Well, the year didn’t start quietly.
Or positively.
I heard from a TON of you guys yesterday. Let’s just say people are very unhappy with Southwest right now.
My thoughts?
The Companion Pass is still my favorite deal in domestic travel. Like it was last year. And the year before that. But…
Southwest just pissed off a lot of customers by making it harder to get.
One of the best “alternate” angles has been with Marriott points. That strategy (and all other hotel transfer options) are getting thrown out the window under the new rules.
And those rules start immediately.
So what does it mean for us?
It means the Southwest credit cards are going to be the main road to the Companion Pass.
Am I mad about that?
Not really.
I think the lack of advance notice sucks, but this is still a spectacular deal.
So, yeah, it’s a great time to go after the Companion Pass.
Obviously, Chase cards are harder to get (for many of us) than they were last year. So one strategy I’m seeing work well is the splitting of applications. An example is your spouse focusing 100% on Chase cards while you apply for all the other banks. If you have multiple people in your family, some strategic splitting is probably necessary at this point. It’s early in the year, so definitely try to put a plan in place to get the Companion Pass.
