15% Conversion Bonus from RBC to WestJet
There is a week left on the Royal Bank of Canada’s Avion (or RBC Rewards) program’s 15% transfer bonus to WestJet Rewards. It has been running since October 3, 2016, and ends on November 14, 2016. Historically, it is a disappointing transfer bonus, that is why I held off writing about it. I will explain why below.
How the Bonus Works
Normally, when you convert 1,000 Avion points (which is also the minimum requirement), you will receive 10 WestJet dollars. Now you can get $11.50 for every 1,000 Avion points.
Whether it is Worth it
I would not rush into transferring my points right away, because in the past, we have seen this promotion fluctuate with either a 20% or 25% last time transfer bonuses, so 15% is somewhat disappointing.
Conversely, it is better than nothing. I say this because we haven’t seen any American Airlines transfer bonuses since the 20% transfer bonus between October 15, 2013 to November 30, 2013, which I much prefer seeing. So who knows when they will put a halt to WestJet transfer bonuses.
Strategies
Every time there is a promotion like this, I do treat it like it is the last time we will see it. So if you’re wondering if you should wait for a better offer next time, I would factor into consideration that loyalty programs can stop offering future transfer bonuses without any advanced warning.
Another strategy that you can employ is staggering the transfer. Transfer some now, just to lock in the bonus now, while you wait for the next one. If nothing comes around again, at least you got some bonus now. If they have a better offer next time, then you still have points to transfer.
WestJet Dollars Expiry
When it comes to transferable points, I have always recommended that you keep your points in a transferable format until you actually need it or if you need to top up your account so that you can redeem your Dollars before they expire.
Seeing as WestJet Rewards expire 5 years after they were deposited, it could make sense to use this transfer bonus to top up to the minimum $25 requirement before you can redeem your Dollars.
I have quite a large number of Avion points and I was thinking of converting some to Westjet dollars but I can’t see the benefit as you are only getting a 1% conversion and loose out on the insurance that you would get when booking with RBC Rewards. What am I missing?
You are not missing anything. If you can get better value elsewhere with your RBC Rewards, then don’t do this conversion!