Southwest Companion Pass 2026: How to Qualify and Use It

• 100 one-way flights

  Qualifying-flight route to the Companion Pass in 2026

• 135,000 points

  Companion Pass qualifying points needed in a calendar year

• Rest of year + next

  How long the earned pass stays valid once you qualify

• 3 changes / year

  Times you may change the designated companion

The Companion Pass is a repeated-use benefit, not a one-time companion certificate. It is the subject of a lot of casual advice, but the exact thresholds, exclusions and booking steps are set by Southwest’s current Rapid Rewards terms. This page walks through the qualification math and the practical steps for using it, with every current number dated as of 12 August 2026 and tied to the official sources below.

If you fly Southwest with the same person most of the time, the pass can be one of the most valuable loyalty benefits in travel, because it repeats on every trip rather than being used once. If you rarely fly Southwest or usually travel solo, the effort of reaching the threshold buys little. That contrast is why the pass is worth understanding precisely: the earning rules decide whether it is a routine perk or a benefit you build travel plans around.

A word on how to read this page. The numbers below are the ones Southwest states on its current pages and terms as of 12 August 2026, and the official source list at the bottom lets you trace each one. Programs revise thresholds and exclusions, so before you count on a specific total you should open the live Companion Pass page and the Rapid Rewards Terms and Conditions that apply to you. Treat this guide as the map to that verification, not as a substitute for it.

The short answer

You earn the Companion Pass for a calendar year by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest or by earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in that year. Once earned, the pass covers the remainder of that year plus the next full calendar year, and you may designate a companion who flies with you when you book a fare or redeem points for your own ticket. Because Southwest may change its rules, read the live page and terms before counting on a specific total.

Qualifying: flights or points

There are two separate ways to qualify, and you cannot add them together toward a single pass. The first is flying 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest in a calendar year. The second is earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in that year. A qualifying flight and a qualifying point both have precise definitions in the Rapid Rewards terms, so treat the round numbers as the start of your calculation, not the whole of it.

Which route you choose depends on how you earn your credit. A frequent flyer is on pace to clear 100 qualifying one-way flights if they take roughly two or more qualifying one-way segments a week across the year. A traveler who concentrates spend on a Rapid Rewards card, or takes a few higher-value revenue trips, is more likely to reach 135,000 qualifying points. Neither is easy, and Southwest deliberately sets both to reward sustained loyalty rather than a single burst of activity.

The distinction between the two paths matters for planning because they run on different calendars and cadences. Flights are counted as one-way segments flown through Southwest, so a round trip is two qualifying one-way flights. Points are counted on the qualifying sources you earn, which makes your card and travel mix the deciding factor. Choose the path that matches how you actually earn, and track it against the calendar year so you do not fall short at the boundary.

How long the pass lasts

The timing works around the calendar year. When you earn the pass, it is valid for the rest of the earning year plus the following full calendar year. The practical consequence is that qualifying early in a calendar year gives you the longest usable window, while qualifying at the very end of a year gives you only the following year. Plan your qualifying flights or points so that the pass lines up with the travel you actually intend to take.

This is the single most consequential detail on the page, and it runs counter to what many summaries imply. The pass does not run for twelve months from the day you earn it; it runs on the calendar. A pass earned in January can be used for nearly two years, across the rest of the earning year and the next full year. A pass earned in December gives you almost no earning-year benefit and only the next calendar year. If you have a choice about when to cross the threshold, doing so early in a year stretches the benefit the furthest.

Which points count toward the pass

Southwest says qualifying point sources include revenue flights booked through Southwest, Rapid Rewards card points and base partner points. The exclusions matter more than most summaries admit: the official page excludes purchased points, member-to-member transfers, and points converted from hotel or car programs, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions and Diners Club, as well as enrollment, tier, flight-bonus and most partner-bonus points. Always count only the qualifying sources on the live page before you assume a balance is close.

The exclusions exist because Southwest reserves the pass for travel and qualifying spend, not for balances a member assembles from outside programs. That is why a points balance that looks substantial on paper can be much smaller for Companion Pass purposes. Before you plan around a total, split your balance into qualifying and non-qualifying sources, because only the qualifying portion moves you toward the threshold.

