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Approaching companion pass but confused

tparrent
Explorer C

I currently have almost 94,000 RR points this year and they all show up as Companion Pass qualifying points.I would like to receive the Companion Pass status but some of the rules confuse me and I am finding it difficult to calculate exactly what I need by year end.

 

I have a Southwest credit card that I use very frequently. I read that there is a limit of 15,000 qualifying points in a year from the card but I have not found any information on how to look up information on where I am relative to that limit (I assume I am over it)

 

I still have at least 9 one way flights booked this year but cannot tell how many qualifying points they will generate.

 

I am one flight away from A List qualification. Will subsequent flights that are already booked receive the A List extra points? Do those extra points count towards Companion Pass qualification?

 

Would buying Southwest gift cards move me closer to qualification? What if I am already above the credit card annual 15,000 point limit? I fly Southwest nearly every week so I would certainly use the gift cards next year.

 

If I upgrade some of my Wanna Get Away fares that I have already booked through year end, will I get additional credit towards Companion Pass?

 

I seem to recall that any charges to my Southwest card will only count as of the billing cycle posting date which will be in early December. Subsequent purchases will not then count towards qualification, right? (Assuming I have room under the annual cap)

 

As qualifying for Companion Pass is going to be a close call (but very valuable for me), I want to make sure I take whatever action I need in time for it to matter. It would even be worth it for me to take a couple extra flights to wherever if that put me over the top but I would want to make sure that those flights did put me over.

 

Thanks for answers and suggestions!

4 REPLIES 4

Re: Approaching companion pass but confused

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@tparrent wrote:

I currently have almost 94,000 RR points this year and they all show up as Companion Pass qualifying points.I would like to receive the Companion Pass status but some of the rules confuse me and I am finding it difficult to calculate exactly what I need by year end.

 

I have a Southwest credit card that I use very frequently. I read that there is a limit of 15,000 qualifying points in a year from the card but I have not found any information on how to look up information on where I am relative to that limit (I assume I am over it)

 

I still have at least 9 one way flights booked this year but cannot tell how many qualifying points they will generate.

 

I am one flight away from A List qualification. Will subsequent flights that are already booked receive the A List extra points? Do those extra points count towards Companion Pass qualification?

 

Would buying Southwest gift cards move me closer to qualification? What if I am already above the credit card annual 15,000 point limit? I fly Southwest nearly every week so I would certainly use the gift cards next year.

 

If I upgrade some of my Wanna Get Away fares that I have already booked through year end, will I get additional credit towards Companion Pass?

 

I seem to recall that any charges to my Southwest card will only count as of the billing cycle posting date which will be in early December. Subsequent purchases will not then count towards qualification, right? (Assuming I have room under the annual cap)

 

As qualifying for Companion Pass is going to be a close call (but very valuable for me), I want to make sure I take whatever action I need in time for it to matter. It would even be worth it for me to take a couple extra flights to wherever if that put me over the top but I would want to make sure that those flights did put me over.

 

Thanks for answers and suggestions!


The credit card points are earned as you go in increments, so you probably have already earned them and they are included in the 94,000 points already. Those are bonus points, there isn't a limit to your 1x points for all spending, the 15,000 points are extra for every $10,000 you spend you get an extra 1,500 towards tier qualifying and CP qualifying.

 

If you have 9 WGA legs purchased and will fly this year, the earning is 6x points for flights, so if each of these was about $100 for example, you'll have 9 x $100 x 6 = 5,400 points for these. Adjust the price for yourself to get a rough idea but you could be expecting 5000 to 10,000 points for these. 

 

You also get 1x bonus for purchasing Southwest with the RR card, and also 1x for spending - these both hit based on the credit card billing cycle so you'll get the rest of November and early December to count for this.

 

The A-list bonus point percentage doesn't earn towards CP or Tier qualifying unfortunately, these are points for redemption only. 

 

So depending on your spending amount that will hit by your early december billing cycle, you could consider upgrading some of your WGA fares to Business Select to earn 12x points (6x points incremental improvement over what you have already booked) if you don't foresee the flights plus expected spending making the remainder.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Approaching companion pass but confused

elijahbrantley
Aviator A

I am not sure I can answer all of this, but I will tell you what I do know.

 


@tparrent wrote:

 

I have a Southwest credit card that I use very frequently. I read that there is a limit of 15,000 qualifying points in a year from the card but I have not found any information on how to look up information on where I am relative to that limit (I assume I am over it)

 


Any and all Southwest credit card points count toward CP, BUT they statement has to close and the points post before the end of the year in order for the points to count.  There is a limit of of 15,000 Tier Qualifying Points that can count toward A List, but that is separate from CP qualification.

 


@tparrent wrote:

 

I still have at least 9 one way flights booked this year but cannot tell how many qualifying points they will generate.

 


This is something I like to see as well, and it is not necessarily easy.  I remember when estimated points were shown in your upcoming reservations, but now, you can find them in your confirmation emails.  As long as you have those saved, you should be able to add those estimated points you will earn up pretty easily.

