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The Southwest Companion Pass is, hands down, one of the best perks in points and miles. Once you earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you essentially get buy-one-get-one-free flying on Southwest until the end of the next calendar year. And travelers who don't always travel with a “player two” can even change their companion up to three times per calendar year.
Although you can select your initial companion online, changing a companion has previously required calling Southwest and providing their name, date of birth, address, contact information, etc. It was a hassle to do, but it was worth it to bring your new companion along for just the cost of taxes and fees.
However, as flagged on Twitter by @DisneyDragon and shared by View From the Wing, Southwest has now added the ability to change your Southwest Companion Pass online!
Here's what you need to know about this new option and how to use it.
How to Change Your Southwest Companion Pass Online
To change your Southwest Companion Pass designee online, log into your Rapid Rewards account and browse to this account page. On the righthand sidebar, you'll find your current Companion Pass companion. Click the large yellow “change companion” button to start the change process.
This will open a pop-up window where you'll need to enter the information for your new companion. You'll need to provide all of the following information, so make sure you have it on hand:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Full address
- Email address
- Phone number
Once you've finished entering this information, scroll down and click the “save companion” button to make the change.
I didn't submit a change to my Companion Pass designee — after all, I don't want to burn one of my three allowable changes. So, it's unclear if this change will take immediate effect.
However, Southwest's terms and conditions note that the airline can take up to 21 days to issue a new Companion Pass card. Southwest agents can (but almost never do) demand to see this card anytime you fly with a companion. Make sure to factor this potential delay into your plans and submit a change well ahead of when you'll need to fly with your new companion.
Bottom Line
Southwest just added the ability to change your Southwest Companion Pass companion online. This new ability might not mean much to those of us who keep the same companion all year. However, for travelers who take advantage of the ability to change their companion thrice yearly, this new feature saves the headache of calling Southwest each time. And we certainly applaud it anytime an airline adds new self-service features to help travelers!
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