Southwest's Companion Pass

[lovesny]

I'm confused on the SW Companion Pass.

I currently have 64,000 Rapid Rewards points accrued by using my SW Visa Plus Card. I have had these points since 2013.

I recently applied for, and was approved, for the Premier Card which will give me an additional 50,000 pts.

After receiving the 50,000 pts from the Premier card, my total reward points will be around 114,000 points.

Does this make me eligible for the Companion Pass, or must all of the 110,000 pts needed for the Companion Pass be earned in 2014????

 

[DizMe]

I'm interested in this, too. Also, is there an optimal time of year to apply for the second card so that you get the most out of the companion pass? I've read about people getting a year and a half, I think, based upon when they qualified.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Deleted. I think my information is wrong from the Googling I've just done . Hopefully someone can help!

 

[SMCURT28]

You have to earn the 110,000 points in one calendar year. If the promotion is offered, it's best to apply for two of the cards in Nov. so you can get your spend accomplished in Dec and have your points credited in Jan to maximize the companion pass. are you able to get the business card? That would be another option.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

What are "Tier Qualifying Purchases"? I have the Premier card and use it a lot, but it only shows that I've had 4,500 "Tier Qualifying Purchases" and I have 85,000 Southwest points in my account. I'm not really sure how to make more Tier Qualifying purchases .

 

[SMCURT28]

Yes, Neverland, you do use your card a lot because 4,500 Tier qualifying points means you spent 30,000 on your card so far. You earn 1,500 TqP for each 10,000 you spend. The tiers are used to get you to A list which will offer a host of other Sw flight perks. The Sw website is pretty detailed on this rather than me type out all the details.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I've looked through the details on the Terms and Conditions of the tiers, but it looks like it says only purchases through "Rapid Rewards Partners". Is that only through online shopping? I see that I get 1,500 for every $10,000 spent on the credit card, but it maxes out at 15,000 points getting points that way. I guess I thought that everyday purchases and the regular points accrued using my card all counted towards reaching new tiers and getting a Companion Pass . And our 50k sign up bonus never credited towards any tier upgrades. We were able to purchase a car with our Southwest card and paid for an Alaskan cruise (both paid off immediately, though) so that added up quickly!

 

[SMCURT28]

The companion pass and tiers are two separate items and some points you earn are either applicable to the CP, Tiers, or both. Your SW RR account will show you which count for each item. I can tell you that the 50,000 bonus points and other promotional bonus points do not count as tier qualifying points but they do count toward CP. (that's how I got my CP). Any spending through RR Shopping Portal is CP qualifying including the bonus points, however none of the bonus points are tier qualifying (only the amount actually charged to your card is tier qualifying). Any of your day to day spending is both CP and Tier qualifying, but as you stated, you can only earn 15,000 tier points from cc spend; other tier points would have to be earned via qualifying flights.