The Southwest Companion Move permits a member of the family or good friend to fly totally free with the passholder on all flights. It’s primarily a journey hack to limitless half-priced flights, and is nice for lengthy weekends at Walt Disney World when paired with an Annual Move. This information to Southwest Airline’s Companion Move covers how you can get it, which is less complicated than you may assume! (Up to date April 5, 2025.)
Let’s begin with the nuts and bolts about how the Southwest Companion Move works as soon as acquired. After getting the Companion Move, you designate a traveler who will you employ it (normally, your accomplice–however you’re not restricted to husbands, wives, or different members of the family), after which any fare you purchase or e book with miles on Southwest Airways (SWA) comes with a free fare on the identical flight for that companion. There are nonetheless a small quantity of taxes and charges they’ll must pay, however that solely quantities to ~$6 on most airfare.
So let’s say you e book a fare for $99 from Chicago to Orlando. Your companion flies totally free, which means that you simply’re primarily getting half-priced flights for each of you (purchase one, get one free). With Southwest’s many ‘Wanna Get Away’ gross sales, you might pay even much less. In actual fact, there’s presently a sale on flights earlier than 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., beginning at $29–which means you might be paying ~$15 per particular person to fly! (Not so coincidentally, that sale is what prompted this publish, as I really like redeye flights and late returns to maximise the park time throughout these lengthy weekend journeys to Walt Disney World!)
Again to the fundamentals, there are a bunch of little guidelines and quirks that make the Southwest Companion Move much more advantageous. As famous above, you’ll be able to designate anybody as your companion. Nevertheless, it’s also possible to change your SWA companion as much as thrice by calling Southwest Speedy Rewards. (We’ve by no means finished this, however have mates who’ve strategically used their allotted adjustments to make use of the Southwest Companion Move to journey with completely different individuals.)
The true worth of the Southwest Companion Move comes right down to its restrictions. Or somewhat, lack thereof. Lots of you might be possible followers of SWA as a result of it’s household pleasant and doesn’t cater to enterprise vacationers just like the legacy carriers. Properly, identical thought applies right here. The Southwest Companion Move can be utilized a limiteless variety of occasions and it’s not topic to any particular fare class limitations. Which means that as there’s a seat obtainable on the market on the aircraft, you need to use it for the most affordable money fares or Speedy Rewards factors redemptions.
In different phrases, the Southwest Companion Move is NOT a kind of illusory “reductions” that means that you can “save extra” by spending extra. Walt Disney World dealhounds ought to know this recreation fairly properly, having seen not-so-special affords that require the acquisition of full priced tickets or lodging in an effort to qualify for Free Eating or another perk. With the Southwest Companion Move, you’ll be able to spend as little as potential and nonetheless save. I’ll be sincere with you–it turns into like an addictive problem to maximise your financial savings and beat your previous “scores.”
All of this in all probability sounds too good to be true, or like there’s a giant catch coming. Maybe that you simply solely can qualify for the Southwest Companion Move by repeating some ridiculous feats of power or spending a boatload of cash with SWA. No, you don’t have to fly within the center seat for 124 consecutive flight segments or buy $33,000 price of in-flight meals & drinks.
To make sure, there are methods to qualify for the Southwest Companion Move which might be extra “conventional.” The 2 strategies marketed on SWA’s website are flying 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar 12 months, or incomes 135,000 Speedy Rewards factors in a calendar 12 months. Clearly, these are huge hurdles. Whilst a frequently-flying blogger, I’ve by no means hit the necessities the “sincere” method. (To not say the choice is dishonest–since SWA will not be geared toward enterprise vacationers, I’m guessing it’s how greater than 90% of vacationers qualify for the Companion Move.)
As a substitute, what we’ve at all times finished is open two Southwest Chase bank cards, one private card and one enterprise card (one thing as pedestrian as promoting on eBay qualifies you for a enterprise card). I in all probability misplaced an honest variety of you proper there, as I do know many individuals have this intense hatred for bank cards.
I’m not happening the highway of debating whether or not bank cards are an evil gadget created to line the pockets of rich monetary establishments or are nice instruments that allow you to acquire advantages for the cash you spend on a regular basis, anyway. All I’ll say is that since we’ve held our first bank cards, the 2 of us have acquired tens of hundreds of {dollars} in rewards, and I’ve by no means paid a single cent in curiosity…all with out making any Faustian Bargains!
