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My love affair with Alaska Airlines is officially over.
I live 30 minutes from Portland International Airport (PDX), an Alaska hub and have loyally flown Alaska Airlines for years. While my spouse scores frequent first-class upgrades by maintaining elite Alaska status year after year primarily through work travel, I’m in that annoying spot where I travel just enough for work and pleasure to grind out Alaska’s lowest tier of status: MVP.
Alaska MVP Status offers priority check-in and boarding, two free checked bags, preferred seating, express security lines at select airports, and an Alaska Lounge membership discount. It also offers upgrades to premium and first class — at least in theory. But I can’t remember a time I’ve been upgraded with MVP status, even to premium class. And because I’m taller than average and frequently take flights over 5 hours long, upgrades are the most valuable part of status to me.
Even if it means giving up nonstop flights, fewer delays, and a smooth boarding process, I’m going to stop spending thousands of dollars per year on Alaska Airlines flights.
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m flying Southwest Airlines next year.
Why I’m Switching to Southwest Airlines
I’ve been aware of the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass points and miles sweet spot for years, but the inconvenience of flying Southwest from an Alaska hub kept me loyal to Alaska Airlines.
That is until I did the math for next year’s family trips.
We’re a family of five. If my husband and I each earn a Southwest Companion Pass opening credit cards as detailed below, we’ll pay a combined $336 in annual fees to hold those cards for at least one year. We’ll earn a combined 330,000 Rapid Rewards welcome bonus and referral points, as well as two Companion Passes good through 2025.
Depending on Southwest’s 2024 sales, these points and passes could help fly our family of five to Los Angeles, Hawaii, Chicago, and New York for less than $60 in taxes per trip next year, bringing the total out-of-pocket cost of next year’s family flights to $576.
Paying $576 for even one of next year’s family vacations sounds too good to be true. To take even one of those family trips on Alaska Airlines would cost us three times that much — or exhaust all our accrued Alaska miles.
How We’re Earning Two Southwest Companion Passes
To earn a Southwest Companion Pass, a traveler must earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards in a single calendar year. Sure, you can do so by earning 135,000 points through flights, but it's much easier to do so by opening a couple of Southwest credit cards and timing out when you meet the minimum spending requirement.
There are several card combinations one could open in order to earn the required 135,000 Rapid Rewards. Depending on the current Southwest sign-up bonuses, you'll likely need to sign up for one personal Southwest card and one small business credit card.
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
My husband and I each opened one personal Southwest card — when it was offering an elevated bonus — plus the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.
- Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
- Earn 2X points on rideshare.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 3X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and communting, including rideshare
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
To help boost my balance by another 20,000 Rapid Rewards points, I opened a Southwest card first and then referred my husband to earn a referral bonus.
The key is that we will not spend the last dollar on either card until after January 1, 2024. That way, the bonus points will hit our accounts in 2024, meaning we will earn the Southwest Companion Pass for almost two full years.
Comparing the Alaska Companion Fare with the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass
Let's put it bluntly: The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is far superior to Alaska’s Companion Fare.
For one thing, one annual Alaska’s Companion Fare is a cardholder benefit. Before 2023, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card cardholders earned this Companion Fare by simply paying the annual fee on their Alaska Airlines Visa. Not anymore. Starting with cards opened in 2023, Alaska cardholders must spend $6,000 annually on the card to earn one Companion Fare for the next year.
My husband and I both hold Alaska Airlines credit cards opened before 2023 with grandfathered no-spend-required companion fares. We use those annually to save hundreds on nonstop flights to Mexico, Hawaii, or Orlando. But it costs $99 plus taxes and fees to add a companion to your fare, and you may only add a companion to a cash fare. On Alaska Airlines, you can’t add companions to award fares.
Compare that with the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, which you can use an unlimited number of times while paying only $11.20 in taxes for a domestic roundtrip flight. Also, you can add your named companion to both award and cash flights, increasing the pass' value by leaps and bounds. And even though you have to name your companion with Southwest’s Companion Pass, you can change it twice, naming up to three different companions each year.
Tradeoffs
What we’re giving up, of course, are the valuable miles we accrue flying Alaska every year. Because Alaska is part of the Oneworld Alliance, fliers can redeem Alaska miles for international flights on partner airlines.
But flying isn’t the only way to earn Alaska miles. Bank of America offers both personal and business Alaska Airlines co-branded credit cards. Depending on the welcome bonus promotion, opening one card could provide enough points for a one-way business class or roundtrip economy ticket on a partner airline.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-60,000 Bonus Miles + a 30% Flight Discount Code!
- Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account. Additionally, earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
The Bottom Line
In hindsight, I probably should have made the switch to Southwest Airlines sooner, but I guess old habits die hard. I’m definitely going to miss those nonstop Alaska Airlines flights out of Portland (PDX). Maybe Alaska will earn back my loyalty by making it more valuable for low-level elites like myself. In the meantime, I just can’t ignore the obvious savings with Southwest Airlines Companion Passes.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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