WestJet Rewards Review [2024]: Can You Fly on Rewards?

Budget traveling is awesome. But if there's one thing frequent flyers know how to do right, it's taking the time to look at loyalty programs. There's a lot on the market, so could WestJet Rewards be ideal for you? 

Modern-day marketing sure knows how to push a good deal. Boasting a bunch of discounts, companies reel you in under pretenses. Most loyalty programs only suit the elite, so how can you uncover all the fine print before you get roped in? 

When it comes down to travel, loyalty programs can make a big difference, especially for budget travelers. The only trick is to know how you can earn points more quickly, and how to use them to your advantage. 

In this guide, we'll discover whether or not WestJet Rewards is a loyalty program worth your time and money. 

What Is WestJet Rewards? 

WestJet Rewards is a loyalty program that boasts several advantages for frequent flyers. Offered for the Canadian airline known as WestJet and several partners, travelers can earn discounts and deals on already low-cost flights. 

The loyalty program offers points known as WestJet dollars. These points can be accumulated not only on flights but on hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages, and other expenses too. 

What Are the Different Levels of Membership? 

WestJet Rewards hosts 4 different membership tiers, and each boasts its benefits and can be reached in various ways. 

Keep in mind that the prices and availability mentioned below may fluctuate. For the most up-to-date pricing, features, and availability, click the link to WestJet's official site!

Here are the 4 levels: 

Teal

The teal tier is the first level of the WestJet Rewards family. The tier's qualifying spend starts with your first dollar, up to $2,999. In this level, you'll enjoy a 0.5% earn rate on eligible WestJet flights, or vacation packages. 

You also earn 1% on car rentals, hotel stays, meal plans, attractions, and transfers.

Silver

To reach this second tier, you must have a qualifying spend of $3,000 in a single year. With the qualifying spend, you'll enjoy a 3% earn rate on WestJet flights, a 1% earn rate on WestJet vacation packages, and a host of other benefits. Such as:

• priority check-in
• 2 free checked bags 
• Zone 2 boarding
• 4 advance seat selection vouchers
• 4-member lounge vouchers
• 2 guest lounge vouchers

In this tier, you're also eligible for complimentary upgrades at the gate or before check-in.

Gold

To arrive at the third tier, members are required to have a qualifying spend of $5,000. Gold level offers all the same benefits as Silver, but with extra advantages too. These include lounge access, upgrades to Premium or Business Class, and priority security screening. Other note-worthy benefits are:

• Early access to purchase an upgrade
• 6 advance seat selection vouchers
• Unlimited airport lounge access with family privileges, plus 2 guest vouchers
• No fee for same-day flight changes
• Priority baggage and boarding (Zone 1)
• Priority support number

You'll also enjoy a 5% earn rate on WestJet flights, and a 1.5% earn rate on WestJet vacation packages.

Platinum 

To acquire the fourth level of WestJet rewards, members must have a whopping qualifying spend of $8,000 in a calendar year. Platinum levels include all the benefits of both the Silver and Gold levels, but with extra perks. 

You can score up to 4 upgrades to Premium or Business Class, priority baggage handling, and a separate phone line for customer service. More benefits include:

• 3 free checked bags
• Early access to purchase an upgrade
• Unlimited advance seat selection, plus 6 guest vouchers
• Unlimited airport lounge access with family privileges, plus 2 guest vouchers

At this level, you can earn an 8% rate on WestJet flights, and a 2% rate on WestJet Vacations packages. How premium!

What Are WestJet Rewards Partnerships?

WestJet offers a series of partnerships, and several of them include hotels, airlines, and car rental companies. This can be especially handy if you're a budget traveler. 

By booking your hotels, flights, and transport through their affiliates, you can earn more points quickly. 

Here is a list of their biggest partners: 

• Airlines: Delta Airlines, Air France, Qantas, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Hotels: Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Best Western
• Car rentals: Budget, Avis, Hertz, Alamo, dollar car rental, Sixt, Thrifty, Europcar, and National

How Does WestJet Rewards Work?

If you're thinking about becoming a WestJet Rewards member, you might want to dive a bit further into detail. As with any loyalty program, there's a lot of fine print involved. Here's how WestJet Rewards works: 

1. Sign up: First and foremost, join the rewards program through the app or website. It's completely free, so you've got nothing to lose.   
2. Start earning: Begin booking flights, hotels, and car rentals through WestJet Rewards, and start accumulating points. The points system is known as WestJet dollars, and each point you earn can vary depending on the destination and fare class. The more you spend, the higher your tier, and the more rewards you can reap. 
3. Redeem: Start getting your money back through the rewards redemption. You can score vacation packages, hotel stays, car rentals, and travel-related expenses. 

How Can You Earn WestJet Dollars More Quickly? 

Surprisingly, there's not just one way to do it. You can accumulate points fairly quickly. By combining specific methods, you'll be flying high in no time. Here's how you can earn WestJet dollars quickly: 

• Book flights: By booking directly with WestJet or a partnered airline, you can get those points skyrocketing in real-time. 
• Credit cards: You can use the WestJet RBC credit card to earn points and score bonus offers. The WestJet RBC Mastercard and WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard are the available credit card options. Use these credit cards for everyday purchases like gas, groceries, shopping, dining, etc.
• Partnerships: Book hotels and car rentals with their partnered brands and earn extra if you book during a promotional period. 

Other Canadian Airlines

So now that you've been enticed into the world of rewards simply by signing up, it's always ideal to consider other airlines and the benefits of their loyalty programs too. Here are some Canadian airlines worth taking a look at: 

• AirCanada Rouge
• Flair Airlines
• Sunwing
• Jetlines
• Swoop Airlines

Benefits and Drawbacks of WestJet Rewards

This low-cost airline hosts an array of advantages, including rewards points, flexible redemption options, and tiered membership for exclusive discounts. With bonus rewards offered through credit cards and partnerships, WestJet sure has a lot of benefits. 

Frankly, there are limited airline options and international destinations. Compared to other loyalty programs, partner options are fairly small too. Rewards expire within 2 years, so if you don't use your points, you lose them. 

Lastly, there's a high redemption threshold of $15 per direction of flight. For vacation packages, you'll need a minimum of $50 WestJet Dollars to redeem. So, it's not all that ideal for travelers bound to a strict budget. 

Also, WestJet Dollars cannot be used to pay taxes, fees, or other charges. You must pay for those yourself. What a bummer!

Is WestJet Rewards Worth It?

If you're someone who flies regularly or you're interested in cutting down costs as a budget traveler, WestJet Rewards is worth it. You can save money by buying flights and booking through their affiliate hotels and car rentals. 

If you're a budget traveler who doesn't travel all that frequently and isn't interested in hotel stays or car rentals, then this may not be the best option in general. 

Our Rating: 3.5/5

Pros:

• Redeemable reward points
• Flexible redemptions options 
• Various membership levels, offers, and discounts 
• Able to accumulate more points 

Cons:

• Very few partner airlines, hotels, and car rentals 
• Limited destinations around the world 
• Rewards expire after 24 months 
• High redemption fee of $15 
• Can't pay taxes or other charges

Flying High With WestJet! 

Flying has never been easier, and nowadays, it's even more affordable thanks to programs like WestJet Rewards. Before you jet-set off to your next dream destination, plan the nitty gritty details with Pilot!