Timing Your Spend
We wrote earlier about the 100,000 points signup bonus on all three personal Chase Southwest credit cards. There is a $4,000 spend requirement. Notably, this time they are giving five months to meet the spend requirement. Also notable, the offer is slated to be around through September 17, 2025.
To get the Southwest Companion Pass requires 135,000 points. Cardholders get a boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points which are deposited into your account by January 31st of each calendar year. And so effectively you need to earn 125,000 points in order to get the pass.
After meeting the $4,000 spend on the card, you’ll have at least 104,000 points, or possibly a bit more, depending where you did the spend. You’ll have to make up the 21,000 points shortfall with some other points earning method. More on that below.
Someone who hits the 135,000 points threshold in 2025 will end up getting the Companion Pass for the last few months of 2025 and the entire 2026.
And if you have some points earned on your 2025 credit card statements and some on your 2026 card statements, those points won’t combine at all to help you get the pass since you need to earn 135,000 in a single calendar year. That means on your 12 credit card statements from January through December 2026 is where the points all have to show.
The key here is timing the signup bonus points and any other points earned so that they only arrive in your account on the January 2026 card statement or beyond.
Getting The Pass In 2026-2027
The good news is that this card signup bonus is slated to be around through September 17th, and we’re given five months to meet the spend requirement. You can delay signing up for the card until September, and then your spend requirement will have to be met by February.
For example, suppose you sign up for the card on September 5th. And let’s suppose your statement closes on the 10th of each (this is a made-up number). Starting on December 11, 2025, you’ll want to start meeting the spend requirement, and you’ll want to complete it before February 5th.
On your statement-close of January 10th and February 10th, the points earned from the spend and the signup bonus will officially post to your Southwest account. If you hit the 125k/135k required number, you’ll then have the Companion Pass from February 10, 2026 through the rest of 2026, and then also for the entire 2027. Almost two full years.
We wrote more about how to time your statement-close in this post. It’s not necessary this time, but can help get the pass a bit earlier in the year to squeeze in an extra few weeks. Regardless, you’ll have two months time to meet the spend, from your December statement close until your February statement close.
Readers suggest that changing the Due Date to the 26th of the month should result in the statement closing on the first of each month. Others recommend changing to the 2nd or 5th to avoid cutting it so close. Note that you might not be able to change your due date more than once-per-180-days, so we have to get it right the first time.
You can read this article we wrote two years and this one from last year, along with the comments, for more discussion on the timing.
Getting 21,000 Points
You’ll still need 21,000 points after getting the 100,000 bonus + 4,000 from the regular spend. Here are a few ideas, please share your own in the comments.
- Signup for a Southwest business credit card as well. Maybe we’ll see an increased offer come at some point.
- Use the Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal. Note, only regular portal earnings count (including increased portal rates), but not the seasonal spend offers. E.g. spend $500 and get 1,000 points – those 1,000 points won’t count while the regular portal earn rate will count.
- Spend multiplier on the credit card. Try doing your initial $4k spend at categories which earn a card multiplier. They recently added some 2x earnings rates on gas, grocery, or restaurant categories on the various cards (see precise details in this post), and you can do Southwest spend for a multiplier as well.
- Regular spend on the credit. Spend $25,000 on the card instead of just $4,000, and that will give you the 25,000 points you need.
- Refer friends to the Southwest credit card. Note, again, you’ll have to time this so that the referral points only credit to you (the referrer) on your January 2026 card statement or beyond. If it posts in 2025 it won’t combine with your 2026 earnings toward Companion Pass.
- Booking hotels through Southwest can offer lucrative points bonuses.
View Comments (50)
IMO There is no doubt CP will increase from 135K in 2026.
Any 100K personal card gets a person 114K CPQP if timed correctly.
My guess is CP in 2026 will ~ 175K so I would plan accordingly
Help me out. Are you saying do this offer now or wait until next year?
Also worth noting that Chase will let you change your statement date, but can take more than 1 statement cycle to take effect. So for those who want to do Xmas shopping on the card to hit the spend, but their statement date is later in the month, you could change it to an earlier day like the 5th. You'd want to do it before your November statement, maybe even in October.. That way you have more time after the Dec statement date to shop on the card before the holiday. I believe you can request the change from the online banking, maybe even in the app.
The problem with the 2027 analysis is that you’re assuming Elliot won’t say that requirements have to change.
Elliot or not, that risk has been the case for those aiming to have CP hit in January, for like a decade, maybe more. But when you're awarded the CP it tells you right away when it will expire. I don't think they could say it expires 12/31/2027 and then change their mind half way through
Yes but the 135K points currently needed for CP CAN and likely WILL change ( increase) for 2026
I have a CP valid through 2026, but no card. If P2 opens a card for the checked bag benefit, will both of us get free checked bags even if P1 made the booking with P2 as CP?
"The primary Rapid Rewards® Credit Cardmember and up to eight Passengers traveling on the same reservation are each eligible to receive their first standard checked bag free."
It also says that the benefit holder's RR# needs to be associated to their ticket. As far as I can tell the terms do not specifically state that the person with the benefit has to be the one who placed the reservation or that the card itself has to be used to pay for the reservation. So based on that, I think you would both get the free checked bag... but I also think this remains to be seen in practice
Can I share these point between me and P2 while booking?
What do you mean? P2 will be free, cuz of the companion pass you just got.
does anyone know if the choice of seat benefit is for just the cardholder or anyone on the reservation you're making? what if you're a cardholder but paying for the fare with another CC (i.e. working through a SUB for an INK, for example). Very curious how that works
Cardholder benefits apply to up to 8 pax on the booking. It's tied to your RR account so you don't need to use the card to purchase
Keen to know the answer to these questions as well. Also wondering about the free checked bag. Is that one per person on the reservation or just one for the card holder?
Does the free checked bag also apply to the Companion? The Companion will have their unique reservation number - so will they also receive a free checked bag if they are RR members without a credit card? If they do have the credit card?
I currently have the CP ending this December. P2 and I have a flight booked through my account with him as the companion for October that was booked after the free bags ended. Any thoughts on if I would apply for this card for P2 before our October flights if he would get free bag(s) from holding the card even though he's booked as my companion?
My companion got free bags on two flights in late June, both booked after rule changes. He does not have a CC as he is a child.
I have a 3 year old personal SW card right now. If I cancel today, think it’ll fall off my account with Chase quickly enough to be eligible for the bonus (assuming I meet all the other criteria)?
I would wait a week. People report as little as 5 days.
I believe the consensus is that 30 days between closing and reapplying is sufficient.
5/24 still ? Or do you think they will relax it ?
I'm honestly just kinda perplexed at why anyone would go with the more expensive AF cards given the same signup bonus'?
The differences between the cards (to me at least) look like.... little to nothing? Okay, maybe a slightly better category for 2x miles.... better annual bonus for the AF.... But outside of that, 90% of the benefits are the same whether there is a $100 fee or a $230 AF.
If you're hoping that those upgraded seat selections at 48 hours out actually amount to something, but that's anyone's guess whether inventory will actually exist.
For someone that flies Southwest a lot and easily uses all points earned, the Premier card would likely be the best of the three. For an additional $50 you get 3,000 more points a year, worth maybe $35 to $40, plus a 15% flight promo code vs. a 10% promo code. Most of the promo codes can be used on either a one way or a round trip, and up to 8 passengers. The extra 5% should easily result in and additional more than $10 to $15. Some cardholders might also value the tier qualifying points.
The higher cost Priority card could be more valuable to those that value seat selection, and even higher tier qualifying point earning.