prince of travel companion pass

Differences between Air Canada Companion Pass and Annual Companion Pass – World

Examples of welcome offers with two types of companion pass

**Update: Air Canada Buddy Passes are no longer available as a welcome offer when purchasing Aeroplan credit cards. We keep this article as an archive.

Used properly, Air Canada Companion Passes can save you a lot of money.

For example, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite* Card offered up to 20,000 Aeroplan points and an Air Canada Buddy Pass :

• Earn 10,000 Aeroplan points the first time you make a purchase.
• Earn 10,000 Aeroplan points and a Companion Pass if you spend at least $1,000 during the periods covered by your first three monthly statements.
• ***This offer is no longer available and ended in 2022.

In addition, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege* Aeroplan MD Credit Card has an offer for another type of pass:

Receive one (1) Annual Companion Pass – World valued at $99 to a maximum of $599 (plus taxes, fees, levies and surcharges) when you spend $25,000 on your card . Banque TD

Air Canada Bonus Pass, Annual Worldwide Companion Pass: here are the differences between the two passes.

The Bonus Buddy Pass

Also known as Buddy Pass , the Passe-boni Compagnon is part of the welcome offer . ***This offer is no longer available.

You buy a ticket and with this pass you get a second ticket for free . Only taxes must be paid.

It is valid for:

• All Air Canada operated roundtrip flights within North America (including Hawai and Mexico).
• Any economy class fare (including discount fares).

The Pass will be deposited by the issuer (TD, CIBC and American Express) into the Primary Cardmember’s Aeroplan account. The delay can be 8 to 10 weeks after the net purchase target is reached (especially on the TD side).

All other conditions are detailed in this article .

Here you will find examples and strategies for using it.

Where can you find the Buddy Pass in your Aeroplan account? The answer is here .

The Annual Worldwide Companion Pass

This is an offer from the issuer, linked to the card . In 2024, it is still available to obtain it.

You earn this pass when you make $25,000 in net purchases (not including the annual fee) before your card’s anniversary date.

You purchase a round-trip ticket for yourself and this pass provides a second ticket at a flat base fare of $99 to $599 for your companion in Air Canada economy class. Taxes and other surcharges must be paid.

The cost of the ticket depends on your destination for a basic fare:

• $99 in Canada or the continental United States (excluding Hawaii),
• $299 for Hawaii, Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean,
• $499 for South America, Europe, Middle East or Africa,
• $599 for Asia, Australia or New Zealand.

The terms and conditions state that this pass will be deposited into the Aeroplan account 8 to 10 weeks after the anniversary date of the card membership. However, according to some lucky people, it may arrive earlier.

The time frame may vary greatly if the issuer is American Express , CIBC or TD . If you reach the $25,000 net purchase threshold near the end of your membership year, you may have to pay the 2nd year fee before receiving this pass.

The credit cards that offer it are:

• American Express ® * Aeroplan ® Reserve Card
• American Express ® Aeroplan ® * Business Reserve Card
• TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card
• CIBC ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

Having multiple companion passes

Before going any further, you need to determine your goal. You shouldn’t collect passes for the sake of it. If necessary, review the guide to define your strategy .

You may obtain only one Companion Pass per type of card (consumer, premium, corporate), for a total of 3 maximum per 12-month period. For example, some welcome offers allowed to obtain a Companion Pass with these cards:

If you wanted to have a maximum of Passes, you could take :

A Buddy pass via ONE of these consumer cards :

A Buddy pass via ONE of these Corporate cards :

A Buddy Pass AND an Annual Worldwide Companion Pass via ONE of these premium cards for a $599 annual fee:

Bottom Line

By having fun with the math and cards, you can receive 4 passes with $599 annual fee for 3 cards and $26,000 – $30,000 in purchases in 12 months :

• 3 Companion Passes **This offer is no longer available
• 1 Annual Companion Pass – World

Is it worth it? If you have a high volume of purchases, it can be advantageous for you. Otherwise, you may be better off focusing on reaching bonuses from other credit cards .

For another low-cost, fast-earning Aeroplan points strategy, see the article here .

It’s up to you to do the math. Then, all you have to do is find your lucky travel companion!

Our selection of Aeroplan credit cards

Our articles on the buddy pass.

• Aeroplan - 101

All posts by Caroline Tremblay

Suggested Reading

• $599 annual fee
• Earn 7,500 points per month when spending $2,000 each month for 6 months
• Earn 5,000 points each when adding additional users at the time of sign up (up to 10,000 points)
• Earn 35,000 points per month when spending $6,000 between months 13 and 16
• Earn 3 Aeroplan points per $1 spent on Air Canada, 2 points on dining and food delivery, and 1.25 points on all other purchases
• Unlimited free access to Maple Leaf Lounges in North America for you and a guest
• Free first checked bag, priority check-in and boarding on Air Canada
• MESSAGE ME FOR A REFERRAL LINK

Can you get more than one Air Canada Buddy Pass?

One thing to note is that the Aeroplan Buddy Pass is a one time deal per card. It is not an annual benefit. Couples who travel together can each get a Buddy Pass if they each apply for a qualifying credit card. This can be quite useful if you happen to be a family of 4.

The terms and conditions of the Buddy Pass state the following:

“This one-time bonus Buddy Pass offer is only available to eligible Aeroplan Cardmembers. You will not be eligible for the Buddy Pass if you have previously opened an Aeroplan credit or charge card of the same type, regardless of the credit or charge card issuer and have received the Welcome Bonus offer of a bonus Buddy Pass in the last 12 months”

So you can only get one Buddy Pass per person in each 12 month period. That said, this once per 12 months rule only applies to the type of card. For example, if you got the following three cards, you could end up with three Buddy Passes in a year.

• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite (core)
• CIBC Aeroplan Visa Business (small business)
• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege (premium)

As you can see, there are different classifications for each card with Aeroplan. By getting a core, small business, and premium card, you can get three different passes. Getting that many passes may not be necessary for many people, but think about it from a point perspective. You can convert the pass into 30,000 Aeroplan points. That means every welcome bonus is worth at least 30,000 points more. If you applied for all three of the cards mentioned and converted your Buddy Pass to points, you’d have 185,000 Aeroplan points. The annual fees would only cost you $599 for the first year.

When does the Air Canada Buddy Pass expire?

You get one year from the date of issuance (when your Buddy Pass is deposited into your account) before it expires. That said, you can use your Buddy Pass on dates that extend past your expiration date (up to one year), you just need to book your ticket before your expiry date.

For example, let’s say you obtain your Buddy Pass on December 17, 2020. The pass would expire on December 16, 2021. You could then book a trip to Mexico with travel dates in 2022 up to December 16, 2022, and you’d still be able to use your Buddy Pass as long as you booked by December 16, 2021.

Even if you have a premium Aeroplan credit card, your Buddy Pass won’t roll over to the next year like eupgrade credits do. If you have status, burning your Buddy Pass is probably worth it even if you get preferred pricing on Aeroplan redemptions.

How much can you save with the Air Canada Buddy Pass?

Although individual and luxury travellers may prefer more points over a Buddy Pass, there’s no denying how valuable the Air Canada Buddy Pass can be. Let’s take a look at a few different routes to see how much you could save.

Toronto to Hawaii (Dec. 20 – 27)

If you were to fly from Toronto to Maui, the total cost would be $737.58. If you had a Buddy Pass, the second ticket would only cost you $89.59 since that’s what the taxes, fees and charges come out to. In total, for two people, you’d pay $827.17. That’s a savings of $647.99! If you had two passes, the savings increases to $1,295.98

Vancouver to Toronto (Jul. 17 – 24)

Here we have a popular route for families that typically travel during the summer. The cost of a single ticket between Vancouver and Toronto is $850.66, which is pretty crazy since you’re just flying across Canada. However, with a Buddy Pass, two tickets would cost you $957.32. That’s much more reasonable and you’d save $744. All of a sudden summer journey doesn’t seem so bad.

Toronto to Los Cabos (Feb. 14 – 21)

Need a break from the winter? Looking for a romantic vacation with your loved one? Well, two direct flights to Los Cabos, Mexico from Toronto would only cost you $1,021.62. That would save you $703.

Victoria to Orlando (Aug. 8 – 15)

Now imagine a family of 4 in Victoria where their dream vacation is Disney World in Orlando. A standard fare is $1179.29 for the dates chosen which is absolutely bonkers. However, with the Buddy Pass, two tickets will only run you $1,300.59. If you had two Buddy Passes, you’d pay $2,601.18, which is a savings of $2,115.98. 

How the Air Canada Buddy Pass compares

Clearly, the Air Canada Buddy Pass was inspired by the  WestJet companion voucher . Which one is better is a matter of opinion, but I’ll try to look at things objectively. First off, if you fly WestJet on a regular basis, then the WestJet companion pass is probably better for you. This is especially true since you get one annually with the  WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard . For those who prefer Air Canada, the Buddy Pass is pretty good too, but it’s not as easy to get one compared to WestJet.

Now let’s look at cost and destinations for a second to try and compare things.

