Our family saved $15K with Southwest Rapid Rewards and Southwest Companion Pass

Welcome to our third World Travel Adventurers (WTA) Savings Report! This will be slightly different from our other savings reports as we are going to focus on the savings from flying on one of our favorite family airlines: Southwest Airlines. Our traveling family of 4 (sometimes 5 including Grandma) saved $14,955.89 over the past 2.5 years by travel hacking on Southwest Airlines. During that time, we’ve flown for nearly free (paying only taxes and fees) using Southwest Rapid Rewards and the Southwest Companion Pass both domestically in the United States and internationally. While saving nearly $15K on Southwest flights in the last few years, we’ve enjoyed trips to the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chicago, Seattle, Orlando, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Using Southwest Rapid Rewards to fly (almost) free

Southwest Airlines has a growing route map consisting of 85+ cities in the US and 10 international destinations, most of which offer nonstop flights from our home base airport BWI. We’ve made some amazing family memories by taking our children on vacation all throughout the United States and the Carribean for just the price of taxes and fees, which are as low as $5.60 for domestic flights. It would bore you to give the details of every single one of our reward flights on Southwest, because there have been A LOT, so we’ve given you details on some of our favorite trips.

We’ve been to Costa Rica twice for just $80.98 per person roundtrip plus Southwest Rapid Reward points. We traveled as a family to Cuba for just $52.66 per person roundtrip plus SW Rapid Reward points. We also took our kids on vacation to Los Angeles and Orlando spending only $11.20 per person roundtrip plus Southwest points. We’ve saved thousands of dollars traveling as a family thanks to Southwest Rapid Rewards and the Southwest Companion Pass, which we’ll discuss more later.

Southwest Airlines recently announced plans to fly to Hawaii out of California which is an exciting addition to their route map. We are eagerly awaiting for them to open up flights to Hawaii, which will make travel to Hawaii more affordable. We visited Hawaii years ago before having children and can’t wait to go there with the kids once Southwest opens its routes.

Flying Southwest within continental US and Puerto Rico for $5.60 per person

Southwest Airlines does an excellent job keeping its point redemption straightforward and user-friendly. For all flights originating and ending in Continental US and/or Puerto Rico, the taxes and fees are only $5.60 per person each way. THAT IS IT! The number of Rapid Rewards points required to make the booking varies just as the price fluctuates depending on type of fare, date of travel, time of flight, how early you book the ticket, etc.

Southwest has 3 fare options at different prices and point values- Wanna Get Away fares are the cheapest, Anytime fares are mid-priced, and the most expensive Business Select fares are refundable and offer priority boarding. Booking early gives you the best chance of snagging Wanna Get Away fares.

Another way to save money or Southwest points is taking advantage of Southwest’s generous policy of giving a refund or travel credit if the ticket you purchased drops in price. You have to stay on top of sales and if you see a lower price for the exact same flight that you booked, call Southwest and they’ll credit you the difference.

We’ve found deals from Baltimore to Florida and Las Vegas (and even Mexico) for about 6,000 Southwest points each way. We recommend purchasing Southwest flights on Tuesdays when sales begin for the best fares and before the Wanna Get Away fares sell out. For our family trip to Disney World, the roundtrip redemption from Baltimore to Orlando was only 11,446 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. It’s difficult to beat that value!

Baltimore to Orlando Southwest Airlines Airfare Savings

Flying Southwest to Central America for $80.98 per person roundtrip

Our family of four flew with Southwest Airlines to Costa Rica spending only $80.98 per person in taxes and fees for the roundtrip tickets plus 26,286 Rapid Reward points per person. Southwest Airlines operates flights to Liberia (LIR) and San Jose (SJU), making it easy for travelers to explore different parts of Costa Rica.

We paired our cheap flights with free accommodation at Andaz Costa Rica using our Hyatt Award nights and World of Hyatt points. We were able to stretch the value of our first Costa Rica vacation even further by driving to Nicaragua, which unfortunately is going through civil unrest at the moment, but is just as beautiful and much cheaper than Costa Rica.

After saving so much money on flights and free hotel stays, we enjoyed a few nights at the luxurious and kid-friendly The Springs Resort & Spa in Arenal and the Peace Lodge in the cloud forests of the Heredia Province. There are so many fun things to do in Costa Rica including visiting animal sanctuaries, zip lining, chasing waterfalls, and enjoying hot springs in Arenal.

Baltimore - Liberia Costa Rica Southwest Airlines Airfare Savings

Flying Southwest Airlines to the Caribbean for $52.66 per person

Our family of five (including Grandma) flew on Southwest Airlines to Cuba spending only $52.66 per person in taxes roundtrip plus Southwest points. Visiting Cuba had been high on our bucket list and was like stepping back in time to the 1950’s when colorful classic cars cruised the streets. We fell in love with Havana and are eager to return. Although there are some additional regulations in place, US citizens can still visit Cuba if they stay in compliance. If you’re planning to visit, check out these photos of Cuba that will add it to your bucket list,  affordable accommodation in Cuba, our tips for visiting Cuba,  best things to do in Cuba.

Baltimore - Havana Southwest Airlines Airfare Savings

Fly a companion for free with the Southwest Companion Pass

Although we’ve saved thousands just using Southwest Rapid Rewards points on flights, another huge part of our savings comes from taking advantage of one of the most generous aviation perks available- the Southwest Companion Pass. Read our post explaning in detail how to earn the SW Companion Pass. Thanks to both earning Southwest Companion Passes, we have been able to take our children with us for free (paying only for the taxes and fees) on many memorable vacations.

