WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard New Companion Benefits May Not Be Beneficial
/WestJet RBC World Elite Card New Benefits
First Published Date: March 20, 2016
The review I wrote about the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard last year is one of the most popular credit card reviews on A Dawn Journal. So once I saw that WestJet updated this card with more benefits, I thought it would be perfect to write another piece on this.
In the past, the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard annual companion bonus voucher was good for an annual companion flight for $99 (plus applicable taxes, fees and charges) to fly anywhere in Canada or the United States, excluding Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
However, WestJet announced on March 1, 2016 that the companion voucher would have full access to anywhere WestJet flies, including Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Europe. The price breakdown for the companion voucher is now:
– Canada and the Continental US for $99 (+ taxes, fees and charges)
– Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for $299 (+ taxes, fees and charges)
– Europe for $399 (+ taxes, fees and charges)
Whether the companion fare will save you money or not (after paying the $99 annual fee) depends on where you go and how much other airline fares are going for at the moment. Here are 3 samples I compiled on economy class based on possible lowest fares (including sale) that I checked today (March 13, 2016) travelling on April 17 to April 22:
Toronto to Las Vegas for two using companion voucher: $774
Toronto to Las Vegas for two on another airline using skyscanner.com : $1000
Toronto to Honolulu, Hawaii for two using companion voucher: $1417
Toronto to Honolulu, Hawaii for two on another airline using skyscanner.com : $1288
Toronto to Mexico City for two using companion voucher: $1800
Toronto to Mexico City for two on another airline using skyscanner.com : $927
As you can see, based on the above three samples and several other samples I tried, including travelling to Europe, you may find that travelling on other airlines costs less than WestJet, even using a discounted companion voucher. However, because the companion voucher works on any fare class on WestJet, you may find it useful if you are buying the more expensive Flex or Plus Fare class.
Whether you should continue keeping WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard or not depends on whether the companion voucher saves you money or not. Another friendly reminder (I also mentioned this in my first review) is that this card provides neither Trip Cancellation Insurance nor concierge service.