• $0 for anywhere within North America including Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean – Buddy Pass
• $119 for round-trip travel in Canada and the continental U.S. – WestJet companion voucher
• $399 for round-trip travel to/from the rest of the WestJet network

At face value, the Aeroplan Buddy Pass is better, but you can’t use it for international travel. As mentioned, getting an annual Buddy Pass also requires more work compared to WestJet. It’s also worth noting that WestJet has experimented with a $0 companion voucher to destinations within North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes permanent since WestJet needs to remain competitive.

In the end, you should just look at what benefits you the most and what current promotions are available. Don’t forget, you can also get both.

Final thoughts

It’s really not that hard to see how valuable the Air Canada Buddy Pass can be. Individual travellers and people who prefer to fly in the premium cabin or business for comfort won’t get much value here, but there’s no denying how much you can save. Those who like to maximize the Aeroplan loyalty program will also be disappointed that you can no longer convert your Buddy Pass to bonus points. That said, all you need to do is plan a little bit and apply for the right credit cards, and you can get a Buddy Pass.

About Barry Choi

Barry Choi is a Toronto-based personal finance and travel expert who frequently makes media appearances. His blog Money We Have is one of Canada’s most trusted sources when it comes to money and travel. You can find him on Twitter: @barrychoi

58 Comments

You think 1179 to Orlando is crazy, how about 770 from Vancouver to Kitimat, both in British Columbia

That’s bonkers.

Very nice information. Can we use a buddy pass for a multi-city trip? For example from Toronto to San Francisco. From San Francisco to Vancouver and from Vancouver back to Toronto.

Hey Vishnu,

As far as I know, it’s not possible. I know you can’t book a multi-destination ticket with your Buddy Pass online. You could try calling in to see if they do, but I suspect the answer is no.

it is more expensive travelling inside canada then travelling international one way from victoria is more expensive then a try in Thailand or Heathrow u.k

How about am currently an Aeroplan Credit Card member of TD Bank ? Would I be able to get the Air Canada Buddy Pass with the renewal next year. Alternatively, as I have not received any Buddy Pass from my current TD Bank Aeroplan Credit Card before, would I be able to secure the Buddy Pass if I apply for a CIBC Aeroplan Infinite Card ? Thanks.

You wouldn’t get the Biddy Pass when your card renews, but you would get it if you applied for a new Aeroplan credit card that comes with one. So yes, getting the CIBC Aeroplan Infinite Card at any time would work.

Do we need to spend additional $1000-1500 in 90days for the buddy pass, on top of $1000 for the 20000 aeroplan points, or just $1000 for both perks? Thanks

When you spend $1,000, you get both the extra 10,000 points and the Buddy Pass.

Does the primary card holder need to be one of the travellers or can you book 2 other people(children)

The primary must be one of the travellers to use the Buddy Pass.

I applied and got approved for the TD Aeroplan card in February, 2021. I spent $1,000+ in my first month and received 20,000 bonus Aeroplan points in March 16, 2021, but not the Buddy Pass.

Do you know how long before I can see my Buddy Pass in my Aeroplan Account?

To add : I have never applied for this TD Aeroplan Visa card before. So I should qualify for the Buddy Pass.

There have been multiple reports of the Buddy Pass not showing up in accounts for 3-4 months so I suspect that’s what’s happening with you.

Oh? I thought the Buddy Pass supposed to show up at the same time as the bonus Aeroplan points, I guess not. Thanks for letting me know.

Unfortunately not. Many people have had to wait quite some time for it to show up.

Where on the Air Canada site can I see if my buddy pass has been added to my account?

It’s in the benefits tab of your Aeroplan account.

How do I go about redeeming the buddy fare? I have been on hold for over an hour trying to ask an agent about it.

I agree. What’s the use of getting a buddy pass when it is a nightmare to redeem. i was transferred four times between Air Canada and Aeroplan today and still no luck in getting it redeemed.

I know we can upgrade the class on the buddy pass to business if we use the eUpgrades, but as someone who does not have the elite status (yet!) would I be able to just pay the upgrade to business for the buddy pass ticket? Or are upgrades only possible with the status?

You can’t pay to upgrade your Buddy Pass.

I got a td aeroplan infinite in November and got a buddypass approximately 3 months later. If I apply for CIBC aeroplan infinite in December, am I qualified for another buddypass since it has been more than 12months? My buddypass from TD is already redeemed.

Yes, you should qualify for one again.

You mentioned we have to spend $1,000 or more, is it a statement period or a transaction has to be more than $1,000?

Hey Queenie,

The minimum spend requirement to get a Buddy Pass is cumulative so it doesn’t have to be a single purchase.

after calling aeroplan to convert the buddy pass to 30,000 points, how long should it take to post the points? There are two of us who converted at the same time with the same agent, and one was posted on Oct 18th and the other is still waiting for it to be posted

It’s kind of all over the place. Mine took like 6 weeks to convert.

can this conversion to 30,000 points still take place? i heard it was done?? Did i already ask this question? lol

That promo ended quite a while ago.

I just called and talked to an agent bc mine is going to expire next month and I can’t find anyone who won’t annoy the crap out of me after two days, and was told that the Pass MUST expire before requesting the conversion. Personally, that makes no sense, as once it’s expired, it’s not worth anything, but also, no matter which menu option you select when calling Aeroplan, and no matter the time of day, you can NOT get through. You end up being advised to check their website, which is obviously missing all kinds of info, hence, the willingness to call and wait on hold for hours on end. This guy also said he didn’t know the particulars of the conversion, only that he was absolutely sure it could be done, so take your chances if you dare!

Can you use the buddy pass on a round trip that involves different cities but booked together? Say Edmonton to LaGuardia and then return Newark to Victoria. All booked on the same ticket.

I don’t believe that’s possible.

Am I correct in my understanding that if I already received a buddy pass for a VISA product this calendar year that should I apply for an American Express product I would not be eligible for the buddy pass? I the 12 month calculation ongoing or simply per calendar year?

The 12 month window is ongoing, not per calendar year.

Hey Dave, Has anyone had success with calling AP and getting the Buddy Pass to show up sooner? Waiting for weeks-months is frustrating!

Apparently, it’s up to the credit card provider to get it processed. It took like 8 weeks for TD to post mine.

Hi Barry, Got a question regarding AMEX Aeroplan Reserve. I signed up to it last month (February 2022) when at the time one of the bonus offers was 5000 points for every 1,000$ spending for the first year, which is still being offered. The other bonus offer was 3,000$ spending in the first 3 months gets you 30,000 pts AND a buddy pass, however, at the time of writing (March 2022) the bonus is not being offer any more. Unfortunately I did not save any website or take a screenshot of these offers (well except for one small section) and there is no mention of these in the fine print. Should I be worried about getting short-changed? Or in other words will AMEX/Air Canada honour this offer once I spend that amount? I wasn’t able to find any where on AMEX site to track these targets. It could get even more nerve wracking if, as your previous comment is still true, it takes several months for it to show up on Aeroplan.

The offer you get is based on what was available when you signed up for the card. What’s available now is irrelevant.

If you’re not sure, you can always call Amex and they’ll tell you what offer you have and how far you are from reaching it.

is the buddy pass for Air Canada standby? If so do you lose the buddy pass if there are no standby seats available? I would switch to points but they won’t let you do that anymore. Has anyone traveled on the buddy pass? Does it work okay?

The Buddy Pass is for paid tickets. When you use it, you have a confirmed seat.

thank you! 🙂

Thank you for this post. I applied for the TD Aeroplan Visa, and fulfilled all the contract requirements to qualify for the Buddy Pass. The Buddy Pass was loaded to my Aeroplan account after approximately 4 months of having the card. I have not yet used my Buddy Pass to book a trip. Recently my card came up for annual renewal, and I elected not to renew my card after speaking with TD. Last week I went to my Aeroplan portal to book a trip with my Buddy Pass, only to discover that the credit card company removed it. TD is now telling me that they can do this because I did not renew my credit card. Is this possible?

I was under the impression that once you have it, it’s yours. THat said, clearly they can claw it back since that’s what happened with you.

I have a buddy pass a year ago from Amex Aeroplan card welcome bonus. I converted to 30k mile right after. I cancelled the Amex Aeroplan card after 12 months yesterday. Amex told me the buddy pass I have will be forfeited. Will I lose the 30k mile that I have from the conversion 12 months ago ?

No, you won’t lose the 30K points.

If I book a flight with my buddy pass for December 2022 and then proceed to cancel my credit card that gave me the buddy pass. What happens to the flight that was booked with a buddy pass? Because I know if I not applied my buddy pass yet, it would be taken away from me. But what happens if I have already applied it to a flight?

I’m not 100% sure, but they shouldn’t be able to claw it back if it’s already attached to a ticket.

Is it still possible to convert a buddy pass to aeroplan points at this time (November 2022)? I did not see an option on their web site to do so.

You can no longer convert your AC BUddy Pass to points.

does an AC buddy pass have a max value? I booked a return flight for 2 Wpg to St.John’s NFLD and the pass was applied to wpg to st John’s but said not valid for return flight. Both flights had the symbol showing buddy pass eligible. Thanks

If you’re purchasing a return ticket, the Buddy pass should automatically apply for both legs.

