Porter Airlines' loyalty program where any seat available for purchase can also be booked with points – no blackout dates. Cash-plus-points hybrid bookings often deliver exceptional value, making this a strong option for frequent Porter flyers.
Hold BMO VIPorter Mastercard
Hold BMO VIPorter WE Mastercard
Spend $150,000 on BMO card
Spend $250,000 on BMO card
Our Valuation
1.5 cents per point
A straightforward fixed-value currency for Porter flights. Hybrid cash-plus-points bookings often deliver better than 1.5 cents per point, making this a strong option for frequent Porter flyers.
Last updated: February 6, 2026
Porter Airlines flies Embraer E195-E2 jets in a 2-2 configuration with no middle seats, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary snacks on every flight out of its Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport hub. VIPorter, Porter's loyalty program, uses dynamic pricing with floor prices starting at just 5,000 points one-way.
The 2025 launch of BMO co-branded credit cards, an Air Transat joint venture to Europe and the Caribbean, and an Atmos Rewards partnership transformed VIPorter from a simple domestic earn-and-burn into a surprisingly versatile Canadian loyalty currency.
BMO launched two co-branded VIPorter Mastercard credit cards in March 2025, giving Canadians for the first time the ability to earn VIPorter points on everyday spending outside of Porter flights. Both cards come with a first-year annual fee waiver, making it possible to collect a substantial welcome bonus at zero cost.
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard is the premium option, offering a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 VIPorter points structured across three tiers: 20,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 110 days, another 20,000 points after spending $9,000 in the first 180 days, and a final 30,000 points after spending $18,000 in the first 365 days.
At our conservative valuation of 1.5 cents per point, the full welcome bonus is worth approximately $1,050 in Porter flights. Though careful redemptions can push that figure higher.
For ongoing earn rates, the card delivers 3 VIPorter points per dollar on Porter purchases (capped at 20,000 bonus points per year), 2 points per dollar on gas and transportation (capped at 5,000 bonus points), 2 points per dollar on dining and groceries (capped at 10,000 bonus points), 2 points per dollar on hotels (capped at 5,000 bonus points), and 1 point per dollar on everything else with no cap.
Beyond the points, the World Elite card automatically grants VIPorter Venture elite status, which includes a free checked bag plus carry-on for you and up to 9 companions on the same booking, priority check-in, security, and boarding, complimentary PorterClassic seat selection, and PorterReserve upgrade certificates.
The card also includes a round-trip companion pass. Effectively a 100% discount on the base fare for a second passenger. After $9,000 in card spend during the first year ($50,000 in subsequent years).
The insurance package covers 21-day emergency medical, trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, flight delay, car rental, baggage, and hotel burglary. Lounge access is available through Mastercard Travel Pass (DragonPass) at $32 (USD) per visit.
The base-tier BMO VIPorter Mastercard carries a welcome bonus of up to 40,000 VIPorter points, also structured across three tiers: 10,000 points after $3,000 in the first 110 days, 15,000 points after $6,000 in the first 180 days, and 15,000 points after $10,000 in the first 365 days. At 1.5 cents per point, the full bonus is worth approximately $600.
Ongoing earn rates are 2 points per dollar on Porter purchases (capped at 10,000 bonus points per year), 1 point per dollar on gas and transportation (capped at 3,000 bonus points), 1 point per dollar on dining and groceries (capped at 5,000 bonus points), 1 point per dollar on hotels (capped at 3,000 bonus points), and 0.5 points per dollar on everything else. Holding the base card grants automatic VIPorter Passport status.
Instead of a companion pass, the base card offers a 35% discount voucher for up to 4 passengers after $6,000 in card spend during the first year ($25,000 in subsequent years). Insurance is limited to 8-day basic emergency medical coverage.
For most travellers who fly Porter even a few times per year, the World Elite card is the stronger pick, the Venture status alone is worth the annual fee, and the first year is free regardless. The base card makes sense for lighter Porter flyers who want a low-cost way to earn VIPorter points on daily spending and hold Passport status.
VIPorter points are earned based on the dollar amount you spend with Porter Airlines, with the earn rate tied to your membership tier. All base-level members earn 5 VIPorter points per dollar spent.
VIPorter Passport and Venture members earn 6 points per dollar, while Ascent and First members earn 7 points per dollar. These rates apply equally whether the fare is priced in Canadian or US dollars.
Points are earned on the base fare of Porter flights as well as ancillary Porter services, including seat selection fees, change fees, checked baggage fees, pet fees, and unaccompanied minor fees. You will not earn points on taxes, surcharges, airport fees, admin fees, or on any portion of a ticket purchased with VIPorter points.
