S3 E13: How to Book Southwest Flights with a Companion Pass (The Easy Way!)

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<v SPEAKER_00>With the switch to assigned seating, the process for booking with a Southwest Companion Pass has become much more convoluted, so I'm going to walk through step by step how to do this and address some common issues people are having.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Welcome back to Points for Normal People.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm Katie and I'm here because I know that travel costs add up, especially for a family.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But I believe travel isn't just for the rich.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's why on Points for Normal People, I share the tips and tricks that my family has been using for over a decade to help you use your everyday expenses and credit card welcome offers to supercharge your travel points so that you can pay for entire vacations every year.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm not going to go over how to earn a Southwest Companion Pass, so if you've stumbled on this episode and you don't yet have a companion pass, I will direct you to the show notes where we have listed all of our best resources.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I have a whole module in my free course that walks through this step by step, as well as other YouTube videos and blog posts that walk through all the various Southwest changes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Once you've earned a Southwest companion pass, either through the traditional way with earning 135,000 points in a calendar year, or through a promo, you'll be able to log into the Southwest app or website and designate a companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you don't see this option, you can always call and an agent can do this for you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>My first recommendation is that before you add anyone as your companion, make sure they have their own Rapid Rewards account set up.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is especially helpful if your companion is over 13 for two reasons.

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<v SPEAKER_00>First, it makes it easier to automatically attach their known traveler number, if they have TSA Precheck, to all reservations.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Second, they could keep track of their own reservation through their own account.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you, as an adult, have TSA Precheck, you can bring children 12 and under through the TSA precheck line with you, regardless of if they have it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But for teens who are 13 to 17, they can only come through a TSA pre-check line with you if the words TSA Pre are physically printed on their boarding pass.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When an adult makes a reservation and they have TSA Precheck, this designation, TSA Pre, will appear on the boarding pass for everyone under 18 on that same reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But the issue is that if a teen is your companion, they actually end up having a different reservation number.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you can't confer that TSA pre-check status to them if they are your companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They would need to have their own known traveler number attached to their own account or reservation, which would then trigger the TSA pre-designation to print on their own boarding pass.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Thankfully, it's now actually free to get global entry for all of your kids under 18 if you have it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And global entry then gives you a known traveler number, which gives you TSA pre-check.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if you or another adult in your household has global entry, you can now go and sign your kids up for global entry and they will be charged$0.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You will still need to go to an interview for them, even for a baby, which is a bit silly, but I personally think this is well worth it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So those are the steps that you have to do before you even start booking.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Ideally, you'd have a known traveler number for your companion, you'd set up a rapid rewards account for them, and then also save that known traveler number to their profile.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And after that, then you'd add them as your companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When you designate them as your companion, make sure to associate their rapid rewards number in addition to their name, so it's all linked up.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You are allowed to change your companion, your designated companion, three times each calendar year.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And after the third change, it will be locked onto that person.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Once you have your companion designated, you're ready to book.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When you go to book, there are some situations where you'd want to book a round trip and some where you might prefer to book two one ways.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you're booking the basic fare, which is the cheapest fare class, I recommend booking one ways.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's because these fares cannot be changed, they can only be canceled.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if you have a round trip flight booked as a basic fare and one of the legs drops in price, it's not easy to change just the leg that has dropped in price and get a refund for the difference.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is possible, but it's not easy.

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<v SPEAKER_00>To do that, it would take double the steps.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you'd have to upgrade that one leg that is now cheaper to a choice fare, and then you'd have to go and change that back once you have that choice fare back to the new basic fare price.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it's just easier to keep them as separate one-way bookings if you're booking basic fares.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That way, if you need to make any changes, you can do it for each leg individually.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you're booking choice fares, you can book round trip fares, because choice fares and above allow changes to just one part of the ticket.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You also might be booking a choice fair if you're using one of the coupons that comes with some of the Southwest cards, because those coupons require you to book a choice fair or higher to use the coupon.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And in that case, you definitely want to book round trip so that you can use your coupon on the whole round trip ticket.

