WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ

The WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard^ǂ is WestJet’s premier co-branded credit card in Canada, offering a wealth of WestJet-centric benefits, the most significant of which are the annual companion voucher and the free first checked bag perk.^†

This card is a must-have for anyone who flies with WestJet at any frequency –especially families – and it’s a solid card for most Canadian travellers to consider adding to their portfolio.

Bonuses & Fees

For a limited time, the welcome offer on the WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard^ǂ is for up to 70,000 WestJet points,^† structured as follows:

• Earn 30,000 WestJet points upon making your first purchase†
• Earn 30,000 WestJet points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months†
• Earn 10,000 WestJet points after your first year†

It’s worth noting that the final allotment of 10,000 WestJet points comes in the second year as a cardholder, after you’ve paid the annual fee for year two.

The annual fee on this card is $119,^† with additional users costing $59.^†

How Much Is This Offer Worth?

Here’s a breakdown of what the welcome bonus for the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ is worth. Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into consideration the potential value of other card benefits, which we’ll outline in detail below.

We value WestJet points at 1 cent per point, and using that value, we’d estimate that the total welcome offer of 70,000 WestJet points† is worth $700.

Plus, assuming the card’s baseline earning rate of 1.5 WestJet points per dollar spent, you’d earn an additional 7,500 WestJet points (at least) for meeting the $5,000 minimum spending requirement. We’d value these points at an additional $75.

Therefore, in the first two years as a cardholder, the minimum amount of net value you can expect to get from this card’s welcome bonus is $556: $700 from the total of 70,000 points from the welcome bonus, $75 by spending the bare minimum $5,000 to earn the welcome bonus (and assuming the card’s baseline earning rate), and then minus the card’s annual fee of $119 in each of the first two years.

Of course, you can certainly squeeze more value out of the card by leveraging the category earning rates and the card’s other benefits; however, this is unique to each cardholder, and our valuation assumes a minimum amount of value rather than a maximum amount of value.

Earning Rewards

With the WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard^ǂ, you’ll earn the following on everyday spending:

• 2 WestJet points per dollar spent on eligible WestJet flights and vacations^†
• 1.5 WestJet points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases^†

To estimate how many WestJet points you’ll earn each month, and the corresponding value, use our rewards calculator below.

Redeeming Rewards

WestJet Rewards prides itself on being a straightforward loyalty program that’s easy to understand.

For the most part, each WestJet point is worth 1 cent per point, which means that 100 WestJet points is worth $1, 1,000 WestJet points is worth $10, 10,000 WestJet points is worth $100, and so on.

At the time of booking, WestJet points can be redeemed against the base fare, Other Air Transportation Charges (“Other ATC”), extra baggage, and seat selection at a value of 1 cent per point. You need to redeem at least 2,500 WestJet points for a flight, or at least 5,000 WestJet points for a WestJet Vacations package.

After you’ve made a full redemption for everything on the ticket, if you have enough WestJet points remaining to cover the taxes and fees, you can choose to do so at a rate of 105–110 WestJet points = $1 (CAD) towards the taxes and fees. This results in a value of 0.91–0.95 cents per point.

Unlike many other loyalty programs, the opportunities to score outsized value from your points are quite limited with the WestJet Rewards program.

One way to squeeze more value is by combining a WestJet points redemption with a Member Exclusive Fare booking. While WestJet advertises Member Exclusive Fares as offering up to 65% off of base fares, you’re much more likely to come across discounts of 5–10%.

Indeed, this is the most valuable way to redeem WestJet points. Just be sure to compare the fare inclusions and exclusions of Member Exclusive Fares, since you may be better off with other fare types.

Perks & Benefits

For WestJet travellers, the WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard^ǂ offers a number of meaningful benefits.

