The Southwest Companion Cross is among the finest offers in journey, so on this publish I wished to take a more in-depth take a look at it. What’s Companion Cross, how do you earn it, and how will you use it?
What’s the Southwest Airways Companion Cross?
With Southwest Companion Cross, qualifying Speedy Rewards members can take a journey companion with them on Southwest flights a limiteless variety of instances over the course of a membership yr, by paying simply the taxes and costs (which begin at $5.60 one-way) for that individual.
It doesn’t matter should you’re reserving a ticket with money or redeeming factors. This may primarily double the worth of journey on Southwest Airways, which is a reasonably unimaginable alternative.
Tips on how to earn the Southwest Companion Cross
For 2022, Southwest Companion Cross will be earned in certainly one of two main methods:
- By flying 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar yr
- By incomes 125,000 qualifying factors in a calendar yr
Notice that as of 2023, Southwest is rising the requirement for Companion Cross. Companion Cross will begin to require 135,000 qualifying factors in a calendar yr. Nevertheless, when you’ve got a co-branded Southwest bank card on the primary enterprise day of a calendar yr, you’ll obtain a lift of 10,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors. In different phrases, for these with a co-branded bank card, incomes Companion Cross would require the identical quantity of effort.
Companion Cross is legitimate for the rest of the calendar yr by which it’s earned, plus all the following calendar yr.
What factors rely towards Companion Cross?
What Speedy Rewards factors rely as Companion Cross qualifying factors?
- Factors earned by Southwest Airways flights
- Factors earned with Southwest co-branded bank cards, together with each the welcome bonuses and any rewards for spending
- Base factors earned when utilizing the Southwest Airways procuring portal
- Base factors earned with most Southwest on-line companions, together with Rocketmiles, 1-800-Flowers, and so on.
What factors don’t rely towards Companion Cross?
What Speedy Rewards factors don’t rely as Companion Cross qualifying factors?
- Factors bought straight from Southwest Speedy Rewards
- Factors transferred from companions, together with Chase Final Rewards, lodge and rental automobile companions, e-Rewards, Valued Opinions, and Diners Membership
- Factors transferred between Southwest Speedy Rewards accounts
- Promotional bonus factors, like when a web based procuring portal has a further tiered bonus for a purchase order
Earn Companion Cross with Southwest bank cards
Southwest Airways co-branded bank cards supply one of many best methods to earn Companion Cross. Southwest has a complete of 5 bank cards (three private playing cards and two enterprise playing cards). The playing cards all have big welcome provides, and each welcome bonuses and eligible spending rely towards the qualifying factors required for Companion Cross.
Listed here are the three Southwest Airways private bank cards:
Listed here are the 2 Southwest Airways enterprise bank cards:
Tips on how to use the Southwest Companion Cross
The method of reserving journey with the Companion Cross is about as simple because it probably could possibly be, given how beneficiant this profit is. Let’s go over the main points of the way you designate your Southwest Companion Cross companion, and in addition the way you guide journey along with your companion.
How do you designate your Southwest companion?
How do you designate the one that receives Southwest Companion Cross?
- Log into your Speedy Rewards account at southwest.com
- In the event you’re eligible, on the Snapshot tab discover the “Select Your Companion” part, click on “Enter Companion Data,” and comply with the directions
- As soon as a companion has been designated, a Companion Cross member package and membership card will arrive in 7-10 enterprise days
- Within the occasion that you just desire to designate your companion by cellphone, you’ll be able to name 800-435-9792
Notice which you could solely designate one companion at a time. Nevertheless, over the course of a yr you’ll be able to change your companion as much as thrice, which means you possibly can have as much as 4 companions (at completely different instances) over the course of 1 yr. In the event you designate the identical individual twice in a yr, that will rely as two individuals towards your restrict.
How do you guide journey with the Southwest Companion Cross?
When you’ve designated your companion, how do you go about reserving flights on your companion?
- Simply guide your Southwest Airways flight as you often would, whether or not you’re paying money or redeeming factors
- Then go to the “My Journeys” part of your account, and go to the “Upcoming Journeys” part
- When you’ve discovered the flight you’re on the lookout for, click on the “Add Companion” button, which is able to take you to the web page the place you’ll be able to add a companion
- You’ll simply need to pay the taxes & charges, after which you’ll be able to full your companion’s flight reservation
- Within the occasion that you just desire to guide by cellphone, you’ll be able to name 800-248-4377
Notice which you could even add a companion method later than you booked your ticket, so long as a minimum of one seat remains to be on the market. It’s fantastic if the worth elevated, and you’ll have paid money, redeemed factors, and so on., it doesn’t matter. There actually are only a few restrictions right here.
