Southwest Airways’ Companion Move is likely one of the finest journey perks within the business. With the cross, a buddy or member of the family can fly with you at no cost (plus taxes and costs) on Southwest flights a limiteless variety of occasions till the cross expires. Whereas this may appear to be a kind of “too good to be true” situations, it is fully legit and simply nearly as good because it sounds. The truth is, I’ve personally been a Companion Move holder for nearly 15 years.
As soon as the cross is earned, it is legitimate by Dec. 31 of the next calendar yr (so long as it is earned by the standard technique and never throughout a particular promotion). This provides you as much as two years to make use of the cross, providing many alternatives to your designated companion to fly with you in your subsequent journey.
Associated: Easy methods to earn the Southwest Companion Move
However do you know that you do not have to fly with the identical companion on every flight? Southwest allows you to change your companion as much as 3 times per calendar yr — and that’s along with the preliminary number of your companion. And since your cross is often legitimate over the course of two calendar years, this enables as much as seven individuals to fly with you at no cost.
And whereas altering your designated companion has at all times been a slight nuisance, Southwest simply made it considerably simpler. Up till lately, you’d should name Southwest and request a change. However now, altering your companion will be accomplished all by yourself, proper inside your Southwest account.
Altering your Southwest Companion Move
As of September, Southwest is making it considerably simpler to alter your companion. Initially, while you earn the cross, you might have the chance to designate a companion. There is not any change to this course of, and figuring out your preliminary companion will be accomplished on-line by your Southwest account or over the cellphone with Southwest instantly.
Nevertheless, now you can additionally make modifications to your cross on-line. Beforehand, the one possibility was to name Southwest. Whereas the precise course of solely took the agent a couple of minutes, it might sometimes require a prolonged wait on maintain, relying on the time of day.
To alter your Southwest Companion Move on-line, you may first wish to sign up to your Southwest account both by the app or on-line. From there, you may see your Companion Move data, with the choice to alter your companion. Inside your account, it will additionally let you know what number of extra occasions you possibly can change your companion this yr, which is extremely useful.
Associated: Easy methods to earn and use the Southwest Companion Move
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As soon as you choose the choice to alter your companion, you may then should fill out your companion’s data. Once more, you may be notified of the variety of companion modifications you might have left for the calendar yr.
Nevertheless, the massive subject that you will discover is that there is nowhere to enter your companion’s Southwest Speedy Rewards quantity. Reviews point out that Southwest will robotically create a brand new Speedy Rewards quantity for the traveler, and for many, this is not an issue — even when they have already got a Speedy Rewards account. It’s because while you fly as a companion, you do not obtain factors to your flights anyway, so not having the flight tied to your account is not an enormous subject. Nevertheless, your companion will not have the ability to see the flight particulars of their account, which might be bothersome to some.
However the principle subject is that in case your companion has Southwest A-Record or A-Record Most well-liked standing, they will not obtain any perks throughout your journey.
And whilst you can at all times name Southwest to have it tie the right Speedy Rewards quantity to the account, reviews have proven that this technique requires the agent to alter your designated companion once more, counting towards one in every of your three companion modifications for the yr.
If you wish to be certain that the right Speedy Rewards account is tied to your new companion, your finest wager is to name Southwest instantly at 800-435-9792 and keep away from the net course of. Hopefully, the choice so as to add your companion’s Speedy Rewards quantity on-line can be added sooner fairly than later.
Associated: 15 classes from 15 years of getting the Southwest Companion Move
Issues to know when switching your Southwest companion
Regardless of being a real no-strings-attached cross, there are some issues to know alongside the way in which to set you up for achievement. For starters, your designated companion can repeat themselves. So for example Joe is your preliminary companion and also you wish to fly with him in January and September, however you need your buddy Sarah to fly with you in between the 2 flights in March. You’ll be able to change your companion to Sarah and again to Joe once more, however it’ll nonetheless rely as a change.
Moreover, the person listed should be your companion each on the time of reserving and on the time of journey. So, with the instance above, you will not have the ability to change your companion to Sarah till after your flight with Joe is full. And, in case you already added Joe as a companion to your flight later within the yr, you may must cancel Joe’s flight earlier than you alter your companion to Sarah. As soon as your flight with Sarah is full, you possibly can then add Joe again on as your companion.
Simply be conscious that there needs to be no less than one seat obtainable for buy in relation to reserving a companion ticket. For those who’re reserving throughout peak journey occasions, you may wish to add your companion as quickly as doable. To make sure your companion has a seat at a later time, whilst you have one other designated companion, you possibly can at all times e book the passenger a seat with factors to “save” their seat after which change it to a companion reserving as soon as that passenger is designated as a companion. And within the uncommon state of affairs when the flight is offered out earlier than a companion is added to the flight, carry on checking as there is a very excessive chance {that a} seat will in the end develop into obtainable.
Backside line
I am glad to see that Southwest now permits vacationers to alter their passes on-line and keep away from a doubtlessly prolonged maintain time on the cellphone. Having the ability to see what number of modifications you might be nonetheless allowed can be large and may assist you to put together for the yr. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless some kinks within the course of in relation to not having the ability to add your companion’s Speedy Rewards quantity. Hopefully, this can be fastened within the close to future, however for now, there’s nonetheless the choice to name in case you want the right account tied to the ticket.
