Southwest Airlines is back with its free mini-Companion Pass offer for the fourth year. While the first two versions of this promotion were almost identical, the airline tweaked it for 2023, making it harder to earn the pass. I don’t know if Southwest’s current problems have anything to do with it, but the 2024 offer goes back to looking much like the offers from 2021 and 2022, and includes a major improvement.
Past Companion Pass Offers
Here are the details of the 2021 offer:
And here’s the almost identical 2022 offer:
The 2023 promotion looked the same, but with one significant change:
Notice the difference? Instead of having until November to take your flight, you had to complete the travel by the end of September.
2024 Companion Pass Offer
The current offer is out, and it ends today.
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Register now, then purchase a round trip or two one-way flights from 9/3-9/5.
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Travel by 11/20.
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Companion flies free* with you 1/6-3/6/2025.
Once again, you have until mid-November 20th to complete the flights. A major change now is that flights paid for with cash, points, or a combination of both are all eligible. In previous years, only cash bookings were eligible for the offer
This might be the best version of the limited Companion Pass deal we’ve seen. All of the offers had these things in common:
- The promotions only ran for a very limited time, with a midweek window of just a few days.
- You had to register and book one round trip or two one-way flights.
- The Companion Pass would be good from the week after New Year’s Day until the end of February (or the first week of March).
- The offer was only good for flights booked after registering; previous bookings did not count.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, a Companion Pass is a valuable perk that can save you a lot of money each year. The pass lets you bring a companion on any Southwest flight at no extra charge except for taxes and fees. If you earn a pass, it’s valid for the rest of the year you earned it and the following year.
For 2024, Southwest went back to letting you complete travel until just before the Thanksgiving rush, and they’ve opened up the promotion to flights booked with cash, points or cash and points. This is the best version of the offer we’ve seen.
Final Thought
I’ve always thought these Southwest Companion Pass promotions were restrictive. Southwest limited the Companion Pass dates to the time of the year when most people aren’t traveling. However, moving those flights to Southwest might make sense if you were going to take a trip before the holiday season and another trip during January or February of the following year.
When Southwest changed the offer in 2023, making it more limited, I thought it was a sign that the deal was on the way out. In other programs, when offers become more restrictive, it’s a sign that the offer may eventually be eliminated. Does anyone else remember the IHG Accelerate offers?
Now that Southwest has brought back the original terms for 2024 and opened it up to more people, maybe this one is here to stay. Or, it could be a sign that the airline is in trouble and they need to boost ticket sales in whatever way possible.
Regardless of the reason for the changes in 2024, if this Companion Pass offer is suitable for you, then take advantage of it.
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