As a Canadian, there are two main airlines that often come to mind when it comes to loyalty programs: WestJet and Air Canada. Whereas Air Canada takes a points-based approach to their Aeroplan loyalty program, WestJet takes a much easier-to-understand approach with their loyalty program currency, titled WestJet Dollars (WJD).
Not only are WestJet Dollars easy to earn and redeem, but the WestJet Rewards program also has various levels of elite status to achieve in addition to companion fare vouchers.
Let’s look into how you can easily accrue large amounts of WestJet Dollars and how to best spend them to fuel your next vacation.
Earning WestJet Dollars
WestJet Dollars can be earned via four methods: flying on WestJet flights or booking WestJet vacation packages, flying on partner airlines, credit card welcome bonuses, organic credit card spending, and transferring RBC Avion points.
Flying on WestJet Flights & Booking WestJet Vacation Packages
The most obvious way to earn loyalty program currency within airline loyalty programs is to fly with them as a passenger. Base level Teal members can expect to earn 0.5% WestJet Dollars on the paid base fare for themselves as a ticketed passenger; taxes and fees are not eligible to earn WestJet Dollars.
On the other hand, members can earn WestJet Dollars on the total package price, split between all individuals booked on the vacation package itinerary.
The number of dollars that you earn from flying on WestJet and from vacation packages do fluctuate based on your WestJet Rewards elite status. Additionally, pay attention to the fare type as WestJet Dollars cannot be earned on any basic fare bookings.
Flying on Partner Airlines
WestJet Rewards members can earn WestJet Dollars when flying on cash fares with partner airlines including Delta, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Qantas Airways.
That being said, it is important to double-check that you are getting the best value for your earned points in choosing WestJet as your awarding points program for cash fare.
Credit Card Bonuses
As with many loyalty programs in Canada, the quickest way to rack up large amounts of WestJet Dollars is through credit card welcome bonuses.
There are two credit cards in Canada that earn WestJet Dollars: the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and the WestJet RBC Mastercard.
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is the best co-branded credit card when it comes to WestJet.
Not only does this card come with a strong welcome bonus, but it also has a relatively strong WestJet Dollars earning rate, a companion voucher, and a free first checked bag for the cardholder and up to eight guests traveling on their itinerary. Additionally, cardholders can access free WiFi on WestJet flights as a benefit.
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.
450 WestJet dollars
$5,000
$331+
$119
Yes
–
If you don’t meet the personal or household income requirement for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard card, the WestJet RBC Mastercard may be a decent option to earn WestJet Dollars. This card also offers a lower annual fee and still provides cardholders with an annual companion fare voucher
The WestJet RBC Mastercard earns WestJet dollars and gives cardholders an annual companion fare to be used for travel within Canada and the United States.
100 WestJet dollars
$1,000
$61+
$39
Yes
–
Credit Card Spending
WestJet Rewards Dollars are also earned for all eligible organic spend on any WestJet RBC credit cards.
If you are set on holding a credit card that gives you the opportunity to accrue WestJet Dollars, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is definitely the best choice as you will earn 1.5% back in WestJet Dollars (or $1.5 in rewards dollars for every $100 in spend).
Transfer RBC Avion Points
The RBC Rewards program has seven credit cards that accrue RBC Avion points. RBC Avion points can be transferred to the WestJet Rewards program at a rate of 100 Avion to 1 WestJet Dollar.
The following credit cards earn Avion points that can be transferred to the WestJet Rewards program:
Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Net Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card | 70,000 Avion | $931 | Apply | |
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card | 35,000 Avion | $545 | Apply | |
RBC Avion Visa Platinum Card | 35,000 Avion | $545 | Apply | |
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business Card | 25,000 Avion | $300 | Apply | |
RBC Avion Visa Business Card | 20,000 Avion | $260 | Apply | |
RBC ION+ Visa Card | 7,000 Avion | $85 | Apply | |
RBC ION Visa Card | 3,500 Avion | $67 | Apply |
Our personal favorite is the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card, which comes with a hefty welcome bonus. Click the Apply Now button to sign up and start earning Avion to transfer to your WestJet Rewards account.
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.
35,000 Avion
$0
$545+
$120
Yes
–
If you are interested in transferring your RBC Avion points to the WestJet Rewards program, log into the Avion Rewards website and click on “Transfer”. Then, click “Convert Points” and select WestJet Rewards. Enter the number of points that you wish to transfer and your WestJet Rewards ID number.
Once submitted, the transfer of points will post to your WestJet Rewards account in the next two business days.
Redeeming WestJet Dollars
WestJet Dollars can be redeemed for two options: WestJet flights and WestJet vacation packages.
WestJet Flights
The most typical way to cash out WestJet Dollars is to book flights operated by WestJet. A minimum of 15 WestJet Dollars must be applied per person, per direction. This does mean that you can redeem WestJet Dollars for bookings with friends and family, even if you are not on the itinerary!
Applying WestJet Dollars towards your flight booking is easy. Once you select the flights you wish to book, on the payment page it will allow you to select the amount of WJD you wish to apply toward your booking. You can apply up to a maximum of the total base fare for the whole itinerary.
WestJet Dollars can be applied to all fare types and all routes in the network.
