Companion Pass vs Companion Fare vs Companion Certificate

Why the confusion happens

Airlines and credit card marketing love the word companion, and they attach it to three very different products. One lets you bring a guest free on every flight for up to two years. One gives you a single discounted second ticket each year. One gives you a single second ticket with a long list of fare rules. Same friendly word, wildly different value.

The fastest way to avoid a costly mistake is to learn the three names and never treat them as interchangeable again. The Southwest Companion Pass, the Alaska Companion Fare, and the airline companion certificate from cards like Delta each belong in their own bucket. Once you see them side by side, the right choice for your travel usually becomes obvious.

If you want the full picture of how the most valuable of the three works, our complete companion pass guide walks through it from the ground up. This page is about telling the three apart.

Southwest Companion Pass: bring one person free, over and over

The Southwest Companion Pass is the gold standard, and it is in a class of its own. Once you hold it, you choose one person who flies with you on any Southwest flight you book, and you pay only the taxes and fees on that companion ticket, which start around 6 dollars one way on domestic routes. It works whether you paid cash or used Rapid Rewards points for your own seat.

There is no cap on how many times you use it. Fly every week for a year and your companion comes along free every single time for the life of the pass. That is what separates it from the other two benefits, which give you exactly one discounted second ticket per year.

You earn it by flying 100 qualifying one way flights or earning 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Most people hit the points number through Southwest credit card welcome bonuses and spending rather than flying. The pass is then good for the rest of the year you earn it plus the entire next calendar year, so smart timing can stretch it close to two full years.

You can change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year, so it is not locked to one person forever. To see how people earn it without flying 100 segments, read our guide on how to earn a companion pass fast, and for the deeper mechanics see the full Southwest Companion Pass guide.

Alaska Companion Fare: one discounted second ticket a year

The Alaska Companion Fare is a credit card perk, not a status you earn by flying. It comes from the Alaska Atmos Rewards Visa cards, now part of the combined Alaska and Hawaiian Atmos Rewards program. It is not free travel. It is a second ticket at a fixed low base fare.

The headline price is a 99 dollar base fare plus taxes and fees, so the real all in cost is typically around 122 dollars and up depending on the route. You buy your own ticket at the normal price, and your companion rides on the same itinerary for that discounted total. On a pricey cross country fare, the savings can be hundreds of dollars on the second seat.

You get one companion fare per year. New cardholders and renewing cardholders earn it after spending at least 6,000 dollars on the card during the anniversary year, and it posts automatically on your card anniversary. Each fare is valid for 12 months from issue, so you have a year to use it before it expires.

The fare must be booked in economy, though all economy fare classes qualify. You can still upgrade both yourself and your companion afterward using elite upgrades or paid upgrade options. Think of it as a once a year treat, not an unlimited benefit.

Delta and other companion certificates: one second ticket with rules

A companion certificate is the third category, and Delta is the most common example. Like the Alaska fare, it comes from a credit card and gives you one second ticket per year. Unlike Alaska, it carries fare class and routing restrictions that decide whether you can even use it on the flight you want.

Delta issues one certificate each year after you renew an eligible card. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express covers a Main Cabin round trip, while the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express also opens up Comfort and First Cabin certificates. You pay only government imposed taxes and fees, capped at no more than 80 dollars for round trip domestic itineraries, with a higher range up to roughly 250 dollars on longer routes.

Here is the catch that trips people up. The certificate only books into specific fare classes, such as L, U, T, X, and V in Main Cabin on the Platinum card. The Reserve card adds more classes and cabins but still excludes Delta One. If those exact fare buckets are sold out on your dates, your certificate is useless on that flight even when seats are clearly for sale. Most fares also require advance purchase and a minimum stay, and Basic Economy is never eligible.

Other airlines run similar certificate programs through their cobranded cards. The pattern is the same: one second ticket a year, you cover taxes and fees, and availability is gated to certain fare classes.

Side by side comparison

Here is the quick rundown across the points that matter most when you are choosing.

Read down each line and the differences jump out. The Southwest pass is the only one that scales with how much you fly. The other two are once a year perks where the value depends entirely on how expensive your second ticket would have been.

• How you get it: Southwest pass is earned by flying or by earning 135,000 qualifying points. Alaska fare and Delta certificate are credit card benefits tied to spending and card renewal.
• How often you can use it: Southwest pass is unlimited for the validity period. Alaska fare and Delta certificate are one use per year each.
• Cost to use: Southwest pass and Delta certificate cover taxes and fees only, around 6 dollars one way domestic for Southwest and capped at 80 dollars round trip domestic for Delta. Alaska fare is a 99 dollar base fare plus taxes, roughly 122 dollars all in.
• Restrictions: Southwest pass works on any Southwest fare you book. Alaska fare is economy only but accepts all economy classes. Delta certificate is limited to specific fare classes and cabins, with advance purchase and minimum stay rules, and no Basic Economy.
• Validity: Southwest pass lasts the rest of the earning year plus the next full calendar year. Alaska fare and Delta certificate are each valid 12 months from issue.
• Best traveler fit: Southwest pass suits frequent flyers traveling with a regular companion. Alaska fare suits occasional travelers who want a predictable cheap second seat. Delta certificate suits Delta loyalists who can plan around fare class rules.

Which one should you go after

If you and a partner, friend, or family member fly together more than a few times a year, the Southwest Companion Pass wins by a wide margin. Nothing else gives you a free second traveler on unlimited flights. The earning effort pays for itself quickly once you take more than two or three trips together.

If you fly mostly on Alaska or Hawaiian and want one solid discount a year without learning a rulebook, the Alaska Companion Fare is clean and predictable. You always know the second ticket will cost about 122 dollars in economy, and the math is easy.

If you are committed to Delta and carry one of its cards anyway, the companion certificate is a nice annual bonus, but treat it as a value you have to work for. Plan early, watch the eligible fare classes, and aim it at an expensive route where the savings justify the hassle.

Before you chase any of them, it is worth asking whether the benefit fits your real travel pattern. Our breakdown of whether a companion pass is worth it helps you run that math honestly so you do not earn a benefit you barely use.

Common mistakes to avoid

The biggest error is assuming a companion fare or certificate means free travel like the Southwest pass. It does not. You are still paying a real second fare with Alaska, and you are still constrained by fare classes with Delta.

The second mistake is letting a once a year benefit expire. Alaska fares and Delta certificates are valid for 12 months, and they quietly disappear if you forget. Put the issue date and expiration on your calendar the moment they post.

The third is booking too late on a Delta certificate and finding the eligible fare classes are gone. The cheap seats in your certificate's fare buckets sell out first, so book well ahead, especially around holidays and peak weeks.