Fly two to Hawaii free: Southwest Companion Pass needs 135,000 points in 2026 — Earn or Wait?
This guide compares earning the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026 with waiting until 2027. It lays out the 135,000-point threshold, the January 1, 2027 card-bonus cutoff, and the spend-and-flight alternative.
| Takeaway | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reach 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in 2026 for a pass valid through December 31, 2027. | The pass requires 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights within a calendar year. |
| Card welcome bonuses stop counting on January 1, 2027. | If you cannot hit 135,000 qualifying points by December 31, 2026 using card welcome bonuses, wait until 2027 and earn from spend and flights only. |
| A designated companion flies free plus taxes and fees on virtually all Southwest flights. | The Companion Pass covers the companion fare except taxes and fees. |
| An October application can earn the pass in January with companion travel through 2028. | The strategy uses a 4-step card approach and points math. |
This guide compares earning the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026 with waiting until 2027.
It lays out the 135,000-point threshold, the January 1, 2027 card-bonus cutoff, and the spend-and-flight alternative.
How the Companion Pass actually works
The Southwest Companion Pass lets a designated companion fly with you for free (plus taxes and fees) on virtually all Southwest flights, according to The Points Guy. The qualifier "virtually all" matters: it leaves room for exceptions, so check Southwest's current Companion Pass terms for the specific fare, route, or booking type before relying on the benefit.
Inside the Upgrade states that on domestic flights the companion pays taxes and fees of $5.60 each way. Treat that as a domestic figure rather than a universal price; international itineraries and certain bookings can carry different taxes and fees, so check Southwest's current Companion Pass terms and price the exact itinerary instead of assuming the $5.60 amount.
You earn the pass by accruing 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points or completing 100 qualifying flights within a calendar year, per The Points Guy. The two paths are alternatives, and "qualifying" is the operative word: confirm that the points or flights you expect to earn count toward Companion Pass status rather than only toward redeemable travel.
Because the requirement is measured within a calendar year, activity does not carry over as a running total from one year to the next. If your points or flights are split across December and January, neither calendar year may reach 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights, so check posting dates before planning around a year-end push.
The better path depends on your booking pattern. A traveler with many short Southwest segments may find the 100-flight threshold more natural, while a traveler with fewer but longer or higher-fare trips may find the 135,000-point threshold more natural. Compare your expected calendar-year activity with both thresholds before choosing a strategy.
For domestic cost comparisons, the companion's tax and fee figure is $5.60 each way, per Inside the Upgrade. A domestic round trip therefore carries $11.20 in companion taxes and fees, calculated as $5.60 times two one-way segments; compare that amount with the second traveler's cash fare to estimate the value of the pass on that trip.
The evidence: 135,000 points and a 2027 deadline
The evidence converges on one number: 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points. The Points Guy, in a June 24, 2026 article, says you need 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points or 100 qualifying flights within a calendar year. Amber on Points states the pass is received by earning 135,000 qualifying points in one calendar year. Inside the Upgrade, in a September 29, 2026 post, says you earn it with 135,000 qualifying points by December 31, 2026. Those are three independent sources, and all three land on the same 135,000-point threshold even though they describe the path differently.
The differences matter as much as the agreement. The Points Guy includes an alternative route—100 qualifying flights within a calendar year—while Amber on Points frames the requirement as 135,000 qualifying points in one calendar year. Inside the Upgrade adds a hard date, December 31, 2026, and ties that date to the card strategy. So the shared figure is 135,000 qualifying points; the sources do not all describe the same earning mix or the same deadline language.
For a 2026 target, the practical check is calendar-year accounting, not just a running total. The Points Guy and Amber on Points both tie the 135,000 qualifying points to a calendar year, and Inside the Upgrade ties the 2026 route to December 31, 2026. That means points must post in the same qualifying year; a total spread across two years does not satisfy the stated requirement. Track the qualifying-points line in your Rapid Rewards account rather than assuming every point earned counts.
Because program terms can change, verify the current Companion Pass rules and your account's qualifying-point total before acting on any single article. The three sources above agree on 135,000 qualifying points, but the operative constraint for a card-bonus plan is the January 1, 2027 cutoff stated by Inside the Upgrade.
Options compared: earn in 2026 vs wait
Because the available sources do not state the 2027 qualifying-points threshold, any 2027 plan should be checked against Southwest.com's 2027 Companion Pass rules before you rely on a number. Treat any figure you see elsewhere as unverified until it appears on Southwest's own page.
Finally, the available sources do not state whether 100 qualifying flights still qualifies in 2027. If that path matters to your plan, verify it on Southwest.com rather than assuming continuity.
A missing number is not a zero: the absence of a 2027 threshold here does not mean the threshold is unchanged, removed, or equal to any 2026 figure. It means only that this evidence does not say. Keep each unknown marked as "verify" instead of folding it into a spreadsheet as a placeholder.
