WestJet RBC Mastercard Review

In this WestJet RBC Mastercard review, I’m going to go over everything you need to know about this entry-level WestJet card. Although it’s not as good as the World Elite version, the WestJet RBC Mastercard only has a personal income requirement of $12,000, which makes it much easier for many people to qualify for.

Even though this is a basic WestJet credit, it still comes with a decent amount of benefits. There’s an okay welcome bonus, you get a WestJet companion voucher, and you’ll earn WestJet dollars one very purchase. Read my WestJet RBC Mastercard review now for my full thoughts.

WestJet RBC Mastercard

The standard welcome bonus that comes with the WestJet RBC Mastercard is $50 WestJet dollars after your first purchase. However, WestJet has had quite a few promotions as of late where you can earn an additional $50. Even if there’s no extra promo, the annual fee is just $39, so you come out ahead in the first year nomatter what.

Another benefit people love is the annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada and the continental U.S. for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges. To be clear, the companion voucher that comes with the WestJet RBC Mastercard is different from the voucher that comes with the World Elite version which starts at $119. The non-World Elote companion voucher can only be used for flights within Canada and the continental U.S. that are operated by WestJet.

The earn rate is 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages is great if you fly WestJet often. You’ll also earn 1% back in WestJet dollars on all other purchases, which is typical earn for a co-branded credit card. This isn’t the best earn rate, but I think it’s decent considering the low annual fee.

Since this is a low-fee card, you get limited additional benefits. That said, you do get travel accident, auto rental collision and hotel/motel insurance. This is very basic travel insurance and it doesn’t cover the important stuff such as travel medical, trip cancellation, and lost luggage.

You do get purchase security and extended warranty insurance which will appeal to some people. With purchase security, your purchases are protected for 90 days from theft, loss, and damage. The extended warranty insurance can be great since it doubles your manufacturer’s warranty up to one additional year.

One thing to note. This card does NOT come with any extra WestJet benefits such as free checked bags. That’s only available on the World Elite version.

How WestJet Rewards works

WestJet Rewards is easily one of the best travel rewards programs in Canada. You could even argue it’s one of the best airline loyalty programs in the world. What makes it interesting is that it’s basically a cash back program.  There’s no need to worry about seat availability or blackout dates, you’re able to use your WestJet dollars whenever you want as long as you have a minimum of $15 WestJet dollars in your account.

A lot of people also like WestJet Rewards because of the benefits you get and how easy it is to earn tier 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.

Even though WestJet Rewards is easy to understand, it’s still very basic. Your rewards are basically used as dollars with no real additional benefits. Many people (myself included) will tell you that Aeroplan is a much better travel loyalty program. With Aeroplan, you get access to more flights and you can get a greater value for your points compared to WestJet dollars. That said, if you regularly fly WestJet, collecting WestJet Rewards makes a lot of sense.

WestJet RBC Mastercard pros and cons

My Westjet RBC Mastercard review wouldn’t be complete without listing out the pros and cons. I personally don’t mind this card, but when you see the positives and negatives, you’ll start to have a clear picture of whether this card is right for you.

WestJet RBC Mastercard pros

• Low annual fee – You’ll pay just $39 a year to have this card.
• Annual companion voucher – The annual companion voucher costs $199 and is good for a round-trip flight within Canada and the continental U.S.
• Earn WestJet dollars – Every purchase you make earns you WestJet dollars.
• Low income requirement – There’s only a personal income requirement of $12,000 to qualify for this card.

WestJet RBC Mastercard cons

• No extra WestJet benefits – You won’t get free checked bags or priority boarding with this card
• WestJet Rewards are limited – You can only use your WestJet dollars on WestJet flights and vacation packages
• Lacks insurance – You don’t get much travel insurance with this card.
• Low earn rate – Althoguh you earn 1.5% back on WestJet flights, the 1% return on all other purchases is pretty standard.

How the WestJet RBC Mastercard compares to others

It’s difficult to compare the WestJet RBC Mastercard to others since it’s pretty specific. As mentioned, there’s the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that comes with more benefits but has a higher income requirement. If you’re reading this review, then you likely don’t qualify for that card.

Ideally, I could compare the WestJet RBC Mastercard to one of TD’s Aeroplan cards, but the TD cards all have annual fees of $89 or higher so it’s not a fair comparison. For reference, you could look at my guide on the best airline credit cards or the best Aeroplan credit cards, but it may not be a fair comparison since each loyalty program is different.

I suppose you could compare it to the Scotiabank Rewards Visa Card which has no annual fee but you’ll earn just 1 Scene+ point for every $1 spent. Although you can use Scene+ points to claim any type of travel expenses, your earn rate is essentially 50% lower than the WestJet RBC Mastercard. Heck, on WestJet flights, you’re actually earning 66% less in points, so going with the Scotiabank card instead is likely a mistake.

One other credit card worth mentioning is the Tangerine-Money Back Card. It’s a no fee credit card that will earn you 2% cash back in up to three categories. All other purchases give you 0.5% cash back. If you saved all that cash back and put it towards your flights, that could potentially be a good deal but you would have to be pretty disciplined to do that.

Final thoughts

My WestJet RBC Mastercard review is positive. If you fly WestJet on a regular basis and you’re looking for a travel credit card that has a low annual fee but still provides flexibility, this is the card 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.