Update 3/12/26: We have been notified that these companion pass offers for the Southwest personal credit cards will end at 7 AM EST on 3/19/2026. These aren’t ideal for everyone looking for a companion pass, but will undoubtedly be appealing for some. If that’s you, make sure to apply before next Thursday.
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There are new Southwest card welcome offers, including referral links, that award both a Companion Pass and bonus points.
The Offers & Key Card Details
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $533 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 50K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 50K points after $1K spend in the first 3 months$99 Annual Fee After clicking through, be sure to manually select the exact Southwest card in which you are interested. This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: 85K points after $3K spend in the first 3 months (Expired 12/16/25) FM Mini Review: This card can be great for its new cardmember bonus, but its ongoing perks are worth the annual fee only if fully used each year. Earning rate: 2X gas station and grocery (up to $5K in purchases combined per anniversary year) ✦ 2X Southwest Card Info: Visa Signature or Platinum issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: If you earn 135,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year Noteworthy perks: 3000 bonus points each year upon card renewal ✦ 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year ✦ First bag free for cardholder and up to 8 companions ✦ Receive a 10% promo code each year on cardmember anniversary (Excludes Basic fare) ✦ Complimentary Instacart+ for 3 months (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ $10 monthly Instacart credit ✦ Group 5 boarding ✦ Standard seat selection up to 48 hours pre-departure (if available) |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $539 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 55K points ⓘFriend-ReferralThis is a friend-referral offer. A member of the Frequent Miler community may earn a referral bonus if you are approved for this offer 55K points after $1,500 spend in the first 3 months$149 Annual Fee This card is known to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: 85K points after $3K spend in the first 3 months (Expired 12/16/25) Earning rate: 3X Southwest ✦ 2X restaurants and grocery (up to $8K in purchases combined per year) ✦ 1X on all other purchases. Card Info: Visa Signature or Platinum issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: If you earn 135,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year ✦ Earn 1,500 TQPs for each $5K in purchases Noteworthy perks: 6000 bonus points each year upon card renewal ✦ 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year ✦ First bag free for cardholder and up to 8 companions ✦ Receive a 15% promo code each year on cardmember anniversary (Excludes Basic fare) ✦ Complimentary Instacart+ for 3 months (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ $10 monthly Instacart credit ✦ Group 5 boarding ✦ Standard or Preferred seat selection up to 48 hours pre-departure (if available) |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $515 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 60K points ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer 60K points after $2K spend in the first 3 months$229 Annual Fee This card is known to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule. Recent better offer: 85K points after $3K spend in the first 3 months (Expired 12/16/25) FM Mini Review: Great for frequent Southwest flyers - this card could easily be a long-term keeper. Earning rate: 4X Southwest ✦ 2X gas & dining ✦ 1X on all other purchases. Card Info: Visa Signature or Platinum issued by Chase. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: If you earn 135,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year ✦ Earn 2,500 TQPs for each $5K in purchases Noteworthy perks: 7500 bonus points each year upon card renewal ✦ 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year ✦ First bag free for cardholder and up to 8 companions ✦ Complimentary Instacart+ for 3 months (must activate by 12/31/27) ✦ $10 monthly Instacart credit) ✦ Group 5 boarding ✦ Preferred seat selection at booking (if available) ✦ Extra legroom upgrades up to 48 hours pre-departure (if available) |
Quick Thoughts
When you earn a Companion Pass via the standard method (i.e., by earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year), it’s valid for the rest of that year and all of the next year.
The Companion Passes that come via these welcome offers don’t last as long as that because they expire on February 28, 2027. The Companion Pass – and the bonus Rapid Rewards points – are awarded after you’ve completed the minimum spend requirement. Even if you apply for one of these cards today and are approved, it’ll likely be several weeks – or months, depending on how long it takes you to meet the required spend – before the Companion Pass hits your Southwest account. Still, these are good welcome offers if you can get solid use out of the Companion Pass.
If you do want to apply for one of these new Companion Pass offers, note that the associated bonus Rapid Rewards points vary depending on the card, as does the minimum spend requirement. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers an additional 20K points with the Companion Pass after $3,000 spend in the first three months, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers 30K bonus points after $4,000 spend, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card awards 40K points after $5,000 spend. These cards have different annual fees and benefits, so it’s worth taking the time to consider which one best suits your needs, especially if it’ll be a keeper card beyond the first year.
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Any reason you couldn’t get the priority card, get the companion pass until 2/27, and then later this year pick up the business card (80k) and 15k more points to extend the companion pass through the end of 2027?
Yes, that would work. I guess the main thing to consider is that the welcome offer on the Business card might not be 80K when you come to apply for it.
Stephen, do you know if the 24 month rule applies to both the bonus points and the companion pass or just the points? In other words, will you receive the pass even if you received a bonus less Han 24 months ago?
Thanks.
The Companion Pass is part of the welcome offer, so I don’t think you’d be eligible for it if you’re ineligible for a new welcome bonus.
Will you need referral links for this one?
Thanks as always
We have a few referral links between team members and family members, so I don’t think we will end up requiring reader referral links. If we do, we’ll definitely post about it here.