Early yesterday morning I spied some activity on my Twitter feed as at least one friend was targeted for a special offer on the Southwest Airlines companion fare.
https://twitter.com/hulagrrl210/status/751067003381649408
However, I didn’t find more details until reading Doctor of Credit‘s post last night. Not everyone follows every blog, and it’s a good enough deal that I want to share it here even though Southwest is not usually one of my focuses.
Unlike the Alaska Airlines companion fare and most other airline companion fares that are merely discounts, Southwest offers a true companion “pass.” It lasts all year and enables a designated traveler to fly with you for free. The security fee (starting at $5.60) still applies. It’s a good choice for travelers who often fly together, or at the very least if the companion rarely travels alone. It requires earning 110,000 points in a year, and — unusual for most programs — it’s possible to make progress toward this goal with credit card sign up bonuses.
This promotion appears to be targeted to residents of California (though DoC says some Colorado residents are also targeted) given the requirement that you must fly 10 one-way fares to/from California to qualify. Some Southwest Airlines flights can be quite cheap, so that’s not a difficult goal to meet, and I think it’s an awesome deal if you think you and a friend/spouse would be able to make use of the free travel after that. Intra-California flights are also eligible — it just needs to be to/from an airport in California.
Registration and qualifying travel must take place between July 7 and October 31. I can’t provide a link since this is a targeted promotion, but you should check your email spam folder if you think you might be eligible and haven’t received the offer yet. The companion pass will be valid until December 31, 2017.
I used to fly Southwest Airlines quite a bit when in college, though I haven’t in recent years mostly because the schedule doesn’t fit my needs and I find traditional loyalty programs offer more value. So I haven’t pursued a companion pass myself. I know others who make it the backbone of their travel strategy. If you happen to be targeted for this promotion I hope you can put it to good use.
