If Southwest Airlines flies near you, you will want to check this out. The Southwest Companion Pass is an awesome PERK! NOW is the time to apply for the credit cards that can get you there FAST!
I reached companion pass level in April of this year, which meant for the rest of this year and all of next year I can have a companion fly free with me. Plus I earned 115,000 points which is easily 4 roundtrip tickets including places like Aruba, Punta Cana, Cancun, and now TURKS & CAICOS and soon to be HAWAII!
My family has saved almost $3000 in airfare using the points earned & the companion pass to fly this year & we still have points remaining and all of next year to use the companion pass! I don't mind jumping through a few hoops when it makes sense, and this one is definitely worth it.

Here are the details:
What is a Companion Pass? Companion Pass lets you name one person who can fly with you for free (you still pay the September 11th fee) anywhere you fly on Southwest. It's an amazing perk and you can save thousands between using the pass and the points to buy tickets. You have to designate a companion but you change the designated person 3 times during the year. You can even take a companion for free when you use points to pay for your ticket.
How to earn a Companion Pass- To earn a Southwest Companion Pass, you need to accrue 110,000 Rapid Reward points in a single year. When you do, you get the Companion Pass for the rest of the year in which you earned it plus the following year.
The fastest way to earn miles is by getting the bonuses on their credit card. They often run promotions where you can get 50,000 miles for spending $2,000 in the first three months. You can apply for two different types of personal cards or a personal & business card to accumulate the 110,000 points needed. The key is that they both have to be in one name associated with one Southwest Rewards Account, so that all the points go to one account.
Best time to earn a Companion Pass- You want to get your Companion Pass as early in the year as possible, since you'll get it for the remainder of the year plus the following year. If you get it January 1st 2018, you'll have it until December 31st, 2019. If you get it December 31st, 2017 then you'll only have it until December 31st, 2018. There's a huge difference. When earning your miles, you want to get it as early in the year as possible to maximize your free flights.
The best time to apply for the cards is near the end of the calendar year. That way you get the cards at the start of the year, hit your spending goals, and earn Companion Pass. If you apply roughly in mid-November, get the cards shortly thereafter, you have three months (December to February) to spend the $2,000 on each card to get the bonus 100,000 miles. You know your spending habits. Adjust your application date to when you will spend $2,000 each and then another $6,000 to reach 110,000 total points.
If one of the cards you apply for is a business card, you receive 60,000 points (instead of 50,000 for the personal card) after spending $3000 in the first 3 months. So, you reach the 110,000 needed just by getting the credit card bonus points.
Personally, I didn’t apply until the end of February, and I reached the spending minimums, received the points in my account & got my Companion Pass by mid-April. The credit cards do have annual fees, but I could cancel my cards today if I wanted to and only pay one year of fees and still receive all the benefits.
So, apply now & then contact Bright Sand Travel to book your resort!!
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