Thanks for the prompt reply. Cancelled my booking ( and amazing buddy pass was restored immediately ) Tried rebooking and getting same problem. – “Buddy pass not applicable” on one leg. Tried different day, different flight Only difference is that one time pass was denied on outgoing legs instead of return, Will try again tomorrow. If only one could contact AC Cust service

I waited a couple of days and tried again. Wouldn’t work. Weird thing was I tried different days – Dec or Jan worked OK. Feb or later only applied buddy pass for one direction. Decided to waste some time on hold so phoned AC – hold was not bad, about 45 minutes (there is options in phone menu for buddy pass bookings) and got a person who booked it no problem – but could not say why it would not work online. Now just have to hope AC doesn’t change or cancel my flights down the road.

Thanks for reporting back. Hopefully it was just some glitch since customer service was able to apply it for you.

Absolutely horrified to see Aeroplan offering customers only 15000 points instead of owning up to their mistakes and issues with the AirCanada website they had on December 31 when all the buddy passes were expiring. They should respect the terms and conditions in their contract!

i’m thrilled to get 15,000. better than a kick in the teeth. my buddy pass expired and i just called aeroplan and they are putting the request through for me. it’s better than nothing. thank you so much for telling me.

Huge difference between you forgetting about the expiry of your buddy pass and not being able to use a buddy pass before the expiry because of THEIR website issues. The same goes for all the customers that had their points disappear from their accounts. LOTS of angry people on social media!

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I need to manage my Companion Pass or a reservation for my Companion

Designate your Companion:

To designate your Companion online, log in to your Rapid Rewards ® account on Southwest.com and click on My Account at the top of your screen. When you're eligible to designate your Companion online, you’ll find a Choose Your Companion section. Click Enter Companion info link and follow the instructions.

Change your Companion:

You may change your designated Companion up to three times each calendar year that you maintain Companion Pass ® privileges. Any reservation with your current designated Companion must be canceled before changing your designated Companion. To change your Companion, you must contact us.

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The Ultimate Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass [2024]

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How Does the Southwest Companion Pass Work?

Earning the southwest companion pass with credit cards, southwest credit card rules, timing your credit card bonuses, other ways to earn 135,000 qualifying points, what points don’t count toward southwest companion pass qualification, how to check your southwest companion pass qualifying points balance, designating and changing your companion, how to change a companion pass flight, final thoughts.

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The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals available in the world of travel. While it’s not a fit for everyone, if you are a frequent Southwest Airlines flyer, it can save you a significant amount of money on flights.

This pass allows you to add a companion to any Southwest Airlines ticket for just the cost of the taxes and fees. Even better, if you time it right, you can get this perk for almost 2 full years.

Since Southwest has expanded its network, you can use the Companion Pass to get to popular vacation destinations like Hawaii and international locations including Mexico and the Caribbean.

If you’re intrigued by the Southwest Companion Pass, you’re in the right place. In this post, we’ll show you exactly what it is and more importantly, how to get one so you can save big bucks on your next flight.

What Is the Southwest Companion Pass?

The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is the highest-level award that a member of the Rapid Rewards loyalty program can achieve. It allows you to essentially get unlimited buy-one-get-one-free tickets for up to 2 years. All you pay for are the taxes and fees for the second ticket.

While the Southwest Companion Pass is considered elite status by some, it’s not actually a status level and doesn’t include any Southwest Airlines elite status benefits. Southwest has 2 elite status levels, A-List and A-List Preferred, that are earned separately from the Companion Pass.

You can earn both a Southwest Companion Pass and A-List/A-List Preferred status but the benefits don’t cross over.

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to add a companion to any Southwest ticket . All you need to do is pay the taxes and fees for the companion which are $5.60 for a one-way flight within the U.S. ($11.20 round-trip). Taxes and fees are higher on international flights , averaging ~$75 each way.

The companion can be added to any ticket as long as there is a seat available. The original ticket can be purchased with cash or points and the available seat doesn’t have to be in the same fare class as the original ticket.

For example, if you purchase a Wanna Get Away fare and want to add a companion later but there are only Business Select fares available, you’d still be able to add your companion even though the original ticket was a Wanna Get Away fare.

It’s best to add your companion at the time of booking to ensure a seat is available, but it’s not required. A companion can be added at any time, as long as Southwest has a seat for sale.

Bottom Line: The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to add a companion for just the cost of the taxes and fees ($5.60 one-way on a domestic ticket) to any and every flight you take while you have the pass. It can be used an unlimited number of times and works on tickets purchased both in points or cash.

How To Earn the Southwest Companion Pass

Rapid Rewards members can earn a Southwest Companion Pass in 2 ways:

• Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year
• Earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year

Once you qualify for the Companion Pass, it is valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which you earn it and the entire next calendar year.

That means if you can earn a Companion Pass in January, you’ll have it for almost 2 full years. If you earn your Companion Pass in December, you only get to keep it for about 1 year.

As you can see, timing is critical when earning a Companion Pass. The earlier in the year you can earn it, the longer the pass is good for.

Another important thing to know about the Southwest Companion Pass is that once you earn the required 135,000 points, you’ll still have those points in your account to use for flights. You don’t have to “buy” the Companion Pass with points. It simply activates as soon as you earn 135,000 points in a calendar year.

Bottom Line: You’ll get a Southwest Companion Pass after earning 135,000 qualifying points or flying 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year. It’s valid for the remainder of the year in which you earn it and the next calendar year.

The easiest way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass is through credit card welcome bonuses earned by meeting minimum spending requirements. That’s because you’ll earn large chunks of qualifying points at 1 time and because as a Southwest credit cardholder, you’ll get a yearly 10,000-point boost toward Companion Pass Qualification.

The 10,000-point boost only counts toward Companion Pass qualification — they are not redeemable Rapid Rewards points.

Chase offers the following Southwest Airlines co-branded credit cards :

Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Priority Credit Card

This card focuses on the Southwest traveler with anniversary points, travel credit, upgrades, and money back on inflight purchases.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Priority Credit Card is the most premium personal Southwest card offering from Chase. When you peel back the curtain, it is easy to see why.

Not only does the card offer multiple bonus categories to help you earn more Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but it is also loaded with benefits that are sure to offer quite a bit of value to Southwest flyers.

Here is a full overview of the card to help you decide if it is a good fit for your wallet.

• 3x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
• 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshare purchases
• 2x points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
• 1x point per $1 on all other purchases
• 7,500 points each year on your cardmember anniversary
• $75 annual Southwest travel credit
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 1,500 tier qualifying points towards elite status for every $5,000 spent
• Travel and purchase protection
• $149 annual fee
• Does not earn transferable points
• Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 7,500 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 3X points on Southwest ® purchases.
• Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
• $75 Southwest ® travel credit each year.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Premier Credit Card

Earn Southwest points on every purchase, plus anniversary points, Tier Qualifying Points, and points toward the Companion Pass!

Another week, another flight. Flying weekly can get tiring, but you know that every flight gets you closer to taking some great vacations with your significant other or your favorite travel buddy.

To save money on the flights, you like to use Southwest Airlines.

So why not get the Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Premier Credit Card to help you earn extra Rapid Rewards points?

• 2x points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
• 2x points per $1 on Internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
• 6,000 anniversary points each year on your card renewal
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In certificates per year
• Earn Tier Qualifying Points for your spend
• $99 annual fee
• Does not earn transferable rewards
• Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 6,000 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 3X points on Southwest ®  purchases.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In ®  each year.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Plus Credit Card

This card makes it easy to earn unlimited points and qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass.

If you spend a lot of time in the air, it’s important to get a great deal on your plane tickets.

Southwest Airlines can help you get those deals.

One way to save is by using the Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Plus Credit Card . This card helps you earn points for all your spending, and earning more reward points is always a good thing for a busy traveler!

• 2x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
• 2x points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
• 3,000 anniversary points each year on your card renewal
• $69 annual fee
• 3,000 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 2X points on Southwest ® purchases.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In ® each year.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Additionally, there are 2 Southwest co-branded business card options:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Performance Business Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Premier Business Credit Card

You should be able to earn a Companion Pass, or come very close, by earning 2 welcome bonuses (after meeting minimum spending requirements). Since you can’t have 2 personal Southwest co-branded credit cards at once, this needs to be done by opening 1 personal Southwest card and 1 business Southwest card.

Hot Tip: Qualifying for a business credit card may be easier than you think. Your business doesn’t need to be big to qualify for a credit card. Many small businesses, such as selling items on eBay, running a blog, or driving for Uber, can allow you to apply for business credit cards.

If you’ve had a Southwest credit card in the past or currently have one, you’ll need to determine how long it’s been since you’ve earned a new cardmember bonus. You’ll only be eligible for a Southwest credit card welcome offer if you don’t currently hold a Southwest card and it’s been more than 24 months since you’ve earned a bonus.

These rules apply separately to personal and business cards. For example, if you currently hold a Southwest business credit card and earned a bonus within the past 24 months, you’re still eligible to earn a bonus on a Southwest personal card and vice versa.

