Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a companion ticket?
A companion ticket — also issued as a companion pass or a companion voucher — is a frequent flyer benefit that lets a member bring one designated second passenger on a trip, on terms the programme sets for eligibility, usable flights and cash charges. [3] [4] In Southwest Rapid Rewards, a member who earns 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or flies 100 qualifying one-way flight segments in a calendar year may designate one Companion to fly with them on Southwest flights the member has purchased. [3] [7]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- The two companion benefits described here work in different ways: Southwest Rapid Rewards' Companion Pass is a status a member qualifies for and then uses trip by trip, while The British Airways Club's Companion Voucher is a voucher applied when a Reward Flight is booked. [3] [4]
- The companion travels with the member, not instead of them: both people must be booked on the same Southwest flights and dates, and the Companion's reservation is cancelled if the Companion is not travelling with the member. [3]
- Cash charges remain. Southwest prices reward travel for the member and, if applicable, the Companion with taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges from $5.60 per one-way trip [3]; on a British Airways Reward Flight booked with a companion voucher the member pays the Avios for one person and the taxes, fees and charges for both. [4]
- Southwest awards no points, tier qualifying points or Companion Pass qualifying points for flights the Companion takes on the Companion Pass. [3] [7]
How does a companion ticket generally work?
A companion benefit changes who pays for the second seat rather than how the first seat is booked. The member makes the booking in their own name and attaches a companion to it, so the benefit works only while the member travels on the same trip. Because the second seat comes from a programme rule rather than a published fare, the programme also decides who qualifies, which flights accept it, and which cash charges still fall due.
Two packagings recur. A companion pass behaves like a tier: the member qualifies once, names a person, and then books that person onto eligible trips for as long as the pass lasts. [3] A companion voucher behaves like a certificate spent at the point of booking, reducing what the member pays for the second passenger. [4] Neither removes the airport-side costs, which are set per programme.
| Programme | How the companion is booked | Cash charges |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Companion Pass | The member books and purchases their own flight first, then books the Companion's flight through Southwest; both must be on the same flights and dates. [3] | Reward travel by the member and, if applicable, the Companion is subject to taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges from $5.60 per one-way trip. [3] |
| The British Airways Club Companion Voucher | The voucher is used on a Reward Flight, a flight booked with Avios. [4] | The member pays the Avios for one person and the taxes, fees and charges for both. [4] |
How does the Southwest Rapid Rewards Companion Pass work?
Qualification runs on a calendar year. A member reaches Companion Pass by earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or by flying 100 qualifying one-way flight segments in a calendar year. [3] [7] Those qualifying points come from completed travel on qualifying one-way segments operated by Southwest Airlines, from points earned on Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards and the Debit Card, and from base points earned with Rapid Rewards partners. [3]
Many point sources are excluded from that total, including purchased points, points transferred between members, points converted from hotel and car loyalty programmes or from e-Rewards, Valued Opinions and Diners Club, reward flights, enrolment points, tier bonus points, flight bonus points, most promotion bonus points, points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards, points earned on Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, and travel bought through online travel agencies. [3] Purchased, gifted and transferred points do not count toward Tier or Companion Pass status. [6] Only points posted to the member's account within the same calendar year are available for qualification. [3]
Once the status is earned, the member can use it as soon as a Companion is designated and keeps it for the rest of the calendar year in which it was earned plus the entire following calendar year; requalifying is required each calendar year, and the start and expiry dates cannot be adjusted. [3] To use it, the member books and purchases their own flight first, then books the Companion's flight through the Companion Pass booking option on Southwest.com or by calling the reservations line and telling the representative that a Companion Pass will be used. [3] The two travellers check in together, present documentation if asked, carry valid photo identification and board with their assigned groups. [3]
How does The British Airways Club Companion Voucher work?