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<v SPEAKER_00>However, you book, whether it's one way or round trip, you can book for everyone that will be flying who is not a companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>With a companion pass, the number of reservations is always going to be excessive.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I try to keep ours to a minimum.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In our house, that means I book a reservation for my husband and myself first.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We both have companions, but I book us on the same reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But here's where it starts to get quirky again.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In a household, you might have different people with different points balances in their accounts.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And they might have different Southwest benefits depending on which credit cards they hold or if they have A-list status.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In the big picture, whoever has the highest level of benefits can confer them to everyone on the reservation and all of their companions, but it doesn't happen right away.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And so I'm going to tell you the steps to make sure you get all the benefits for everyone.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you have your master reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is the reservation that includes everyone who is not a companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You're going to make this master reservation while you're logged into someone's rapid rewards account.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like in our household, sometimes I'm using my account to use my points to make that master reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes I'm using my husband's account to use his points to make that master reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Even if you're paying with cash, you're still going to be logged into someone's account to book.

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<v SPEAKER_00>At the time of booking, you'll only get the seating benefits of whoever's account you're actually logged into.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now this is just at the time of booking, but it's important to understand this.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In our case, it doesn't matter because my husband and I have the exact same credit cards and we have the exact same seating benefits.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But in other cases, like for my sister, it does make a difference.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because she and her husband both have companion passes, but he also has a list preferred.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When she's logged into her own account to book tickets for their family, when it comes to the seat screen, even if her husband is on that reservation that she's booking, she can't select seats for free for her family because she doesn't have that benefit for herself and is recognizing the benefits of the person that's logged in.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If this happens to you for your master reservation, you are in one person's account to book to use their points, but you want the other person's better benefits, all you have to do is finish your booking without selecting seats, and then log into that second person's account, the person with the better benefits, and find the reservation and click to select seats, and you'll be able to use their benefit to select seats for everyone that's on that master reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Whenever you select seats, you need to make a note of which seats you've picked because you'll need that when you add your companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Once you have your seats selected, you can go in and add your companions.

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<v SPEAKER_00>To add your companions to your reservation, you need to be logged into your account.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And when you pull up your reservation, you should see a little button or highlighted text that says add companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When you click this, it will make a new reservation for your companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You'll be able to pick seats for your companion at whatever level of benefits the highest person on that master reservation has.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you don't immediately see free seating options, but you believe you should have them based on that master reservation, you need a multi-step process.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if that happens, book your companions and don't worry about picking seats.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then wait five minutes and go back into the companions reservation and select to change or upgrade seats.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And from there, you should be able to pick that level of seats that matches the highest person on your master reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>For whatever reason, it takes about five minutes for the Southwest system to recognize that a companion is associated with that primary reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So sometimes it takes about five minutes after booking the initial companion booking for that person to get those seating benefits.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you have two people on a master reservation that each have a companion, they will need to log into their individual Southwest accounts to add their companions.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now you will always pay the cost of taxes for your companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Within the US, it's$5.60 each way.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Internationally, it can be more than that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It might be$60 each way, depending on the country.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We've had two companions for a long time, and I can tell you that the process for adding the second companion to the master reservation sometimes changes as to what works.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes it only works to add that second companion through the website.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes it only works to add the second companion through the app.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes that changes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Southwest is not known for having a great IT system.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So again, this could change from time to time.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you encounter an issue like the website's giving you an error when you're adding a second companion, try the app, and vice versa.