To get the most out of your Southwest Companion Pass it’s important to time your qualification correctly. Since the Companion Pass is valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you earn it and the entire following calendar year, you’ll get the most use out of it if you earn it early in the calendar year .

If you’re planning to earn most of your points through credit card welcome offers, you’ll want to ensure those points post as early in the year as possible.

Of course, you can wait until January 1 to apply for your new credit cards, but if you want to get a head start, you can apply for the credit cards in November or December. Start spending on the cards right away but don’t finish the minimum spend requirement until January 1. That way, after meeting your minimum spending requirement, your welcome points will post in January and you’ll have a Companion Pass for almost 2 years.

Earning the Southwest Companion Pass from credit cards is just one way to do it, but there are lots of other ways to earn the required 135,000 qualifying points:

• Revenue flights
• Partner hotel stays
• Partner car rentals
• Spending on Southwest-branded credit cards (based on when the points post to your account)
• Southwest credit card referral bonuses
• Rapid Rewards Dining (based on dining date)
• Rapid Rewards shopping portal (based on purchase date)

Southwest has additional partners and the base points you earn from these partners do count toward Companion Pass qualification:

• 1-800-Flowers.com (based on purchase date)
• Energy Plus (based on posting date)
• Harry & David (based on purchase date)
• Laithwaite’s Wine (based on purchase date)
• Make It Count – Marathon (based on posting date)
• NRG Home (based on posting date)
• Rocketmiles (based on the date of stay)
• Reliant Energy (based on posting date)
• Xoom (based on posting date)

You’ll notice some points qualify in the year they are posted and some points qualify based on the purchase date. This can be very important if you’re trying to qualify at the end of a calendar year.

For example, if you’re 5,000 points short in December so you do some extra spending on your credit card, those points won’t count unless they post in December. If they post in January they would count toward the next year’s qualification.

Hot Tip: The Southwest Companion Pass will be awarded as soon as you earn the required 135,000 Rapid Rewards points. You can then use those points to purchase tickets — you don’t have to cash them out to get the Companion Pass!

Here’s a look at the points that do not qualify for Southwest Companion Pass status:

• Flight bonus points
• Gifted points
• Partner bonus points
• Partner program transfers
• Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Promotion bonus points (except for credit card welcome and referral bonuses)
• Purchased points
• Tier bonus points
• Transferred points

If you aren’t sure how many Companion Pass qualifying points you currently have, you can check your balance in your online account. First, click on View Details underneath your points total. Then choose the year you want to see and filter the list by Companion Pass Qualifying Points .

Once you’ve earned your Companion Pass, the first thing you need to do is to choose your official companion.

Southwest allows you to select any 1 person to be your companion at any given time, and you can change that person up to 3 times a year, for a maximum of 4 companions over the course of the year.

You’ll be able to designate your initial companion online, but you’ll need to call Southwest at 800-435-9792 to change your companion. The first companion needs to be removed from any future reservations before a second companion can be designated.

According to the Southwest website, changing your companion can take up to 21 business days to process, however, in practice, it happens almost instantly most of the time.

How To Use The Southwest Companion Pass

Using your Southwest Companion Pass is incredibly easy.

First, you’ll need to book your ticket as you usually would. It can be purchased with points or cash and can be for any fare category (Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, or Business Select).

Once your ticket is booked, you can add your companion either through Southwest.com or via phone.

On the website, you will see a place to click that says Add Companion . This is located just below your flight information, next to the links to cancel or change your flight. Simply click the button and enter the required information to add your companion. You’ll also need to pay the taxes at this point, which will be $5.60 for a one-way domestic trip.

To add a companion over the phone, just call reservations and let the representative know you will be using your Companion Pass to add another passenger to your flight.

Your companion can be added up until the time of the flight, as long as there are still seats for sale. This is true even if the price has gone up since you bought your ticket.

After you add a companion, you’ll see the companion confirmation number (which will be different from the original ticket) with your flight information.

Since your companion will have a different confirmation number, you’ll both have to check in for your flight separately. This can result in different boarding positions , which can potentially make sitting together more difficult.

If you want to ensure you’re sitting next to your companion on the plane, you may want to consider purchasing EarlyBird Check-In or using an Upgraded Boarding pass from the Southwest Priority card and Southwest Performance Business card .

There are some additional rules for Companion Pass tickets that you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Your companion must be ticketed and travel on the same flight as you
• If you change your flight, you must also change your companion’s flight
• If you cancel your flight , your companion’s flight will also be canceled
• The companion ticket is not considered to be a paid ticket, and therefore cannot have another companion added
• The companion ticket doesn’t earn points
• There are no blackout dates for Companion Pass tickets

If you need to make a change to a flight that includes a companion, you can do it in 1 of 2 ways. You can call Southwest to make the change, or you can make the change online. To change a ticket that includes a companion online, you’ll first need to cancel the companion ticket. Then you can make a change to the original ticket and add the companion back once the change is made.

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel. It allows you to add a companion for just the cost of the taxes and fees on any Southwest flight for up to 2 years.

To earn a Companion Pass you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points in a year or fly 100 one-way flights. Thankfully, credit card welcome offers are considered qualifying points, so earning a Companion Pass may be easier than you think.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the southwest companion pass.

The Southwest Companion Pass is a pass that allows a Rapid Rewards member to add a companion to any flight that they book with Southwest, as long as there is another seat available for purchase. The member only needs to pay the taxes and fees for the companion ticket.

How do you earn a Southwest Companion Pass?

A Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is earned by either completing 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points in a single calendar year.

How long is the Southwest Companion Pass good for?

The Southwest Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which it was earned and the entire following calendar year.

Do I earn points on flights taken with the Southwest Companion Pass?

When a Companion Pass is used, only 1 of the 2 passengers will earn points for the flight (if it was a paid flight; flights purchased with points don’t earn points). The member who holds the Companion Pass and buys the original ticket will earn points. The companion won’t earn points.

What is the value of the Southwest Companion Pass?

There is no set value for the Southwest Companion Pass. The pass becomes more valuable the more you use it.

If you were to use the pass only once for a flight that cost $250, then the value of your pass would be $250 minus the taxes and fees ($5.60 for a domestic one-way flight).

However, if you were to use the pass 100 times for flights that average $250, then the value of your pass would be ~$25,000.

The Southwest Companion Pass is not limited to a specific number of flights, so it is really as valuable as you want to make it.

Can I change my flight on a Companion Pass booking?

Yes, you can change your flight on a Companion Pass booking, but your companion’s flight must also be changed to the same new flight as you.

How many times can you use a Companion Pass on Southwest?

The number of times you can use a Southwest Companion Pass is virtually unlimited. As long as your pass is valid, you can use it as many times as you like.

Can you fly to Hawaii with the Southwest Companion Pass?

Yes, you can use the Southwest Companion Pass to fly to Hawaii. It’s valid for any Southwest flight that has an available seat.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

Rapid Rewards

Companion Pass ®

Traveling is more fun with a plus-one. Take a friend or Family Member with you on your next Southwest ® flight when you earn a Companion Pass.

Friends fly when you do.

Companion Pass is the benefit that allows you to choose one person to fly with you, free of airline charges (does not include taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way) unlimited times whenever you purchase or redeem points for a flight.

To qualify, simply fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points 1,3 in a calendar year. You’ll earn a Companion Pass for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it. For even more flexibility, Companion Pass Members can change their designated Companion up to three times each calendar year.

How to earn Companion Pass

Earn Companion Pass qualifying points every time you use your card.

Wanna get more with your Rapid Rewards ® Credit Card?

Earn Companion Pass ® qualifying points when you use your Rapid Rewards Credit Card 1

Shop and dine

Get more points when you shop at our online retailers or dine with our participating restaurants.

Fly 100 one-way qualifying flights in a calendar year and earn qualifying points 3 for every dollar you spend on a qualifying flight. You can also earn qualifying points by booking a hotel or renting a car through one of our partners. 1

Home and lifestyle

Purchases you already make also get you points. Who doesn’t love that?

Companion Pass tips

Companion Pass holders can now board together with their Companions. 2 Already a Companion Pass Member? See how you can maximize your membership with these helpful tips!

Designate your Companion

• Log in to your Rapid Rewards account at  Southwest.com ® .
• On your Snapshot tab, locate  Choose Your Companion , click  Enter Companion Info , and follow the posted instructions.
• Or if you’d prefer, give us a call at  1-800-435-9792 .

Tips on traveling with your Companion

• Reservations are required for all Companion Pass travel. You must book your flight prior to booking your designated Companion’s flight. 
• After booking your flight, visit the  My Trips  section of your account. Find your flight in the Upcoming Trips section and click the  Add Companion link. Click  Continue  to proceed to the purchase screen and review your Companion information. Click Purchase  to complete your Companion’s flight reservation. A Companion’s reservation is not considered a purchased flight, and therefore, another Companion Pass reservation cannot be booked from it.
• If you would like to book through a Customer Representative, call  1-800-248-4377  and notify him/her that a Companion Pass will be used.

