By Lisa Whitlaw

This is a common question we get at Go to Travel Gal for those who are in the process of earning their Southwest Companion Pass, which lets one person fly nearly free with them for up to two years.

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How do you “hold” a seat on a Southwest flight for a person you plan to add as your free Companion once you earn the pass?

This is an excellent question that CAN be confusing.

Most people think they should wait until they have earned their Companion Pass before they book flights for their Companion, which DOES make sense.

But we’ve got an alternate solution for you…

 

The Question

Southwest card questions

Here was one reader’s specific question about this topic:

“If I book a flight for my husband and myself and then later receive my Southwest Companion Pass, can I switch his fare to a Companion ticket and get a refund? Or should I wait until I receive my [Southwest] Companion Pass to make both reservations?”

 

The Answer 

We recommend that you go ahead and book both seats NOW with the plan to cancel one once you earn your pass. 

Why should you do this? We’ll get into more detail further down, but essentially the flight could sell out and you may NOT be able to add your Companion once you earn the Southwest Companion Pass. Now, wouldn’t that be a huge bummer?? šŸ™

 

What NOT to Do

one Chase Sapphire card per person

Lyn NEVER considered that she wouldn’t be able to add her Companion to a flight, as it had never happened to her in three years … until IT DID finally happen :). 

She waited until three weeks before a Spring Break flight to add her son as her Companion, and when she went to do it, was unable to, because the flight was completely booked! Aack!!

Lyn’s family had to completely change their plans from Florida beaches to Palm Springs, California, because the flights were now too expensive to book on a different flight where she COULD still add her Companion.

Luckily, with Southwest’s no-change-fee policy, they were able to completely change their destination to Palm Springs (by way of San Diego) and book new flights that DID fit within the number of Southwest points they wanted to spend. 

 

What You SHOULD Do

Southwest Companion Pass Hawaii

So that you don’t end up in the same situation as Lyn, there IS a way to “hold” a seat for your Companion until you’re able to add them to your flight.

We recommend booking that “holder” fare with Southwest points if you have them, because when you’re ready to cancel the booking to add them as your Companion, the points INSTANTLY go back into your account.

This is the BEST option.

The next best option is to book a REFUNDABLE Anytime fare by paying in dollars (versus points). These fares are more expensive than the cheapest Wanna Get Away fares, but, when you cancel, you WILL get the money refunded to your original form of payment.
 
If you book a Wanna Get Away fare and pay in dollars (versus points) and cancel, you’ll instead get a Southwest travel fund, which is a credit that must be used within 12 months by the same person whose name appears on the ticket.
 

It’s not an ideal scenario and travel funds can sometimes be tricky to use before they expire!

 

[Read our complete guide to Southwest travel funds HERE]

 

Either way (booking in points or paying for an Anytime fare) holds your seat for your companion so you don’t get stuck like Lyn :).

 

How Do I Cancel the Booked Ticket and Add My Companion FREE?

To cancel a refundable Anytime fare OR points booking that you used to “hold” a seat for your Companion, we recommend calling Southwest and having them do this.
 
If you try to do it online, it’s possible that someone could book the seat you “held” in between you canceling the fare and adding your Companion. Southwest agents are able to do this, so that it’s not a risk. 
 
We also advise against adding Early Bird seating (which checks you in ahead of the general public) to the “holder” reservation, as it does NOT “move” when you cancel the reservation and add your Companion to your ticket.
 
Early Bird purchases are LOST (and NOT refunded) when you cancel a fare.
 
Wait to add Early Bird (if you plan to do that) until you add your Companion to your ticket.
 
Have more questions about Southwest?

Take a look at these common reader questions

 

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Author

  • Lyn Mettler is a longtime travel writer for US News & World Report, USA Today 10Best and The TODAY Show who created Families Fly Free, a program that teaches families her simple system to use travel rewards to fly for free. She is one of the industry's foremost experts on collecting and using travel rewards with her expertise featured in major media outlets and on podcasts, television and radio.

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