WestJet Vacations: Attraction Tickets & Unique Itineraries

Our previous article on redeeming WestJet dollars (WJD) for Westjet Vacation packages looked at how to extract value from your WJD using an outside of the box method, as opposed to traditionally just redeeming for flights. If you have been earning far too many WestJet dollars like the rest of us, it’s time to enjoy the benefits. Below, we will review other opportunities we can take advantage of by booking WestJet Vacations packages via the WestJet Rewards program.

Using WestJet Dollars to Reduce Attraction Costs

Sure, having flights and a hotel covered is great on the surface and will save a good chunk of travel money. But we can always go deeper. As you work your way through the WestJet Vacations booking process, you will come to the step titled “Extras”.

Consider if you were booking a vacation package to Las Vegas. You have your flights and hotel figured out, and outside of the copious amount of drinking, gambling, and partying you are planning on doing, you find yourself looking for a few ways to fill the time. When completing the booking, we are presented with a few options, including a couple of tours courtesy of Maverick Helicopters:

If this is something you were already interested in, redeeming WestJet dollars for this is a no-brainer compared to paying cash. Many travel destinations will have specific extras or attractions that you can book as part of your vacation package.

While Vegas is fine as an example, it is a location where you don’t typically need to book any attraction tickets or extras in order to have a great time. On the other hand, let’s take a look at booking a vacation package in Orlando where theme parks are the main attraction. Some of the WestJet Vacations extras include:

Walt Disney World tickets, Disney dining plans, and Universal Orlando Resort tickets?! That’s right, you can redeem WestJet dollars for these passes that are very expensive and typically weigh down a large amount of travel budget when visiting these destinations (for example, a 3 day Disney World ticket is $482 CAD per person). If you are sitting on a massive stack of WestJet dollars this could be an excellent opportunity to burn some of that balance on Disney World tickets.

Learn More: How to Use Miles & Points to Save Money on a Disneyland Vacation

If you were traveling as a family you might even find some value in splitting bookings depending on the amount of WestJet dollars both yourself and your significant other have. For example, if we were planning for a family of four, one partner could book a vacation package for themselves and one child, including a hotel and two Disney World tickets.

The other partner would then be able to book flights only with a WestJet companion voucher for themselves and the other child, further reducing the amount of WestJet dollars required as a result of the companion voucher. The options and combinations are endless so definitely get creative when planning your WestJet Vacations redemption. There is no “one size fits all”.

The only thing that would be left would be to buy two Disney World passes out-of-pocket. While not entirely free, the return on your WestJet dollars is excellent and can make a serious dent in travel costs for any upcoming attraction-based vacation.

Getting Crafty with WestJet Vacations

While the addition of extras and attraction tickets can be a great money saver, there are other less-than-traditional ways you can utilize your WestJet Dollars. Let’s take a few steps back and consider the two parts of the vacation package: flights and hotel.

Typically, you would have an outbound flight to a destination, a hotel for a set number of nights at the destination, and then a return flight. But what about if we blow this wide open and consider the fact that the flights and hotels don’t even need to be booked for the same destination? Or that you don’t even need to book a return flight in a vacation package?

We have confirmed with multiple WestJet Vacations reps that something like this is possible for them to book on their end.

While this might seem like a complex concept initially, here are a couple of opportunities that can be taken advantage of with this finding:

• One way flight from YEG to YVR; 5 night hotel booking in Kauai
  • Simple, straightforward, and you could use your Aeroplan points or other points programs to route from YVR > LIH and from LIH > YEG

• One way flight from YUL to YYZ; 5 night hotel booking in Amsterdam
  • A small positioning flight to Montreal before continuing on direct to Amsterdam via Air Canada

As is the spirit of the points and miles game, I welcome you to dig deeper and see what other opportunities for routing and hotel redemptions you can find within the WestJet Vacations program.

Related: How to Get Free WiFi on WestJet Flights

Personally, I found that after a few years in the miles and points game I usually would have a greater amount of points that are associated with flight programs on hand compared to hotel points. Coupled with the fact that it can be harder to earn hotel points in Canada (outside of Marriott credit cards), there is some excellent value to be had with this method. Using the above strategy to book with WestJet Vacations allows you to unlock your WestJet dollars to use mainly on hotels, coupled with some minor flight expenses.

As these aren’t typical WestJet Vacations redemptions, there isn’t a published list of rules available. However, some guidelines do exist:

• You must have a minimum of 3 hotel nights booked.
• The outbound flight has to originate out of Canada, but the return doesn’t have to return to Canada.
• You can have a single flight paired with 3+ hotel nights elsewhere.
• The hotel does need to be part of the WestJet Vacations program which can be determined by using their online searching tool.

Interested in seeing if something like this is possible? You are unable to do it online so you will need to call in and speak to a WestJet Vacations rep:

WestJet Vacations toll free: 1-877-737-7001. 
Select option #3 (new WestJet Vacation Package) -> option #4 (all other inquiries)
They are open from 0600 - 2200 MST, daily (including statutory holidays). 

Ultimately, WestJet Vacations do present some opportunities that are not easily seen on the surface. Depending on your travel plans and credit card strategy, you may be able to extract some additional value through these tricks (especially if you are flush with WestJet dollars 😉 ).

Looking to continue building your WestJet dollars balance for an upcoming vacation? The RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard continues to have all-time high welcome bonuses coupled with a healthy FlyerFunds rebate.

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Josh Bandura

Co-Founder at Frugal Flyer

Josh has been involved in the miles and points game since 2015 but has scaled up his knowledge and points earning potential in recent years. With a consistent attitude of "min-maxing" in many aspects of his life, Josh has transferred this mindset over to the miles and points game. Always looking for the next big opportunity, he aims to share content on a variety of topics including his travels, miles and points, and most importantly, how to get the most out of your credit cards

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