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<v SPEAKER_00>For a period of time, the Southwest app was also messing up how it was tracking most companion reservations if you had two companions.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it wouldn't necessarily show the right companion confirmation number with the right name.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like for me, it would show my daughter's name and my son's confirmation number.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This also meant I couldn't just click through from the app to make changes to her reservation or to check her in as my companion.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If this happens to you after you've booked, just go back to your confirmation email and get the companion confirmation number and check in on the website or use that number to change your seats.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You should always have an email with the companion's confirmation number that you can use for a reference if the app isn't working well.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Some Southwest phone agents have been telling some customers that there is a new airline-wide policy whereby they are no longer allowed to book a second companion onto a reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Some of the agents seem very adamant about this.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Other agents I've talked to say this policy doesn't exist.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm not sure why there's such a discrepancy on that, but I can tell you that you can certainly do it yourself online.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I have personally noticed that while Southwest agents used to be very well trained and give very good service, it seems like there might be a lot of new agents, or maybe the training has dropped off in some way, but consistently more Southwest agents are giving wrong information, and I'm not exactly sure why that's happening.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I'm sure it doesn't help that there have been so many changes either.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Regardless, you can still add those second companions yourself online.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I will add, on our most recent flight, it was the first time that I could actually see both of the associated companion reservations on my website view.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So that seemed promising that maybe their IT system is finally going to be able to handle two companions more easily on the same reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One reason I like having my husband and I on the same reservation is that it's a lot easier if there's an issue on your day of travel to have all of your family's reservations associated together.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like when a flight is canceled and airlines automatically rebook you, it means that we're automatically going to be rebooked onto the same flights.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's one reason I always make sure we're on the same reservation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One more issue you might run into with a companion while booking is that you might have issues with not being able to select seats when you book.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But again, if you wait five minutes and let the system catch up, you can go in and change and select seats, and then the system should let you do that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Really, if you have an issue with selecting seats for some people, make your booking, wait five minutes, and then try again.

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<v SPEAKER_00>As you can see, all of this is more convoluted with the new seating system than it used to be.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That complication is all just for the initial booking.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then let's say you want to make a change.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Maybe you've been tracking your flight prices on Google Flights, like I recommend for Southwest, and it went down in price.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you want to change to the lower price.

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<v SPEAKER_00>To do that, you have to go in and cancel any companion reservations first.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then you have to change the master reservation and make sure you still have the same seats or new seats if you want them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then you have to go back and add the companions and select their seats again.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But you can do this as many times as you want, and it's always the same steps.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now, 48 hours before your flight, you have an opportunity to upgrade to a better seat if you have any of the Southwest credit cards or A-list.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you have A-list preferred, you already got to pick the best seats at the time of booking, so you're already set.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now it depends on the exact card you have, what your exact benefit is.

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<v SPEAKER_00>For some of the cards, the benefit is that for the first time at 48 hours before the flight, you finally have the chance to pick a seat for free.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now this has a few issues for companion reservations because you have to do this in multiple transactions, so it's harder to confirm exactly what seats you'll get if you're trying to get your seats together.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So with the card I have, for instance, at 48 hours before my flight, I can book into extra legroom seats for free, if it's available.

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<v SPEAKER_00>On a recent flight, I'd been monitoring what was available in extra legroom, and there were a few rows, so I thought I had a pretty decent chance.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But I was worried that I would just get them for my husband and I, and then when I went to add our companions, that there wouldn't be any more seats available.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Turns out I didn't really even have to worry because I logged in right at 48 hours, and these seats were gone in seconds, and I didn't get any of them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But I do think it's worth noting that if you're a family trying to get seats together, you might want to have multiple people on multiple devices picking seats at the same time to make sure that you can sit together.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's mostly if you're doing this right at that 48-hour mark when you'll have the highest number of people selecting seats right at that time.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In our case, I kept checking, and closer to the flight time, an extra legroom seat became available.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I moved my husband to it since he's 6'3 and he really likes that extra space.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But there were never enough seats for all four of us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If that wasn't complicated enough, if you have a connecting flight, you have to log in at 48 hours before each of the legs to select or upgrade seats.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You can only select seats for your flight when it is actually 48 hours or less from that specific flight's departure.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So that's 48 hours in the time zone the actual flight departs from.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That means if you have a connecting flight, you will need to log in to select seats multiple times if you're trying to do it right at that 48 hours before.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you do get even one person on your master reservation into those extra legroom seats, you will all get the perk of an earlier boarding group.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In our case, we were moved from our original group four to group one once we upgraded my husband to extra legroom seats.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When we changed my husband's seats, it also told us that we should re-download our boarding passes because we always use the digital boarding pass in our Apple wallet.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I did notice that the kids' boarding passes in our Apple wallets actually automatically updated about five or ten minutes after we'd made that change.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it's possible you might see them update automatically, but you may have to re-download the boarding passes or they may update automatically.

