They say the best deals never last forever, and in the world of points and miles, that’s unquestionably true.
And after a pretty great run, one of the best deals in travel is about to get much harder to earn.
Thanks to major changes coming to Southwest Rapid Rewards in 2027, the days of using big credit card welcome bonuses to quickly earn a Southwest Companion Pass are almost over.
That’s a big deal because the Companion Pass lets you bring a designated companion along on Southwest flights for just the cost of taxes and fees, starting at $5.60 each way. And you can use it again and again and again while your pass is valid.
But there’s some good news if you’ve been hoping to earn one the quick and easy way.
You still have one last chance to use Southwest credit card welcome bonuses to help unlock a Companion Pass that’s valid through the end of 2027. And the timing is especially good right now because Southwest just increased the welcome offers on its credit cards.
For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) is currently offering 90,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
That’s two-thirds of the 135,000 qualifying points needed to earn a Companion Pass under the current rules, just from one welcome bonus.
There’s just one catch: You need to apply and be approved for an eligible Southwest credit card by Dec. 2, 2026, to take advantage of this opportunity.
Here’s how to make this strategy work one last time before the rules change.
How to earn a Southwest Companion Pass with credit card bonuses one more time
To earn a Southwest Companion Pass under the current rules, you need to earn 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year. Normally, all those points would need to post to your Southwest account by Dec. 31, but Southwest is making a special exception as it transitions to its new rules for 2027.
As long as you’re approved for an eligible Southwest credit card by Dec. 2, 2026, its welcome-bonus points can still count toward qualification under the 2026 Companion Pass rules, even if they post in early 2027.
That means you have a little more time to meet the spending requirement and earn those bonus points. However, you still need to earn enough qualifying points from other eligible activities in 2026.
And importantly, if you aren’t approved for a Southwest credit card by Dec. 2, 2026, the welcome bonus points won’t count toward a Companion Pass under this special exception.
Here’s an example of how this could work.
Let’s say you’ve already earned 45,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in 2026 from flying Southwest or using eligible partners, such as hotels, rental cars and the Rapid Rewards shopping portal.
That leaves you needing another 90,000 qualifying points to unlock the pass — that’s where the newly increased Southwest credit card offers come in.
If you apply for and are approved for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card by Dec. 2, and then earn its 90,000-point welcome bonus after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months, you could have enough points to earn a Southwest Companion Pass valid through Dec. 31, 2027. The everyday spending you put on the card also earns points that can help you get closer to qualifying for the pass.
And once you earn the pass, you’re able to bring your designated companion along on Southwest flights as often as you want in 2027, paying just the taxes and fees.
Of course, not everyone already has around 45,000 qualifying points earned in 2026. But there’s potentially another way to earn enough points before this opportunity disappears.
Increased Southwest credit card offers
The timing couldn’t be much better if you’re hoping to earn a Southwest Companion Pass before the rules change, as Southwest just increased the welcome offers on all five of its credit cards.
Here are the current offers to consider if you want to take advantage of this opportunity before the Dec. 2 deadline.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($229 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier® Credit Card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($149 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($99 annual fee)
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($299 annual fee)
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($149 annual fee)
These are limited-time offers, and we don’t yet know when they will end. And remember that you need to be approved by Dec. 2, 2026, to take advantage of the special rules allowing these welcome bonuses to count toward a Companion Pass under the current qualification requirements.
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Can you get more than one Southwest credit card bonus to count?
Let’s say you aren’t on track to earn enough points to qualify for a Southwest Companion Pass one last time with just the points from one Southwest credit card bonus.
A natural question from the creative set of points enthusiasts who want to go all-in on Southwest might be … can you get two Southwest credit card bonuses to count in one year?
The short answer is yes — in one specific situation.
First, here are things that don’t work.
Under Chase’s current application restrictions, you’re generally ineligible for another Southwest personal card if you already hold one, and previous welcome bonuses can also affect your eligibility.
On top of that, you must have at least 24 months between Southwest personal card welcome bonuses. So if you got one in early 2026, you can’t get another now in late 2026, even if you no longer have the first card.
However, having a Southwest personal card doesn’t necessarily prevent you from qualifying for a Southwest business card, though Chase’s 5/24 rule can still affect your eligibility.
The rules for Southwest business cards state that you cannot currently have that particular card and you cannot have received a welcome bonus on that particular card in the past 24 months.
So, depending on your eligibility, that means you could potentially combine the welcome bonuses from a Southwest personal card and a Southwest business card to earn enough points for a Companion Pass.
For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus currently offers 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months, while the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business offers 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.
That’s a combined 140,000 bonus points, enough to reach the current 135,000-point Companion Pass threshold without even counting the points earned from meeting the spending requirements.
Bottom line
Southwest is in the process of dramatically reshaping its airline, its loyalty program and virtually everything in between. There will be lounges, a premium credit card and a more traditionally structured elite status program where the top tier comes with a Companion Pass.
And the credit cards will certainly play a large role in that reshaped airline well into the future.
But in the midst of all that change, we are looking down the barrel of a quickly approaching ‘one last time’ deadline if you want to get a Southwest credit card and have the welcome bonuses help you earn a Companion Pass.
Whether you’re combining a bonus with points you’ve already earned or considering a personal and business card strategy, the key deadline is Dec. 2, 2026. You’ll need to apply and be approved by then to take advantage of the special transition rules.
If you qualify, you could earn a Companion Pass valid through Dec. 31, 2027, allowing you to bring a designated companion on eligible Southwest flights for just the cost of taxes and fees.
Apply here:Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Apply here:Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Apply here:Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
Apply here:Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Learn more:Southwest Premier Credit Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
