[EXPIRED] Southwest Launches Easy Companion Pass Promotion: Book One Round Trip by August 6

Southwest Airlines has launched another limited-time promotion offering Rapid Rewards members a remarkably easy way to earn a promotional Companion Pass.

Instead of earning the usual 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or completing 100 qualifying one-way flights, members can qualify by registering and booking just one round-trip flight or two one-way flights by August 6, 2026. The qualifying travel must then be completed by November 18, 2026.

Members who complete the requirements will receive a promotional Companion Pass that can be used for approximately two months in early 2027.

Southwest Promotional Companion Pass Details

To qualify for the promotion, Rapid Rewards members must complete the following steps:

1. Register for the promotion before booking.
2. Book one qualifying Southwest round trip or two qualifying one-way flights by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on August 6, 2026.
3. Complete the qualifying travel by November 18, 2026.
4. Use the promotional Companion Pass for eligible travel in early 2027.

The promotion is available to both new and existing Rapid Rewards members. Anyone who is not already a member can create a free Rapid Rewards account before registering.

The booking window is extremely short, so registration and booking should be completed as soon as possible.

Qualifying Flights Can Be Booked With Cash or Points

One of the best parts of this promotion is that the qualifying flight does not have to be an expensive cash ticket.

Eligible reservations can be booked using:

• Cash
• Southwest Rapid Rewards points
• Cash + Points
• Southwest travel credits
• Other eligible forms of payment

All Southwest fare classes qualify, including Basic fares. The reservation must be made directly through an eligible Southwest booking channel, such as Southwest’s website or mobile app.

This means a relatively inexpensive points redemption or short round trip can potentially unlock substantial savings during the promotional Companion Pass period.

Register Before Booking

The most important rule is that members must register before making the qualifying reservation.

A flight booked before registration generally will not qualify automatically. Travelers who already have a Southwest flight scheduled before November 18 may be able to cancel and rebook it after registering, but they should carefully compare the fare and availability before canceling an existing reservation.

Southwest warns that some promotions require new reservations and that changes made outside the promotional booking or travel dates can disqualify a flight. Travelers should save their registration confirmation and avoid unnecessary itinerary changes after the August 6 booking deadline.

When Is the Promotional Companion Pass Valid?

The main promotion details and Southwest’s announcement state that the promotional Companion Pass will be valid for travel from January 5 through March 3, 2027.

There is, however, a discrepancy in Southwest’s press release. The body of the announcement lists January 5 through March 3, while a footnote at the bottom lists January 1 through March 7.

Because of those conflicting dates, members should rely on the terms displayed in their Rapid Rewards account when registering and save a copy of the offer. Unless Southwest issues a correction, it would be safest to plan around the narrower January 5–March 3, 2027 window.

How the Companion Pass Works

During the eligible travel period, the Companion Pass holder can designate one person to accompany them on qualifying Southwest flights.

The pass can be used when the primary traveler books with either cash or Rapid Rewards points. The companion does not pay the airline fare but remains responsible for government taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 each way on domestic flights.

The process generally works as follows:

1. The Companion Pass holder books their own Southwest reservation.
2. They open the reservation under “My Trips.”
3. They select “Add Companion.”
4. They pay the companion’s applicable taxes and fees.

The companion reservation mirrors the primary traveler’s flight, and an eligible seat must still be available on the flight.

Members can also change their designated companion up to three times per calendar year. Existing companion reservations must be canceled before switching to a different companion, and Southwest notes that processing a change can take up to 48 hours.

How Valuable Is This Promotion?

The value will depend almost entirely on how much Southwest travel a member can schedule between January 5 and March 3.

For example, suppose two travelers plan two round trips during the promotion period and the tickets normally cost $300 per person. The Companion Pass could eliminate approximately $600 in airfare for the second traveler, minus the required taxes and fees.

The value becomes even better for travelers who can take several trips during the two-month window. There is no published limit on the number of qualifying flights on which the promotional Companion Pass can be used.

However, travelers should not book an unnecessary qualifying trip solely to earn the pass unless they have a realistic plan to use it. A promotional Companion Pass has little value when the holder cannot travel during the limited redemption window.

Promotional Companion Pass vs. Regular Companion Pass

Southwest’s standard Companion Pass normally requires a member to earn 135,000 qualifying points or complete 100 qualifying one-way flights during a calendar year.

A regularly earned Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which it is earned and the entire following calendar year. Southwest credit card members also receive a 10,000-point Companion Pass qualifying boost each calendar year.

This promotion requires dramatically less activity, but the resulting pass is only valid for about two months. It is best viewed as a temporary opportunity rather than a replacement for earning the full Companion Pass.

Is This Promotion Worth Pursuing?

This is an excellent promotion for travelers who already need to fly Southwest before November 18 and expect to take at least one additional trip with a companion during early 2027.

It may also make sense to book a low-cost positioning flight, weekend trip or points redemption before the qualifying travel deadline—provided the expected Companion Pass savings comfortably exceed the cost of that trip.

The offer is less compelling for travelers who do not have flexible schedules or who cannot travel between January 5 and March 3.

Bottom Line

Southwest’s latest promotion offers one of the easiest paths to a temporary Companion Pass: register, book one round trip or two one-way flights by August 6, and complete the flights by November 18.

Because points reservations and Cash + Points bookings qualify, members do not necessarily need to spend much money to participate. Travelers who can schedule several Southwest trips during the early-2027 redemption window could save hundreds of dollars.

The critical steps are to register before booking, complete the qualifying travel on time and avoid making changes that could cause the reservation to fall outside the promotion’s terms.

This is a very short-lived offer. Anyone interested must register and make the qualifying reservation by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, August 6, 2026.