We’ve by no means taken the time to calculate the worth of what we’ve obtained through bank card rewards, however it’s simply over $100,000 at this level. I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocked if it have been truly nearer to $250,000. We first began bank card hacking once we have been freshly out of faculty, didn’t have a lot cash, and leveraged bank card rewards closely to do aspirational touring that in any other case would’ve been out of attain.
In its early years, this weblog may as properly have contained a PBS-style disclaimer studying, “this mission is made potential by a beneficiant grant from the high quality people at Visa and American Categorical.” These bank card corporations didn’t know they have been funding crucial analysis into cupcakes and park touring technique, however I’d wish to assume they’d’ve supported the trigger regardless. However I digress.
Slicing to the chase, from Chase Financial institution you’ll be able to presently get for the Southwest Efficiency Enterprise bank card with a sign-up bonus of 80,000 factors after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. (You possibly can earn these bonuses through our referral hyperlink.)
Together with that, get any of the three private SWA bank cards. (I’d go for the underside tier, because it has the bottom annual charge and this card goes to be largely redundant to the Southwest Efficiency Enterprise card, anyway.) With any of these, you earn 50,000 factors after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
In tandem, you’ll earn over 135,000 Speedy Rewards factors when you meet the minimal spend. (Bonus factors of 130,000 plus spending of no less than $6,000.) With the vacation procuring season proper across the nook, now is likely to be a very good time to satisfy this spending aim. Or, you might e book your Walt Disney World trip or on low cost Disney present playing cards. Regardless, it is rather vital that you simply hit your spending aim strategically.
The Southwest Companion Move is sweet for the total calendar 12 months after the 12 months you earn it.
Which means a Companion Move earned in December 2025 expires on December 31, 2026 since you earned it this 12 months. In contrast, a Companion Move earned in January 2026 would expire on December 31, 2027.
That’s virtually a full 12 months of additional use just by guaranteeing that you simply don’t hit the spending necessities till after your December assertion closes, in order that the factors are posted in January 2026. Should you’re savvy with spending, you may get the Southwest Companion Move by January 5, 2026 and hold it till December 31, 2027!
The opposite bonus of getting one (or on this case, two) of the Southwest bank cards is that you simply’ll nonetheless get a free checked bag with Southwest after its adjustments take impact with flights booked on or after Might 28, 2025. Southwest will introduce a brand new, Fundamental fare for lower-priced tickets bought on or after Might 28, 2025, prematurely of providing assigned seating and additional legroom choices.
Whereas our view is that the adjustments Southwest is making are usually unhealthy for shoppers and for the airline’s distinctive persona and essential draw, Speedy Rewards Credit score Cardholders nonetheless may have the ability to make the adjustments work to their benefit (particularly if costs drop both because of decrease Fundamental fares or decrease demand as different loyal clients soar ship…or each).
Which may make the Southwest Companion Move much more invaluable going ahead. “Would possibly” is the operative phrase there. Once more, we’re not followers of the adjustments Southwest is making, and likened them to Bob Chapek’s reign of terror as CEO of Disney. Simply looking for a possible silver lining right here!
One other vital factor to remember right here is Chase’s 5/24 rule.
With this, you gained’t have the ability to get most Chase playing cards in the event you’ve opened 5 bank card accounts throughout all banks prior to now 24 months. Qualifying for the Southwest Companion Move through bank cards and signup bonuses knocks out 1 of your 5. (Not 2, as enterprise playing cards aren’t reported to the non-public credit score bureaus.)
Should you’re a bank card novice, that’s in all probability not a priority for you. The Chase 5/24 rule is geared toward bank card churners and hardcore hackers (or, I suppose, serial spenders), who aren’t the target market of this publish. Nonetheless, in the event you’re contemplating moving into the great world of journey hacking and are extra inclined to fly internationally and on different airways, you must give severe consideration as to if you wish to burn a card on Southwest Airways.
Should you’re a pair or household primarily touring to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, the Southwest Companion Move is just about a no brainer. There are few signup bonuses with as a lot potential as this one–the ‘worth ceiling’ on the Southwest Companion Move is extremely excessive!
A few of you might need apparent use-cases for the Southwest Companion Move. Others is likely to be questioning whether or not that is for you, and the way you’d leverage this to its fullest. Permit us to be ‘unhealthy’ influences…
We’ll as soon as once more supply one other plug for the 10 Greatest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2027. Critically, this combines quantitative and qualitative concerns when figuring out when to go to, and encompasses a variety of dates.
