Southwest Companion Pass- Now's the Time

Sep 5, 2025

Angie and Cameron kick off by spotlighting a listener's success with Amex Platinum card credits. They dive into JetBlue's new partnership with Condor, enhancing travel redemption options, and discuss Citi's transfer relationship with American Airlines. The main attraction? Unpacking the secrets to earning the Southwest Companion Pass, emphasizing the importance of gathering 135,000 points. They share insights on current credit card sign-up bonuses and caution against potential future limitations on the pass's value. Travel strategy has never sounded so exciting!

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Saks In‑Store Saks Credit Win

Member Nadine successfully used her Saks credit in-store for an Amex Platinum benefit and found staff eager to help.
Angie warns gift-card credits can disappear and to avoid losing purchased cards.

INSIGHT

JetBlue–Condor Redemptions Favor East Coast

JetBlue added Condor as a partner with strong east-coast redemption value to Frankfurt (19K economy, 54K business).
West-coast redemptions are expensive on JetBlue so Alaska miles remain better from that region.

ANECDOTE

Dolomites Trip: Upgrades And Point Hotel Save

Cameron upgraded a return flight to Austrian business for 88,000 United miles and hopes to snag a better seat at check-in.
He also swapped a $450 Lake Como hotel to a 22,000-point Mr & Mrs Smith redemption to save cash.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In Episode 136 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Angie Sparks and Cameron Laufer discuss a variety of travel and points-related topics. They begin with a member highlight, where a listener shares a positive experience using their Saks credit on an Amex Platinum card. The hosts also cover recent travel news, including JetBlue’s new partnership with Condor, which offers redemption opportunities with varied point values depending on the departure location, and Citi’s new transfer relationship with American Airlines, allowing certain cards to transfer points at a 10:7 ratio. They also touch on Virgin Voyages’ status match offer, which benefits travelers looking to get perks on their first or second Virgin cruise.

The main focus of the episode is on Southwest’s Companion Pass (CP). Cameron and Angie outline how the CP works and how to earn it—primarily through accumulating 135K points in a calendar year, with credit card bonuses counting toward that total. They discuss the timing of earning the pass and mention that the current 100K sign-up bonuses on personal cards through September 17th provide a great opportunity for those looking to earn it. They also delve into whether Southwest's higher fares and additional fees, such as baggage and seat selection charges, have diminished the value of the Companion Pass. Both hosts speculate on potential changes to the CP program, suggesting that the benefit might be limited in the future, especially for those planning to earn it in 2026 or beyond. Finally, they offer a tip about not opting out of marketing messages, which can lead to lucrative offers, and announce the upcoming launch of an Award Travel 101 merchandise store.

Episode Links:

- Book Condor With JetBlue Points

- Citi Transfers to American Airlines

- Virgin Cruise Status Match

- Sign Up for Southwest Cards to Support the Group

Where to Find Us

The Free Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.