One significant barrier facing point users is the holiday period. Naturally, many airlines drop their award flight availability or send their points costs soaring. If you have enough points and find availability, you can still enjoy a free flight. But you’re almost certainly not getting the best value for your points, which means that it might be worth hanging onto them.

So, what’s the best bet for softening the blow if you’re left picking up the full tab on your holiday flights? Aside from the usual research, companion passes could be the way forward, at least if you’re not traveling alone.

2-for-1 plane tickets?
Several airlines offer companion passes which, put simply, allow a companion to travel on your booking for a small fee, often just the taxes and fees. While there are a few companion pass options out there, the Southwest Companion Pass is by far the best. Aside from basically being a 2-for-1 plane ticket, the Companion Pass is good for two years, which could mean huge savings for couples.

Of course, earning the Southwest Companion Pass is the hard part. Users must accrue 125,000 qualifying points for the Southwest benefit — a tough target to hit without help.

However, if you check last week’s send, you’ll find three Southwest credit cards currently running significant bonuses of 75,000 points, sending you well on your way. Small business owners could also open a card and hit the 125,000-point mark in a matter of months, earning buckets of free flights.