Porter maintains airline partnerships with Air Transat, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Azores Airlines (SATA), El Al Israel Airlines, Icelandair, and Qatar Airways.
You can earn VIPorter points on codeshare bookings that combine a Porter flight with a partner airline flight in one itinerary. If the same ticket is purchased through a third party, including a travel agent or the partner airline directly, you will only earn VIPorter points on the Porter-operated flight segment.
As detailed above, the BMO VIPorter World Elite and base Mastercard cards allow you to earn VIPorter points on all everyday purchases, with accelerated rates on Porter spending, dining, groceries, gas, transportation, and hotels. This is the primary way to accumulate VIPorter points outside of flying.
VIPorter points expire after 24 consecutive months of inactivity. Any qualifying travel with Porter or any point redemption resets the clock.
The good news: holding a BMO VIPorter credit card and making regular purchases effectively keeps your balance alive indefinitely.
VIPorter uses a dynamic pricing model with floor prices. Any seat available for purchase with cash can also be booked with points, and there are no blackout dates or capacity-controlled award inventory.
Point pricing fluctuates with demand, but each route has a minimum floor that cannot be undercut. In practice, the best value comes from booking when point prices sit at or near these floors.
The floor prices for one-way PorterClassic redemptions on Porter-operated flights are as follows:
PorterReserve fares — Porter's premium economy product with extra legroom, meals, premium drinks, and two free checked bags, typically cost 1.5x to 3x the PorterClassic price depending on availability.
One of VIPorter's most underrated features is the ability to split a fare between points and cash. Rather than covering the entire base fare with points, you can redeem a smaller number of points against a portion of the fare and pay the balance by credit card.
This is particularly powerful on routes where cash fares are high relative to point prices — Prince of Travel has documented examples achieving over 5 cents per point on hybrid redemptions on routes like Ottawa–Thunder Bay. Regardless of whether you pay fully with points or use a hybrid split, taxes and fees are always paid in cash.
To redeem VIPorter points, log in to your account at flyporter.com and search for flights. You can toggle between "Dollars," "Points," or "Dollars & Points" as payment methods.
You can also redeem by calling the Porter Call Centre at 1-888-619-8622.
The most exciting development for VIPorter in recent years is the ability to redeem points on partner airline flights, dramatically expanding the program's reach beyond Porter's own route network.
Porter Airlines and Air Transat operate a joint venture that runs through the end of 2032, allowing VIPorter points to be redeemed on Air Transat flights to Europe and the Caribbean. This single partnership transforms VIPorter from a domestic-focused program into one that can get you across the Atlantic.
Floor prices for one-way Air Transat partner redemptions are:
European destinations accessible through this partnership include London Gatwick (LGW), Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), Rome (FCO), Barcelona (BCN), Porto (OPO), and Lisbon (LIS), with departures from Toronto and Montreal.
At the 25,000-point floor, a one-way flight to Europe represents solid value, and during periodic VIPorter redemption sales, prices can drop 25% or more, bringing transatlantic one-ways down to around 18,750 points.
For context, 25,000 VIPorter points at our 1.5 cent per point valuation represents $375 in value. Given that one-way economy fares to Europe on Air Transat frequently exceed $400–$500 in peak season, redemptions near the floor price deliver strong returns.
The joint venture structure also means this partnership is contractually locked in through 2032, giving long-term confidence in the program's international utility.
Porter's partnership with Alaska Airlines (whose loyalty program rebranded to Atmos Rewards in August 2025) opens up transborder redemptions starting from 9,500 VIPorter points one-way.
This is particularly useful for reaching US destinations that Porter does not serve directly, with the requirement that the itinerary must include at least one Porter-operated leg.
At 9,500 points for a transborder one-way, this represents one of the most affordable ways to use points for cross-border travel in the Canadian loyalty landscape.
Alaska Airlines' extensive West Coast and US domestic network complements Porter's Eastern Canada and northeastern US focus nicely, creating connection possibilities that neither airline offers on its own.
VIPorter's elite status program consists of five tiers, earned through qualifying spend with Porter Airlines within a calendar year. Qualifying spend includes the base fare, checked bag fees, change and cancellation fees, seat selection fees, pet fees, and unaccompanied minor fees. But not taxes, surcharges, or airport fees.
The five tiers, their qualifying spend requirements, and their earn rates are:
Here's what matters: simply holding the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard grants Venture status automatically, skipping the $3,000 qualifying spend requirement.
