WestJet RBC Mastercard Review

The WestJet RBC Mastercard is great for anyone who doesn’t want to pay a high annual fee and wants to save money on future WestJet flights or vacation packages. Although you get limited WestJet benefits, the earning rate is still respectable.

Since this card has a low minimum personal income requirement of $12,000, it’s an excellent choice for those who don’t meet the higher income requirement that comes with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. Read my WestJet RBC Mastercard review now for the full details.

WestJet RBC Mastercard

  • $39 annual fee
  • Earn 50 WestJet dollars after your first purchase
  • Earn an additional 50 WestJet dollars when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
  • Earn 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages
  • Earn 1% back in WestJet dollars on all other purchases
  • Annual companion voucher

Welcome bonus and earn rate

When signing up for the WestJet RBC Mastercard, the bonus has consistently been worth up to 100 WestJet dollars. You’ll typically get 50 WestJet dollars after your first purchase and another 50 WestJet dollars when you spend $1,000 in the first three months of cardmembership.

As for the earning rate, you’ll earn 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights and WestJet vacation packages. All other purchases earn you 1% back in WestJet dollars. Although the earning rate may seem low, the rewards are reasonable for a card with an annual fee of just $39.

Benefits and perks

Since this is considered an entry level card, you won’t get many benefits. That said, it does come with one significant WestJet benefit that makes this card a keeper.

Annual round-trip companion voucher

The best benefit of the RBC WestJet Mastercard is the annual round-trip companion voucher. With this voucher, the primary cardholder can add a travelling companion to the same round-trip itinerary for a base fare of just $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges. This applies to anywhere in Canada and the continental U.S. (no Hawaii). Depending on your destination, this could save you a few hundred dollars.

Save on fuel at Petro-Canada

When you link your WestJet RBC Mastercard, you’ll instantly save three cents per litre on fuel at Petro-Canada gas stations. In addition, you’ll earn 20% more Petro-Points.

Earn Be Well points at Rexall

Anyone who shops at Rexall regularly will be interested to hear that your linked WestJet RBC Mastercard earns you 50 Be Well points per dollar spent on all eligible purchases. These bonus points are added to any in-store and personal Be Well offers.

No delivery fees with DoorDash for 3 months

The RBC WestJet Mastercard entitles you to $0 delivery fees for three months when making orders on DoorDash. This benefit usually costs $10 per month. To get your free delivery, you must order at least $15 and pay with your WestJet RBC Mastercard.

Travel insurance

  • Travel accident – up to $500,000
  • Hotel/motel burglary – up to $2,500
  • Delayed baggage insurance – up to $500 / 4 hours
  • Auto rental collision/loss damage waiver insurance – $65,000 – 48 days

Many people will be surprised about the travel insurance included while reading this WestJet RBC Mastercard review. Although you don’t get travel medical or trip cancellation insurance, you get a decent amount of extended travel insurance.

Purchase insurance

  • Purchase security – 90 days
  • Extended warranty – Up to one additional year

Purchase insurance is rarely used, but you’ll be glad you have it if you ever need to make a claim. When you charge the total cost of your purchase to your WestJet RBC Mastercard, you’re covered from loss, theft and damage for 90 days thanks to the included purchase security. As for the extended warranty, it’s doubled up to one additional year.

How WestJet Rewards works

WestJet Rewards is easily one of the best travel rewards programs in Canada. Instead of earning points or miles, you earn WestJet dollars, so it’s similar to a cash back program. If you’re using your dollars for a flight, you must have at least 15 WestJet dollars accumulated. There’s a 50 WestJet dollar minimum when redeeming for WestJet vacation packages. Note that WestJet dollars can only be applied to the base fare and not towards taxes or additional charges. On a positive note, there are no blackout dates when using your WestJet dollars.

Many people also like WestJet Rewards because of the benefits you get and how easy it is to earn higher status. WestJet Rewards has four tiers: teal, silver, gold and platinum. You get higher tier status based on how much you spend on qualifying WestJet flights and vacations (this does not apply to credit card spending). As your tier goes up, you get additional benefits.

If WestJet is the main airline you fly with, earning WestJet dollars and having a co-branded credit card will save you money on future flights and vacation packages.

WestJet RBC Mastercard eligibility

  • You must be a Canadian citizen
  • You must be the age of majority in the province or territory where you live
  • You must have a personal income of $12,000

RBC doesn’t state a specific credit score that’s required to be approved. That said, I recommend only applying if your credit score is at least 660. That puts you in good standing, and it may increase the odds of you being approved.

How the WestJet RBC Mastercard compares to others

It isn’t easy to compare the WestJet RBC Mastercard to others since it’s pretty specific. That said, this is technically an airline credit card and another WestJet credit card is available, so we’ll use those as comparables.

WestJet RBC Mastercard vs. WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is a higher tier WestJet card. This card earns you 2% in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights and vacation packages. All other purchases earn you 1.5% back in WestJet dollars. In addition, you get a better companion voucher, more travel insurance, and the first checked bag free for the primary cardholder and up to eight guests travelling on the same reservation. While this card has better benefits, it has a higher annual fee of $119 and a minimum personal income requirement of $80,000.

