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How to get the SW companion pass for free(click on internal link)

I get told all the time that all I do is travel. The irony in that is I am not always in an airplane, but I do enjoy going on adventures, be it an airplane or in a car as sitting at home too often for me gets boring.

What would the world be without meeting new people, trying need food and hopping on a flight to a foreign or local destination? This is exactly why I created this website to teach you how I travel for less or the best ways to find discounted rates. Along with helping travel hack I create group trips locally and abroad and I do all the work, you just book your flight, be it discounted or with points. So before you continue make sure you are subscribed and signed up to receive any emails and hacks from Wonderlust Adventure.

Now, lets get back to the basics. This may come as a surprise to you, but seeing as I am not the first person to teach travel hacking I will teach you how to earn the Southwest companion pass from a newer hackers standpoint. What does ‘travel hacker,’ really mean you ask? Travel hacking is ‘a series of methods to earn points, often without flying or staying at hotels to be redeemed for travel.’

Many credit card companies will give you sign up bonuses, but just know that not all credit cards are created equally. Also it is important to know that having a good credit score is vital to getting approved for some specific credit cards, but you certainly do not need perfect credit. The key to having credit cards that nobody teaches you is that it is vital to pay them off as you go. Treat your credit card like that of a debit card. If you do not have the funds or cannot come up with the finds by the time the bill is due, do not charge too much, however this is not a blog to teach you how to handle your finances.

With that said to earn the companion pass for Southwest there are a few tips and tricks. Signing up for the Chase biz ink southwest credit card is where you will start. You will earn a sign up bonus of miles, once you hit the minimum spend, in the allotted time (MS for short).

For example, I signed up for the Chase Biz Ink card and earned 80,000 Southwest miles. To get the Southwest companion pass you need a total of 125,000 miles in one calendar years. 

So, the first card I received the 80,000 Southwest miles, which I have redeemed for numerous flights and then I opened another business card with SW and received another 60,000 miles which ensured that I earned the Southwest companion pass a month ago. 

Now, just note you do not need to own a business for the business cards, and neither card will do a hard pull on your credit, which most other card companies will do, including chase, when you open a new credit card. 

The biggest takeaway you need to know is that the best time to apply for the first Southwest credit card is prior to the winter season and new year rolling around, so around November apply for the card and you have November until January to earn the minimum spend.

 The key to the minimum spend is to not spend the entire amount in those three months. Leave about $500 until January and once January 1, 2023 hits, you can reach the rest of your spend. Then you can open another Southwest card once January 1, 2023 hits (just make sure you are following the 5/24 rule that is known for chase cards when opening any regular credit card.) The reason for this is so you can get two calendar years of the Southwest companion pass in if you earn it in the beginning of the new year. 

I received my SW companion pass in May 2022 because I was having issues with an updated address so it was taking a bit longer for my new card to be approved, but once it was approved I received my companion pass after spending the minimum spent (MS)in the allotment time. The MS must be spent in the time frame the credit card company denotes, so you can receive the bonus points as well as your chance to earn the companion pass by getting to the 125,000 SW points.

The great part once you earn the companion pass with SW, you can change it up to three times to have people join you on flights. So, I recently booked a ticket to Tampa, Florida on the points I earned from the card, another great thing about using credit cards to pay for things. When I received the companion pass I added my companion and only had to pay taxes. So all together my ticket is $11.20 and so is my companion. That probably will be the most inexpensive flight you ever go on. Happy applying and safe travels. 

Please note if you click on my referral link I do get a small bonus of points and this way I am able to keep my site for free and share all these travel hacks. 

If you want to learn more travel tips or join an adventure I also run group trips locally and abroad, so if you are new here, welcome to the fun Wonderlust Adventure that lies ahead. Check out the trip to Costa Rica for February 2023, all details have been emailed to subscribers of this website.