Free First Checked Bag

Firstly, the primary cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same booking will enjoy a free first checked bag on WestJet flights.†

Checked baggage fees cost $35 or more per person, so this benefit alone could be worth up to $140 per round-trip if travelling as a couple, or potentially even more if you’re travelling as a larger group or multiple times per year. If you’re able to use this benefit, it easily justifies the card’s annual fee on a rolling basis.

Annual Companion Voucher

The other primary selling point of this card is an annual round-trip companion voucher for travel on WestJet.^† This companion voucher can be redeemed in the following ways:

• Within Canada or to/from continental US:
  • UltraBasic, Econo, EconoFlex: $119 (plus taxes, fees and other ATC)
  • Premium or Premium Flex: $219 (plus taxes, fees and other ATC)
• To/from the rest of the WestJet network:
  • UltraBasic, Econo, EconoFlex: $399 (plus taxes, fees and other ATC)
  • Premium or Premium Flex: $499 (plus taxes, fees and other ATC)

Since it’s a companion voucher, you have to be booking an itinerary for at least two people – the first passenger would pay full price, while the second passenger would enjoy the companion voucher’s promotional price for the base fare only. The companion will have to pay the taxes and fees, in addition to the discounted base fare.

If you’re a family of four, it’s worth considering having two of these cards in your household, since you’d benefit from two companion vouchers each year.

If you’re a solo traveller, or if you don’t use your companion voucher, you can convert your companion voucher into four lounge passes instead.

Status Lift

One of the more interesting features on this card is Status Lift, which helps you earn WestJet status through credit card spending.

For every $5,000 spent on the card, you’ll earn $200 in Tier Qualifying Spend,† which helps you earn WestJet Rewards status.

You can get up to 50 Status Lifts each year, which would result in you achieving top-tier Platinum status without ever having set foot in a plane. This would require spending $250,000 on your card.

As a reminder, WestJet’s Elite Tiers come with the following amounts of Tier Qualifying Spend:

• Silver: $4,000 ($100,000 of credit card spending)
• Gold: $6,000 ($150,000 of credit card spending)
• Platinum: $10,000 ($250,000 of credit card spending)

Other Benefits

Other benefits include the ability to save 3¢/L on fuel at Petro-Canada whilst earning 20% more Petro-Points at Petro Canada by linking your card with your Petro-Points membership,^† access to airport lounges as part of the Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass^† ($32 (USD) per lounge visit), and access to the Mastercard Concierge Services for last-minute restaurant and event bookings.^†

Finally, cardholders receive a 12-month complimentary DashPass subscription±, to enjoy unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more when you pay with your eligible RBC credit card.†

Insurance Coverage

As a travel credit card, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ offers a suite of insurance coverage.

Notably, if you redeem WestJet points on your booking and pay the remainder of the balance with your WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ, the insurance coverage will apply.†

The WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard^ǂ comes with the following insurance coverage:

• Emergency medical insurance for the first 15 consecutive days of any out-of-province trips for travellers under the age of 65 or the first three consecutive days for those 65 and up^†
• Trip interruption insurance of up to $5,000 per covered person per trip, up to a maximum of $25,000^†
• Flight delay insurance of up to $250 per day per covered person, up to an overall total of $500 per occurrence for all covered persons. Coverage begins four hours after a missed connection, delayed flight, or denied boarding.†
• Baggage delay insurance of up to $500 per occurrence per covered person beginning four hours after arrival when your baggage is lost or delayed, up to an overall total of $2,500 per occurrence for all covered persons†
• Auto rental damage and theft insurance, which can help you save on the insurance fees that rental companies like to impose for vehicles up to a MSRP of $65,000 and up to 48 consecutive days^†
• Hotel/motel burglary insurance of up to $2,500 per occurrence in the aggregate^†
• Travel accident insurance of up to $500,000 against accidental death or dismemberment^†

You’ll also enjoy top-drawer purchase protection benefits, including an extended warranty that doubles the original manufacturer’s warranty for up to one year, and coverage against accidental loss or damage of personal property for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.^†

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