How to earn the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass

In order to qualify for the SW Companion Pass, you must either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 110,000 qualifying Southwest Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. The emphasis is on qualifying because simply transferring miles from your Chase Ultimate Rewards into your Southwest Rapid Rewards does not count toward the SW Companion Pass.

The Southwest Companion Pass rules are simple. You select a companion to travel with you for FREE for the remainder of the calendar year and the following calendar year. There’s no limit to the number of free flights for your companion, but they only fly free when traveling with you. You are able to change your companion up to 3 times per calendar year. This makes it easy to treat your mom to a mother-daughter getaway, your best friend on a girls trip, and your child (or spouse) all within the same year. We love the flexibility of this generous perk!

How you can earn Southwest Companion Pass even without flying

Since Bertaut is a Southwest frequent flyer thanks to his business travels, he has earned his Southwest Companion Pass multiple years in a row by flying 100 qualifying flights or earning 110,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points in one calendar year. I (Alexis), however, do not fly as frequently and earned the Companion Pass through Southwest credit card spending. If you don’t anticipate reaching the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass status based on qualifying flights, you can opt for the Southwest Airlines points route.

This is not difficult when taking advantage of generous sign-up bonuses and opening both a personal Southwest Airlines credit card and a business credit card. Southwest Visa sign-up bonuses vary throughout the year, but frequently they offer 50,000 sign-up bonus points when meeting a spending requirement within 3 months of opening the account. Open 2 Southwest Visa cards with a 50,000 point bonus and you only need to earn 10,000 more points to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

There are 3 consumer Chase Southwest Visa credit cards to choose from, plus a Southwest business credit card. Apply for the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card OR the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card OR the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card AND the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. All information about Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by World Travel Adventurers. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Please note you can’t apply for more than one of the consumer credit cards below if you already have one and earned the sign-up bonus in the last 24 months.

No fees for flight cancellations/changes on Southwest Airlines

As if $15K in 2.5 years wasn’t enough savings already, there are other ways to save money by flying Southwest Airlines that we didn’t even calculate into our figure. Given that Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge for flight cancelations and changes, we’ve saved even more considering that we have needed to cancel or change flights many times due to various circumstances. Most airlines charge hefty fees for last-minute changes or cancellations, but Southwest charges nothing. You just have to pay the difference if changing to a more expensive flight, or will get credited the difference if changing to a cheaper flight. Rapid Rewards points go back into the bank, and taxes and fees are either refunded or credited toward future flights. It’s another reason they are our favorite domestic airline.

Baggage flies free on Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has a generous baggage policy that allows 2 checked bags per person to travel for free, plus one carry-on suitcase and one personal item. We haven’t mastered the art of packing light yet (I largely blame this on Bertaut’s obesssion with drones, which takes up a lot of space). We often travel with 2 pieces of checked luggage per person when flying internationally or on long vacations. We’ve never stopped to calculate the savings for luggage since Southwest provides free checked baggage to everyone. However, considering that many airlines charge $50 or more per checked luggage, we’ve likely saved thousands of dollars over the years by flying Southwest Airlines and never paying baggage fees.

Fun Southwest flight attendants

This has nothing to do with our savings on Southwest Airlines, but we really appreciate the sense of humor and fun attitude of Southwest flight attendants. We’ve had some of the best customer service from Southwest Airlines flight attendants, from making me a birthday crown out of packs of peanuts and stir sticks to bribing our kids with $1 for whoever could be the quietest on the flight from Las Vegas to Baltimore. I think everyone sitting around us really appreciated that innocent bribe, and the kids enjoyed a little healthy competition. In fact, they were both so well-behaved on that flight thanks to the flight attendant’s contest that the passenger sitting behind us gave our losing child $1 as well.

We often find ourselves laughing with flight attendants who randomly break into song while doing the pre-flight announcements or crack jokes while serving us refreshments. The crew on Southwest always seems to be having fun and truly enjoy their job, which makes for a better experience for us. Good service is priceless in our book.

Final Words on our Southwest Savings Report

As you can see, Southwest Airlines is our favorite domestic airline for many reasons. We’ve saved nearly $15,000 in just 2.5 years thanks to flying practically free on Southwest Rapid Rewards points and with the Southwest Companion Pass. We have saved hundreds of dollars, possibly even thousands more over the years by not having to pay cancellation fees, change fees, or baggage fees. On top of the tremendous savings, we are huge fans of the fun-loving flight attendants who go out of their way to crack us up, make our long-haul flights with kids easier, or pamper us with free cocktails and crowns on our birthdays.

Southwest is a family-friendly affordable airline that opens the door to travel with low fares and an easy-to-use Rapid Rewards system. If you haven’t signed up yet, we recommend getting started with Southwest Airlines by signing up for Southwest Rapid Rewards. Soon you’ll have enough rapid rewards points to earn Southwest free tickets for your family too! Check back soon for another blog post about how we earn so many Southwest Airlines rewards and how you can too.

For more travel hacking inspiration, see how we saved $271K during 2.5 years in our first WTA Savings Report. Check out our Asia Savings Report for how we saved over $74K in one vacation to Japan and Singapore. If you want to get started or improve your travel hacking savvy, sign up for our email list to be on your way to traveling like a millionaire without spending a fortune!

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**Disclosure- This post contains a Southwest Premier Card referral link which means we may earn additional rapid reward points if you sign up for the credit card through our link at no additional cost to you.