Before I went deep into the world of miles and points, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard was the main card in my wallet. Even as someone who was dipping their toes into the game, I was able to extract significant value from this card, mostly thanks to the generous annual companion fare voucher that I used to travel across North America with friends on the cheap.
Needless to say, this card holds a place in my heart since it has many perks and benefits that can result in significant savings for an individual or family who wants to simply and straightforwardly save money on their travels.
Let’s dive into our review of the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.
Overview
Welcome Bonus
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard currently has a welcome offer in which cardholders can earn up to 450 WestJet dollars:
- Earn 250 WestJet dollars upon first purchase1
- Earn 200 WestJet dollars upon spending $5,000 in the first 3 months1
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard offers benefits including an annual WestJet companion voucher and a first free checked bag on WestJet flights.
Check out our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
450 WestJet dollars
$5,000
$450+
$119
Yes
–
If you are curious as to how you can spend $5,000 in three months for the second part of the bonus, learn more about how you can easily meet minimum spending requirements.
Earning Rates
Outside of the welcome bonus on this credit card, the most consistent way to earn WestJet dollars is through organic spending on a WestJet credit card. The earning rate on the card is rather simplistic, offering an elevated earning rate for WestJet purchases and then a catch-all category for all other purchases.
This card earns WestJet dollars at the following rate:
- 2% back in WestJet dollars for all purchases of WestJet flights or WestJet vacation packages (2 WJD per $100 spent on WestJet flights or vacation packages)
- 1.5% back in WestJet dollars for all other everyday purchases (1.5 WJD per $100 spent on all other purchases)
Earning up to 2% on all purchases is okay for a credit card in Canada, but definitely not top-tier when it comes to overall rewards. If you want to further maximize your purchases, such as using the best rewards credit card for grocery purchases, there are better credit cards in the market for that.
Annual Fee
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $119, which is similar to other comparable travel credit cards in Canada.
Customers who have a RBC Signature No Limit Banking account can receive a $35 rebate towards the annual fee on this card, whereas customers who have a RBC VIP Banking account can receive a $120 rebate towards the annual fee.
The RBC VIP Banking account offers unlimited debit, Interac e-Transfer, and worldwide ATM withdrawal transactions. Account holders are entitled to a $120 annual fee rebate on an eligible RBC credit card, a safety deposit box discount, and more.
Up to $549 welcome bonus
Chequing
$30.00
Redeeming WestJet Dollars
WestJet dollars can be redeemed towards flights and WestJet Vacations packages. Westjet flies throughout North America in addition to a handful of international destinations so it isn’t difficult to make a redemption, whether you are booking a complete itinerary or simply positioning yourself for your next redemption flight.
There is no bad choice to redeem WestJet dollars since they use a simple points currency system. Simply put, 1 WestJet dollar will always be redeemable for 1 Canadian dollar towards the base fare. With this in mind, I find it is best to redeem WestJet dollars as I need them and not put too much thought into finding the best value for my points as I would do with other, more convoluted, points programs.
Check out our guide to the WestJet Rewards loyalty program to learn more about how to best redeem your WestJet dollars for flights and WestJet Vacations packages.
Benefits
The WestJet RBC World Elite card comes with a wealth of travel benefits, including an annual WestJet companion voucher, free checked baggage on WestJet flights, free in-flight WiFi on WestJet, and comprehensive insurance coverage making it one of the best Mastercard credit cards in Canada.
WestJet Companion Voucher
Outside of the welcome bonus, the WestJet companion voucher is the most valuable part of this credit card. The WestJet companion voucher gives the cardholder the opportunity to book a companion on their itinerary while only paying the base fare plus taxes and fees. When using a companion voucher, the base fare is reduced to $119 for travel within North America and $399 outside of North America for economy travel. Premium cabins charge an additional $100 on top of the above numbers when using a companion fare for these redemptions.
