WestJet has come out with its latest offer on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for targeted email recipients, which is among the best we’ve seen on the card before, combining its all-time-high welcome bonus with a First Year Free offer.
450 WestJet Dollars Upon $5,000 Spend
Until February 28, 2022, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard will return to its previous record-high welcome bonus of 450 WestJet Dollars, which can be redeemed as $450 towards any WestJet flight. This is broken down as follows:
- 250 WestJet Dollars upon first purchase
- 200 WestJet Dollars upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
In addition, the annual fee of $119 is waived in the first year. This is the first time we’re seeing both the elevated level of 450 WestJet Dollars and the First Year Free offer at the same time.
A welcome bonus of 450 WestJet Dollars with no annual fee in the first year is essentially like getting a $450 discount towards your next WestJet booking. If both you and your partner were to apply for this card, you’re looking at a staggering $900 towards WestJet flights!
Given that many travellers are continuing to consider domestic, US, or Sun destinations for their early 2022 travels, the new welcome bonus on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard could offer a huge incentive to book your winter or spring trip with WestJet.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in flying WestJet 787 business class, then the best way to save money on the fare is by applying WestJet Dollars to the booking. 450 WestJet Dollars would go a long way towards letting you experience WestJet’s premium cabin on the cheap.
$0 Companion Voucher Extended to March 7
In addition to the welcome bonus through the end of February, the card will also continue to offer a $0 companion voucher as a temporary benefit.
As a reminder, the limited-time $0 companion voucher looks as follows:
- Pay a $0 base fare, plus taxes and fees, for the second passenger when you pay full price for the first passenger on a round-trip flight in economy class, within Canada, the US, and Mexico
- Pay a $119 base fare, plus taxes and fees, for the second passenger when you pay full price for the first passenger on a round-trip flight in premium class within Canada, the US, and Mexico
- Pay a $399 base fare, plus taxes and fees, for the second passenger when you pay full price for the first passenger on a round-trip flight in economy class or premium class to Central America, the Caribbean, or Europe
While the welcome bonus of 450 WestJet Dollars lasts until February 28, the $0 companion voucher is scheduled to end later on March 7, 2022, as it’s very much a competitive response to the Air Canada Buddy Pass on the Aeroplan co-branded credit cards.
The companion voucher is generally considered one of the most appealing features on the WestJet RBC World Elite, allowing you to save hundreds of dollars on peak-season travel as a party of two or more.
And if you don’t find value in the companion voucher, you can always convert it into a set of four WestJet lounge passes for use at the flagship WestJet Elevation Lounge in Calgary.
First Free Checked Bag + Free Wifi
As a WestJet RBC World Elite cardholder, you’ll also unlock benefits that give you a better experience when travelling with WestJet.
The card offers a first free checked bag for the cardholder and up to eight other passengers travelling on the same reservation.
For an average family of four, each checking in one bag on a round-trip reservation, this could result in savings of $35.40 per checked baggage fees × 4 passengers × 2 directions of travel = $283 per trip!
As a World Elite Mastercard product, the card also offers complimentary Boingo wifi, which can be used on WestJet’s Boingo-equipped flights so that you can stay connected while in the air.
Status Lift: Spend Your Way to WestJet Status
Finally, WestJet is also continuing to offer the Status Lift, a new permanent perk on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that allows cardholders to spend their way to WestJet status.
As a reminder, qualification for WestJet status is based on your qualifying spend on WestJet flights every calendar year, with the following spend thresholds required for each status level:
WestJet Status | Qualifying Spend |
Silver | $3,000 |
Gold | $5,000 |
Platinum | $8,000 |
The status benefits can be found on the WestJet website. Silver members get free first and second checked bags, priority check-in, and airport lounge vouchers, Gold members get unlimited lounge access, and Platinum members get the highest priority for upgrades. All status members receive a boost to the WestJet Dollars earning rate when flying with WestJet, with Platinum members topping out at an 8% earn rate.
The new Status Lift benefit allows you to get closer to WestJet status with your spending on the co-branded card. You’ll earn $500 in qualifying spend for every $15,000 spent on the card, up to three times.
Therefore, if you were to spend $45,000 on the card in a year, you’d earn $1,500 in qualifying spend, which gets you halfway to WestJet Silver status.
Conclusion
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard has retained its all-time-high welcome bonus of 450 WestJet Dollars for the new year, while sweetening the deal even further with a First Year Free offer through the first two months of 2022.
With the additional benefits of the free first checked bag on WestJet flights and the ongoing $0 companion voucher, this card remains an excellent choice for nabbing the welcome bonus if you fly with WestJet with any degree of regularity.
Make sure to apply before February 28, 2022 to take advantage of both the 450 WestJet Dollars and the first-year annual fee waiver.
The fine print says the folllowing:
a) Welcome WestJet dollars are not available to existing or former WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard primary cardholders applying for or transferring to a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.
b) The Additional WestJet dollars do not apply to product changes from another RBC Royal Bank credit card to the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.
Is there any work around it? I had this card over 2 years ago on the current CC account with RBC. Since then I changed to Avion.
My partner currently has a WestJet no annual fee card. Does he qualify for this promo if he upgrades to the world elite card?
It has to be a new application.
It’s a joke now,you can’t use all your dollar toward a ticket,even those I bought with cash before.
Any DPs on holding two WS WE cards at same time à la Avion?
It’s been done before.
Hi Rick
You forget to mention the horrendous customer service by Westjet ..
With you not like to educate your readers.
It’s a great article on the RBC Westjet credit card.
Hi Rick
You forget to mention the horrendous customer service by Westjet ..
With you not like to educate your readers.
It’s a great article on the RBC Westjet credit card.
Isnt the westjet program a joke now Ricky?
It’s very weak.
How long to use the $450 and $0 companion voucher?
I cancelled this card 2+ years ago. Am I eligible to receive the bonus again?
Yes!
Really? The fine print says you can’t get the bonus if you’ve been a Westjet MasterCard holder before, no?
“spend $45,000 on the card in a year to earn $1,500 in qualifying spend, which gets you *halfway* to WestJet Silver status – this is really a joke.
There are numerous better ideas of where to spend $45k.
Westjet as usual…
I hate that they don’t let you use your dollars towards taxes and fees. It’s ridiculous. You can find a good deal on a short haul flight where you’ll end up paying more in taxes than the west jet dollars applied.
“As a reminder, qualification for WestJet status is based on your qualifying spend on WestJet flights every calendar year.”
Does this means that you can get the status by spending only on Westjet?
Is the status lift only for new cards or does it also include current card holders?
Just received an email, starts today for current card holders.
All cardholders, new and existing.