New to Southwest Airlines

[lsenquiz]

We live 7.5 hours from Disney so have never looked at flying there. For our September trip we are bringing my Niece, her husband and great niece who live in Oihio with us. I plan to fly them so we recently applied and were approved for the Southwest CC which gave us 50k miles. My Son and Daughter in Law are also coming with us and will be moving to San Diego in mid July so I need to get them tickets also. So I have a few questions.

1) I have read on this board that you can apply for another Southwest Visa and get another 50k points and also qualify for a compainion pass. Can someone please provide the details on this?

2) if you get a compainion pass does one of the tickets have to be for the card holder?

3) If we pay cash for my son and DIL's ticket and they end up not coming on the trip do I lose the money for the tickets or can I get it credited back? (My DIL is active military. She got approved leave for September but is not sure it will be honored since she is being transfered to a new base).

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I have not flown for personal reasons in years so just don't know the ins and outs.

 

[pshepherd]

I applied and got approved for the southwest visa. From what I read, you get 2 round trip tickets, which is TYPICALLY equivalent to 50k points. I never saw the "companion" pass mentioned unless that is what they mean when they say 2 tickets

 

[lsenquiz]

I applied and got approved for the southwest visa. From what I read, you get 2 round trip tickets, which is TYPICALLY equivalent to 50k points. I never saw the "companion" pass mentioned unless that is what they mean when they say 2 tickets

The offer did say 2 round trip tickets but you actually get however many tickets you can get for 50k points. I already booked my niece, nephew and great niece which came to a total of 50,520 points.

The companion pass comes when you earn 100k points in one year (I think) and allows a companion to fly free. I have seen where people apply for the regular Southwest card and the Southwest plus card and get 50k for each card which gives them companion status for the next year.

 

[Arkum]

Not sure this would work as the 100,000 points would be credited to two separate accounts as each individual has his/her own rapid rewards account. 50,000 each, thus, not making it possible to achieve the 100,000 pointsto qualify for the companion pass. That's just my thoughts. Could be wrong, but I don't think they would make it that easy to get.

 

[PrincessShanShan]

DH and I BOTH applied for the SW credit card. He got 50,000 points and I got 50,000 points. I think that's probably the easiest way to get the points.

This was 2yrs ago and at that time there was no minimum purchase to get the 50,000 points You just got them with your first purchase using the card. I bought a Skinny Cow candy bar and he paid for meds at the pharmacy. We have flown from the New Orleans to Denver twice and making our third trip over Christmas, all using those points, so 3 round trips for each of us. I think it's by far the best deal we have ever gotten!

Good Luck!

 

[hpfan100]

1. To get the companion pass you can indeed apply for 2 different SW cards in your name to earn 100000 sign up bonus points. There are 4 card types-2 personal and 2 business. You can pick the 2 you feel you qualify for and then you get approved. You need to spend 2000 on each card within 2 or 3 months to get the bonus points. The points will post after your statement close date. With bonuses and spending you will be at 104000 points then you will need to earn another 6000 SW points. Do a google search on the CP and how to get the points for ideas.

2. If you get a CP then one of the people flying must be the person who earned the pass and one must be the CP name. So if you earn the points then you must be on the flight.

3. If you buy a wanna get away ticket with credit card/debit and then cancel the money gets saved for travel up to 1 year later. If you book anytime or business select then it is fully refundable. If you buy the tickets with SW points and need to cancel then the points will return to your account. You will just have the 9/11 fee held for later use.


Based on what you have I see your trip something like this....
1. earn CP in your name/rapid rewards account
2. assign spouse as name on CP
3.use points for son and daughter in law, yourself
4. use points/credit for everyone else


I would start looking at airfare prices and get an idea of how many points you need for everyone's flights. Also, you need to apply for the credit cards right away so you can get you CP in time for your trip.

There are tons of travel blogs out that have many detailed ways to get the CP.

 

[lsenquiz]

Thanks hpfan100!

 

[hpfan100]

Thanks hpfan100!

No prob!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I would use the points to pay for your ds & DIL. If they have to cancel, the points are returned to your account. If you pay cash for them and they have to cancel, the funds are good for 1 year from date of purchase. All travel must be completed by that 1 yr point, not just booked by then.
You can get a 6 month extension but there's a fee to do so and you can't extend until the funds actually expire. This can be frustrating when shortly before the expiration date you find good fares just beyond the expiration date but can't book them and have to just wait for them to expire before extending.

 

[stacielee]

I would use the points to pay for your ds & DIL. If they have to cancel, the points are returned to your account. If you pay cash for them and they have to cancel, the funds are good for 1 year from date of purchase. All travel must be completed by that 1 yr point, not just booked by then.
You can get a 6 month extension but there's a fee to do so and you can't extend until the funds actually expire. This can be frustrating when shortly before the expiration date you find good fares just beyond the expiration date but can't book them and have to just wait for them to expire before extending.

AND they have to be used by the original person, they can't be transferred to a different traveler. It didn't used to be that way but now it is.

 

[TexasErin]

Sorry to high jack.....

But I was just looking at the Southwest website and I see where if I book my hotel in Austin for next month, I could earn 1000 points. But it is for work and I already booked it a few months ago using a government rate that I have to use for work to reimburse me (we are allowed to keep the points ourselves for frequent traveler discounts). Since I did not book it through Southwest, is there still a way to earn rapid reward points for it? Or would I have to cancel it and rebook it through Southwest and hope that I can get something as low as the government rate so that work will reimburse me?

TIA,
Erin

 

[Spoony Bard]

I've had the Southwest Companion Pass for almost a year and a half now. I fly about 15-20 round-trips a year for work with SWA, but that's never been enough to even come close to getting a CP. Here is how I got mine:

1. 50,000 bonus points for the credit card signup
2. Transferred 120,000 Marriott Points to 50,000 SWA points
3. Earned the remaining 10,000 SWA points in flights

Ideally, you'd get your companion pass very early on in the new year, since it's valid for the duration of the year that it was earned, PLUS the entire next calendar year. I earned mine at the end of January 2013.

My current CP expires at the end of the year, but I'll renew it next January by transferring 270,000 Marriott points into 120,000 SWA points (plus a 7 night Marriott stay), which will earn the CP.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. You have to designate a named companion at the time you earn the CP
2. The person who holds the CP must be traveling with the named companion in order for that person to fly for free
3. You still must pay the security fee (typically $2.50 per segment) for the companion
4. The companion will not earn points on their flight
5. The CP holder CAN book their travel with points, and have a their named companion fly for free. We do this all the time.
6. You can switch the named companion up to three times during the life of the CP

My CP is in my daughter's name - by the end of the year, she'll have flown 8 times under it, plus, in November, I'll transfer it to my son's name so that he can fly to Orlando with me at no-cost.

Note that CP status is independent of A-List status. This throws a lot of people off - many people assume that because they've earned CP status, that they've also earned A-List status, but this is not the case. Unless you have A-List status, you must do your best to try to check in right at 24 hours before your flight, or purchase Early Bird check-in.

Overall, I really love flying with SWA. Many of my co-workers hate them, but I think they really do have the best frequent flyer program, the BEST cancellation policy (nobody else even comes close), and the most non-stops from my home airport (Nashville).