In celebration of the newly added Platinum status to WestJet Rewards, I thought this post was due for proper overhaul to include more details regarding its rewards program overall.
There is actually a lot of value to be had with WestJet Rewards. However, my hope is that they will either expand more towards the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program or eventually join a major airline alliance.
According to a few news reports (CBC, Huffington Post), RBC and WestJet have teamed up to offer a new loyalty program called Ampli. They say they have teamed up, but they are already teamed up as RBC is the only credit card company to offer a co-branded WestJet Rewards card.
Anyway, seems like WestJet is looking to revamp its frequent flyer program to compete more directly with Aeroplan, as they are being phased out of Air Canada.
RBC Rewards is once again offering a 15% transfer bonus to WestJet between February 1, 2018 and February 28, 2018, so we are already halfway through the promotion. We have seen 25% transfer bonuses before, but I highly doubt we will see those generous days any time soon. For WestJet, 15% seems to be the bonus for the foreseeable future. At this point, I am just glad that there is even a bonus offer.
With all the negativity surrounding Aeroplan, Canada’s current largest frequent flyer program, it may be time to take a closer look at Canada’s second largest frequent flyer program, WestJet Rewards. Let’s do a quick rundown of the highlights of the program.
Expiry Policy
Expiry policies are always a hot topic, as it is often a deal breaker for someone deciding whether to bother becoming a member.
This is essentially a follow up to WestJet’s plan to buy Boeing 787 Dreamliners so that they can offer more international flights. WestJet has decided to take the next step by asking for approval from Transport Canada to offer direct flights to China.
It looks like WestJet is planning on stepping up its game by buying twenty 787 Boeing Dreamliners to increase their international routes. Expect to see more direct routes from Canada to Asia, Europe and South America.
The news has been out for a while now, but the first delivery of 10 planes only arrive between the first quarter of 2019 and the end of 2021. There is an option for the additional 10 Dreamliners that would be delivered between 2020 and 2024.
WestJet decided to have a little April Fool’s fun with pretending to re-brand to Canada Air. Would not have been the worse thing to re-brand itself to a more encompassing of the entire country. WestJet does seem to refer only to a certain part of the country.
Bringing luggage onto the plane, whether checked-in or carry-on, has become such a complicated issue since the introduction of the pay-per use for the past few years. It seems like it will only get more problematic when costs are attached to carry-ons. As a result, the free checked bag offer from credit cards is only going to become more valuable.
Below is an updated list of credit cards that offer a free checked bag, ranked by annual fees:
I guess I have been busier than I expected, so I only came across this video today. Every year, WestJet has their Christmas Miracle video (2013, 2014 and 2015). Out of all the years, this is the most touching one.
This post is long overdue for an update. Last time around, I still listed Air Miles as one of the top 5. With the upcoming controversial expiry policy (which may be altered anyway by a new legislation), they will temporary be bumped out of the top 5.