RBC Avion puts on occasional transfer bonuses to its airline partner programs. This time, you can transfer RBC Avion Rewards points to WestJet dollars and receive a 15% bonus.
The transfer bonus runs until April 28, 2024, so you have plenty of time to consider if this promotion is worth pursuing.
15% Transfer Bonus from RBC Avion to WestJet dollars
The usual conversion ratio from RBC Avion to WestJet Rewards is 100:1, or 100 Avion points = 1 WestJet Dollar. With the transfer bonus, you’ll get an effective ratio of 100:1.15, or 100 Avion points = 1.15 WestJet dollars.
You need to initiate the transfer with a minimum of 1,000 Avion points, which would equal 11.5 WestJet dollars, but you can transfer in increments of 100 Avion points thereafter.
The current welcome bonuses on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, RBC® Avion Visa Platinum†, and RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege† offer 35,000 Avion points upon approval, plus 20,000 Avion points upon spending $5,000 in the first six months, bringing the total welcome bonus to 55,000 Avion points.
This means you could theoretically get approved for a card and still capitalize on the transfer bonus, which would equal roughly 402 WestJet dollars. Then, if you happen to accomplish the $5,000 spending requirement before the end of the promotion, you can convert the extra 20,000 Avion points to another 230 WestJet dollars.
You can also transfer Avion Premium points earned on the RBC® ION Visa and RBC® ION+ Visa to WestJet dollars.
Both cards have elevated earning rates on a variety of daily spending categories, including 3 Avion Premium points per dollar spent on qualifying grocery, dining, food delivery, gas, rideshare, daily public transit, electric vehicle charging, streaming, digital gaming and digital subscriptions† on the RBC® ION+ Visa.
It’s worth noting that the 3x earning rate is the best out of all RBC cards that earn Avion points.
Keep in mind that the current public offer on the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard has a welcome bonus of up to 700 WestJet dollars, and a round-trip companion voucher, which you can use anywhere WestJet flies. The lower-tier WestJet RBC® Mastercard is offering up to 100 WestJet dollars, too.
The last day for the transfer bonus is April 28, 2024. If you stand to benefit from the promotion, be sure to take advantage of it by then.
Should You Transfer RBC Avion Points to WestJet dollars?
Whenever there are transfer bonuses available, it’s always worth a second look to see if it offers any extra value for you.
With the way the WestJet Rewards loyalty program works, you can apply WestJet dollars to flights as if they were cash. For example, if you have 100 WestJet dollars in your account, you can use them to get $100 off a flight.
If you have enough WestJet dollars in your account to cover the entire base fare, you can also get a small discount on flights with Member Exclusive Fares; however, you’ll still be on the hook for what WestJet refers to as Other Air Transportation Charges, which can add up.
You could also redeem WestJet dollars against a WestJet Vacations booking, which is one of the better ways to extract value out of your WestJet dollars.
Compared to other loyalty programs, there aren’t any ways to get outsized value out of your WestJet dollars. You’ll get the corresponding value to put towards a flight or Vacations Package, and that’s about it.
However, if you prefer to fly with WestJet, WestJet dollars can be useful to help offset the cash price of a flight. Therefore, if you’re sitting on a large sum of RBC Avion points and have flights with WestJet planned, the transfer bonus could be worth considering.
Furthermore, many cardholders find value in using the WestJet companion voucher. When used in conjunction with WestJet dollars, you can potentially score a meaningful discount on travel, especially when the base fare is higher due to last-minute travel or booking a higher fare.
In any event, be sure to have a specific use in mind before conducting a transfer, because once the points leave your Avion account, there’s no getting them back.
However, note that you can also transfer RBC Avion Elite points to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or American Airlines AAdvantage. These programs give you access to world-class products, such as Qatar Airways Qsuites, and opportunities to get outsized value from your points.
Remember that RBC Avion also puts on transfer bonuses to British Airways Executive Club, sometimes up to 50%. However, we aren’t sure when we’ll see this promotion return, and a 30% transfer bonus is much more common.
Furthermore, recall that RBC Avion is the best program in Canada to access Asia Miles, as it’s the only one that transfers at a 1:1 ratio.
The RBC Avion Travel Redemption Schedule can provide some decent value for flights as well. It offers short-haul one-way flights starting from just 7,500 Avion points.
Lastly, don’t forget that cardholders of the top-tier RBC® Avion Visa Infinite Privilege† Card have the ability to redeem Avion points at a flat rate of 2 cents per point against any flight booked in business class or First Class.
Conclusion
RBC Avion has put on a 15% transfer bonus to WestJet dollars. This could be good news for anyone with upcoming travel plans on WestJet flights, including those booked with a companion voucher, or anyone who’s interested in booking a WestJet Vacations package.
Be sure to have a specific redemption in mind before you make the transfer, because once it’s done, you can’t move them back.
If you need to top up your WestJet Rewards account, now would be as good a time as any to make a transfer. Just make sure to take advantage of the offer by April 28, 2024.
† Terms and conditions apply. Refer to the RBC website for up-to-date information.