The Bonuses

The standard offer on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is a signup bonus of 350 WestJet Dollars (WSD) upon first purchase. There is an annual fee of $119.

In addition, there are currently two different targeted offers floating around:

• 350 WestJet Dollars + First Year Free
• 450 WestJet Dollars + $119 Annual Fee

You’ll have received a letter in the mail directing you to these offers if you were targeted. If you didn’t receive a letter, you may still apply through these offers’ URLs, but it’s unclear whether you will receive the full bonus or simply the standard offer of 350 WestJet Dollars without an annual fee waiver.

What exactly are WestJet Dollars? Well, 350 WSD can be applied as a $350 credit to the base fare of any WestJet booking.

Therefore, as long as you fly with WestJet once a year to the tune of at least $350, the signup bonus is as good as cash in your pocket.

WestJet Rewards allows you to redeem WSD towards the cost of any WestJet flight, so there’s no need to worry about “award availability” or anything like that. As long as there’s a seat available for purchase, you can use your WSD towards it.

However, if you’d like to get higher than $1 in value out of your WestJet Dollars, you can look towards the program’s Member Exclusive fares, which are WestJet’s version of award tickets that allow you to book seats on certain flights at a flat discounted rate.

Specifically, one of my personal favourite uses of WestJet Dollars is booking transcontinental flights (like Toronto–Vancouver or Montreal–Vancouver) for only 125 WestJet Dollars plus taxes and fees one-way under a Member Exclusive fare, which can represent a huge savings on the retail price.

• Read more: Understanding WestJet’s Member Exclusive Fares

The 450 WSD bonus doesn’t have to be used up all in one go either. You’re free to earn the bonus, wait for one of WestJet’s great deals to pop up on a route you’re interested in, and then apply the bonus towards your booking.

The other major selling point of this card is an annual companion voucher for travel on WestJet. This companion voucher can be redeemed in one of the following three ways:

• $99 for travel within Canada or the Contiguous U.S.,

• $299 for travel to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, or

• $399 for travel to Europe

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.

• Read more: The Best Credit Cards with Companion Fares

Taking into account the 350 WSD signup bonus and the potential savings of the companion voucher, the $119 annual fee is a relatively small price to pay.

Rewards & Benefits

With the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard, you’ll earn 2% back in WSD per dollar spent on WestJet flights and vacations, and 1.5% back in WSD per dollar spent on all other purchases.

The most significant of these benefits is the free checked bag benefit on WestJet flights for the primary cardholder and up to eight other passengers on the same booking.

Checked baggage normally costs $30–35.40 on WestJet, so this benefit alone could be worth up to $100 per trip if travelling as a family of four, or potentially even more if you’re travelling as a larger group.

Other benefits include the ability to save 3¢/L on fuel at PetroCanada whilst earning 20% more PetroPoints, access to airport lounges as part of MasterCard LoungeKey (although fees do apply), and access to the MasterCard Concierge Services for last-minute restaurant and event bookings.

Insurance Coverage

As a World Elite product, this credit card comes with comprehensive premium travel insurance, including:

• Emergency medical insurance for the first 15 consecutive days of any out-of-province trips

• Trip interruption insurance of up to $5,000 per covered person

• Auto rental damage and theft insurance, which can help you save on the insurance fees that rental companies like to impose

• Hotel burglary insurance of up to $2,500 in total

• 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.