WestJet Vacations: Are They Worth It?

Whether it’s Christmas break or Easter long weekend, Canadians love to travel. And while we don’t enjoy as many airlines as our neighbors to the South, we do get to enjoy the luxuries of economies of scale when it comes to our shared holiday destinations.

Enter WestJet Vacations, WestJet’s dedicated holiday product for merrymakers who wish to go to popular destinations in North America, the sun destinations, and Hawaii.

But are these WestJet Vacations packages a good deal? Let’s find out.

What are WestJet Vacations?

WestJet Vacations offers you a simple deal: for a fixed price, the Calgary-based airline will take you and your loved ones on a wonderful getaway. Whether you’re going to Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere exotic in the Mayan Riviera, everything will be taken care of: the flights, the hotels, and maybe even certain incidentals like ground transport or attractions tickets.

While you have the option of booking these WestJet Vacations yourself, you also can make use of a travel agent to book on your behalf. This could potentially net discounts below what we see in our analysis, so be sure to double-check. You could also use the methodology in our analysis to determine if your travel agent is selling you a deal you want or not.

There are some caveats to the service as presented, with the most major being the cancellation and baggage policies.

WestJet Vacations Baggage Policy

First up, all Economy-class WestJet Vacations charge extra for baggage according to the following schedule. Therefore the price you book is unlikely to be the final price you pay unless you don’t check luggage.

It’s highly recommended you prepay for luggage, as bags paid for at a US port of entry are likely to have the checking fees denominated in USD. There are also a few ways to save money on WestJet baggage fees, so do your research in advance to save a few dollars.

WestJet Vacations Cancellation Policy

Second, you need to consider not just the cost of cancellations, but your ability to actually cancel. WestJet Vacations can offer significant savings, but this is also because the product they’re selling you is equivalent to non-refundable flights and hotels sold in bulk.

Before you book, you should always read the terms and conditions; in the case of WestJet Vacations, understanding their cancellation policy is imperative. Let’s take a look at the cancellation policy:

In short, cancellations made 45 days before travel cost $250 per passenger (if in economy), whilst it’s 50% refundable between 44 and 21 days before travel, and within 21 days, all trips are considered non-refundable. 

While this is less opaque than Air Canada Vacations variable cancellation system, it still is no fun because WestJet Vacations are effectively non-cancellable unless you have drastic lead times.

Exploring the Value of WestJet Vacations

Let’s take a look at a couple of sample itineraries for WestJet Vacations to see if they really do save customers money, or if it’s more valuable to plan trips on your own by booking with each airline and hotel separately.

To determine the values below, I’ve dissected each itinerary by breaking down the individual costs of flights, hotels, and any incidentals included in the package offered by WestJet Vacations.

Are WestJet Vacations Worth It for Travel in North America?

Let’s start off with something simple and see if WestJet Vacations can offer a decent cross-border flight and vacation deal. We’ll do it by making that biggest mistake in life, and eloping to Las Vegas for a weekend!

While WestJet Vacations does not unfortunately offer specialized services to let you get married by Elvis at In-n-Out Burger, it can offer you a flight and hotel package that lets you facilitate this in your spare time.

And there’s nowhere worth eloping but Caesar’s Palace, so let’s take a look at what that will cost for 3 nights:

The total cost for this package when selected in WestJet Vacations is close to the estimate:

Let’s dissect the cost of the flights first:

Based on the cost of flights alone at $1,362.36, it looks like this package will offer decent value unless rooms at Caesar’s that weekend are an absolute steal.

At $546.89 USD, worth approximately $770 CAD at the time of writing this article, they are not. While there are ways to get Caesar’s resort fees waived, those are not in the spirit of a spontaneous elopement.

So, WestJet Vacations is charging two lovers a total cost of $1,672.58 for the same room and the same flights that when purchased separately would cost our star-crossed travelers $2,132.36. That’s a savings of about $460 CAD across three days.

