Act fast: Earn the Southwest Companion Pass by booking just 1 round-trip flight

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Southwest Airlines' Companion Pass, which allows you to bring a friend for nearly free (you have to pay the taxes and fees) on unlimited flights, is one of the most valuable assets in the world of points and miles. It typically takes a lot of Southwest flights and/or credit card spending to nab one of these coveted passes, but sometimes, the airline runs flash promotions that let you earn a Companion Pass much faster.

From now until Friday, you can earn a two-month promotional Companion Pass by booking a single round-trip flight. Here's how:

• Register here, then purchase one round-trip or two one-way flights by June 27. Basic fares are not eligible for this promotion.
• You must travel by Aug. 31.
• You'll earn a promotional Companion Pass valid from Sept. 8 to Nov. 15.

Normally, earning a Companion Pass takes quite a bit more flying and/or credit card spending. You must earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights within a calendar year to get a Companion Pass for the remainder of the qualification year and the next calendar year.

However, Southwest sometimes runs promotions to let members earn a Companion Pass for a shorter time period by completing much easier tasks, like taking a single round-trip flight.

Even better: You can qualify for this promotion even if you book your flight(s) with Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

According to the promotion terms and conditions, "Redemption reservations and Cash + Points bookings qualify for this promotional offer."

However, Cash + Points isn't usually the best route for booking Southwest flights.

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The terms also state that "flights must be purchased, and/or changed during the promotional period and the new flight(s) must be flown between June 24-August 31, 2025 to meet the terms and conditions of this promotion." So, if you have one or more qualifying flight(s) booked during the promotional period, you could register for the promotion and then rebook to earn the Companion Pass. Keep in mind, though, that if your ticket was booked before Southwest's recent changes, you may lose benefits like free bags if you rebook it now.

Southwest's Companion Pass is almost legendary in the world of points and miles. It allows you to bring an additional guest for free (plus taxes and fees), effectively cutting your flight costs in half. Whether you book your ticket with cash, points or both, all your companion has to pay are the taxes and fees (starting at $5.60 one-way).

The one catch of the Companion Pass is that you can't bring just anyone along each time you fly; you must designate a companion in your Rapid Rewards account. However, Southwest is still pretty flexible on this. You're allowed to change your designated companion up to three times per year, and this rule applies to promotional passes as well.

If you haven't finalized your summer travel yet, consider booking it with Southwest. You could snag a valuable Companion Pass to use this fall — perhaps for an epic road trip or leaf-peeping getaway.

If you're pursuing a Companion Pass the traditional way, you can earn 50,000 Companion Pass-qualifying points by adding one of the following cards to your wallet and earning the welcome offer:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees)

The information for the Southwest Premier card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

All three of these cards are offering the following welcome bonus: 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Related reading:

• 15 lessons from 15 years of having the Southwest Companion Pass
• How to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points
• Best Southwest Airlines credit cards
• 2 for 1: How airline companion tickets can save you serious money on your next trip