Who can get a Companion Pass?

A Member who flies 100 qualifying one-way flight segments booked through Southwest or earns 135,000 tier qualifying points 1,3 per calendar year will qualify for Companion Pass.

Companion Pass qualifying points can be earned when you use your Rapid Rewards® Credit Card. 1

Southwest Rapid Rewards ™ Cardmembers will earn one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year. 1

Companion Pass

Fly 100 qualifying flights or earn 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points 1

Important information

1 Companion Pass® qualifying points are earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest®, points earned on Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards, and base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners. The following do not count as Companion Pass qualifying points: purchased points; points transferred between Members; points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs, e-Rewards®, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club®; points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment, tier bonus points; flight bonus points; and partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase). No points nor tier or Companion Pass qualifying points will be awarded for flights taken by the Companion when flying on a Companion Pass reservation. Cash + Points bookings will not earn Rapid Rewards  points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status or  Companion Pass qualifying points. Points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase are not available for redemption or qualification for Companion Pass status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards account. Only points posted on your billing statements and posted to your Rapid Rewards account during the same calendar year are available for qualification for Companion Pass status. For example, if you make a purchase after your December billing statement cycle date, the points on those purchases will not count toward Companion Pass status in the year the purchase was made; they will appear on your January billing statement and post to your Rapid Rewards account in January.

Companion Pass Qualifying Points Boost: As a Southwest Rapid Rewards Cardmember, you will earn one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year. The boost will be deposited into your eligible Rapid Rewards account by January 31st each calendar year or up to 30 days after account opening. To receive Companion Pass qualifying points boost your credit card account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment. Only one credit card account per Southwest Rapid Rewards Member (Rapid Rewards Member must be the primary Cardmember on that account), is eligible for one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per calendar year. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is not responsible for the provision of, or failure to provide, the stated benefits and services.

2 Upon check in, you and your Companion will receive sequential boarding positions except if you purchased a Business Select® fare or added the Companion after you had been assigned a boarding position. For Business Select fares, only the purchaser will receive an A1-A15 boarding position and the Companion will receive a boarding position based on whichever is applicable—time of check-in, A-List or A-List Preferred status, or EarlyBird Check-In®. If you purchased a Wanna Get Away®, Wanna Get Away Plus or an Anytime fare and either you or your Companion is an A-List or A-List Preferred Member, you will both receive reserved boarding positions.

3 Qualifying flights include flights booked and flown through Southwest and flights paid entirely with dollars, Southwest LUV Vouchers, gift cards or travel funds, and with no portion of the purchase price paid for with Rapid Rewards points. Cash + Points bookings will not earn Rapid Rewards  points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status or  Companion Pass qualifying points.

Rapid Rewards terms and conditions apply. Review the full terms here .

Southwest Rapid Rewards™ Credit Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

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The Pros and Cons of Southwest’s Companion Pass

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted symbols among Southwest frequent flyers. It's Southwest Airline's version of a buy-one-get-one deal, where you buy a flight and one lucky buddy gets to fly for free (aside from taxes and fees). But even fairly frequent Southwest flyers will have a hard time getting their hands on one.

It can be tough to earn, and its value lies in how often you use it once you have it. If you have a regular travel companion like a sibling, partner or BFF — and your travel plans this year involve attending six weddings, heading home for the winter holidays and spending the summer on the beaches of Hawaii — then you’ll more than likely save many hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by using it.

But you’ll also have to put in money (either in terms of purchasing Southwest airfare or spending money on a Southwest credit card ) to earn it. So is the Southwest Companion Pass really all it's cracked up to be?

A quick overview of the Southwest Companion Pass

To earn the Companion Pass, you either need to take 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Among the best ways to earn qualifying points include:

Booking revenue airfares on Southwest (meaning it excludes tickets booked on points).

Booking a hotel or renting a car through one of Southwest’s partners.

Using a Rapid Rewards credit card.

Online shopping through the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal.

Once you’ve reached either the flight or point threshold, you’ll earn the Companion Pass for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it.

» Learn more: Southwest Companion Pass: Why you want it and how to get it

The pros of the Southwest Companion Pass

You don’t need us to tell you that getting a two-for-one deal (plus taxes and fees, which start at just $5.60) on flights for at least a year is a sweet deal. But here are a few other reasons why the Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals out there:

You can still use the Companion Pass when booking with points

If you’ve accumulated the 135,000 Rapid Rewards points needed to earn the Companion Pass, then odds are you’ve got a ton of points to burn on airfare. You can use your points to book a Southwest flight for yourself, then use your pass to book your travel partner’s flight — essentially getting two flights for the price of none (aside from dipping into your points pool and paying taxes and fees).

» Learn more: Your guide to booking award flights on Southwest

Points earned through Rapid Rewards credit card welcome offers count toward reaching that Companion Pass

Taking 100 qualifying one-way flights could feel like an enormous feat, but if you’re open to applying for a Southwest credit card, your path to a Companion Pass could be significantly easier. Applying for a new credit card typically means you’ll take the path that requires you to earn 135,000 qualifying points to get a Companion Pass.

Occasionally, you can earn a Companion Pass as part a Southwest card's welcome offer. Currently available offers are as follows:

on Chase's website

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

You aren’t committed to one companion

Your travel plans might entail flying with your sibling to a wedding, taking a friend to Vegas and going on a romantic getaway to Hawaii with your partner. You can make all those trips happen on the Companion Pass, and they don’t all have to be with the same person.

You may change your designated companion up to three times each calendar year that you hold it.

However, you can’t hold multiple reservations with different companions at the same time. Any reservations with the current designated companion need to be canceled or completed before changing your designated companion, and you should also allow up to 21 business days for processing when you change that person.

This flexibility is a great benefit, but you’ll need to plan ahead to take advantage of it.

» Learn more: Southwest Airlines sweet spots

The cons of the Southwest Companion Pass

It’s easy to see why the Companion Pass is great, but it’s important to recognize that everything comes at some sort of cost. The value you get out of the pass might not be worth the effort you put into its pursuit.

Even with a credit card bonus, you’ll need to spend some money

Getting approved for a Rapid Rewards credit card and earning the welcome offer can certainly help get you a good chunk of the way toward Companion Pass ownership, but it won’t get you all the way there (unless a pass is included with the bonus).

Usually, you’ll get the most points from Southwest’s business card. If you have any sort of small business and can get approved, you’ll get a healthy welcome bonus from the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card : Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

You’ll have to make up the difference through other means, like spending on your credit card. And with that comes risk that you could end up spending more than you should for the sake of earning miles.

Always weigh what you’ll spend to earn the pass versus how much the pass could save you. If you were going to buy new appliances and charge them to a credit card anyway, then it might make sense to use that to help you reach your Companion Pass. Just don’t fall for the trap of convincing yourself that it’s time to upgrade your perfectly good refrigerator because it’ll get you free flights (it’ll still cost you the price of a brand-new refrigerator).

Rapid Rewards credit cards may not provide the best value

Earning a Companion Pass will cost you either 100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 points. These two cards provide a signup bonus, but that still may not be enough to earn the Companion Pass if you don't put enough spend on the card.

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Let’s say that after earning those bonus points — coupled with points you’d earn from your regular Southwest flights — you’re still short of the 135,000 points needed to earn another pass. You’ll earn 1 point for every $1 spent on general purchases on Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards, so you could spend several thousand more on a Southwest credit card to earn it.

» Learn more: Full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

But that amount of cash may be better spent on another travel rewards card . For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , you’ll earn this bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

This card offers 2x points on travel (5x points if you book your travel through Chase's travel portal), 3x on dining and 1x on all other purchases, so you may be able to earn points more quickly for all your travel spending — and transfer your points to Chase partners if you travel with carriers other than Southwest. And yes, the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is a partner loyalty program with Chase Ultimate Rewards® .

It’s important to compare the value of any points you’ll earn on these cards . Currently, NerdWallet values Southwest points at about 1.5 cents per point and Chase Ultimate Rewards points® from the Sapphire cards at about 2.2 cents each.

» Learn more: NerdWallet’s Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review — a must-have card for travelers

Or, take a card with a straightforward rewards structure like the Citi Double Cash® Card , which earns 2% rewards on all eligible purchases — 1% when you make a purchase and 1% when you pay it off. That $50,000 in spending on that card would ultimately net you $1,000 in straight cash back. In that scenario, ask yourself if you’d rather have $1,000 or a Companion Pass. Frequent travelers might still find a Companion Pass worth more than $1,000, but you may not.

You’ll likely always feel pressured to book Southwest for as long as you hold it

You might be someone who generally takes Southwest flights, but what if you find yourself in a situation where the Southwest flight requires a layover and the United one is direct? What if you’re trying to get to Daytona Beach, Florida (which has its own airport), but the nearest Southwest-served airport is in Orlando?

You might feel tempted to take advantage of your Companion Pass by booking the flight with the layover, or landing in Orlando and taking the hour drive to the coast. But if you miss the layover, and the hour-long cab ride to your hotel costs $100, you might question if that half-price pair of tickets was really worth it.

