The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass has been one of the most valuable and easy-to-earn perks in the airline industry for years. This benefit, which can be earned either by flying a certain number of segments on Southwest Airlines or by accumulating a certain number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points, allows you to take a companion with you on nearly any Southwest flight free of charge (excluding taxes and fees).

Obviously, this perk is extremely valuable, especially for travelers who often take Southwest flights with a companion.

If you’re looking for a solid, do it all travel card, then American Express Platinum Card^® should be on your radar. This one card brings you great airport lounge access, hotel status, and more.

Let’s keep it short, because there’s a lot to get into with this great card and we’re going to take a deep dive into everything you need to know about the Platinum Card^®.

The Basics of The Platinum Card from American Express

Before we dive deep into the perks of the Platinum Card^®, we need to go over all the basics.

The infamous 2020 is soon coming to an end (and, if you ask me, its about time!). Although we still aren’t clear what travel is going to look like for 2021 and beyond, now is the time to at least start thinking about what you would like your travel goals to look like.

If you’re like many travelers, you may not be focused on much international travel.

UPDATE 10/18/19: A few key details about the Companion Pass and the offers for the Southwest co-branded Chase credit cards have changed since this post was originally published. The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card's bonus dropped from 80k to 70k Rapid Rewards for meeting a $5,000 minimum spending requirement within three months of opening the card.

Chase has come out with new sign up bonus eligibility rules that make earning a  Southwest Companion Pass more complicated.

As of April 5, if you already have a personal Southwest credit card open (the Personal Plus or the Premier Plus), you are no longer eligible for the other personal Southwest credit card.

You have two more days (including today) to transfer hotel points to Southwest for the purposes of earning a Southwest Companion Pass. Friday, March 31 is the cutoff. After Friday, any points transferred to Southwest will not count as "qualifying" towards the Companion Pass. That includes Marriott Travel Packages.

The Southwest Companion Pass, if you're unaware, is one of the best deals in travel. If you have the Southwest Companion pass, you can designate a companion who flies for just the taxes on every Southwest flight you fly.