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<v SPEAKER_00>As a side note, the Southwest app was really glitchy for me when I was attempting to upgrade my daughter's seat and kept telling me it couldn't show me the seat map.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So be aware this might happen.

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<v SPEAKER_00>For me, it did mean that someone else grabbed the seat I was trying to get while I tried to troubleshoot it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I think if I had my daughter's Rapid Rewards account set up and logged in if she had her own device with this, this might not have been an issue, but we don't have that for her.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The workaround I eventually found was to just go to the Southwest website instead of the app on my web browser on my phone and enter her confirmation number and click to change seats from there.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like so much of this stuff, when you run into a Southwest IT issue, there often is a workaround.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It's just a bit tiring to always be finding workarounds.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now, those earlier boarding groups do really help because Southwest is having a major issue with not enough overhead bin space now that they're charging for bags.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if you're in later boarding groups and your flight is full, they're often forcing people to gate check their bags.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you really want to be able to keep your carry-on with you, you'll get group five at the highest if you hold any of the Southwest cards.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But even towards the end of group five, they're sometimes forcing gate-checked bags.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if you are in group five, I recommend lining up right away, even when they're calling group four, so that you can get on right at the beginning of group five if you want to keep your bag with you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Related to that, know that if you pick a seat in rows one to three, especially, you might have to put your bag a few rows behind you.

00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:13.839
<v SPEAKER_00>That means when you land, you'll also have to go backwards to get it.

00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:19.039
<v SPEAKER_00>As of now, at least one of the front bins is typically reserved for Southwest flight attendants.

00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.599
<v SPEAKER_00>And sometimes they're smaller bins anyway.

00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So it's hard to get your bag to be actually above you.

00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:34.799
<v SPEAKER_00>Another perk, if you do have that benefit to get into those extra legroom seats, is that if you're in those seats, you do get free alcoholic drinks and a premium snack, which is really just pistachios.

00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.160
<v SPEAKER_00>But you can even get multiple alcoholic drinks if you want.

00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.480
<v SPEAKER_00>This all feels like a lot, I know.

00:18:40.640 --> 00:19:00.400
<v SPEAKER_00>It took me almost an hour to book a reservation the other day because I had four love vouchers, but you can only use three methods of payment, so I had to jump through all of these hoops to combine my love vouchers into flight credits by booking and canceling flights, just to finally book one round trip ticket for four people for my family to Orlando.

00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:05.119
<v SPEAKER_00>And all of this begs the question: is the Southwest Companion Pass even worth it anymore?

00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:07.039
<v SPEAKER_00>Now, I still think it can be.

00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:12.960
<v SPEAKER_00>At the end of the day, we still got four round trip tickets to Orlando for just about$11 per person.

00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:20.400
<v SPEAKER_00>I do think many of these policies were put in place more for investors than the customer-first experience Southwest used to have.

00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:21.599
<v SPEAKER_00>And that shows.

00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.400
<v SPEAKER_00>I don't mind having assigned seats with older kids.

00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.319
<v SPEAKER_00>I actually like it in theory.

00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:36.079
<v SPEAKER_00>But due to the IT limitations of the Southwest website and app and the process of how you book companions, it is a multi-step process to do anything.

00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:39.839
<v SPEAKER_00>And it is definitely more time consuming now than it used to be.