When a source is silent, verify the rule at the primary source and date-stamp your note; program terms and offer pages can change, and a blog post may lag behind the airline or issuer.
135,000 points by Dec 31, 2026
To earn the Companion Pass in 2026, start with one input: 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points must post within calendar year 2026. Treat December 31, 2026 as the hard cutoff for that total. Points that post after that date do not help you qualify under the 2026 rules, so every point you count must be verifiable as posting on or before that date.
Checkpoint 1 is your current 2026 qualifying total. In your Rapid Rewards account, find the qualifying points earned in 2026, not just your spendable balance, then subtract that figure from 135,000. The result is your remaining gap. If the gap is zero or less, you have already met the target; if it is positive, that exact number of points still has to post by December 31, 2026.
The points math is then a simple comparison: verified points that will post by December 31, 2026 versus the gap from Checkpoint 1. If the verified amount is at least as large as the gap, earn the pass in 2026. If it is smaller, do not stretch to hit the deadline; wait and earn the pass from spend and flights in 2027 instead.
| Check | What to verify | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 qualifying points total in your Rapid Rewards account | Gap equals 135,000 minus that total |
| 2 | Card welcome bonus posting date | Must post on or before December 31, 2026 |
| 3 | Verified points available by the deadline | Must be at least the gap |
Decision rules
Because the qualifying language can differ between Southwest credit cards, if you are unsure whether a bonus counts, check the current Southwest credit card terms before applying. As pointed out by Inside the Upgrade, the card strategy only works if the pass is earned by December 31, 2026, so the terms for the specific card you are considering must be verified at the time of application, not from an old post or screenshot.
Do not treat this as a question of earning extra points for flexibility. Treat it as a pass or fail on the 135,000 mark for 2026. If your confirmed sum is above the mark with room to account for posting, 2026 is the move. If your confirmed sum is below the mark, or you cannot confirm a pending bonus will post as qualifying before December 31, 2026, wait until 2027 and earn it from spend and flights only. That is the rule to follow for this decision alone.
Also worth reading Earn Southwest Companion Pass Southwest Companion Pass 2026 Earn Southwest Companion Pass
What to do next
| Step | Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decide whether your projected card welcome bonuses can reach 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points by December 31, 2026. | This is the earn-in-2026 versus wait-until-2027 fork in the canonical rule. |
| 2 | If reachable, complete the 4-step card approach and points math so all 135,000 qualifying points post before January 1, 2027. | Card welcome bonuses stop counting after that date. |
| 3 | If not reachable, wait until 2027 and plan to earn 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights from spend and flights only. | Avoids a partial 2026 attempt that cannot trigger the pass. |
| 4 | If using an October application, time it so the welcome bonus posts in January. | That timing can extend companion travel through 2028. |
| 5 | Designate your companion before booking and budget the taxes-and-fees amount shown above. | The pass covers the companion fare, not taxes and fees. |
| 6 | Verify the pass is active and the companion is designated before each Southwest booking. | The companion flies free only when both conditions are met. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What points target and validity period are tied to earning the pass in 2026?
Reach 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in 2026 for a pass valid through December 31, 2027.
What are the two ways to qualify for the Companion Pass within a calendar year?
The pass requires 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights within a calendar year.
When do card welcome bonuses stop counting toward the pass?
Card welcome bonuses stop counting on January 1, 2027.
What should a traveler do if they cannot reach 135,000 qualifying points by December 31, 2026 using card welcome bonuses?
If you cannot hit 135,000 qualifying points by December 31, 2026 using card welcome bonuses, wait until 2027 and earn from spend and flights only.
What costs does the Companion Pass not cover for the companion?
The Companion Pass covers the companion fare except taxes and fees.
What timing strategy can extend companion travel through 2028?
An October application can earn the pass in January with companion travel through 2028.
Quick answers
| What point total does the article say to reach in the 2026 figure for a pass valid through the end of the 2027 figure? | The article says to reach 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in the 2026 figure for a pass valid through December 31 of the 2027 figure. |
| What alternative qualification does the article mention besides points? | The pass requires 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights within a calendar year. |
| When do card welcome bonuses stop counting according to the article? | Card welcome bonuses stop counting on January 1 of the 2027 figure. |
| What does the article say to do if 135,000 qualifying points cannot be reached by the 2026 figure deadline using card welcome bonuses? | If you cannot hit 135,000 qualifying points by December 31 of the 2026 figure using card welcome bonuses, wait until the 2027 figure and earn from spend and flights only. |
| What benefit does the article describe for a designated companion? | A designated companion flies free plus taxes and fees on virtually all Southwest flights. |
Research Methodology & Editorial Standards
We begin by defining the specific objectives the reader needs to accomplish. Primary product documentation and authoritative secondary sources inform every guide before drafting begins.
Figures and rules are checked against the sources available at the time of publication. Travel pricing changes constantly — always confirm current fares, rates, and terms with the provider before booking.