You should get a Southwest credit card before they start Hawaii service. Why? Because you can get yourself a ton of free flights if you play your cards (heh) right.
We all know Southwest Airlines is going to begin service to Hawaii shortly. They said they’d start selling tickets in late 2018, and service soon after. When exactly? Perhaps in October, but we’ll see. So, for now, let’s focus on how to get free flights on Southwest, so you’re all set when their flights begin.
Companion Pass
Southwest Companion Pass is the top-tier level of the Airline’s Rapid Rewards loyalty program. I’ll do a post on the program at a later date, so let’s focus on Companion Pass for now. And, as you might have guessed from the name, Companion Pass allows you to name a single person to fly for free with you for a whole year. No matter if you’re paying cash or redeeming points, all you’ll pay for your companion are government taxes and fees. And, as always, up to two checked bags are free on every flight. Pretty sweet, huh?
Earning Companion Pass
Now, to reach Companion Pass status, you’ll understandably need to jump through some hoops. Specifically, you’ll need to complete 100 qualified one-way flights or earn 110,000 Rapid Rewards points. That’s a lot of flying, which would be impossible for a Hawaii resident to tackle. And even earning points through purchasing tickets is a no-go for island residents too. But in case you’re wondering, when flying Southwest, you’ll receive six, ten, or twelve points per dollar spent, depending on what fare you purchase. But there are other ways to earn Rapid Rewards points.
Naturally, this is where the credit cards come in. You see, points earned through credit card spend, including bouses, count towards Rapid Rewards status. And, recently, Chase and Southwest launched the new Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, which comes with the following benefits:
- 40,000 points signup bonus
- 2x points on Southwest spend
- 1x points on all other spend
- 7,500-anniversary points each year
- $75 annual travel credit
- Four upgraded boardings per year
- 20% back on in-flight purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- $150 annual fee
So if you open this card and meet the minimum spend requirements for the signup bonuses, you’ll be well on your way to Companion Pass status.
Speaking of the signup bonuses, new cardholders will receive 40,000 points after spending $1,000 within the first three months. This nets you a total of 40,000 points. So, by opening the card this year and putting a total of $71,000 in spend on it in the first year, you can spend your way to Companion Pass status. But that’s an insane amount of spend to put on one card. Even so, by just doing the initial signup bonus, you’ll already receive Southwest’s base elite tier stats, A-List. And with just 30,000 more points, you’ll earn A-List Premier status.
Supplementing Points Through the Portal
Earning a lot of points is never easy, but points earned through the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal count too. So if you’re on the market for a new Tumi bag, for example, you could scoop up a ton of points by shopping at eBags.com through the portal. This can help drastically reduce the amount you need to spend to reach the status. Southwest’s portal, by the way, is the same one used by Alaska Air, American, and so on.
Caveats
Rapid Rewards work on a calendar year basis, as do most loyalty programs. And $71,000 is a lot of money to spend. So if you don’t think you can spend (or fly) that much between now and the end of the year, don’t attempt this now. Wait till January and then go for it. If you meet the goal early in the year, you’ll earn Companion Pass for the rest of 2019 and all of 2020. But, the welcome bonus could change at any time too, so just be mindful of this.
Another caveat is that we don’t know how Southwest will handle Companion Pass in conjunction with Hawaii flights. It’s expected that the Hawaii routes will be wildly popular, so it’ll be interesting to see how Southwest deals with this. I’m thinking they’ll keep things mostly the same for now. But who knows.
Get a Southwest Credit Card Before They Start Hawaii Service, Final Thoughts
Companion Pass is an extremely valuable benefit to have if you fly Southwest a lot. And, when they begin inter-island service in Hawaii, flying them a lot could be very easy to do. But Southwest isn’t for everyone. They don’t have assigned seats and don’t plan on adding the feature anytime soon. So, based on my preferences, the likelihood I’ll fly on Southwest is pretty slim. I may give them a shot on an inter-island route, though.
But, hey, if you don’t mind the non-assigned seats and fly a lot, consider earning yourself the Companion Pass.
And, in case you’re wondering, we don’t know how much an award flight between Hawaii and the West Coast will cost. BUT, a transcon award flight does cost as little as 16,254 points at the moment. So Hawaii award flights should come in at a similar, if not slightly higher price.
Don’t forget, Southwest is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner too. Unfortunately, transferring points won’t qualify for status, but it’ll still get you free flights.