Are the savings worth the cost of foregoing the flexibility to cancel? With baggage fees, will it cost more to check a wedding dress, or just buy/rent it at the many shops on the Vegas Strip?

Only you can answer these, but for my money, it’s not a terrible value proposition if you can commit to traveling on the given dates.

Should I Book a WestJet Vacations Package for a Sun Destination?

There’s nothing more Canadian than flying to an all-inclusive beach resort in the tropics to wait out Christmas. So let’s price out exactly that experience for the typical family of four.

The following WestJet Vacations package includes dates from December 19th to December 27th at a 4.5-star resort in Punta Cana:

As we can see, the total price is $8,594.20. However, this deal apparently comes with $600 in hotel credits and vouchers. How usable these are will be up for debate as “spend $200 for $150 in credits” really just means “spend $50 out of pocket,” but without holding the vouchers in hand it’s hard to determine what they are and what they do.

First, let’s look at the cost of flights:

The exact same flights on the same dates will run $4,882.20. Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho, that is not cheap!

Next, let’s look at the price of the all-inclusive hotel:

Ostensibly, the cost of this hotel is $6,626, and it’s unclear via the website whether prices are denominated in USD or adjusted to be quoted in CAD.

However, as with most all-inclusive resorts, the vast majority of rooms booked here are done so via flight and hotel packages. Therefore, the actual retail cost of the room, or even the wholesale cost at which its rooms are sold to travel agencies, is hard to determine.

If we assume that the hotel price is denominated in USD, then that means just the hotel is about $9,333 CAD. Therefore, WestJet Vacations is offering a good deal before we consider the cost of flights. With flights included, this is a no-brainer.

While I remain a bit suspicious of the real retail price of the hotel rooms, this seems to be below the price of what you’d get by booking these individually so utilizing a WestJet Vacations package in this situation would be the best choice.

How Far Can WestJet Vacations Go Abroad?

WestJet Vacations is a product that sticks to what it knows: it sells bulk seats at a discounted rate to high-demand vacation destinations. If those can align with seasonality, that’s even better.

Therefore, the furthest destination that the company sells flights to is the Hawaii archipelago. So let’s take a look at how good of a deal this can be for someone taking a package from Edmonton on the same Christmas dates we’ve already been using.

Two economy class flights and eight nights’ accommodation at the luxurious Fairmont Orchid on Kona in Hawaii costs about $10,164.64. Let’s see how that compares to non-refundable flights (we can leave baggage aside for now) and the same dates at that resort.

However, when going through the booking process, Westjet Vacations tried to put me on two red-eye flights, thus shaving off two nights of lodgings. By the time I selected the flights that I wanted, the price had shot up a lot:

This also put me on an overnight flight back, thus meaning I’d only get 7 nights in Hawaii. Therefore, we need to compare the cost with the same flights and the same number of nights at that hotel against the stated price of $12,874.

The same flights give the following price of $3,793.38:

Note, that these flights are sold in the Econoflex and Econo fare classes. These WestJet fare classes have at least somewhat more forgiving cancellation policies than those listed above because even if you have to pay hefty fees and won’t receive all the money back to the original form of payment, you could get at least partial refunds to your Westjet Travel Bank.

Next, we must consider the hotel, which will offer free cancellation up to 7 days before check-in, followed by a cancellation charge of only the first night’s stay:

The cost here is $13,252.68 when booked separately versus the WestJet Vacations package price of $12,874. The difference is $378.68. Does booking with WestJet Vacations result in savings? Yes. But is it worth foregoing the ability to cancel your travel plans and receive most of your money back?

I’d argue no. That $378.68 is the cost of a travel insurance policy which would probably require a lengthy claims process in order to receive reimbursement if your plans go awry. If you just bought the flights and hotel separately, you could still cover your cancellations, and you would even earn WestJet Dollars as rewards on the flights.

Are WestJet Vacations Packages a Good Deal?