00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:46.000
<v SPEAKER_00>Even though Southwest prices are sometimes crazy high now, they're often okay for us in Chicago.

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:53.759
<v SPEAKER_00>And since we have a companion pass, another airline would have to cost more than double the Southwest price for us to not have it be worth it.

00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:02.720
<v SPEAKER_00>So overall, I think Southwest is worth it if it serves your local airport, and also if you're willing to put in the work to set yourself up for success.

00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:08.319
<v SPEAKER_00>But just know you can't really get a good deal on Southwest anymore without doing some work.

00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.240
<v SPEAKER_00>And that's a change from the past.

00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:15.680
<v SPEAKER_00>With that said, let's move on to some action steps if you're a person willing to put in the work.

00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:21.200
<v SPEAKER_00>First of all, you need to make sure you understand how to get the best prices on Southwest.

00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:25.119
<v SPEAKER_00>I have a whole podcast episode on that, which is linked in the show notes.

00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:30.640
<v SPEAKER_00>If you have plenty of points, you can still use the schedule change trick, which I discuss in that episode.

00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.559
<v SPEAKER_00>And you should be tracking the prices of all of your Southwest flights.

00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:38.000
<v SPEAKER_00>Next, evaluate which credit card you have.

00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:44.480
<v SPEAKER_00>For us, it's worth it to hold the personal card with the highest fee because we can pick seats at the time of booking.

00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:50.480
<v SPEAKER_00>This card doesn't have the best overall value, but it helps me fly Southwest with less stress.

00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:53.839
<v SPEAKER_00>And since we fly multiple times a year, it's worth it for me.

00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:00.000
<v SPEAKER_00>If you've had your Southwest card for a year or more, you can change the card you have and pay the difference in fee.

00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:05.039
<v SPEAKER_00>Our full Southwest card guide is also linked in the show notes where you can compare those benefits.

00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:12.640
<v SPEAKER_00>Last, if your companion doesn't have TSA Precheck but you do, work on getting that for them and added to their account.

00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:18.559
<v SPEAKER_00>This is especially true if you have global entry and have a child or a teen as your companion.

00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:26.960
<v SPEAKER_00>Even if it's a child who can still go through the TSA Precheck line with you, I think it's worth it to activate their global entry as soon as you can.

00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:36.079
<v SPEAKER_00>You typically don't have to go to re-interview when the time is up for renewal, so you will have to go that first time and that is a pain the first time, but then you're usually set up.

00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:45.759
<v SPEAKER_00>Southwest is also now part of TSA Precheck Touchless ID, which you can use if you have TSA Precheck, but you do need to opt in on the Southwest app.

00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:52.319
<v SPEAKER_00>You can only enroll in Touchless ID if you're over 18, but kids can go through the touchless line with you.

00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:59.759
<v SPEAKER_00>But again, over 13 does need TSA Precheck printed on their boarding pass to use this or any TSA pre check.

00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:00.640
<v SPEAKER_00>Line.

00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:09.279
<v SPEAKER_00>We had an issue on our last flight where our son's known traveler number somehow got deleted from his reservation on our return flight, and we hadn't noticed.

00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:14.799
<v SPEAKER_00>So he was denied going through that line until we went back and then manual added it, and then he was able to come.

00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:18.960
<v SPEAKER_00>With Touchless ID, you have to upload your passport to verify your identity.

00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:23.599
<v SPEAKER_00>And then once you do that, you don't even need to get your ID out anymore at security.

00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:30.079
<v SPEAKER_00>This isn't available at every airport yet, but sometimes has a much shorter line than the plain Pre-SA Pre-Check line.

00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:34.880
<v SPEAKER_00>So if you have TSA Precheck, you might also want to sign up for this in the Southwest app.

00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:39.759
<v SPEAKER_00>Information on this is also included in the TSA Precheck article linked in the show notes.

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:47.599
<v SPEAKER_00>Thanks so much for spending time with me today, and I look forward to seeing you next time where we will continue to unlock these secrets of travel points together.