Credit card companies are constantly closing loopholes to make airline rewards less valuable. Taxes, fees, and limited availability all eat into the value of your credit card miles. But as airfare gets ever more expensive, one credit card reward becomes more valuable – companion tickets.
Many of today’s top airline reward credit cards offer free companion tickets, so you can take someone with you on a flight. You can often redeem accumulated miles for part or all of one ticket, and then cash in the companion ticket for your friend, spouse, or whoever.
Some credit cards offer annual companion tickets. Others are currently offering companion tickets as sign-up bonuses when you get a new credit card and meet a certain spending threshold. Some of our favorites offer bonus miles worth $400 in travel credit (enough to cover many airline tickets).
Interested in adding a free companion ticket to your travel plans this year? Check out these 9credit cards that offer free companion tickets:
1. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is one of the best travel rewards cards around right now, and part of the reason is that you can easily earn a Companion Pass. The Companion Pass program is better than just a single free ticket for your companion. With this program, once you hit 100 one-way flights in a calendar year or earn 135,000 qualifying points, you get a Companion Pass. This lets you designate a person of your choice to fly with you on any Southwest flight for the remainder of the current year and the next full calendar year.
Even if you don’t travel enough to reach this level, you’ll earn A-List status with just 25 one-way trips or 35,000 tier qualifying points. And new cardholders can earn enough points for a free ticket. It’s why the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is one of our favorites.
2. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
This card has a hefty annual fee at $250. New cardholders can Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Every year, you can cash in for one free Annual Companion Certificate for a round-trip economy class flight each year upon card renewal. Depending on where you fly, that single reward (not including the first checked bag free and Priority Boarding perks) could easily outweigh the annual fee. Keep in mind, too, that you’ll still need to pay taxes and fees for your companion ticket. See terms and conditions for details.
3. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
This card is suitable for hardcore travelers, due to its hefty $550 annual fee. Cardholders can earn Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.
It, too, comes with a free Annual Companion Certificate – but this can be used for a Domestic First Class or Delta Comfort+® ticket. So again, if you’re flying first-class, the saved cost of the ticket could easily outweigh the annual fee, even after paying any taxes and fees. See terms and conditions for details.
4. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card
This credit card offers a $99 Coach Companion Fare a week or two after opening an account, and upon annual renewal. You can use the pass for any coach flight. Alaska Airlines might sound restricted, but they actually fly to several highly-desirable locations, including Hawaii. And $99 for a flight to Hawaii isnt bad at all.
5. US Airways Premier World MasterCard
The annual fee of $89 for this card is fairly low in the world of premium travel credit cards. And it offers two $99 companion tickets each year. You can use the $99 companion tickets on travel within the continental US and Canada, so long as the cardholder purchases a ticket for at least $250. In other words, if your flight costs $250+ for a single round-trip ticket, you can get two round-trip tickets for $349 or four tickets for the family for $698 (plus fees and taxes).
6. British Airways Visa Signature Card
The Travel Together program through the British Airways Visa lets you bring a companion with you on any flight when you use your Avios rewards to purchase the first ticket. This applies to any flight in any cabin that starts in and returns to the US.
The annual fee on the British Airways Visa Signature Card is .
7. The Platinum Card from American Express
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and other participating providers. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
- American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
- $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back each year on an Equinox+ subscription, or any Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. Enrollment required. Learn more.
- $189 CLEAR® Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
The Platinum Card® from American Express generally has great rewards, but the usefulness of the annual premium class international companion ticket is limited. Yes, you get a complimentary ticket for free when you book a qualifying international business or first-class ticket. However, the first ticket must be booked through AMEX, where prices are likely to be quite high. And you’ll have to pay taxes and fuel surcharges (which can be quite expensive) on the second ticket. Terms Apply.
8. Virgin America Visa
Virgin offers a $150 coupon annually when you book another paid fare. You can use it on round-trip tickets, and only on trips with a maximum of three people on the itinerary.
9. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard
The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard doesn’t offer free companion tickets, but it does offer steep discounts on companion tickets. Once after you open the card, you can get 50% off the price of a companion ticket on a round-trip coach flight between Hawaii and the continental US. The second perk is an annual one: $100 off a coach ticket – round-trip between Hawaii and the continental US – each year.
Remember, when you’re checking out these credit cards for the free companion ticket: check out the added fees and restrictions. Not all these offers are created equal, and some airlines have higher fees than others. So check out up front exactly what you’ll have to pay for with your companion ticket before you decide which card to choose.
Abby Hayes
Abby is a freelance journalist who writes on everything from personal finance to health and wellness. She spends her spare time bargain hunting and meal planning for her family of three. She has a B.A. in English Literature from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and lives with her husband and children in Indianapolis.