WestJet RBC Mastercard vs. CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card

With the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card, you’ll earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and Air Canada purchases. All other purchases earn you 1 Aeroplan point per $1.50 spent. Although this earning rate may seem low, 1 Aeroplan point can be worth 1.5 – 2 cents each, so there’s some good value here. However, Aeroplan is the loyalty program of Air Canada, so if you mainly fly WestJet, you’d be better off with a WestJet credit card. The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card has no annual fee.

WestJet RBC Mastercard vs. American Express Green Card

One other card that’s worth comparing is the American Express Green Card. It has no annual fee, and you’ll earn 1 American Express Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all purchases. With Membership Rewards, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 statement credit. That means if you booked a flight on WestJet, you could use your points on the entire purchase, including taxes and additional charges.

Final thoughts

My WestJet RBC Mastercard review is positive. This card is ideal for people in the following situations:

  • You fly WestJet regularly – With this card, you’ll earn WestJet dollars on all eligible purchases and get a free annual companion voucher.
  • You don’t want to pay a high annual fee – The yearly fee of $39 is reasonable for what you get.
  • You don’t have a high income – This card has a low minimum income requirement of $12,000.

If you fly WestJet regularly and you’re looking for a travel credit card, this card could be a good fit for you. The annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges is an incredible benefit that should be reason enough to sign up for the card.

About Barry Choi

Barry Choi is a Toronto-based personal finance and travel expert who frequently makes media appearances. His blog Money We Have is one of Canada’s most trusted sources when it comes to money and travel. You can find him on Twitter:@barrychoi

13 Comments

  1. Greg on August 6, 2019 at 1:27 PM

    Hi Barry,

    How come I don’t see either of these WestJet Mastercards listed in the credit card comparison on RateHub (or the recent MoneySense articles)?

    Thanks!

    • Barry Choi on August 6, 2019 at 1:29 PM

      Greg,

      I don’t work for RateHub or MoneySense directly (I’m a freelancer) so I can’t comment on why it doesn’t appear on their comparison tool.

    • Robert Bruce on March 5, 2021 at 10:49 PM

      I was wondering the same thing as Barry. Moneysense had them included in the past but not on the recent one. Strange.

      We have the Elite WJ card but am considering a cash back card due to the uncertainty of flights. We have over $10,000 sitting in the travel bank that we can’t use. Plus, many cards are offering higher rewards than the WJ MC.

      Each person’s spending and needs vary though. Thank you for the article

      • Barry Choi on March 6, 2021 at 6:38 AM

        Robert,

        I can’t speak on behalf of MoneySense, but I know WestJet doesn’t have a partner affiliate with everyone.

        Switching to a Cash back card (even temporarily may be a good idea). While I like WestJet and its rewards program, Aeroplan has made significant changes that make it much more appealing.

        You must spend a lot if you have $10,000 in WJD banked. I would advise really looking at what your future goals are and picking a card that makes the most sense for you.

  2. Stanley Walter Olson on July 22, 2020 at 3:27 PM

    I have a west jet Mastercard use it alot!!I had 231 west jet dollars last year yet no Eest jet dollars added since!!!I have requested reason??No answer?? Stan Olson

  3. Madonna Dyke on November 10, 2022 at 5:32 AM

    I have the WestJet World Elite and it’s great! Going to Florida soon, myself and my husband for $341 return for both of us, using companion voucher for my husband. Thought it was a darn good deal. Also went to Jamaica a few years ago on a WestJet Vacation, out of pocket cost us $235 each, cheap vacation. I really happy with it.

  4. Ginette Arsenault on November 20, 2023 at 4:50 PM

    Hi Barry, Westjet no longer offer any interesting flights out of Montreal. I now want to give up the RBC Westjet Mastercard World Elite card, but have $108 Westjet $. Do I just lose that or is there a way to convert that to Avion points? Cannot find that info anywhere and certainly don’t want to spend $50 on a credit card to transfer the amount to someone else. Thanks for your advice!

    • Barry Choi on November 20, 2023 at 7:59 PM

      Ginette,

      You can’t transfer your WestJet dollars to other programs, but you still have a few options. You’re allowed to transfer your WJD to another person with a WestJet Rewards account. Alternatively, if you call WestJet Vacations, you can have your WJD applied to a hotel booking.

      • Ginette Arsenault on November 20, 2023 at 8:08 PM

        Thanks for your rsvp. I can only xfer these to another Westjet account at the additional cost of $50 on a credit card. A hotel booking is a good idea however. Hopefully it doesn’t have to be somewhere Westjet flies. Appreciate the advice.

        • Barry Choi on November 20, 2023 at 8:19 PM

          Ginette,

          In theory, it should be any hotel available on the WestJet site. You just need to call WestJet vacations to get your WestJet dollars applied.

          • Ginette Arsenault on November 21, 2023 at 6:41 AM

            Excellent, works! Many thanks!



          • Ginette Arsenault on December 5, 2023 at 3:04 PM

            Well bad news: the hotels are supposedly on a partner site and the Westjet $ cannot be used for those. Spent a lot of time with an agent, and the only way to use them is to book a Westjet flight or a Westjet Vacation package. $117 down the drain. I do appreciate your help.



          • Barry Choi on December 5, 2023 at 4:38 PM

            Ginette,

            Well that’s new and clearly really annoying.



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