This means you get the full suite of Venture perks. Free checked bag and carry-on for you and up to 9 companions on the same booking, priority check-in, security, and boarding, complimentary PorterClassic seat selection, and PorterReserve upgrade certificates. From the moment you are approved for the card.
At the Venture tier and above, members receive a free checked bag plus carry-on for themselves and up to 9 companions on the same booking, priority check-in, security screening, and boarding, priority standby, complimentary PorterClassic seat selection, and PorterReserve upgrade certificates.
Upgrade certificates begin at $3,000 in qualifying spend, with one additional certificate earned for every $2,000 in subsequent qualifying spend during the same calendar year.
Ascent members and above receive two free checked bags, free same-day flight changes, and complimentary PorterClassic Stretch seat selection, which provides extra legroom.
VIPorter First, the top tier, adds guaranteed reservations on sold-out flights and guaranteed next-flight re-accommodation if your flight is cancelled, perks that are genuinely rare in the Canadian domestic airline landscape.
Both BMO VIPorter cards waive the annual fee in the first year, which means you can collect up to 70,000 points (World Elite) or 40,000 points (base) at no annual fee cost. At 1.5 cents per point, the World Elite welcome bonus alone is worth approximately $1,050 in Porter flights.
Even if you only hit the first spending tier for 20,000 points, that is $300 in travel value for zero annual fee. This is an easy decision for anyone who flies Porter at least once or twice per year.
Because VIPorter uses dynamic pricing, the value you extract per point varies significantly depending on when you book. The best strategy is to search for flights early and target redemptions when prices are at or near the floor: 5,000 points for short-haul domestic, 7,000–8,000 for medium and long-haul domestic, 9,500 for transborder via Alaska Airlines, 21,500 for Caribbean via Air Transat, and 25,000 for Europe via Air Transat.
Booking flexibility, being willing to shift travel dates by a day or two, can make the difference between a floor-price redemption and one that costs 50% more.
VIPorter periodically runs redemption sales that reduce point prices by 25% or more across the route network. These sales have brought transatlantic one-ways down to 18,750 points and domestic long-haul routes like Toronto–Vancouver down to 6,000 points.
There's no fixed schedule for these sales, so it is worth checking flyporter.com regularly or following Prince of Travel for alerts.
Don't overlook the hybrid cash + points option. On routes where cash fares are expensive but point prices are moderate, splitting the payment can yield exceptional per-point value. Well above the 1.5 cent baseline. This is especially effective on routes with limited competition where Porter holds pricing power.
The BMO VIPorter World Elite companion pass, earned after $9,000 in card spend during the first year, covers the full base fare for a second passenger on a round-trip itinerary. This is most valuable on longer, pricier routes. Pair it with a transatlantic or Caribbean itinerary for maximum savings.
Porter continues to expand its route network and partner relationships. The Air Transat joint venture is secured through 2032, providing long-term stability for European and Caribbean redemptions.
As Porter adds more destinations and deepens its partnerships, the value of accumulating VIPorter points is only going to grow, particularly through the BMO co-branded cards.
VIPorter has quietly become one of the most compelling loyalty programs in Canada. Dynamic pricing with floor prices starting at just 5,000 points one-way, no blackout dates, no capacity restrictions, and the ability to split fares between points and cash give it a flexibility that few Canadian programs can match.
The BMO co-branded cards transformed the earning side overnight. A first-year fee waiver on both cards means you can collect up to 70,000 points at zero cost, and the World Elite card's automatic Venture status delivers free bags, priority boarding, and upgrade certificates from day one.
The Air Transat joint venture, locked in through 2032, takes VIPorter from a domestic program to one that can get you to Europe for 25,000 points or the Caribbean for 21,500. The Alaska Airlines partnership adds affordable transborder redemptions starting at 9,500 points. Neither of those options existed two years ago.
The trade-offs are real: Porter's network is still growing, the program has no alliance partnerships or transfer partners beyond its direct airline deals, and dynamic pricing means the value per point varies significantly depending on when you book. But for Canadian travellers who fly domestically with any regularity, the combination of low floor prices, BMO card earning, and expanding international reach makes VIPorter a program well worth building into your loyalty strategy. We think it's one of the best-kept secrets in Canadian travel rewards.
First-year value
$590
Annual fee: $199First Year Free
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $5,000 in the first 4 months
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $9,000 in the first 6 months
• Earn 30,000 points upon spending $18,000 in the first 12 months
Earning rates
Key perks
Annual fee: $199First Year Free
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $5,000 in the first 4 months
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $9,000 in the first 6 months
• Earn 30,000 points upon spending $18,000 in the first 12 months
Earning rates
Key perks