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The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard probably isn’t the first card that comes to mind when you think about redeeming points for first class, and that’s fine, because it’s not the card for that. What it is is the card for the frequent traveller jetting around North America in economy class with the family and taking advantage of the free checked bags and companion vouchers.
For a family of four, I’d actually argue it’s the single best credit card for taking the whole family across the country. It’s not the flashiest, but it just might be the most practical. This card is all about booking tickets on whichever dates work best for you without the challenges of finding award space for four people.
One Family, Two WestJet Cards
From PMB, you’re expecting to read about how to book first class seats to Japan (kidding, sort of). But consider this scenario instead: two parents with two kids who want to go on summer vacation. That’s when the kids are off from school, and they’re not looking for anything too crazy, maybe a trip to Calgary to visit Banff and Jasper National Park from their home in Toronto.
For most Canadians, that’s a much more common travel request than trying to finagle their way to Australia with two children in Cathay first class.
Next July, round-trip fares are right around $708 CAD per person on WestJet. Since this is no-frills basic economy pricing, a family of two parents and two kids will almost certainly need to pay separately for checked bags, which start at $55 each with UltraBasic or $45 each with regular economy.
The screenshot below depicts the full ticket price for the family of four.
Full ticket price in UltraBasic
Now: see how that changes when both parents sign up for a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. The immediate benefit is they can save on the cost of two tickets using both companion vouchers. The $119 companion voucher is credited to your WestJet account immediately upon approval.
The base fare is highlighted in the first screenshot at $460 per person. Each parent can use their $119 companion voucher for one child, replacing two $460 base fares with two $119 companion fares. That’s a savings of $341 per ticket, or $682 total, bringing the new total to $2,238.32. The potential savings are even higher because the checked bag benefits of the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard mean you can buy UltraBasic and avoid baggage fees.
Combine with WestJet Points to Further Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs
What’s handy is that you can use a companion voucher and still apply WestJet points to reduce your out-of-pocket cost. Both parents could eventually earn the full 70,000-point welcome offer outlined below, making the example above even cheaper.
But they don’t even need to get that far. Simply making one purchase on each WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard earns 30,000 WestJet points per card. Since WestJet points are worth 1 cent each, that’s 60,000 points between two parents, worth another $600 towards the cost of their flights.
WestJet Companion Voucher vs. Other Companion Vouchers
You might recall that Air Canada and Porter also offer companion passes, but WestJet’s is by far the most accessible and therefore practical.
Air Canada’s Companion Pass is cheaper at $99 compared to WestJet’s $119, but you need to spend $25,000 on a $599-annual-fee Aeroplan co-branded card to earn it. Porter’s sounds even better with a $0 base fare, but you need to spend $9,000 to unlock the Companion Pass. You’ll also wait at least six months to receive it, since BMO doesn’t award any portion of the welcome offer until the minimum-spend period ends.
Who This Card Isn’t For
Obviously, this card isn’t for you if WestJet does not fly from your local airports and you won’t get an opportunity to use any of the perks. For select flights, though, it’s worth a connection as WestJet has a great Boeing 787-9 business class product with 1-2-1 reverse herringbone seats. While redeeming flexible points for WestJet business class is challenging, you can use your WestJet points and also find great cash fares. Six months ago in peak tourist season, I booked WestJet business class Ottawa–Calgary–Tokyo for $1,354.80 CAD one-way.
WestJet Boeing 787-9 business class
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is also not the card that unlocks business class flights to Asia or 4+ CPP in value on every redemption. WestJet points offer a fixed value of 1 cent per point (CPP) towards your ticket. The good news is that you can even apply WestJet points towards the government-imposed taxes and fees, although at a lower value of 0.91-0.95 cents per point. My personal take is to go ahead and redeem as such, as it’s nice to have a totally free ticket and the value is close enough to optimal.
Redeem WestJet points even towards taxes and fees
Why This Is a Long-Term Keeper Card
The full welcome offer is 70,000 WestJet points. You’ll earn 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months, with the final 10,000 points awarded after your first-year anniversary. Full breakdown:
- 30,000 WestJet points with first purchase
- 30,000 WestJet points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months
- 10,000 WestJet points after first year anniversary
The long-term value of the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard lies in its WestJet-specific perks. Cardholders get free checked bags for themselves and up to eight guests on the same reservation, an annual companion voucher, and can make progress toward Elite status through “Status Lift” ($5,000 of credit card spend = $200 in tier qualifying spend).
With a few flights a year, or even one flight where multiple people check a bag, the $139 annual fee easily pays for itself.
Takeaway
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard isn’t going to unlock aspirational business or first class redemptions, but that’s also not what most Canadian families need. For a family travelling together in economy, the combination of a $119 companion voucher, free checked bags for the cardholder and up to eight guests, and WestJet points that can reduce the cash cost of a ticket makes this an actually practical card.
The value becomes even more compelling when both parents hold the card. Two companion vouchers can substantially reduce the cost of four tickets, while the checked bag benefit lets the family book cheaper fares without immediately giving those savings back in baggage fees.
For $139 per year, you don’t need to fly WestJet very often to come out ahead. It may not be the flashiest travel card in Canada, but for families who regularly fly across North America, I’d argue it’s one of the most useful.
