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We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.
This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.
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But it’s rumored that Chase will soon change their application rules forall credit cards. The Chase Southwest cards may be harder to get for many folks, and readers have been asking me a lot of questions!
The Southwest Companion Pass Can Save You Big Money on Travel! But You May Want to Sign-Up for the Chase Southwest Cards Sooner Than Later
When You Have the Southwest Companion Pass, You Can Get Essentially 2 Tickets for the Price of 1 for up to 2 Years! And the Chase Southwest Credit Cards Make It Easy to Get in on This Deal!
The Southwest Companion Pass is 1 of the best deals in travel. So it’s no surprise folks often have a ton of questions about how it works.
And it also comes with a lower cardholder anniversary bonus and a 3% foreign transaction fee.
The Chase Southwest Cards Are Similar, but You Will Find a Few Differences 😉
So make sure you choose the right card for you!
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the 3 cards.
Southwest Premier Card
Southwest Premier Business Card
Southwest Plus Card
Southwest Priority Card
Spending
• 2X Southwest points with Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases • 1X Southwest points on all other purchases
• 2X Southwest points with Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases • 1X Southwest points on all other purchases
• 2X Southwest points with Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases • 1X Southwest points on all other purchases
• 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards car and hotel purchases • 1X points per $1 on all other purchases
Anniversary Points
6,000
6,000
3,000
7,500
Foreign Transaction Fees
None
None
3%
None
Annual Fee
$99
$99
$69
$149
3. Can You Apply for 2 Chase Southwest Personal Cards to Qualify?
Yes. It’s easier to get approved for 1 Chase Southwest personal card and the Chase Southwest Premier small business card. But many folks earned the Southwest Companion Pass with 2 Chase Southwest personal cards as well.
Just be prepared to answer questions about why you need a 2nd Chase Southwest personal card. For example, is it because you’re interested in the lower annual fee? Is it because you’d rather have the larger anniversary bonus? Or do you want to keep your expenses separate?
6. If I Use My Southwest Points Will I Still Earn the Companion Pass?
Yes.
The Southwest Companion Pass is based on how many points you earn within a calendar year, NOT how many are in your account.
Suppose you earn 50,000 Southwest points this week and use 25,000 points to book a round-trip flight to New York City. Then earn another 60,000 Southwest points a coupleof months later. You’ll still earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
7. If You Cancel Your Cards Will You Lose the Companion Pass?
8. Can You Use the Southwest Companion Pass on a Previously Booked Flight?
If you haven’t earned the Southwest Companion Pass yet, you can still book your flight now to lock in a lower price and add your companion later.
9. Can You Change Your Companion?
Yes. You can change your companion 3 times per calendar year.Sometimes Your Travel Goals Change. Southwest Makes It Easy to Switch Your Travel Companion up to 3 Times per Calendar Year
10. When Can You Earn the Sign-Up Bonus on the Chase Southwest Cards Again?
The terms for the Chase Southwest Plus and the Chase Premier personal and small business cards say:
This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.
So wait at least 24 months after you’ve earned the bonus before applying again.
Bottom Line
By earning the Southwest Companion Pass, you can bring a friend along with you on Southwest paid and award flights for (almost) free for up to 2 years! This can save you thousands of dollars!
And earning the sign-up bonus on 2 Chase Southwest credit cards, makes it easy to get most of the way to the 110,000 Southwest points you have to earn in 1 year to get the Companion Pass.
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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