To change the buddy whom you’ve designated the companion on your Southwest Companion Pass, you’ll have to call Southwest at 1-800-435-9792. You can change that person up to three times each calendar year that you hold the pass. Southwest warns that you should allow up to 21 business days for processing the change.

No, Rapid Rewards Companion Pass travel does not count toward qualification for A-List status. Additionally, no points are awarded for flights taken by the person flying on a Companion Pass reservation.

One way to qualify for the Companion Pass is through taking 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest within a calendar year. A one-way qualifying flight is defined by Southwest as a one-way revenue trip on the airline, including any intermediate stops or connections (a layover does not count as two flights). Additionally, those points must have been earned and posted to your Rapid Rewards account prior to the end of the calendar year in order to count toward your pass.

Yes, Southwest considers children ages 12 through 17 who are traveling alone as Young Travelers, which is different than Unaccompanied Minors. Southwest does not monitor Young Travelers during travel, as opposed to Unaccompanied Minors. Unaccompanied Minors are escorted onto the aircraft by a Southwest Airlines employee before general boarding begins and are supported through the flight by a flight attendant. These travelers are also subject to a $50 one-way service charge, though Young Travelers are not.

The bottom line

The Southwest Companion Pass is one of those benefits that rewards travelers dream about. After all, it essentially cuts the airfare cost for partner trips in half. But it’s not easy to earn when it's not included with a Southwest card sign-up bonus, and travelers can easily fall into the trap of spending more than they should just to earn it. Remember to weigh the cost of the pass against how much you’ll spend to earn it. And if you’re not a dedicated Southwest flyer, it’s OK if you want to skip it altogether.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

15 lessons from 15 years of having the Southwest Companion Pass

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

2023 marked my 15th year as a Southwest Companion Pass holder. If all goes as planned, I will secure years 16 and 17 soon, too.

For the last decade and a half, I've earned the pass in many ways. One of my favorite methods is through Southwest credit cards . In fact, this is how I've earned the pass a few times in the past and how I hope to earn it again in 2024 and 2025.

With the current heightened offers on Southwest credit cards , earning the pass through the credit card welcome bonuses is significantly easier. My goal this time is to earn the pass as early in 2024 as possible, allowing me to be a passholder for 51 weeks in 2024 and a full 52 weeks in 2025.

Thanks to the Southwest Companion Pass, I've been able to fly to domestic and international destinations where my husband, my daughter, my son, my mom, my sister or a friend flies with me for free (other than taxes) as my companion. Unfortunately, I've never calculated my true savings, but I know it's well over $10,000 at this point.

If you're yearning for your own chance to fly two-for-one, this particular moment is actually one of the best times to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. You can even follow the same process I went through by applying for one (or two) Southwest's credit cards now and then waiting until January for your points to post.

Right now, with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, you can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Once you meet the full minimum spend requirement, you'll end up with 75,000 qualifying points toward the Companion Pass.

To earn the pass, you need to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year. However, if you're a cardmember on the first of the year, you'll earn an additional 10,000 qualifying bonus points toward the pass. So once all of the qualifying points are posted to your account, that'll leave you with 50,000 points remaining to earn the pass.

To earn the rest of the needed 50,000 points, there are a few options.

The easiest method — and the one I am pursuing currently — is to apply for a Southwest business credit card and get its welcome bonus. Currently, both the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card are offering welcome bonuses that will earn you the remaining points required.

If you aren't eligible for a business card (although, a lot of people are), you can earn the necessary points with additional credit card spending, flying Southwest points or doing partner activity, such as using the Southwest shopping portal.

To maximize the pass length, however, you'll want to apply for the card(s) now but ensure all of your welcome bonus points are posted in 2024. This will earn you the pass for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025, meaning you'll want to wait until 2024 to meet the minimum spend on the credit card.

Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass

Although the pass is pretty straightforward, there are still some things you should know. Fortunately, by having the pass for well more than a decade, I've learned the ins and outs of the pass. Hopefully, I can help you realize its maximum potential.

Maximize your time with the pass

Although I covered some of this above, being strategic as to when to earn the Companion Pass is extremely important. You'll earn the pass for the rest of the calendar year in which you reach the qualifying threshold, plus the entire following year.

For example, earning the pass on Jan. 15, 2024, will give you the pass through Dec. 31, 2025 — that's 23 and a half months as a passholder. Earn the pass in November 2024, and it will still expire on Dec. 31, 2025, giving you only 15 months to use it. If you earn the pass this year, for example, in December 2023, it will expire on Dec. 31, 2024. That's just 13 months at most with the pass.

So, now is the perfect time to start working on earning the pass.

Even though you might apply for the credit cards now while it's still 2023, the points only count toward the year they are posted to your account, regardless of when you apply for the card. So, if you apply in November or December 2023 and wait until January 2024 (or later) to meet the minimum spend, you'll earn the points in 2024. This will count toward the 135,000 qualifying points required to be a passholder for 2024 and 2025.

Typically, points post two to five days after your statement closes in the month you meet the minimum spend requirement. So, if you are looking to earn the pass as quickly as possible, try to meet the minimum spend the moment Jan. 1 hits. If you do so, the points will post once your statement closes, allowing you to start using the pass as soon as possible — as long as you've earned the full 135,000 qualifying points.

You can book the primary passenger's flight now

Even if you've not yet earned the pass, you can still book the primary passenger's flight now. Then, once you earn the pass, you can add your companion to your flight. Just know that if the flight sells out before you secure your pass, you won't be able to tack on your companion.

Because of that, I recommend booking a seat with points for your companion. This will save a spot for them on the plane, and then you can cancel that points reservation and rebook with the Companion Pass without losing the seat. If you don't earn it in time, your companion will still be on your flight via points.

Anyone can be your companion

You can designate anyone as your companion. It can be your significant other, your child, your parent, your best friend, your worst enemy — anyone.

You can change your companion up to three times per calendar year. After you set your initial companion, you can change it three times in 2024 and then three times in 2025 — if you earn the pass in 2024.

This means you can have up to seven different people fly with you on the pass over two different calendar years. You can also pick a person as a companion multiple times. For example, let's say you earn the pass in a few months and designate your spouse as the companion. You can then change your companion to your child (the first change), then a few months later to your friend (the second change). A few months after that, you can change back to your spouse (the third change).

Tip: If you don't use up your three changes in a given year, change your companion in December to the person flying with you first in the following year.

Related: The best Southwest Airlines credit card for family travelers

Companion changes happen instantly

Although you can initially designate your companion online through your Southwest account right after earning your pass, you'll have to call the airline at 800-435-9792 when you need to designate a different companion.

Online, the Southwest Companion Pass FAQs tell you that it can take up to 21 business days to process your new companion, but this isn't the case in practice. As soon as you call Southwest and give them your new companion's information, your pass is instantly updated, and you can book your companion's ticket right away.

Within a few weeks (most likely that "21 business days"), you'll receive your new Companion Pass in the mail with your name and your companion's. Having the physical pass is nice, but I've never needed to show it to anyone in all my years.

Depart with one companion, return with another

Because the companion change is immediate, there have been times when I used the pass for one passenger on my departure and another passenger for my return. For example, a few years ago, I flew to Florida with my parents and met my husband there. I used the Companion Pass for my mom on the flight down and for my husband on the return flight.

Immediately after my flight with my mom landed, I called Southwest and had them change the name on my Companion Pass to my husband. Once he was listed as my companion, I booked his flight for the return. There is a slight risk to this since you aren't adding your companion until a few days before departure. There only needs to be one seat available on your flight to book your companion's reservation, but if the flight happens to be sold out, you could end up in a not-so-great situation.

Tip: Even though the first passenger isn't flying with you on the return, book a companion ticket for them for the return. This will hold a seat, and when you change your companion (and cancel the first companion's reservation), that should open up a seat on the flight. You can then quickly book your new companion onto the flight. The Southwest representative whom you speak with can do it all for you. There will be a little lag time between canceling the old ticket and booking the new ticket. So, for a fully booked flight, you risk the chance that another passenger swoops in within those few minutes and books that seat.

The pass has no blackout dates or seat restrictions

This is a truly no-strings-attached pass.

Unlike many other companion passes in the travel world, there are no blackout dates, seat restrictions or fare restrictions. Your companion can fly with you for free seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. This even includes peak times, such as the day before Thanksgiving, winter break and any other day when many other airlines block their mileage redemption options.

As long as there's at least one seat available for purchase on your flight (after you book your own ticket), you can add the companion to your reservation. This applies even if a "Wanna Getaway" fare is sold out and only the really expensive Business Select fare is available.

Related: How to use the Southwest Companion Pass

Use the pass unlimited times throughout the year

Yes, you read that correctly. Your companion can fly with you for free an unlimited number of times while the Companion Pass is valid. Unlike some other passes, it's not a one-time pass. Theoretically, you can use it every single day for a year with no restrictions.

Tip: The Companion Pass passenger must always fly with the primary passenger.

Your companion must check in separately

Although your companion is tied to your reservation, both passengers receive different confirmation numbers. This means that the two passengers must check in separately.

