The Southwest Airways Speedy Rewards program Companion Cross is likely one of the most precious perks in all of journey. When you earn it, you possibly can convey a delegated companion with you on each paid and award flights, paying solely the taxes and costs on their ticket.
Whether or not you are seeking to fly to Las Vegas, take the household to Orlando or discover Cancun, this information will stroll you thru the present methods to earn the Companion Cross quickest, what counts and what does not, and methods to maximize the profit by 2026.
Associated: 1 in 4 Southwest planes now have extra-legroom seats — here is methods to snag one
What’s the Southwest Companion Cross?
The Southwest Companion Cross is earned once you acquire 135,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a single calendar yr. When you hit that threshold, you possibly can designate one companion to journey with you on each money and award tickets.
The cross is legitimate for the remainder of the yr wherein you earn it, plus all the following yr. For instance, in case you attain 135,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors in September 2025, your Southwest Companion Cross is sweet by Dec. 31, 2026.
You may change your designated companion as much as thrice per calendar yr you maintain the cross, which suggests you could possibly probably fly with as much as 4 completely different folks throughout two years.
Associated: The right way to earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors
What counts towards incomes the Companion Cross?
The next all depend towards your Companion Cross qualifying factors purpose:
- Base factors earned from taking Southwest income flights (earlier than taxes and costs)
- Factors from Southwest Speedy Rewards bank card welcome gives and ongoing spending
- Base factors earned from purchases with Speedy Rewards companions, equivalent to lodges, automobile leases and the Speedy Rewards buying portal
- The ten,000-point annual Companion Cross increase for Southwest Speedy Rewards cardholders
- Factors earned on the money portion of Money + Factors bookings
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
The next don’t depend towards your Companion Cross qualifying factors purpose:
How a lot does it price to earn a Companion Cross from flying alone?
Southwest has “quickly” modified its enterprise mannequin in 2025, and now sells 4 fare bundles, every with its personal incomes price:
- Fundamental: 2 factors per greenback
- Selection: 6 factors per greenback
- Selection Most popular: 10 factors per greenback
- Selection Further: 14 factors per greenback
To achieve 135,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors from flights alone, you’d have to spend:
| Fare bundle | Incomes price | Spending wanted for 135,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental | 2 factors per greenback | $67,500 |
| Selection | 6 factors per greenback | $22,500 |
| Selection Most popular | 10 factors per greenback | $13,500 |
| Selection Further | 14 factors per greenback | $9,643 |
Incomes a Companion Cross from flying alone requires important spending. That is why savvy vacationers flip to bank card welcome gives.
The right way to earn a Companion Cross sooner with Southwest bank cards
Chase points 5 cobranded Southwest bank cards. Their welcome gives are the quickest path to a Companion Cross, as they depend towards your Companion Cross qualifying factors.
The three private Southwest bank cards every at the moment supply 100,000 Speedy Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 within the first 5 months from account opening:
The knowledge for the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
The Southwest Speedy Rewards enterprise bank cards additionally supply beneficiant welcome gives:
All of those playing cards additionally present a lift of 10,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors every year, although notice the increase is proscribed to 1 per Speedy Rewards member per calendar yr (not per card).
This implies in case you are authorized for the welcome bonus on a private Southwest bank card proper now, you possibly can earn 114,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors as follows (with 104,000 being redeemable Speedy Rewards factors):
- Welcome supply: 100,000 factors
- Required spending to earn the welcome supply ($4,000): At the very least 4,000 factors
- Annual Companion Cross increase: 10,000 factors
You will solely want 21,000 extra factors to hit 135,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors, which could possibly be achieved with about $21,000 in card spending on on a regular basis purchases — or much less on classes that earn greater than 1 level per greenback spent, like on Southwest flights.
Utilizing a bank card welcome supply reduces the requirement from practically $67,500 in flights to only about $21,000 in on a regular basis card spending after the bonus and annual increase.
Different methods to earn a Companion Cross
Whereas bank card bonuses are the quickest route, you may as well increase your steadiness with associate exercise:
- Inns: Earn Companion Cross qualifying factors when reserving by the Speedy Rewards lodge portal
- Automotive leases: Companions like Hertz, Avis and Finances award Companion Cross qualifying factors for leases
- Speedy Rewards Eating: Hyperlink a card to earn Companion Cross qualifying factors when eating at taking part eating places
- Speedy Rewards Procuring: Earn Companion Cross qualifying factors for on-line purchases by the Southwest buying portal
- Different incomes companions: Laithwaite’s Wine, Reliant Vitality, Xoom and different choose companions supply Companion Cross qualifying factors for on-line purchases
Take into account: Solely base factors from companions depend towards Companion Cross qualifying factors — bonus factors usually don’t.
Backside line
The Southwest Companion Cross will be an extremely profitable profit, particularly in case you can earn it early sufficient in a calendar yr to get pleasure from virtually two years of companion journey for simply the taxes and costs. It isn’t too late to plan your technique to earn the cross in 2025 — and probably for some (or all) of 2026.
For these eligible, getting a pleasant bonus from a Southwest bank card or two may also help you earn a Companion Cross simply (and shortly). Whilst you can earn a Companion Cross by flying or bank card spending alone, a mix is commonly the best method.
Associated studying:
