AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Southwest Airlines just launched another promotion offering a shortcut to a Southwest Companion Pass. However, you'll need to act quickly: The registration and booking window lasts just four days.
Rapid Rewards members can earn a temporary Companion Pass after completing one eligible round trip or two one-way flights. You must register and book by August 6, 2026, then complete your qualifying travel by November 18, 2026. If successful, you’ll earn a promotional Companion Pass valid for travel from January 5 through March 3, 2027.
Here’s what you need to know about this Southwest promotional Companion Pass offer.
Earn a Southwest Promotional Companion Pass After One Round Trip
To earn this promotional Companion Pass, Rapid Rewards members must:
- Register for the promotion before booking.
- Book one qualifying round trip or two qualifying one-way Southwest flights by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on August 6, 2026.
- Complete the qualifying travel between August 3 and November 18, 2026.
If you meet these requirements, you’ll receive a temporary Companion Pass valid from January 5 through March 3, 2027. During that period, you can designate one person to accompany you on qualifying Southwest flights for only the cost of taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 each way.
Southwest says it will email qualifying members within 10 days after they complete the requirements. However, you won’t be able to designate your companion until the promotional Companion Pass is added to your account on January 5, 2027.
Using the promotional Companion Pass
The promotional Companion Pass is valid for Southwest travel completed from January 5 through March 3, 2027.
You don’t have to wait until January 5 to reserve your own travel during that period. However, you can’t designate your companion or add their reservation until Southwest deposits the promotional Companion Pass into your account on January 5. Companion reservations remain subject to flight capacity and availability at the time of booking.
You can change your designated companion up to three times during the promotional period. Keep in mind that these changes also count against your three permitted companion changes for 2027 if you later earn a traditional Companion Pass valid during that calendar year.
Key promotion terms
- Registration and booking window: August 3–6, 2026. You also must include your Rapid Rewards account number when booking.
- Qualifying travel window: August 3–November 18, 2026.
- Promotional Companion Pass validity: January 5–March 3, 2027.
- Registration required: Registration must be completed before booking and beginning your qualifying travel.
- Fare types: All Southwest fares qualify — including Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra.
- Payment methods: Cash, Rapid Rewards points, and Cash + Points bookings qualify.
- Excluded flights: Companion Pass reservations, charter flights, group travel, and Getaways by Southwest bookings don’t qualify.
- You can change your designated companion up to three times while the promotional Companion Pass is valid.
Be careful about making subsequent changes. Southwest allows changes during the August 3–6 booking period as long as the new itinerary still meets the promotion requirements. However, changes made after August 6 could disqualify your travel.
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 early next year — 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 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 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)