Since Southwest doesn't have seat assignments, you board based on the boarding number shown on your boarding pass. Southwest will allow you to start checking in for your flight 24 hours in advance; the earlier you check in, the better the boarding number you'll have.

You'll want to check in both passengers at the same time so the boarding numbers are back to back if possible. If you forget to check in with your companion, the two of you may not be in the same boarding group, making it harder to find seats together. Other options include Early Bird Check-In , or using some of the four upgraded boarding positions available per year with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.

Related: Everything you need to know about the best seats on Southwest Airlines

The pass can be used on any ticket type

As I mentioned earlier, there are no restrictions on using the pass. You can use the Companion Pass reservation on any ticket type, regardless of whether the primary passenger paid for a ticket with cash or points. This means you can use your points from the current credit card welcome bonus to pay for your flight, and both you and your companion will fly virtually free.

You can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card at a 1:1 ratio and book travel that way.

Points redeemed can be used from the companion's account

The points used to book your flight can come from any account, even your companion's Rapid Rewards account. You just need to make the reservation in your name and attach your Rapid Rewards number to the flight. The reservation will then show up in your Southwest account and allow you to tack on your companion's reservation.

Southwest doesn't automatically add your companion to the reservation

When you book your flight, Southwest won't automatically add your companion to your reservation. You need to make the reservation yourself manually, but it only takes a minute.

Tip: Once you book your flight, make sure to add your companion right away, so you don't forget. If you change your companion, you can easily cancel the old companion's ticket for no fee. The amount paid on taxes/fees will be credited right back to the credit card used. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use the Southwest Companion Pass .

Also, if you, by chance forget to add your companion onto your flight and the flight ends up sold out, keep on refreshing for the next few days as a seat typically comes available at some point.

Your companion can fly standby

Earlier this year, Southwest added a phenomenal benefit for all passengers: the option to fly standby for free . This means that regardless of your fare type, you can fly standby.

However, the process works slightly differently when flying on the Companion Pass. If you and your companion want to use the same-day standby benefit, the only way to get added to the standby list is in person at the airport — you can't use the Southwest app or website.

Additionally, there must be a seat available for both you and your companion on the desired flight.

Related: What it's really like flying Southwest Airlines all the way to Hawaii

You can use the pass for any route or destination

The Companion Pass can fly a passenger for free to any destination Southwest flies. This includes all domestic and international destinations, including Hawaii.

Note that the taxes and fees you pay on your companion ticket for international flights can be significantly more than those for domestic flights. On domestic flights, all you have to pay is the Passenger Fee, also known as the September 11 Security Fee, which is $5.60 per ticket per one-way flight. However, you'll pay the same amount in fees on international flights as if you used points for the flight.

You can easily see the fees by making a mock reservation for the two city pairs while selecting the points option. For example, a round-trip flight to Aruba will cost you about $90. A round-trip flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, will cost you more than $140. (If your flight requires a layover, your taxes and fees might be slightly higher still.)

Related: The best all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, from honeymoon hot spots to family-friendly resorts

Tip: Look to Puerto Rico for a Caribbean feel or at one of Hawaii's many islands to avoid international taxes.

Cancel your companion's reservation if you need to change a flight

Southwest has one of the best ticket change policies in the airline industry. You can change a flight at any time for no fee up to 10 minutes before departure time. This means you can always rebook a flight if the price goes down — saving your family money and/or points.

The only caveat to this policy is if you have a companion already added to your reservation. In that case, to change a ticket (or rebook the same flight at a lower price), you'll need to cancel your companion's reservation first. After changing your ticket, manually add your companion to the reservation. Your companion's ticket will not automatically follow your reservation to your new flight, even if you are rebooking the same flight to capture a price drop.

Companions get the same perks as other passengers

Even though your companion's reservation is essentially free, they still get the same perks as any other passenger booked on points. This means if you're flying for free with the Companion Pass, you still receive two free checked bags and no change or cancellation fees .

Companion reservations are also eligible to board the plane early by purchasing Early Bird Check-In or an upgraded boarding position . You can even use the complimentary upgraded boardings from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card if the primary traveler uses the card to pay for the upgraded boarding position.

The companion won't receive Rapid Reward points for your flight or segments toward status (similar to a passenger who uses points for a flight), but it's great that Southwest still provides many perks to those flying for free.

Bottom line

Southwest makes using the Companion Pass extremely easy — which is a large part of why the perk is so valuable.

There are no hidden surprises, and it's a terrific value for families. So get the Companion Pass and start flying. It could save your family thousands of dollars a year, depending on how much you travel.

• Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
• Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
• Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
• Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

Application must be approved by June 3, 2024 to receive this offer

Signup bonus:, annual fee:, interest rates:, earning rate:, perks & benefits:.

The TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card is one of the best co-branded Aeroplan credit cards that the bank has to offer.

If you meet the minimum income requirement, you’ll enjoy a suite of Air Canada ® benefits and a very lucrative welcome bonus.

Bonuses & Fees

As TD’s top-tier Aeroplan co-branded credit card, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card currently offers a total of up to 85,000 Aeroplan points † :

• 20,000 Aeroplan points upon making your first purchase on the card †
• 40,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $10,000 in the first 180 days †
• 25,000 Aeroplan points as a one-time anniversary bonus when you spend $15,000 within 12 months of account opening †

It’s worth noting that this offer is still down from previous rounds of offers, which were for up to 100,000–115,000 Aeroplan points.

As a Visa Infinite Privilege * product, this card also commands a premium annual fee of $599.

Note that one of the features of TD’s All-Inclusive Banking Plan is that it reduces the annual fee for select credit cards by $120; however, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card is excluded from the list of eligible products.

The cost to add a supplementary cardholder on this card is $199 per year.†

To be eligible for this offer, you must apply and be approved for the card by June 3, 2024.

Earning Rewards

In terms of the returns on everyday spending, the earning rates on the  TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card are as follows:

• 2 Aeroplan points † per dollar spent on eligible Air Canada ® purchases, including Air Canada Vacations ® †
• 1.5 Aeroplan points † per dollar spent on eligible groceries, gas, dining, food delivery, and travel †
• 1.25 Aeroplan points † per dollar spent on everything else †

Regarding premium Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, the earning rates are on par with the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card , and slightly lower than the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card in some categories.

However, with a generally higher welcome bonus than CIBC’s offering and more acceptance than American Express, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card is one of the most versatile cards in the market.

Redeeming Rewards

Aeroplan remains the program of choice for the vast majority of Canadians aiming to redeem their points for high-value international business class and First Class redemptions.

Redeeming Aeroplan points follows the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart , and can cost as little as 55,000 points one-way from Vancouver to Tokyo in business class, for example.

From the East Coast, 60,000 Aeroplan points (or often fewer, thanks to Air Canada’s ® preferred pricing benefit if you hold Aeroplan Elite Status or a co-branded credit card ) would unlock a transatlantic flight to most parts of Western Europe.

Closer to home, short-haul flights within North America that are under 500 miles only cost as few as 6,000 Aeroplan points one-way.

Perks & Benefits

As TD’s premium Aeroplan travel credit card, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card provides a host of Air Canada ® travel benefits:

• Priority boarding, priority check-in, and a free first checked bag on all Air Canada ® flights, for the primary and supplementary cardholders †
• Complimentary visits to Air Canada ® Maple Leaf Lounges within North America, for the primary and supplementary cardholders †
• Preferred pricing when redeeming Aeroplan points for Air Canada ® flights †
• The ability to earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and 1 Status Qualifying Segment (SQS) for every $5,000 you spend on the card †
• The ability to rollover up to 200,000 SQMs and 50 eUpgrades per year †
• The ability to earn an Annual Worldwide Companion Pass after spending $25,000 on the card per year †
• Your Aeroplan points won’t expire for as long as you’re a cardholder †

In addition to the Air Canada ® benefits, the card also offers a strong set of benefits through its Visa Infinite Privilege * designation:

• A complimentary DragonPass membership with six annual complimentary visits per year, for the primary and supplementary cardholders †
• Priority benefits (valet parking, fast track security, etc.) at select airports in Canada: Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto Billy Bishop †

Finally, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card also offers a $100 (CAD) NEXUS credit, which is always useful for getting a NEXUS card to make your journey across the US border much smoother. †

(It’s worth noting that this card’s earning rate and benefits packages are virtually identical to its CIBC-issued counterpart, the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege .)

Insurance Coverage

As a high-end product, the TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card excels in the insurance department. Some examples of its strong coverage include:

• Travel medical insurance: Up to $5 million of coverage for the first 31 days of your out-of-province trip (4 days if you or your spouse is aged 65 or older). †
• Delayed and lost baggage insurance: For delayed baggage, up to $1,000 of coverage per insured person if delayed more than 4 hours. For lost baggage, up to $2,500 of coverage per insured person. †
• Flight delay insurance: Up to $1,000 in coverage if your flight/trip is delayed more than 4 hours. †
• Trip cancellation / trip interruption insurance: For Trip Cancellation, up to $2,500 of coverage per insured person, with a maximum of $5,000 for all insured persons, and for Trip Interruption, up to $5,000 of coverage per insured person, with a maximum of $25,000 for all insured persons on the same covered trip. †
• Auto rental collision/loss damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000, which can help you save on the insurance fees that the car rental company would otherwise charge. †

It’s important to note that these benefits would also apply on Aeroplan reward tickets, as long as you charge the taxes and fees of your booking to your TD ® Aeroplan ® Visa Infinite Privilege * Card.

