[Updated]
Most of us are familiar with the Southwest Companion Pass. Briefly, if you accumulate 110,000 Southwest points you can choose one person to travel with you for free for one year. It’s actually possible to get the companion pass for almost two years. This is because you get it until the end of the current calendar year and the next calendar year. This means that if you earn it in January of 2016, you’d get the companion pass until December of 2017. For more info see Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Southwest Companion Pass.
One added benefit is that the Companion Pass allows us to change your companion in middle. You can change your designated companion up to three times. The way this always been known previously was that you got 3 changes total across the entire Companion Pass.
The terms now indicate that you can change your companion 3 times per calendar year. Here’s what the terms look like:
Apparently, they’ve updated the terms to base the companion change on the calendar year. If you get your Companion Pass in January 2016, you can change three times in 2016 and then another 3 times in 2017. Total of 6 changes possible.
[Here’s the exact language of the old terms: “the Member may change his/her designated Companion and request issuance of a new Companion Pass up to three (3) times within the validity period of the Pass”.]
Thanks to my friend Mastermind85 who tipped me off about this. He heard this from a few Southwest reps and then we found this language has been updated in the terms as well.
Thanks Chuck for this very welcome news. I too had been told in the past (by SW reps) that it was just 3 changes over life of pass. This apparent change will definitely add some flexibility for the benefit.
You are correct the “terms” have always said during the the life of the pass until now… So it is news worthy! However, SW has always mentioned over the phone the past 4 years that it was 3 times per year and I peronally never had an issue changing 6 times during life of the pass. It appears SW’s T&C are now in agreement with what they have been practicing.
@Andrew @Ashker @Shane It’s possible It’s been this way for a while, but all the blogs that turned up in my google searches were saying otherwise so I assumed this much be a change. I don’t know exactly for how long this has been.
Thanks for the input.
As of March 2011, it was based on the entire time of the pass. See the end of this FT post http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15953688-post1.html
So it much have switched since then. Not sure exactly when.
This has always been the case. I’ve had the CP since 2012 and I’ve always switched it 3 times per calendar year.
This has been the case at least for the last two years!
hmm, thought this was always the case. My friend definitely did more than 3 changes within the 2 years he had it for 2014 and 2015
I did some googling, seems this was always the case,
“Note: You can change your companion up to 3 times per calendar year (6 times total, if you hold the pass for 2 years). Choose wisely!”
It’s possible this took effect in late 2014 as the timeline is blurry, I just know that mid-2014 and before it was only 3 times per the life of the companion pass.
This is a deal maker. I might actually have a hard time finding that many lady friends.
Southwest currently has 50k point bonuses for their credit cards. Since they give you 3 months to meet the required spend, now would be a good time to get the cards and then meet the spend requirements in January, triggering the companion pass for all of 2016 and 2017.
@Caroline,
My name is credit debit in case you can’t find enough companions for 6 changes.
Awesome — wish this had been the case when I got mine two years ago! Only three changes forced some creativity. 6 would be a breeze.