The Rapid Rewards cardmember boost

Rapid Rewards credit cardmembers receive one 10,000-qualifying-point boost per calendar year, which counts toward the 135,000-point threshold. The boost is a single, annual concession and does not replace or guarantee any other source. Because the amount and conditions are set by the current Rapid Rewards card terms, confirm the boost applies to your card before you build your qualification plan around it.

Designating and changing a companion

You designate one companion to fly with you, and you may change that designation up to three times per calendar year. The companion is a single person who travels on the same flights as you. Although you can change the person a limited number of times, each reservation carries the designated companion you selected for it, so choose carefully and confirm the current rule on the live page and support article.

The three-change limit is a practical constraint, not a formality. If you expect to travel with several different people across the year, you need to decide who the pass serves best rather than rotating freely each trip. Many holders use the pass for a partner or a dependent where theguide to booking travel for someone else helps separate companion benefits from ordinary award bookings. The designation can change, but the budget of changes is small, so make each change count.

How to book a companion on a reservation

Southwest’s current guidance is that reservations are required, not optional. Book the member’s own flight first, then add the designated companion. Southwest creates a separate companion reservation linked to the member’s itinerary, and the companion travels on the same flights as the member. The booking flow is the same whether the member purchases a fare or redeems points, and you should complete the add before you rely on a seat being available.

The step order matters for availability. Because the companion flies on the member’s flights, both seats must be open on the same itinerary at the time you add the companion. On a busy route, that means booking early and confirming both seats together. If you are booking during peak travel or on a nearly full flight, add the companion immediately after booking the member rather than planning to return later, so you do not lose the remaining seat.

The same booking rule applies whether the member pays cash or uses points for their own ticket. The pass does not require a particular fare type for the member; it requires the companion to be added to the member’s existing flight. When the member has Southwest Rapid Rewards points to use, the do airline miles expire guide explains how a points balance behaves, and the member redeems them for their own itinerary before adding the companion.

What the companion pays

The companion travels when the member books a fare or redeems points for their own ticket, and the companion pays the applicable taxes and fees, which Southwest says start from about $5.60 one way. The exact amount depends on the itinerary, so the booking flow is the source of truth for your specific companion fare. Nothing here is free: the “pass” removes the fare, not the government-imposed taxes and fees on the companion ticket.

Southwest presents $5.60 as a starting figure, not a quote for every trip. The actual taxes and fees depend on the itinerary, so read the exact amount shown in the booking flow when you add the companion. This guide does not infer the tax composition from the headline amount.

Assigned seating is a separate system

Southwest’s current assigned-seating program changes how you pick and change seats, but it does not change the Companion Pass qualification math or how the companion is added to a reservation. Seat selection and the Companion Pass are separate systems. If you read about assigned seating, understand it as a boarding and seat-selection context that runs alongside the pass rather than a change to the 100-flight or 135,000-point thresholds.

In practice assigned seating affects the Experience, not the earning or redemption of the pass. The seat assignment available to each traveler depends on the current fare, booking and seat-selection rules; do not assume the linked companion reservation guarantees adjacent seats. The Southwest assigned-seating guide explains exactly how that selection works under the current program.

Keep the two subjects separated when you evaluate your options. If you are weighing whether assigned seating makes Southwest more or less attractive, judge it on its own merits. If you are weighing whether to pursue the Companion Pass, judge that on the 100-flight or 135,000-point requirement and the rest of the qualification rules on this page. Mixing the two produces a misleading picture of either benefit.

Qualification at a glance

The table is a starting map, not a guarantee that a specific total will qualify. Southwest can revise these rules, so confirm the live page and terms before you commit flights or accumulate points toward a threshold.

The Companion Pass sits beside other loyalty decisions. The companion tickets comparison guide contrasts this earned pass with annual companion certificates, the Southwest assigned-seating guide walks through the current seat-selection system, and the do airline miles expire guide covers what happens to a Rapid Rewards balance that goes unused.

The Companion Pass rewards loyalty with a companion fare for taxes and fees, but only under Southwest’s precise rules: 100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, a pass that runs through the following full year, up to three companion changes, and a companion who travels on the same flights under a linked companion reservation and pays the taxes and fees. Read the live terms, count only qualifying sources, and verify the current figures before you plan around a total.