Impeccable timing, WestJet!
From the start of April through the end of June, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard will offer a signup bonus that we can all get very excited about: 350 WestJet Dollars.
Combine that with the downright thrilling $0 base fare on the annual companion voucher and the oft-overlooked appeal of WestJet’s Member Exclusive fares, and let’s see why this is such a powerful card to pick up in advance of any travels on WestJet this spring, summer, and beyond.
New Offer of 350 WestJet Dollars
Until June 30, 2021, you’ll earn 350 WestJet Dollars upon your first purchase on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, with no minimum spending requirement of any kind. The card has an annual fee of $119.
Now, the previous offer that ended in March 2021 had gone as high as 450 WestJet Dollars, but a fair chunk of that bonus was tied to $5,000 in minimum spending.
I’m sure we’d all agree that the lower amount of 350 WestJet Dollars is worthwhile in exchange for no minimum spend at all, since that $5,000 in spending could be put towards much better uses – such as butt-in-seat WestJet flights to reach the qualifying spend threshold for WestJet Gold status, to name just one example.
(Note that you won’t be eligible to earn the full bonus of 350 WestJet Dollars if you product-switch to this card from a different RBC product; in that case, you’d only earn the base-level bonus of 250 WestJet Dollars. Definitely don’t use product-switching to sign up for this card.)
In addition to the 350 WestJet Dollars, you’ll also get double the WestJet Dollars on groceries, restaurants, and food delivery during the first three months of holding the card.
Since the regular earning rate is 1.5% in WestJet Dollars, this means you’d earn 3% back in WestJet Dollars on groceries, restaurants, and food delivery.
That’s an earning rate that might even rival the industry-leading American Express Cobalt Card during those first three months – while the 3% rate alone may fall short of the Cobalt’s 5% return, the prestige factor of earning WestJet Dollars over American Express MR Select points surely gives it a boost as well.
WestJet RBC World Elite: Perks & Benefits
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard offers two standout benefits: a free first checked bag on WestJet flights and an annual companion voucher.
And if you apply by May 31, 2021, you’ll receive a promotional companion voucher with a $0 base fare for the second passenger on economy class flights within Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean.
The thrill of paying a $0 base fare for the second passenger simply can’t be overstated.
Even in the presence of $60 per direction of mysterious ATC charges, the $0 base fare is what really makes a big impression in the end and what makes this such a killer limited-time perk on the card.
Moreover, don’t forget that the more money you spend on the first passenger’s fare, the more money you’d save by paying a $0 base fare for the second passenger. Such an easy way to maximize your value on this benefit, isn’t it?
Now, if you don’t often travel with a companion, you also have the option of exchanging the companion fare for a set of four WestJet lounge vouchers.
Sure, WestJet’s competitor in the market is currently allowing their competing companion pass product to be converted into 30,000 points in their loyalty program. But as Gerry Dee would say, the other airline’s points are so “confusing”, aren’t they?
Nay, a sip of a locally handcrafted cocktail at the WestJet Elevation Lounge’s signature bar, or an exclusive discount via Member Exclusive fares as we’ll discuss below – that’s the kind of simple and straightforward rewards that WestJet members deserve.
The Sheer Power of WestJet Member Exclusive Fares
In case you haven’t heard about them before, WestJet’s Member Exclusive fares are the primary form of rewards granted to WestJet members in exchange for their loyalty.
Nothing says “thank you for spending your hard-earned dollars with us” like a small-but-sweet rebate of some of those dollars the next time you spend them. The actual amount of the rebate is of secondary importance – it’s more the dopamine rush of any rebate at all that keeps the loyalty treadmill going.
For example, on a Toronto–Calgary flight that would’ve otherwise cost you $149.30 in cash, you could redeem your WestJet Dollars towards a Member Exclusive fare and only pay $141.95 instead.
As you can see, Member Exclusive fares allow you to unlock discounts equivalent to receiving a promotional voucher code in your email, but without having to have received that promotional voucher at all – how’s that for sheer power?
You might notice that the Basic fare category only costs $115.40 on this flight – I mean, sure, book that, if you wanted to be basic about it.
But just like the US$800 speedboat ride to the Waldorf Astoria Maldives or the €800 helicopter ride en route to North Island in the Seychelles, the extra $25 or so to unlock a Member Exclusive fare – denominated entirely in the prestigious currency of WestJet Dollars, lest you forget – is simply the price you pay for exclusivity.
(There had also been a previous version of Member Exclusive fares prior to November 2020, although it wasn’t very well-known and supposedly only used by a minuscule percentage of WestJet members. Following the program’s enhancement toward the end of last year, it’s fair to say that Member Exclusive fares now carry much more mass appeal while still retaining their unmatched member-specific exclusivity.)
WestJet RBC Mastercard: 100 WestJet Dollars
Besides the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, which requires a minimum annual personal income of $80,000 or household income of $150,000, the lower-tier WestJet RBC Mastercard is also putting on a limited-time bonus.
You’ll earn 100 WestJet Dollars, distributed as follows:
- 50 WestJet Dollars upon first purchase
- 50 WestJet Dollars upon spending $1,000 in the first three months
It’s wild to me that the lower-tier card has $1,000 in minimum spending, compared to $0 on the World Elite. Facing fewer temptations into extra spending in pursuit of those sweet sweet WestJet Dollars, it’s no wonder that the rich only get richer.
Nevertheless, for a $39 annual fee credit card, the WestJet RBC Mastercard is a decent offering compared to other $39 annual fee credit cards out there.
The signup bonus of 100 WestJet Dollars already earns back the annual fee, and you could even squeeze some extra value out of them by using them to book a Member Exclusive fare on a flight that would otherwise cost you about $106–107.
In terms of earning rates, you’d earn 1.5% back in WestJet Dollars on WestJet flights, or 1% back in WestJet Dollars on everything else. Slow and steady wins the race here, folks.
There’s also a $199 companion voucher for travel within Canada and the US – that might seem expensive compared to many of WestJet’s discounted fares, but again, simply book the last seat to Florida on the day before Christmas and boom, you’ve extracted hundreds of dollars in value by only paying $199 for the second passenger.
Conclusion
WestJet has once again won our hearts with a series of whopping, walloping, and wow-inducing signup offers on their WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and WestJet RBC Mastercard products.
Between the enhanced Member Exclusive fares, a closer relationship with Delta, and these new credit card offers, Canada’s friendliest airline is only getting more and more friendly each passing day.
The respective offers for 350 and 100 WestJet Dollars are valid until June 30, 2021. Be sure to apply before then if “fancy math” isn’t quite your thing.