As always, value can be in the eye of the beholder. There’s at least one case above, wherein you can go to Hawaii, where the WestJet Vacations product is objectively inferior to booking your itinerary individually.

On the other hand, for all-inclusive travel where you don’t need to rack up loyalty points or rewards in another program such as Marriott Bonvoy, the WestJet Vacations package did seem like a good deal during peak season.

And of course, it’s always nice to save money for the tables in Vegas. However, only you can answer whether you’re OK with the rigid cancellation policies and hardline checked baggage fees in play with these WestJet Vacations packages.

Seasonality will also play a big role in the final price you pay, so consider that and shop around before committing to one of these products. You can also always leverage a travel agent to find you a good deal if you’re seriously in doubt and don’t have time to dedicate personally.

Finally, consider what we’ll bring up in our next section: these bundles can be a great way to use your WestJet dollars to save on your next vacation.

Can WestJet Dollars be Redeemed Towards WestJet Vacations Packages?

Great news: WestJet dollars (WSD) can be used toward WestJet Vacations. There are a few rules of course: WSD can’t be used to reduce taxes or fees such as airport improvement levies.

You’ll also need to call WestJet to apply the WSD to your itinerary, and there is a minimum amount (typically 50 WestJet dollars) needed for any given redemption, as can be seen from the rules below:

Another excellent way to use your WSD is by applying them to a WestJet Vacations package that includes attraction tickets at destinations such as Walt Disney World. This offers a deft way to use your WSD in a way that takes the financial strain off any vacation.

Using WSD on WestJet Vacations offers significantly better value than redeeming Aeroplan points on Air Canada Vacations. While WSD will always get you the 1cpp value, including against bills like resort experiences, Air Canada Aeroplan points will also only ever get you that 1cpp but at the opportunity cost of not having those points available for future flight redemptions.

Therefore, WestJet dollars earned in the WestJet Rewards program overall probably provide a better value when redeemed towards vacation packages.

One of the best ways to get the WestJet dollars necessary to take advantage of this not-so-secret offering is by applying for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. 

This card offers a welcome bonus of up to 450 WestJet dollars and offers additional perks that are beneficial when flying on WestJet, such as free checked baggage and an annual companion voucher.

WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

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WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard earns WestJet dollars and offers cardholders benefits on WestJet flights including an annual companion fare and a first free checked bag for the cardholder and up to eight guests on the same itinerary.

Check out our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard review for more details.

BONUS
450 WestJet dollars

MINSPEND
$5,000

NET VALUE
$331+

ANNUAL FEE
$119

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

Another way to turbocharge your WestJet dollars earnings is via a transfer from the RBC Avion Rewards program, which allows for a flat exchange rate of 100 Avion points per Westjet Dollar, or an effective rate of 1 cent per point. 

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card is the best option for this, and it currently offers a welcome bonus of up to 35,000 Avion points.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

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RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card earns Avion Elite points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 1.25x Avion Elite points on all travel purchases.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Flexible Points Travel Credit Card.

Check out our RBC Avion Visa Infinite card review for more details.

BONUS
35,000 Avion

MINSPEND
$0

NET VALUE
$545+

ANNUAL FEE
$120

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

If you wanted to be cheeky, you could always choose to hold both the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and RBC Avion Visa Infinite card at the same time to earn even more.

As an aside, you cannot use the WestJet companion voucher that is earned from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or via elite status benefits for WestJet Vacations redemptions. That voucher is only supposed to be used on regular flight bookings made directly with Westjet, so familiarize yourself with all the companion voucher’s rules prior to arranging travel.

Conclusion

Whether you’re going for a short trip across a single weekend, or going abroad for a treasured honeymoon, it’s important to feel you’re getting good value for your money.

WestJet, just like any airline, wishes to make money when it sells you packaged products via its WestJet Vacations line. Be aware of the policies and the costs of similar products to ensure that you get a good deal.

Until next time, don’t forget to redeem your WestJet dollars for your next vacation.