything else has to post in 2026. And it doesn't extend the pass: it still ends December 31, 2027.

How long will a pass I earn now last?

Through December 31, 2027. Earn it in November and that's about 14 months of free companion flights.

I already have a Companion Pass. Now what?

If you earned it in 2025, it ends December 31, 2026, so you'd need to earn it again this year to keep it through 2027. If you earned it in 2026, you're set through the end of 2027.

Will I lose my points if I close my card?

No. Your points live in your Rapid Rewards account, which stays open. You'll lose any anniversary points you haven't received yet.

What is the Companion Pass, exactly?

Pick one person, and they fly with you for just taxes and fees (usually $5.60 each way) on any Southwest flight you book, whether you pay cash or points. No blackout dates, subject to seat availability. You can change your companion up to 3 times a year. It doesn't work on Southwest's new partner airlines.

What's 5/24?

Chase's unwritten rule: if you've opened 5 or more personal credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months, you'll be denied. A great credit score doesn't help. Southwest business cards don't count toward it, so if you're at 4/24, apply for the business card first.

How do I hit the minimum spend quickly?

Move all your normal spending to the new card first. Then look at prepaying bills (insurance, phone, utilities), timing a big purchase you already had planned, tuition, taxes if the fee makes sense, or gift cards for stores you already shop at. Don't carry a balance. The interest wipes out the value fast.

Stop 08 · Final approach

One last time.

If you've been on the fence about the Companion Pass, this is it. Get approved by December 2, hit the spend, and bring someone along free through the end of 2027. I'll see you on the plane.

Apply for Priority See all five cards

Sources

Rules and offers checked October 20, 2026. Southwest and Chase can change them at any time.