Welcome back to the Weekend Round-Up, the catch-all kitchen drawer of travel newsletters.

We started the week with the news that Southwest is making its Companion Pass (the last thing we still loved about them) ridiculously expensive and much harder to get starting next year. 

Clearly, this is their way of saying they don’t want to be friends anymore. 🙄

There is, however, a way to secure it the old, easier way for one more year, but the window is closing fast. Which means it’s decision time. 

But that’s not the only interesting thing we covered this week, so let’s hit the highlights first. 👇

✈️ This seriously good status match could get you elite status across multiple airlines.

🏨 Book a stay at a LHW property with this offer and walk away with 15,000 MR points.

🌎 How to use international airline programs to snag award deals on domestic flights.

✈️ Take advantage of this 30% transfer bonus for great deals to Europe.

👀 ASMALLWORLD is back with an offer for 250,000 Cathay Pacific miles + luxury perks.

💳 Mike’s favorite card is still — and may forever be — this recently revamped hotel card.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: Companion Pass decision

Saving on flights is always nice, but saving on domestic flights became a much bigger deal when my daughter was born. As much as I’d love to jet off on an international flight, jet lag and toddlers are NOT for the faint of heart. 😅

My Companion Pass has made little domestic hops doable and affordable in this newest phase, but that just got significantly more complicated. 🥴

How it used to work

Historically, Southwest’s companion passes have been earned by flying enough Southwest flights, spending enough money on Southwest, or holding the right mix of Southwest credit cards (we’ll come back to this).

Occasionally, they’ve dangled promotional offer carrots that let you earn a pass for a shorter period (from a couple of months to a full year). Like if you booked and flew during a certain time or opened a credit card with a special offer — which is how I got my current Companion Pass.

Once secured, you can add a Companion to any of your flights for just the cost of taxes and fees ($5.60), with the caveat that you could only change your companion 3 times during the lifespan of your pass. No blackout dates, no restrictions.

Turbulence ahead

The changes announced last week say the Companion Pass isn’t going anywhere. But the fine print says points earned through credit card welcome offers, bonus categories (like 2x on gas), or hotel bookings through Southwest no longer count toward earning a Companion Pass, effectively stripping away the most convenient ways to earn one.

The changes go into effect January 1, 2027, but we still have through the end of 2026 to take advantage of the current method. So here’s how that’s done. 👇

Using the old method before it’s gone

Currently, to earn a Companion Pass, you need 135,000 points or 100 flights, and the most efficient way has been to open a Southwest co-branded personal card plus a Southwest co-branded business card.

Step 1: Open a business card and meet the minimum spend

If you qualify for a business card, it’s often recommended to apply for that one first, for two related reasons:

• Business cards don’t typically count against you in regard to the 5/24 rule

• But you do usually have to be under 5/24 to get one.

Once you open a card, you’ll want to hit the minimum spend before the end of 2026.

That’s different from past years, when we’d recommend holding off until January to secure the pass through 2028. But since Southwest put the kibosh on that, you’ll want to hit that minimum spend ASAP.

👉 This Southwest biz card currently has an elevated welcome offer.

👉 This Southwest business card comes with premium perks.

Step 2: Repeat with a personal card

After the business card, you can apply for a personal Southwest co-branded card and repeat the same process: hit the minimum spend before the end of this year.

It’s generally a good idea to space out your credit card applications to protect your approval odds, so I’d apply for one ASAP and then wait a month before applying for the second.

But note that Southwest has indicated cards must be open by December 2nd, 2026, to qualify for the OG Companion Pass earning structure.

Early 2027 spend counts toward your welcome offer on cards opened by that deadline, meaning you could technically meet your minimum spend in January or February and still earn your Companion Pass through the end of 2027. There’s no longer an option for earning the pass through 2028. 🫠 

Is it worth it?

Personally, I opened this co-branded card earlier this year, and I’m on the fence on whether I want to pursue a Companion Pass for next year. It’s a pain to drive an hour in Houston traffic to get to the airport Southwest flies out of, but it’s easily saved me over a thousand dollars this year.

I buy a ticket for myself, add my spouse as my companion for the cost of taxes and fees, and then add my free lap infant to the same reservation… flying 3 for the price of 1. 🤯

We’ve used the Southwest Companion Pass at least 8 times this year, and with a cash value of $70 to $300 on each of those 8 flights, we’ve easily saved over $1,500 this year.

Plus, holding a Southwest co-branded card means your first checked bag is included… so I can buy a Basic fare and add my companion, which includes free bags for both of us, saving on a second ticket and baggage fees.

Bottom line

I get why they’re making it harder to earn a Companion Pass, since they probably lose money on it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. 😠

It does mean I might secure one last year of savings before it’s (essentially) off the table for good.

👀 This Week’s Drops

🌍 Week in Review

• Monday: ✈️ Southwest just changed (almost) everything

• Tuesday: ✈️ How to book domestic flights with points

• Wednesday: ✈️ Get 2 years of Delta status (instantly)

• Thursday: 🌎 Book flights to Europe for 4,700 miles

• Friday: 💳 My favorite card is still my favorite card

Guess now I have to decide whether I want another year of free flights… or if it’s time to say adios to the fan-favorite Companion Pass as we know it.

Lemme know your thoughts on the matter!

29.7499° N , 95.3584° W

With contributions by Mike Dodge and Sam Anthony.