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| I flew to LA with Rapid Rewards Points--Statue of Jerry West outside the Staples Center |
One of my favorite domestic airlines is Southwest. Why, you might ask. First is the friendly staff. They tend to be much less uptight than people who work for some of the other major airlines in the US. Another reason why I really like Southwest is the fact that two bags fly for free. From Denver, where many of my flights take off from, there are many places that are pretty cheap. I went to Puerto Vallarta a few years ago. It cost me about 5,700 Rapid Rewards points and $77 each for four people. That came up to about 23,000 points and $300. Not bad.
One of the best deals in the travel hacking industry is the Southwest Companion Pass. Usually, it takes 110,000 Rapid Rewards points that come from Southwest's credit cards and any bonuses they offer and from actually flying. People who fly frequently and who get a signup bonus can hit this. I've never come close. I've never had one of the Southwest credit cards. All of my points with Southwest have come from putting my butt in a seat in one of their planes or from Ultimate Rewards transfers from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card. I've used Southwest for flights to LAX and Puerto Vallarta, among others.
For a limited time only, Southwest is offering a Companion Pass through the rest of 2019 to people who get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority or Premier cards through February 11, 2019. The cards come with a 30,000 signup bonus and the Companion Pass if you can come up with $4,000 in the first three months after opening your account (not the date that you actually get the card). This could be a good idea if you're looking to fly to Hawaii with Southwest. The carrier is supposed to start flying to the middle of the Pacific this year.
However, if you're looking for the normal Companion Pass, you'd do better to wait for a 50,000 or 60,000 point bonus. These are fairly normal, and if you can get the additional points needed for the Companion Pass, it'll be good for the calendar year you earn the Pass and the whole next year. If you want to take a couple of trips this year, the 30,000 bonus points and the promotional Companion Pass could pay off.
When you have the Companion Pass, you can choose a fellow traveler (your "companion") to travel with you for free. You only pay the taxes, which can range from $5.60 each way on domestic flights to around $100 on round-trip international flights to Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. If you use points to get your flights, your companion costs no points. You still only pay the taxes. That's why this is such a great deal. If you live close to an airport that has flights with Southwest, you might want to check it out.
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