British Airways sells flights booked with Avios as Reward Flights. [4] A Reward Flight pairs an Avios amount with a cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges, and British Airways offers at least eight economy, two premium economy and four business reward seats on its flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick. [4]
Applying a companion voucher changes the split for two travellers: the member pays the Avios for one person and the taxes, fees and charges for both. [4] If the member travels solo with the voucher, they pay half the Avios required for one person, plus the taxes, fees and charges for one person. [4] A Companion Voucher or Upgrade Voucher can also be used on Avios-only flights, which are British Airways and Euro Flyer flights sold only as Reward Flights, subject to availability. [4] On those flights, British Airways says an American Express voucher can be used within the cabin and dates it is eligible for. [4]
Voucher bookings sit outside the self-service path for some changes. British Airways lists a Reward Flight booked with any type of voucher, such as a Companion Voucher or Travel Together Ticket, among the cases where the contact centre has to handle the change. [4]
Exceptions and limits
- One companion, three changes. A Southwest member is limited to one Companion at a time and may change the designated Companion up to three times in each calendar year of Companion Pass status; any reservation held with the current Companion Pass must be cancelled first, and changes can be made on Southwest.com, in the app or by phone, allowing 21 business days for processing. [3]
- Individuals only. The designated Companion must be an individual, corporations and other entities cannot be Companions, and one person cannot travel as both Member and Companion on the same flight. [3]
- Where the Southwest pass works. A Companion Pass may be added to travel booked with Cash + Points, but cannot be added to travel booked through Southwest Vacations, Getaways by Southwest, Group Travel, charter flights, Interline Itineraries or nonrevenue travel. [3] Companion Pass travel has no blackout dates and no seat restrictions, but a seat must be available. [3]
- What the companion trip does not earn. Companion Pass travel is excluded from qualifying flights, and no points, tier qualifying points or Companion Pass qualifying points are awarded for flights the Companion takes using the pass. [3] [7] It also does not count toward A-List or A-List Preferred qualification [3], and does not qualify as a revenue flight for extending promotional status under the Southwest status match promotion. [5]
- Cards and conduct. Members no longer receive Companion Pass cards; any legacy card remains the property of Southwest, must be surrendered on request and is not a credit card. [3] Suspected fraud, misuse or abuse of the programme rules may lead to forfeiture of Companion Pass qualification. [3]
Frequently asked questions
Does the companion have to travel on the same flight?
On Southwest, yes. The member and the Companion must be booked on the same flights and dates, and the Companion's reservation is cancelled if the Companion is not travelling with the member. [3] If the member changes their own ticket, the Companion's ticket must be changed to match or it is cancelled; cancelling the member's ticket cancels the Companion's too. [3]
How much does it cost to use a Southwest Companion Pass?
Reward travel by the member and, if applicable, the Companion is subject to taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges from $5.60 per one-way trip, and the total varies with the departure and arrival destination. [3] Those charges are the passenger's responsibility and are paid when the reward travel is booked. [3]
Can the companion's flight be booked before the member's?
On Southwest the order is fixed: the member must first book and purchase their own flight, then book the Companion's flight using the Companion Pass booking option online or by phone. [3] The Companion's reservation is not treated as a purchased flight, so a further Companion Pass reservation cannot be booked from it. [3]
What does a British Airways Companion Voucher cover?
It covers the Avios for a second passenger on a Reward Flight: the member pays the Avios for one person and the taxes, fees and charges for both. [4] A member travelling alone with the voucher pays half the Avios for one person plus the taxes, fees and charges for one person. [4]
Do companion flights count toward elite status?
On Southwest they do not: Companion Pass travel is excluded from qualifying flights, earns no points or tier qualifying points, and does not count toward A-List or A-List Preferred qualification. [3] [7]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Companion benefits from other airlines and from credit card issuers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and the card-issued companion certificates described on bank sites, are not covered here; the rules above apply only to Southwest Rapid Rewards in the United States and to The British Airways Club Reward Flight programme.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- The British Airways Club: Reward Flights and companion vouchers, checked 18 October 2026
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Status Match terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Southwest Rapid Rewards: how to redeem points, checked 18 October 2026
- Southwest Rapid Rewards: how to earn points, checked 18 October 2026