[ANALYSIS] RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard

The RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard has had a few changes to its features. That being said, I will still do a full analysis on this credit card. My main question is whether the annual fee is worth it.

• $99 annual fee
• $49 for supplementary cardholders
• Earn $250 WestJet dollars on your first purchase
• Earn 2 WestJet dollars when you purchase WestJet flights or WestJet Vacation packages
• Earn 1.5 WestJet dollar for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Pay $99 for a companion flight to anywhere in Canada or the United States (excluding Hawaii and Puerto Rice)
• Earn 1 free checked bag on all WestJet flights

In terms of the first year of having this credit card, the $99 annual fee is offset by $250, so you are essentially getting $250 – $99 = $151 on the first year. It is not a very lucrative deal, but still money. Of course having its first year fee waived would be nice, but this credit card does offer some great incentives to retain the credit card beyond the first year.

Speaking of the second year, the current incentive to retain this credit card beyond the first year is if can take advantage of the $99 companion flight. A long distance flight to anywhere in Canada or the United States is usually above $500. Let’s say we use the lowest fare of $500 for calculation purposes We need to subtract the $99 for the companion price and another $99 for the annual fee, that means $500 – $99 – $99 nets you at least $302 in savings. So if you can find a way to take advantage of this perk every year, then you will have maximized the benefits of the $99 annual fee.

Always do the match depending on the specific flight that you have in mind to determine whether it is worthwhile for you.

Another excellent incentive, which is also the newest feature on the credit card, is that the 1st checked bag is free for the primary cardholder. This perk is good for up to 8 additional guests on the same reservation. This is not valid for group bookings of 10 or more guests on the same reservation. A big reason why this perk was added is because WestJet started charging for 1st checked bags, when it was previously free. I am very glad that they added this perk to this credit card to offset that new fee.

Conclusion: If you fly WestJet at least a few times a year, then I would definitely recommend having this credit card in your wallet. There are some great benefits that you can take advantage of to completely offset the $99 annual fee.

My biggest issue with WestJet Rewards is that the dollars expire 4 years after they were deposited. However this is only an issue if you cannot accumulate at least $25 worth of WestJet dollars before the 4 years expiry. The reason is because you need to reach a minimum of $25 worth of cash back before you can start redeeming your WestJet dollars.