This is a pretty good offer for Southwest and for customers. They’ll give you a free companion to travel with you for about two months if you book just two one way flights right away (and use them for travel in the next six weeks). Registration required.
By running a short-term promotion like this, they generate incremental ticket sales. And then they limit the period when you can use the offer – usually to a time they expect to have plenty of empty seats.
- Register and then purchase one round trip or two one-way flights by February 20.
- Travel by March 31
- Earn a companion ticket valid August 7 – October 8, 2025
If you already have travel booked through November 30, consider cancelling and rebooking (if the price of the ticket hasn’t gone up too much) to qualify for this offer. They ran this in the fall and in the previous spring and late summer. They ran it in March of last year and then an offer restricted to Hawaii flights in May.
What’s especially interesting about the two month promotional companion pass is that – just like a regular annual one – you can change your selection companion up to three times during the companion pass’s validity. Normally that’s limiting, say if you earn a companion pass for 22 months as I’ve done a couple of times. However changing 3 times during a two month period is far more flexible. Take anyone with you that you wish!
My last companion pass, earned in January 2022, ran through December 2023. I’d buy a ticket for myself, my wife was my companion (so most trips cost just TSA fees for her travel) and then I redeemed Rapid Rewards points for my daughter’s seat. If you live in a big Southwest city as I do (they’re the largest carrier in Austin) and you have the time to take advantage of the offer, it’s a good one. I literally just deplaned a Southwest flight and might have rebooked it had I seen this prior to boarding.
Well, at least Southwest’s marketing team is *trying* to stop the bleeding. I mean, it’s not ‘filling buckets and tossing the water overboard’ just yet, but if a gimmick like this helps fill some planes, maybe that’ll appease the hedge fund bros for another couple of weeks. Seriously, I feel for the crews and the loyal passengers (but please note how I didn’t say ‘customers,’ because I don’t care one bit about the greedy shareholders or management who appear to have shat the bed).
Thanks for the heads up! I did the CP promotion in September (also thanks to your heads up) and so I have that one for another few weeks. FYI the registration link doesn’t work as is right now (maybe it was the old one?) but I’ll find it.
I only have one flight booked with SW between now and Mar 31 but if I can fit another one I’ll see if it’s reasonable to rebook my existing one — fun!
As exciting as it is, definitely keeping in mind the pain a lot of SW employees are going through right now. Tough times.
Just did this! Actually saved points on flights I had previously booked. Not sure what sort of confirmation I should expect or when?
@cheapblackdad Nice! Some people get confirmation emails a week or so after they complete their eligible flights. However you may not hear anything at all (like me) until the day your CP becomes active (in this case Aug 7) via email. If you don’t hear anything like I did you can call to confirm that it’ll activate when the day arrives.
Enjoy!
@L737 thanks! Good call on calling (pun intended).