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Update: The booking window for this promotion has closed. Eligible travel must be completed by March 31, 2026.
Southwest Airlines just launched a new promotion to help you earn a Companion Pass, but you must act fast. The newest offer lets members earn a temporary Companion Pass after just one eligible round-trip (or two one-way flights) booked by February 5, 2026, and flown by March 31, 2026.
Here are the details of this flash Southwest Companion Pass promotion.
Earn a Southwest Promotional Companion Pass With One Round-Trip or Two One-Ways
A few times a year, Southwest offers travelers the chance to earn a temporary Southwest Companion Pass. However, these promotions always have a short booking window, and the Companion Pass you earn is only valid for a short period.
To take advantage of this promotion, you'll need to book a round-trip (or two one-ways) by February 5, 2026 for travel completed by March 31, 2026. Before booking your flights, you must register for this promotion. Then, after completing one round-trip (or two one-way flights), you will receive a temporary Companion Pass valid from August 10 through October 7, 2026.
If that seems short, you're not wrong. This temporary Companion Pass will only be valid for two months later this year. That's much shorter than the up to two years you'd get to enjoy BOGO travel if you earn the Southwest Companion Pass organically (which you can do by timing Rapid Rewards co-branded card applications and spending).
There are plenty of ways to earn this promotional Companion Pass without spending much. On the West Coast, you can often hop between airports for a reasonable price. And better yet, Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra fares all count as qualifying flights for the sake of this promotion.
But you can find good deals on the East Coast, too. For example, you could book a Basic fare round-trip between Orlando (MCO) and Richmond (RIC) for under $90 and lock in two months of Southwest’s Companion Pass. Depending on how often you use it, the savings from the Companion Pass could easily outweigh the cost of earning it.
Terms and conditions
- Members must register for this promotion before booking qualifying flights
- Book a round-trip flight or two one-way flights before February 5, 2026 for flights between now and March 31, 2026.
- Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra fares are all qualifying flights for this promotion
- Receive a Companion Pass valid between August 10 and October 7, 2026
- Designate your companion after receiving the pass. You can change your Southwest Companion Pass companion up to three times
Our Take
Southwest has offered a similar promotional Companion Pass several times over the past few years. This time, Southwest is offering the chance to earn a Companion Pass that's only valid for two months during the fall — with no blackout dates.
If you already have a flight booked during the promotional period, remember that Southwest has no cancellation fees (though your fare may not be refundable). Even though the offer states it's only valid on new bookings, you might be able to cancel your existing reservation, register for this promotion, and then rebook your flights.
- Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 20,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost.
- Select a Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, when available.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
