Your guide to getting free flights
You and your designated buddy can fly on the cheap with a companion pass — Photo courtesy of Anchiy / E+
Can you imagine bringing a friend or family member on your next flight without paying for their airfare? Several airlines offer a companion pass that allows you to do just that.
The Southwest Companion Pass is the most well-known of the bunch, offering the most bang for your buck. Also, Southwest is one of a handful of airlines whose frequent flyer miles never expire, so I often fly Southwest with my family for vacations. But it’s not the only option.
Three major airlines provide a version of this handy companion ticket that allows your “buddy” to pay no airfare or a reduced fare. Here’s how to secure one of the money-saving companion fares from various airlines.
What airlines have a companion pass?
Various airlines offer companion passes to make traveling easier for the whole family — Photo courtesy of Yaroslav Astakhov / iStock Via Getty Images
Alaska Airlines Famous Companion Fare
If you hold an Alaska Airlines personal or business credit card and meet the minimum spending, the airline grants you an Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare each year.
This bonus allows you to purchase a coach-class ticket for one person for $99 (not including taxes and fees), regardless of the actual cost of the airfare. You must book directly with Alaska online and pay for the flight with your associated Alaska card to take advantage of it.
Delta Air Lines Companion Certificate
As a Delta Platinum or Reserve personal or business credit card holder, Delta Air Lines provides you a Delta Companion Certificate each year on your account renewal. This grants you one free airfare for a person to join you on a flight. If you hold a Platinum card, you can book a main cabin seat for your companion; though, if you hold a Reserve card, you can book a higher class fare for them.
Unlike Alaska, the pass has no minimum charge, but you must pay for the flight’s associated taxes and fees with your designated Delta card and book the flight directly with Delta online.
Southwest Airlines Companion Pass
The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is the best in terms of value, but it’s harder to earn than simply holding an airline credit card. To earn this pass, you must accrue 135,000 qualifying points within one calendar year, January 1 through December 31. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a valid pass from the time you earn it until the end of the following year, so it’s possible to be valid for almost two full years, depending on when you earn it.
This pass pays airfare for another person, not just once, like Delta and Alaska, but as many times as you want to use it for the life of the pass. You could technically fly every day and add that person for free every time. The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to change your companion three times each year after first designating them.
You can earn this pass repeatedly, as my family has since 2015, which adds up to thousands of dollars in savings. According to Airlines for America, the average round-trip flight in the United States, including bag and change fees, costs about $400. Using that metric, my family has saved almost $23,000 by continually holding a Southwest Companion Pass.
How do airline companion passes work?
Some airlines allow only one buddy per year on the companion pass — Photo courtesy of pixdeluxe / E+
For Alaska and Delta, you simply charge the taxes and fees for the flight, $5.60 per way within the U.S., to the card that awards you the pass. You must be taking the same flight to add the companion.
For Southwest, you first call the airline to designate your companion and then book your flight directly with Southwest. Once you book your flight, log into your Southwest account and click on the flight to add your companion. You’ll pay your companion’s taxes and fees, and then the individual is added to your flight as long as seats are available.
Are there restrictions on a companion pass?
Some restrictions include not using airline miles in conjunction with a companion pass — Photo courtesy of Imgorthand / E+
There are quite a few restrictions on Alaska and Delta. For example, Alaska is for new reservations only, and you must book your own and your companion’s fare simultaneously. It also can’t be combined with other sales or discounts when booking your airfare, which can’t be booked using miles. Lastly, it expires 12 months from the issue date, meaning you must have booked your flight —not taken it — by the expiration date.
Delta only allows you to use the pass on flights within the United States and some Caribbean and Central American destinations. (Great when you want to book your next Caribbean beach resort getaway.) There is limited availability for companion fares, so you can’t book any available flight with an open seat. Delta also requires you to book and travel by the certificate’s expiration date. You can’t combine your fare with other discounts or offers when purchasing your fare, and you can’t use miles.
Southwest is much more liberal with its companion pass. You can book your seat using frequent flyer miles, and as long as a seat is open on the plane, your companion can snag it. Moreover, you can use your pass as much as you want anywhere Southwest flies, including international destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica.
Can companion tickets be used one way?
Alaska and Delta require you to use their companion fares on round-trip flights, but Southwest allows you to use its companion pass on any round-trip or one-way flight.
Can I use my companion fare for other people?
On Delta and Alaska, you can only choose one companion per year because you can only use those passes once yearly. That person can be anyone, however.
On Southwest, you can select anyone to be your companion and change that companion up to three times a year. However, Southwest requires you to complete any flights with your current companion before switching to a new one.
If you can score a companion fare on one of these three airlines, it’s usually a “buy one, get one free” deal and an opportunity to save big on airfare.