WestJet Vacations
If you are looking to book a vacation package that might include a flight, hotel, rental car, and more, you can now easily apply your WestJet Dollars toward the booking when it is made. A minimum of 50 WestJet Dollars must be applied toward the base package price of the booking. WJD cannot be applied towards taxes and fees, similar to how flight redemptions work.
Click here to learn more about redeeming for WestJet Vacation packages.
Similar to many things in the miles and points game, things get even better with WestJet Vacations when you dig a bit deeper and realize that you can utilize vacation packages to redeem for attraction tickets, such as Disneyland tickets, and other unique opportunities. Click here to learn more about how you can elevate your WestJet Vacations redemption.
Needless to say, there are some strong opportunities for redeeming WestJet Dollars for vacation packages should you find yourself with a glut of rewards currency.
WestJet Rewards Elite Status
WestJet Rewards members can advance through elite membership tiers by reaching various levels of tier qualifying spend on WestJet flights.
All WestJet Rewards members start at Teal status and can earn Silver, Gold, and Platinum status through spending money on WestJet flights. These status levels come with benefits like increased earning rates on WestJet Flights and vacation packages, free checked baggage on WestJet flights, seat selection vouchers, complimentary upgrades, lounge access, and more.
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard cardholders can earn Tier Qualifying Spend via the Status Lift Benefit. Upon spending $15,000 on the card during a calendar year, the cardholder will receive $500 in Tier Qualifying Spend, up to $1,500 in Tier Qualifying Spend upon spending $45,000 in a calendar year. If you want to dig a bit deeper into WestJet Rewards status, you can learn more about it here.
WestJet’s partnership with Delta Airlines also means that WestJet Platinum, Gold, and Silver members can receive benefits on Delta such as preferred seating, complimentary baggage allowance, priority services, and lounge access to Delta Sky Club when flying with Delta. Check out the WestJet Delta Air Lines partner page for more details.
WestJet Companion Voucher
As part of the WestJet Rewards program, members can earn companion fare vouchers. These vouchers give members the opportunity to significantly reduce the cost of their companion’s base fare, provided they are booked on the same itinerary as the member who holds the voucher.
Related: WestJet Companion Voucher – Everything You Need to Know
Companion fares can be earned annually as a result of holding the WestJet RBC Mastercard and WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. Once earned, these vouchers will automatically be deposited in your WestJet Rewards account. Members can also earn companion vouchers by meeting elite status milestone qualifying spend requirements.
The companion base fare cost when using a companion voucher depends on how the companion voucher was earned and the flight itinerary:
- Vouchers earned from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
- Travel within Canada or the continental USA – $119 in fees for Basic/Econo/EconoFlex or $219 for Premium/PremiumFlex fares (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)
- Travel to Hawaii, Mexico, or anywhere else in the WestJet network – $399 in fees for Basic/Econo/EconoFlex or $499 for Premium/PremiumFlex fares (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)
- Vouchers earned from the WestJet RBC Mastercard
- Travel within Canada or the continental USA – $199 in fees for Basic/Econo/EconoFlex or $299 for Premium/PremiumFlex fares (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)
You can view your current WestJet Companion fares by logging into your WestJet Rewards account. Once logged in, you will see any existing companion fares and their expiry dates by navigating to My account → Benefits → Vouchers.
To apply a WestJet Companion fare voucher towards a new booking, simply click the “Use Companion Voucher” button when searching for your desired itinerary. The voucher will automatically be applied towards the pricing of the booking.
The best use for a WestJet companion fare is to use it on a premium fare booking since the savings can be significant. For example, if the base fare for a premium round trip booking within North America is $1,500, the companion will only pay $299 for their base fare while still being able to fly in premium class. While WestJet premium isn’t anything too special, it definitely is a great way to fly domestically or transborder and a leg up from economy.
Unfortunately, companion fares cannot be redeemed towards WestJet business class fares. Members should also avoid using their companion vouchers on WestJet routes that have high “Other ATC” fees as the value of their companion voucher will be eroded significantly.
WestJet Rewards Member Exclusive Fares
WestJet Rewards members can take advantage of “Member Exclusive Fares” (ME) when booking with WestJet Dollars to save additional money on their flights. Member Exclusive fares require the WestJet member to be able to pay the full base fare with WestJet Dollars in order to book them.
If you are signed into WestJet Rewards when searching for flights, you may see Member Exclusive fares pop up on eligible flights and classes of service. There can be some small savings when it comes to ME fares provided you are able to pay the full base fare in WestJet Dollars, but I would say these savings are few and far between.
More often than not, Member Exclusive Fares are not always a deal worth searching out. Take a look at the below example, where the Member Exclusive Fare is significantly more expensive than just booking a normal premium fare.
Frequently Asked Questions
One WestJet dollar is worth one Canadian dollar towards flight and vacation bookings.
It depends on the flight routing and overall itinerary. Since WestJet Dollars are worth the same amount as Canadian dollars, it is easy to price out how many WestJet Dollars your desired flight will cost.
No, WestJet dollars never expire.
No, WestJet Dollars can only be applied toward the base fare price of the booking.
Can you redeem westjet dollars without booking through their own site which shows heavily inflated flight prices?
Hi Louis,
WestJet dollars can only be redeemed for flight and vacation packages, booked directly through the WestJet website.