Southwest Airways’ Companion Go is likely one of the greatest journey perks within the business. With the cross, a good friend or member of the family can fly with you free of charge (plus taxes and costs) on Southwest flights a vast variety of occasions till the cross expires. Whereas this may appear to be a type of “too good to be true” situations, it is utterly legit and simply nearly as good because it sounds. Actually, I’ve personally been a Companion Go holder for nearly 15 years.
As soon as the cross is earned, it is legitimate by way of Dec. 31 of the next calendar 12 months (so long as it is earned by way of the normal methodology and never throughout a particular promotion). This offers you as much as two years to make use of the cross, providing many alternatives on your designated companion to fly with you in your subsequent journey.
Associated: Methods to earn the Southwest Companion Go
However do you know that you do not have to fly with the identical companion on each flight? Southwest helps you to change your companion as much as thrice per calendar 12 months — and that’s along with the preliminary choice of your companion. And since your cross is often legitimate over the course of two calendar years, this permits as much as seven individuals to fly with you free of charge.
And whereas altering your designated companion has all the time been a slight nuisance, Southwest simply made it considerably simpler. Up till just lately, you’d must name Southwest and request a change. However now, altering your companion will be accomplished all by yourself, proper inside your Southwest account.
Altering your Southwest Companion Go
As of September, Southwest is making it considerably simpler to vary your companion. Initially, whenever you earn the cross, you might have the chance to designate a companion. There isn’t any change to this course of, and figuring out your preliminary companion will be accomplished on-line by way of your Southwest account or over the telephone with Southwest immediately.
Nevertheless, now you can additionally make modifications to your cross on-line. Beforehand, the one choice was to name Southwest. Whereas the precise course of solely took the agent a couple of minutes, it could sometimes require a prolonged wait on maintain, relying on the time of day.
To vary your Southwest Companion Go on-line, you may first wish to check in to your Southwest account both by way of the app or on-line. From there, you may see your Companion Go info, with the choice to vary your companion. Inside your account, it will additionally inform you what number of extra occasions you may change your companion this 12 months, which is extremely useful.
Associated: Methods to earn and use the Southwest Companion Go
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As soon as you choose the choice to vary your companion, you may then must fill out your companion’s info. Once more, you may be notified of the variety of companion modifications you might have left for the calendar 12 months.
Nevertheless, the massive subject that you’re going to discover is that there is nowhere to enter your companion’s Southwest Fast Rewards quantity. Studies point out that Southwest will mechanically create a brand new Fast Rewards quantity for the traveler, and for many, this is not an issue — even when they have already got a Fast Rewards account. It’s because whenever you fly as a companion, you do not obtain factors on your flights anyway, so not having the flight tied to your account is not an enormous subject. Nevertheless, your companion will not be capable to see the flight particulars of their account, which may very well be bothersome to some.
However the primary subject is that in case your companion has Southwest A-Listing or A-Listing Most well-liked standing, they will not obtain any perks throughout your journey.
And whilst you can all the time name Southwest to have it tie the right Fast Rewards quantity to the account, experiences have proven that this methodology requires the agent to vary your designated companion once more, counting towards certainly one of your three companion modifications for the 12 months.
If you wish to make sure that the right Fast Rewards account is tied to your new companion, your greatest wager is to name Southwest immediately at 800-435-9792 and keep away from the net course of. Hopefully, the choice so as to add your companion’s Fast Rewards quantity on-line will probably be added sooner somewhat than later.
Associated: 15 classes from 15 years of getting the Southwest Companion Go
Issues to know when switching your Southwest companion
Regardless of being a real no-strings-attached cross, there are some issues to know alongside the best way to set you up for fulfillment. For starters, your designated companion can repeat themselves. So for example Joe is your preliminary companion and also you wish to fly with him in January and September, however you need your good friend Sarah to fly with you in between the 2 flights in March. You’ll be able to change your companion to Sarah and again to Joe once more, however it’ll nonetheless rely as a change.
Moreover, the person listed should be your companion each on the time of reserving and on the time of journey. So, with the instance above, you will not be capable to change your companion to Sarah till after your flight with Joe is full. And, in case you already added Joe as a companion to your flight later within the 12 months, you may must cancel Joe’s flight earlier than you alter your companion to Sarah. As soon as your flight with Sarah is full, you may then add Joe again on as your companion.
Simply be conscious that there needs to be at the least one seat out there for buy on the subject of reserving a companion ticket. Should you’re reserving throughout peak journey occasions, you may wish to add your companion as quickly as doable. To make sure your companion has a seat at a later time, whilst you have one other designated companion, you may all the time ebook the passenger a seat with factors to “save” their seat after which change it to a companion reserving as soon as that passenger is designated as a companion. And within the uncommon state of affairs when the flight is bought out earlier than a companion is added to the flight, carry on checking as there is a very excessive likelihood {that a} seat will finally turn out to be out there.
Backside line
I am glad to see that Southwest now permits vacationers to vary their passes on-line and keep away from a probably prolonged maintain time on the telephone. Having the ability to see what number of modifications you might be nonetheless allowed can be enormous and might can help you put together for the 12 months. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless some kinks within the course of on the subject of not with the ability to add your companion’s Fast Rewards quantity. Hopefully, this will probably be mounted within the close to future, however for now, there’s nonetheless the choice to name in case you want the right account tied to the ticket.