This annual companion voucher is automatically deposited into the cardholder’s WestJet Rewards account upon card approval and then at the credit card account anniversary thereafter.
The companion voucher can be applied towards any fare class, except for business. If you often find yourself traveling with a companion, this can significantly reduce your overall travel costs and may allow you to splurge on WestJet premium economy for an added-value travel experience.
Free Checked Baggage
WestJet RBC World Elite cardholders can receive one piece of free checked baggage for themselves and up to eight others on the same reservation. This is applicable on all WestJet flights, provided that the individual who booked the itinerary is the primary cardholder and remains an active cardholder.
This is the best way to save money on checked baggage with WestJet since simply holding a credit card is a low-effort play to save money on any WestJet flights you take if you often find yourself or your travel companions checking baggage. The savings with free checked bags can really add up as a result of this benefit, especially if you find yourself traveling with a partner, friend, or family on the same reservation.
Insurance Coverage
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard offers eight types of insurance coverage:
- Emergency medical insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Car rental collision and loss damage coverage
- Trip interruption coverage
- Flight delay coverage
- Hotel and motel burglary insurance
- Purchase security
- Extended warranty coverage
Insurance coverages on credit cards can be nuanced in what is covered, so I recommend that you refer to the WestJet RBC World Elite insurance certificate for additional details, including terms and conditions for eligibility.
Who is the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard Best For?
If you are considering diversifying points programs, which is always a great idea, accruing WestJet dollars is a great option away from the typical programs in Canada such as Aeroplan or British Airways Avios. With that in mind, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is your ticket to accruing a significant amount of dollars in the WestJet Rewards program.
Personally, I’ve found value in having a stash of WestJet for the odd flight around North America, such as our recent trip to the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas. Not to mention, WestJet does offer many direct flights to destinations that Air Canada does not offer direct flights to. For example, I’m heading to Victoria from Edmonton in May and I can fly direct with WestJet, whereas I would have to connect in Vancouver with Air Canada.
On the other hand, my significant other has recently booked a big redemption for herself and her sisters to fly Edmonton-Calgary-Cancun for a girls’ trip on WestJet Business class on the Dreamliner. This would not have been possible without the WestJet dollars accrued from this credit card in conjunction with the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card.
Whether you are interested in flying economy, premium economy, or business class, the WestJet World Elite Mastercard can help you get closer to your next dream redemption.
Finally, the companion voucher can result in some deadly redemption combinations. My personal favorite is using it to cut the cost of a premium economy fare to $219 round trip for my travel partner and pay the whole base fare with WestJet dollars. On the other hand, if you were a family of four and both adults held a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, each parent could book an itinerary for themselves + one child to cut the overall flight cost almost in half.
Conclusion
While RBC offers many credit cards that we love, the WestJet RBC World Elite offers unique WestJet benefits with a reasonable annual fee. Simply put, if you find yourself flying WestJet often, this is a good card to consider adding to and keeping in your wallet for the long term.
As a reminder, you are eligible to apply for a new RBC credit card every 90 days. If you have applied for a card more recently than that, consider if an RBC product switch to this card is right for you and your future travel plans.
Josh Bandura
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Hi. I reactivated my RBC Westjet Master Card on September 29th 2023. I was suppose to receive a companion voucher for coming back. I checked in November and December 2023 a no voucher is found. I used the card over Christmas, I called RBC and was advised no voucher would show up on my account until 3-4 weeks after using my card. That puts the companion voucher into 2024. Will I only receive one voucher for 2024. Tried calling your 1-888-937-8538 to speak to Westjet Rewards but got no where. What do I get for coming back to the credit card ?
The web page here https://frugalflyer.ca/credit-card/rbc-westjet-world-elite/ says $200 WJD after a $5000 spend in the first 3 months, but elsewhere it’s mentioned as $300 WJD.
What’s the ‘real’ answer? Thanks!
It is $300. Thank you for pointing out the error.