Specifically, we’d advocate those that embody the next:
- EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts (our favourite EPCOT occasion!)
- Begin of EPCOT Flower & Backyard Competition (our third-favorite EPCOT occasion–additionally a good time of 12 months for an escape from chilly climate!)
- Put up-Easter (nice climate and low crowds)
- Mid-September (very low crowds, Halloween + Meals & Wine, depressing climate)
- Put up-Thanksgiving (100% Christmas, nice climate, low crowds)
In fact, that’s simply Walt Disney World. We actually ought to put collectively the same greatest & worst weeks publish for Disneyland. For now, right here’s what we’d goal:
- Lunar New 12 months (low crowds & cool climate)
- Meals & Wine (identical)
- Early Halloween
- Early Christmas
The primary couple of occasions we had Southwest Companion Passes, we additionally went laborious on seeing the U.S. Nationwide Parks and cities we had by no means visited. Amongst these have been Acadia Nationwide Park (for fall colours), Rocky Mountains Nationwide Park, San Francisco and Pinnacles Nationwide Park, Yosemite Nationwide Park, Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park, Grand Canyon Nationwide Park, and others I’m in all probability forgetting.
Clearly, everybody has completely different pursuits–the salient level is that there’s lots to see in the USA, and also you don’t want to make use of the Southwest Companion Move simply on Walt Disney World or Disneyland. As revenge journey involves an finish in every single place, there are more likely to be nice offers throughout the board–together with on airfare–making the subsequent couple of years a good time to have this go.
We converse from expertise, as we first obtained the Southwest Companion Move on the bottom of the Nice Recession. I nonetheless have spreadsheets with journey prices from again then and, holy cow, have been a few of these journeys low-cost!
With that in thoughts, we must also share our story with the Southwest Companion Move paired with a Walt Disney World Annual Move to function a cautionary story. It was ~15 years in the past and we lived within the Midwest, already visiting Walt Disney World a pair occasions per 12 months. Annual Passes have been a fraction of their present value, however so too have been common tickets (and the no-expiration choice nonetheless existed then).
After getting the Southwest Companion Move in hand, you’ll use that “free” airfare to justify much more journeys. Belief us. You get a ‘wanna get away’ e mail with low cost airfare from SWA, and e book a fast 3-day go to. Costly as they’re now, you purchase an Annual Move, justifying it on a per-day price foundation and on the resort reductions it’ll get you.
You begin doing D23 and different area of interest occasions. You e book journeys only for smooth openings or AP previews. A couple of lengthy weekend journeys per 12 months turns into being at Walt Disney World each month. “Needing” to save lots of much more cash on lodging, you be part of Disney Trip Membership. You get super-into images and begin a weblog to reveal the world to your whole loopy ideas and obsessions. (Okay, maybe that final very particular instance will not be universally relevant!)
It’s a slippery slope and qualifying for a Southwest Companion Move to economize may find yourself costing you way more cash within the long-term. It may also improve your happiness and high quality of life. We converse from expertise on all of this. So do with this info what you’ll.
Joking apart, getting the Southwest Companion Move in our newlywed years was top-of-the-line choices we’ve ever made. Sure, it did result in extra journeys to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, together with the entire above, which in a roundabout method additionally unleashed all of my rambling ideas on the web. However it additionally allowed us to see the USA and have many memorable experiences collectively that formed our relationship and who we’re.
To not finish this on a sappy be aware or something, however we’re agency believers within the worth of journey to increase horizons, study concerning the world and your self. The Southwest Companion Move is a good conduit for all of that. And to be clear, this weblog will not be truly funded by a beneficiant grant from Chase Financial institution, Visa, The Walt Disney Firm, or Southwest Airways (…but?). We’re simply actually captivated with journey and see the worth it has had in our lives. With or with out this, we’d encourage everybody to journey extra–even when meaning Megabus $1 fares, taking the prepare someplace new, and so forth!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about motels on our Walt Disney World Motels Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every little thing you could know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever ever had the Southwest Companion Move? Did you earn it the ‘sincere’ method or benefit from bank card hacking to acquire it? Are you a fan of SWA or do you like different low price or legacy carriers? Will you attempt for Southwest’s Companion Move? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