The companion additionally doesn’t earn any Speedy Rewards factors for his or her journey. That’s as a result of Speedy Rewards is a income based mostly frequent flyer program, and also you earn factors based mostly on how a lot you spend. Since there is no such thing as a fare related to the companion’s journey, there are additionally no factors to be earned.
Lastly, this must be apparent, however should you cancel your ticket, the ticket of your companion additionally must be canceled. You’ll be able to’t use the Companion Cross to have a companion fly round with out you without spending a dime.
Is the Southwest Companion Cross value it?
There’s not going to be a one dimension suits all reply as as to whether or not the Companion Cross is value it:
- Is it value taking 100 flights on Southwest that you just wouldn’t in any other case take so as to earn Companion Cross? No method
- In the event you’re a frequent Southwest flyer and fall simply in need of incomes Companion Cross, is it value placing within the effort to earn it? Positively
- In case you have a average quantity of journey on Southwest deliberate, and there’s an important bank card bonus that will get you a lot of the method to Companion Cross, is it value making use of for a card to earn it? Nearly actually
There’s rather a lot to like about Southwest normally. The airline doesn’t nickel-and-dime, permits free ticket adjustments, provides all passengers two free checked luggage, has a no-expiration coverage on vouchers, has nice customer support, and provides complimentary drinks and snacks. The airline additionally has an enormous regional route community in North America, with unmatched frequencies in lots of markets.
Flying Southwest isn’t for everybody, although — there are limits to the provider’s route community, there’s no top notch, and in lots of instances there are less expensive airways (Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, and so on.).
Southwest Companion Cross FAQs
Whereas the above hopefully is an efficient primer on Southwest Companion Cross, I figured I’d particularly deal with among the commonest questions on this program. In no explicit order…
What number of instances can you employ the Southwest Companion Cross?
The Southwest Companion Cross can be utilized a limiteless variety of instances over the course of the membership yr. In order usually as you fly, it’s also possible to take a companion.
Can you employ Southwest Companion Cross if you redeem factors?
Yep, you certain can use Companion Cross when redeeming factors or when paying money for a ticket.
How usually can you alter your Southwest Companion Cross companion?
You’ll be able to change your Companion Cross companion as much as thrice per yr, for a complete of as much as 4 companions per yr.
Does your Southwest Companion Cross all the time need to be the identical individual?
You’ll be able to solely designate one individual as your Southwest Companion Cross companion at a time. You’ll be able to change that companion thrice all year long, however as soon as you alter it, you’ll be able to solely use the profit for the companion who’s at present designated.
Can your Southwest companion fly with out you?
You’ll be able to solely use Companion Cross should you’re really touring along with your companion. It certain can be good should you may have a companion all the time fly without spending a dime with out you even being on the flight, eh?
What’s the distinction between Companion Cross and A-Record standing?
A-Record is the equal of Southwest Airways elite standing, and requires flying 25 Southwest one-way flights per calendar yr, or incomes 35,000 tier qualifying factors per calendar yr. Whereas most Companion Cross members will earn A-Record robotically, that received’t all the time be the case, together with for individuals who earn Companion Cross by a promotional supply.
Do Southwest Companion Cross factors expire?
Incomes Companion Cross relies on what number of qualifying factors you earn over the course of a calendar yr. So yearly that counter resets, and also you’ll want to begin over with incomes Companion Cross.
When does Southwest Companion Cross expire?
Companion Cross ordinarily expires on the finish of the yr following the yr by which you earned it. In different phrases, should you earned it on June 1, 2023, it could be legitimate by December 31, 2024. Nevertheless, should you earn Companion Cross with some kind of a promotion, the expiration coverage could also be completely different.
Backside line
Southwest Companion Cross is an distinctive worth, because it permits you to have a companion journey with you whereas simply paying taxes & charges, no matter whether or not you’re paying money or redeeming factors on your ticket. The simplest method to earn Southwest Companion Cross is with Southwest Airways’ bank cards.
What do you make of the worth proposition of Southwest Companion Cross?
