The most effective offers in journey is the Southwest Companion Move. No different journey perk means that you can create your personal buy-one-get-one airfare voucher that may final for almost two years.
This move means that you can deliver a associate, baby, mother or father or good friend with you on your entire Southwest flights — for simply the price of taxes and charges on their ticket. Plus, even in the event you e-book your Southwest flight with Southwest Speedy Rewards factors, your designated companion can nonetheless come alongside for the trip utilizing the Southwest Companion Move.
That is an incredible profit regardless of the way you slice it — however you will get essentially the most out of this deal in the event you time issues rigorously (extra on that in a minute).
The qualifying benchmark is 135,000 factors (or 100 qualifying one-way flights) to get the Companion Move. Fortunately, I will present you the best way to safe a Southwest Companion Move for almost two years — in the event you hurry.
How one can completely time a Southwest Companion Move
Incomes the Southwest Companion Move requires incomes 135,000 qualifying factors in a calendar 12 months.
When you get hold of the Companion Move, it is legitimate for the remainder of the 12 months by which you earn it plus your complete subsequent calendar 12 months. Thus, in the event you earned the Companion Move in November or December 2024, it was legitimate by way of the remainder of 2024 and can proceed to be legitimate all through the remainder of 2025.
Nevertheless, in the event you earn the Companion Move in February 2025, then will probably be legitimate till the top of 2026 — almost two years of validity. Meaning the optimum time to attempt to earn the Companion Move is on the very starting of a calendar 12 months.
For the reason that different for incomes the Companion Move requires taking 100 flights with Southwest, incomes by way of factors is the only path for most individuals. This is how Southwest defines what sorts of factors exercise will rely towards incomes the Companion Move:
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The next don’t rely as qualifying exercise:
- Purchases of factors
- Factors transferred between members
- Factors transformed from lodge and automobile rental loyalty applications, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions surveys or Diners Membership
- New member bonuses for becoming a member of Speedy Rewards
- Tier bonus factors
- Flight bonus factors
- Associate bonus factors apart from these earned with Southwest Airways bank cards
Southwest additionally mentions that the Companion Move is earned from factors which might be posted to your account throughout the similar calendar 12 months, so you will need to begin once more from zero on Jan. 1 of every 12 months. What does all of this imply? That bonus factors from welcome bonuses on Southwest Airways bank cards rely towards incomes the Companion Move, and (ideally) you need them to hit your account in January or February to earn a Companion move that is legitimate for almost two years.
In brief, opening a Southwest Airways bank card early within the 12 months after which finishing the minimal spending requirement as quickly as doable may be your easiest path to a buy-one-get-one move with Southwest Airways.
Associated: Received a brand new bank card? Listed below are 4 suggestions that can assist you earn your welcome bonus
Incomes the factors that you must obtain the Companion Move
This makes these first few months of the 12 months the right time to start out plotting your Southwest Companion Move acquisition. With bonus presents on Southwest bank cards, it’s best to apply for one — and even two — Southwest playing cards to earn the move in 2025 and 2026.
Southwest Speedy Rewards® Plus Credit score Card ($69 annual charge), Southwest Speedy Rewards® Premier Credit score Card ($99 annual charge) and Southwest Speedy Rewards® Precedence Credit score Card ($149 annual charge) all provide the identical bonus proper now: New candidates can earn 30,000 bonus factors and Southwest’s Companion Move (legitimate by way of Feb. 28, 2026) after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. The provide ends March 31.
The present welcome provide features a Companion Move that is legitimate by way of February 2026. Nevertheless, in the event you hit the points-earning threshold of 135,000 factors on this calendar 12 months, you will get to maintain the Companion Move by way of the top of 2026 — extending the Companion Move for 10 extra months.
There are a lot of methods to earn the remaining factors, corresponding to extra bank card spending, really flying on eligible Southwest fares and associate exercise. You might even contemplate opening a Southwest enterprise bank card in tandem together with your Southwest private card.
Southwest’s two small-business playing cards are presently providing engaging bonuses of their very own:
The knowledge for the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Premier Credit score Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Associated: Classes discovered from years of Southwest Companion Passes
Technique for incomes the Southwest Companion Move in 2025-2026
Sadly, Chase would not will let you have a couple of Southwest private bank card open at a time. However these restrictions do not apply to the enterprise variations.
This makes the best technique to obtain a Companion Move by way of everything of 2026 easy: Earn each a small-business card bonus and a private card bonus. Then, minimal exercise is required.
For instance, the Southwest Speedy Rewards Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card presents a number of Southwest perks. When you have been to open this card together with any Southwest private card, you may earn the Companion Move by first:
- Spending $5,000 on the Southwest Efficiency Enterprise (80,000 factors)
- Spending $4,000 on a Southwest private card (30,000 factors)
That $9,000 in spending would internet you 110,000 factors (value $1,485, in accordance with TPG’s February 2025 valuations). You’d then want simply 25,000 factors extra to succeed in 135,000 factors to qualify for the Southwest Companion Move. Plus, you do not have to “money in” your factors to earn the Companion Move. You continue to preserve the factors in your account and might use these for award flights — and produce your companion as properly.
Once more, transferring factors earned on playing cards just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card to your Southwest Speedy Rewards account doesn’t rely towards the Companion Move. Nevertheless, after getting the Companion Move, you may switch factors to Speedy Rewards from Chase Final Rewards to e-book your Southwest award tickets and have your designated companion fly with you principally freed from price.
Associated: How one can redeem factors with the Southwest Speedy Rewards program
Who’s eligible for a brand new Southwest bank card?
The non-public Southwest playing cards are providing stable bonuses. When you’re interested by your eligibility, this is what Chase has to say:
“The product shouldn’t be out there to both (i) present Cardmembers of any Southwest Speedy Rewards® Credit score Card, or (ii) earlier Cardmembers of any Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Card who obtained a brand new Cardmember bonus throughout the final 24 months. This doesn’t apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Speedy Rewards Enterprise Card and Worker Credit score Card merchandise.”
This implies that you would be able to solely get the brand new cardmember bonus on one Southwest private bank card inside a 24-month cycle, so be certain you might be getting the most effective bonus doable. Additionally be aware that, in the event you presently have any open Southwest private bank cards, you will not be eligible for these presents.
The identical restriction doesn’t apply to the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card or the Southwest Speedy Rewards Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card. The enterprise card restrictions state:
“This new Cardmember bonus provide shouldn’t be out there to both (i) present Cardmembers of this enterprise bank card, or (ii) earlier Cardmembers of this enterprise bank card who obtained a brand new Cardmember bonus for this enterprise bank card throughout the final 24 months.”
This implies you may earn a bonus from a small-business bank card and a private bank card from Southwest in the identical calendar 12 months to get nearer to acquiring a Companion Move.
Alternatively, you may get two small-business card bonuses; you simply cannot get two private playing cards.
And do not forget about Chase’s 5/24 rule. When you’ve opened 5 or extra new private bank cards throughout any card issuers within the final 24 months, you will doubtless be denied in the event you apply for a Southwest card.
Associated: Who qualifies for a enterprise bank card?
Backside line
Now is a superb time to solidify your plans for incomes the Southwest Companion Move.
When you can open a private card and small-business card, you may time the welcome bonuses in order that they submit to your account this 12 months. That’ll offer you almost two full years of the Companion Move.
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card
Be taught extra: Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card
Associated: When you like the present Southwest Airways boarding course of, you are in luck
