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Among the best offers in journey is the Southwest Companion Move. No different journey perk lets you create your personal buy-one-get-one airfare voucher that may final for practically two years.
This move lets you carry a accomplice, little one, guardian or buddy with you on your whole Southwest flights — for simply the price of taxes and charges on their ticket. Plus, even when you guide your Southwest flight with Southwest Speedy Rewards factors, your designated companion can nonetheless come alongside for the journey utilizing the Southwest Companion Move.
That is a tremendous profit regardless of the way you slice it — however you may get essentially the most out of this deal when you time issues rigorously (extra on that in a minute).
Firstly of 2023, Southwest carried out modifications which have made incomes the Companion Move barely tougher. The qualifying benchmark is now 135,000 factors — up 10,000 factors — to get the Companion Move. Fortunately, I am going to present you safe a Southwest Companion Move for practically 24 months (when you hurry).
completely time a Southwest Companion Move
Incomes the Southwest Companion Move requires incomes 135,000 qualifying factors in a calendar yr.
When you get hold of the Companion Move, it is legitimate for the remainder of the yr by which you earn plus the complete subsequent calendar yr. Thus, when you earn the Companion Move in November or December 2023, will probably be legitimate via the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024. Nevertheless, when you earn the Companion Move in January 2024, then will probably be legitimate till the tip of 2025 — practically two years of validity.
Which means the optimum time to attempt to earn the Companion Move is on the very starting of a calendar yr.
For the reason that different for incomes the Companion Move requires taking 100 flights with Southwest, incomes by way of factors is the best path for most individuals. This is how Southwest defines what kinds of factors exercise will depend towards incomes the Companion Move:
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The next don’t depend as qualifying exercise:
- Purchases of factors
- Factors transferred between members
- Factors transformed from different loyalty packages or Valued Opinions surveys
- New member bonuses for becoming a member of Speedy Rewards
- Flight bonus factors
- Associate bonus factors aside from Southwest Airways bank cards
Southwest additionally mentions that the Companion Move is earned from factors which can be posted to your account inside the similar calendar yr, so you could begin once more from zero on Jan. 1 of every yr. What does all of this imply? That bonus factors from sign-up bonuses on Southwest Airways bank cards depend towards incomes the Companion Move and (ideally) you need them to hit your account in January to earn a Companion move that is legitimate for practically two years.
Briefly, opening a Southwest Airways bank card late within the yr after which finishing the minimal spending requirement in early January could be your easiest path to a buy-one-get-one move with Southwest Airways.
Incomes the factors you have to obtain the Companion Move
This makes these previous couple of months of the yr the right time to start out plotting your Southwest Companion Move acquisition. With bonus provides on Southwest bank cards it’s best to apply for one — and even two — Southwest playing cards to earn the move in 2024 and 2025.
The Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card ($69 annual price), Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card ($99 annual price) and Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card ($149 annual price) all provide the identical bonus proper now: New candidates can earn 75,000 bonus factors after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. All three provides finish Dec. 11.
Associated: 13 classes from 13 years’ value of Southwest Companion Passes
Do not forget that the Companion Move requires incomes 135,000 factors in the identical calendar yr, so this bonus would put you effectively in your technique to hitting that benchmark. Plus, there are various methods to earn the remaining factors, comparable to further bank card spending, really flying on eligible Southwest fares, accomplice exercise — even opening a Southwest enterprise bank card in tandem together with your Southwest private card.
As well as, Southwest’s two small-business playing cards are at present providing eye-catching bonuses of their very own:
Technique for incomes the Southwest Companion Move in 2024-2025
Sadly, Chase does not 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 simplest technique to obtain a Companion Move easy: earn each a small-business card bonus and a private card bonus — minimal exercise is required.
For instance, the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card provides a number of Southwest perks. If you happen to had been to open this card together with any Southwest private card, you may earn the Companion Move by:
- Spending $3,000 on the Southwest Efficiency Enterprise (60,000 factors).
- Spending $1,000 on a Southwest private card (50,000 factors).
Simply $4,000 in spending would internet you 110,000 factors (value $1,540, based on TPG valuations). You would wish 25,000 factors extra to achieve 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 maintain the factors in your account and may use these for award flights — and convey your companion as effectively.
Associated: redeem factors with the Southwest Speedy Rewards program
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 depend towards the Companion Move. Nevertheless, after getting the Companion Move, you’ll be able to switch factors to Speedy Rewards from Chase Final Rewards to guide your Southwest award tickets and have your designated companion fly with you mainly freed from value.
Because you need all of those factors to point out up in your Southwest account in early 2024, it is crucial that you do not full your spending requirement on both of those bank cards earlier than Jan. 1, 2024. In any other case, bonus factors could also be deposited in your account in 2023 — ruining your plan for 2 years of Companion Move.
Who’s eligible for a brand new Southwest bank card?
The non-public Southwest playing cards are providing their best-ever bonuses. If you happen to’re interested in your eligibility, this is what Chase has to say:
“The product shouldn’t be accessible 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 inside 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 could solely get the brand new cardmember bonus on one Southwest private bank card inside a 24-month cycle, so be certain you’re getting the perfect bonus attainable. Additionally notice that, when you at present have any open Southwest private bank cards, you will not be eligible for these provides.
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 accessible 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 inside the final 24 months.”
This implies you’ll be able to earn a bonus from a small-business bank card and a private bank card from Southwest in the identical calendar yr to get nearer to acquiring a Companion Move.
Associated: Who qualifies for a enterprise bank card?
Alternatively, you may get two small-business card bonuses; you simply cannot get two private playing cards.
And remember about Chase’s 5/24 rule. If you happen to’ve opened 5 or extra new private bank cards throughout any card issuers within the final 24 months, you will doubtless be denied when you apply for a Southwest card.
Backside line
Now is a good time to solidify your plans for incomes the Southwest Companion Move.
If you happen to can open a private card and small-business card, you’ll be able to time the sign-up bonuses in order that they publish to your account in early 2024. That’ll provide you with practically two full years of the Companion Move.
Extra reporting by Chris Dong, Joseph Hostetler and Ryan Smith.
Apply right here: Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card
Apply right here: 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