Photo: Gramicidin on Flickr
People can tell me as much as they want what a great experience it is travel alone. And I fully appreciate that it’s a great experience for them. But I’m of the unshakeable belief that life on the road is better together, even if that means you’ll occasionally have to see your travel buddy at their worst — like when they’re up at the crack of dawn for a redeye flight that seems to just keep getting delayed.
Well, here’s one great way to make sure your travel buddy stays in a good mood: give them a free trip. And no, I’m not talking about paying full price for their airfare, but I am talking about giving them a free seat on a plane. How, you ask? Companion passes and certificates.
Companion passes and certificates range from 50% discounts on a ticket for your travel partner to — in the case of Southwest — a free pass for a person of your choosing to accompany you wherever you fly.
Here are all the U.S. airlines with companion passes, certificates and discount codes, and how you can get them. Hint: there’s a good chance it’ll involve a credit card signup.
Alaska: Those with an Alaska Airlines credit card (Visa Signature, Platinum Plus MasterCard and Visa Business) receive a “companion fare discount code” every year: first when they sign up for their card, then on their anniversary. The code is good for one discounted companion fare in economy, which is a $99 base fare.
Delta: If you have a Delta credit card (SkyMiles or Reserve) from American Express the airline will send you one companion certificate first at signup and then each year you renew the card. The certificate is good for someone to accompany you on an eligible round-trip domestic trip.
Hawaiian: One of the perks of signing up for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard is a 50% discount for a round-trip, coach companion ticket between Hawaii and elsewhere in North America. It’s just a one-time deal, though.
Southwest: This is the gold standard of an airline companion passes, allowing for one lucky person of your choice to fly with you every time you fly for nearly two calendar years. To earn it you’ll need 100 one-way qualifying flights or 110,000 qualifying points within one year. You’ll probably want the Chase Southwest credit card, which can have bonuses up to 60,000 points just for signing up, to help get you there.
Virgin America: The airline gives Virgin America Visa cardholders an annual $150 companion ticket discount code, starting first at sign up.
American Express Platinum: If you fly business or first class a lot, this is the way to go. The Amex Platinum card partners with more than 20 airlines worldwide, including Delta. Cardholders who book a business or first-class ticket on one of AmEx’s participating airlines can always bring along their companion for free, with no max number of flights.