Additionally, the card also offers Purchase Security and Extended Warranty Protection, covering most eligible items you’ve purchased with your card should they be stolen or damaged within 120 days of purchase, as well as two additional years on top of the manufacturer’s warranty.

Historical Offers

Legal disclaimers.

† Terms and conditions apply.

As a Visa* Infinite Privilege* product, this credit card has a minimum personal annual income requirement of $150,000 or a minimum household income of $200,000. You must also be a Canadian resident and of the age of majority in your province/territory of residence. Follow the link below to the TD® website to learn more about this card and submit an application.

45 Comments

For your info:

As a holder of the VIP, I got denied on access to the new MLLs located at SFO and EWR. The EWR location, co-located inside a united club, said they don’t recognize this card and only 50k or above can get in. The SFO location uses an Automated gate where passengers have to scan their boarding passes. Their front desk isn’t willing to check this card when the gate didn’t recognize my pass. Said the same, 50k or above can get in.

In case you are wondering, I flew with United (star alliance member) and had my aeroplan number on my boarding pass.

Are the 2 MLLs too new to be recognized or? Anyway, a funny DP……

I suspect that “The lounge access information” is recorded in your Aeroplan Account only and United’s system couldn’t see it. I understand that the Aeroplan number is attached to your United flight booked with United, but that lounge information may not be visible to United’s system despite having your Aeroplan Number. If this United flight was booked from Aeroplan/Air Canada’s own system, they could see your lounge access eligibility.

Have anyone applied for Delayed baggage insurance ? I need some help !

What do you need help with? I have claimed delayed baggage insurance with TD VIP.

Hi Srikar, if you haven’t already joined our Facebook group, where constructive discussions are constantly held by members for members, such as this question you had for us, consider checking it out, where more like-minded people come together to answer tricky questions together: https://www.facebook.com/groups/princeoftravel

In addition, if you would like to be part of an even more exclusive community and have attentive discussions, consider becoming a Prince of Travel “Platinum Member” which you will be invited to join our discord group: https://princeoftravel.com/membership/

For the final 30,000 bonus, the post says you need to hold the card for 12 months. Does this mean you get the bonus in the 12th month? Or do you need to renew, pay another annual fee, and then get it?

If the latter, it’s like paying $600 for 30,000 points, which is $0.02/pp, not worth it at all.

One thing not many are talking about is that the TD Aeroplan Infinite Privilege is not getting priority security access at the main Canadian airport “Pearson”. I’ve travelled 3 times in the past month and this issue has presented itself. The billboard in front of the access gate ONLY shows AMEX equivalent cards. This is unacceptable as the terms and condition and benefits print clearly shows that the TD VISA aeroplan infinite privilege should have security priority, not only at Pearson but at all the major Canadian airports, which based on comparison details is actually more than the AMEX. This is a program issue and TD/Aeroplan doesn’t seem to be aware and aren’t acknowledging the issue yet.

I signed up and was approved for the TDVIP last night, to make the deadline and this morning they are INCREASING the bonus to 115K. If I call, will they increase it? It was a matter of hours.

Would it make financial sense to sign up for 2 primary cards rather than a secondary card? Taking into account bonus points and companion flight only applies to primary cardholder. Thinking of travel as family of 4. 2 companion flights may be worth the added card cost.

I upgraded my TD visa infinite to infinite privilege card after a year and I only received 10000 bonus points not 20k they advertised. This is not mentioned clearly. Hope I will still get the 80K after spending $1000 each month for 10 months.

Same as me …it’s vaguely in fine print that they can adjust bonuses etc. At their discretion. I emailed customer service..and will raise it to ombudsman for this crappy policy onnan$599 card…and I also waited the 1 year .

Looking for some clarity.. can’t seem to find concrete info.

1) Can I purchase an AC flight for myself, using wife’s IP card and get 1st bag free? Perhaps I need the physical card at check in?

2) Am I eligible for 1st bag free if I purchased flight on different card, but have IP (in mine, or wifes names) card with me at check in?

Hey Ricky, question regarding this latest promotion. Do you get 8,500 points for whichever months you spend $1k or more (within first 10 months)? Or do you need to spend $1k in each and every single month? Is it all or nothing or can you spend less than $1k for certain months. For example, you spend $1k on 8 of the first 10 months, do you get 8,500 points x 8 months or do you get 0 points for not reaching the $1k spend each and every single month?

Is it possible to trade in the Buddy Pass for points? I heard this was possible somewhere but never fact checked this.

It was possible until November 2021, but the opportunity has now ended (unless you acquired your credit card in July or August 2021 and your Buddy Pass has taken some time to post).

Ricky, i just need a straight answer, if i am presently a TD visa infinite card holder and I apply for this card without closing the present card, will I get all bonuses attached to the present offer on this card from TD?

Yes you will.

What if I upgrade the existing Visa Infinite card? Will all the bonuses for this offer still come through?

There needs to be at least 6 months after the last time you opened a VISA infinite account with an eligible welcome bonus. I was about to upgrade my TD Visa Infinite card, but we need to wait 2 weeks, so that 6 months passes and I’m eligible to get the welcome bonus.

I got lucky, I applied for my Visa Infinite less than 2 months ago, and I product switched another existing TD card I had and got the full welcome bonus

I don’t see either of these benefits on the TD website (though they are on the AMEX website): Are they still valid? It seems like the elite status bump-up is gone too… – The ability to earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and 1 Status Qualifying Segment (SQS) for every $5,000 you spend on the card – The ability to rollover up to 50,000 SQMs and 50 eUpgrades per year

Has anyone travelled with this card and gotten priority security at YYZ-Pearson? I was only able to get priority security because the person I was travelling with was Elite 35k through Air Canada. Amex doesn’t have priority security as of 3 weeks ago (I haven’t really travelled much with COVID)

Can you get this card with all the bonuses if you still have the TD Visa Infinite?

Go with Amex – the experience in every way is better with them. TD think they’re something special and arbitrarily make card approval difficult.

Do I get priority checkin with star alliance partners . Thks Peter.

Ricky, are the minimum household income figure strict? Total household income for me is $180k ($130k for me, $50k for wife). Just want to know the chances of consideration prior to attempting an application. Thanks in advance!

If you can count some other income sources and push that up to $200k, that’d be best.

I’m over 22 y/o and live with my parents. Can I combine my parents income with mine to meet the household income requirement?

If you live under the same household, then it’s just about counting the incomes of everyone under the household.

It’s the Buddy Pass and the Worldwide Companion Pass (Annual Worldwide Companion Pass Primary Cardholders will receive one (1) Companion Pass after spending more than $25,000 on net purchases (less any returns and credits) in the 12 months prior to card renewal date.)? Anyone used the companion pass? Worth it?

If someone has the all inclusive account, would they get the 139 discount for the VIP carrd? Just seeing if 599 can be discounted at all.

In TD’s case, no. CIBC’s equivalent VIP product does allow a discount from the premium banking package, though.

Hey Ricky, I believe this specific card From TD also offer priority bagage handling as well. However, CIBC aeroplane infinite privilege does not.

Ricky – do you know if anyone has received their buddy pass yet?

Is it a metal card like the the CIBC and Amex?

How does it compare to the Amex Platinum/Bus Platinum?

Hi Ricky the TD privilege card has 7 – I assume the already known – exclusive travel benefits and an additional 8th perk at 200 properties. is there any information on what this perk would be? Thanks

I just found this on the Visa Luxury website. “The 8th Benefit for Visa Infinite Privilege Cardholders Book & enjoy a Special Amenity included with the 200 properties when you book the Visa Infinite Privilege Rate.

$100 Spa Credit $100 Hotel Credit for Services $100 Dining Credit (Additional $75) $100 Room Credit for Rate $100 Golf Credit”

It’s a listed benefit, but typically I’ve found that the Visa Infinite Privilege hotel collection isn’t very wide, and the rates aren’t very competitive compared to Virtuoso or Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Hey Ricky, just wondering which information regarding the access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is correct. Depends on which website so TD, CIBC, AMEX or Air Canada I go to, it has contradicting policies on bringing in a guest. Does all the “Privilege” or AMEX Reserve allow unlimited lounge access for the primary and authorized holder plus each can bring in a guest free? OR guest would require payment to access? Very confusing…

I’d like to know too

I was just notified my visa Infinite Privilege card fee is going up to 599 in November instead of the current 399 fee. Ridiculous.

Can I get the sign up bonus if I have closed a TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite account within the past 6 months? Does TD consider the two cards the same product?

Apparently not even if you have had the infinite card for years. You will get the difference in signup bonuses (20000(priv)-10000(infinite)= 10000. You will still get the 30000 upon spending $1000

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