 


@tparrent wrote: 

I am one flight away from A List qualification. Will subsequent flights that are already booked receive the A List extra points? Do those extra points count towards Companion Pass qualification?

 


Based on my research, bonus points that come along with A List status do NOT count toward CP qualification.

 


@tparrent wrote: 

Would buying Southwest gift cards move me closer to qualification? What if I am already above the credit card annual 15,000 point limit? I fly Southwest nearly every week so I would certainly use the gift cards next year.

 


In theory, you could indeed do this if you pay for the GCs with your Southwest credit card.  Just be sure the statement will close before the end of the year, of course.

 


@tparrent wrote: 

If I upgrade some of my Wanna Get Away fares that I have already booked through year end, will I get additional credit towards Companion Pass?

 


DING DING DING!  The difference in the amount of points that WGA fares earn and Business Select fares earn is HUGE!  The first year I qualified for CP on points, more expense fares was how I accomplished it!  When I book Anytime for work, I usually upgrade to BS on my own dime.  This would be a sure-fire way to get lots of points!

 


@tparrent wrote:

 

I seem to recall that any charges to my Southwest card will only count as of the billing cycle posting date which will be in early December. Subsequent purchases will not then count towards qualification, right? (Assuming I have room under the annual cap)

 


Correct...credit card points post after the statement closes.

 

Good for you for figuring out how to get this done!  Don't let a few thousand points stand between you and the most valuable elite perk in the industry.  Good luck!

-A List, Companion Pass holder

Re: Approaching companion pass but confused

elijahbrantley
Aviator A

You might also find this helpful: https://millionmilesecrets.com/guides/southwest-companion-pass-points/

-A List, Companion Pass holder

Re: Approaching companion pass but confused

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

I've included some info in red after each of your questions, hopefully it helps.  Reply if you have additional questions, and good luck on earning CP.

 

@tparrent wrote:

I currently have almost 94,000 RR points this year and they all show up as Companion Pass qualifying points.I would like to receive the Companion Pass status but some of the rules confuse me and I am finding it difficult to calculate exactly what I need by year end.

 

I have a Southwest credit card that I use very frequently. I read that there is a limit of 15,000 qualifying points in a year from the card but I have not found any information on how to look up information on where I am relative to that limit (I assume I am over it)

 

The 15,000 point limit is related to A-List qualifying points, not CP.  There is no cap on CP qualifying points.  Spend $1, get 1 CP qualifying RR point.

 

I still have at least 9 one way flights booked this year but cannot tell how many qualifying points they will generate.

 

The amount of RR points earned from flying depends on what ticket type you booked.

Wanna Get Away = 6x fare

Anytime = 10x fare

Business Select = 12x fare

You may want to upgrade your remaining flights to Business Select to earn more CP qualifying points.

 

I am one flight away from A List qualification. Will subsequent flights that are already booked receive the A List extra points? Do those extra points count towards Companion Pass qualification?

 

Yes, you should get the extra bonus points for being A-List, but they do not count towards CP.

 

Would buying Southwest gift cards move me closer to qualification? What if I am already above the credit card annual 15,000 point limit? I fly Southwest nearly every week so I would certainly use the gift cards next year.

 

There's nothing special when it comes to earning points about buying Southwest gift cards.  Each dollar spent on a Southwest credit card is a Companion Pass qualifying point.  Buy gift cards or groceries or gas or anything else you want.  

 

If I upgrade some of my Wanna Get Away fares that I have already booked through year end, will I get additional credit towards Companion Pass?

 

Yes, as noted earlier.

 

I seem to recall that any charges to my Southwest card will only count as of the billing cycle posting date which will be in early December. Subsequent purchases will not then count towards qualification, right? (Assuming I have room under the annual cap)

 

Points earned from credit card spend post shortly after your statement closes so the statement that closes in December will be the last points that post for 2018.  I've heard some people say you can call to adjust your statement closing date, but I don't have any experience with that.  Dont' spend on December 30 and think you'll get those points credited towards 2018 CP qualification.  And again, there is no CP annual cap.

 

As qualifying for Companion Pass is going to be a close call (but very valuable for me), I want to make sure I take whatever action I need in time for it to matter. It would even be worth it for me to take a couple extra flights to wherever if that put me over the top but I would want to make sure that those flights did put me over.

 

With a little time left you can still find some other creative options such as utilizing the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal, https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/

Most, but not all points earned through the shopping site qualify for CP.  Beware of "bonus" points, they typically do not qualify.  Sending flowers to someone is a popular earning method.  You could also book and complete a hotel stay via the Southwest hotels link.  Some hotels offer several thousand points per night and those do count towards CP.  You must complete the stay this year, not just book it. 

 

If you're down to the last 2 weeks of December and still short then it's probably time to hop on a plane and do some mileage runs.  

 

Thanks for answers and suggestions!

 

Good luck!

--TheMiddleSeat