One of the main draws to WestJet’s RBC co-branded credit cards is the annual round-trip companion voucher. This perk offers a discounted base fare for a second passenger when the first passenger pays the full price.
Many cardholders find a lot of value in the voucher, and it’s one of the key factors to consider when deciding whether to keep the card and pay the annual fee every year.
In this article, let’s take a look at how to obtain WestJet annual round-trip companion vouchers, how they work, and how to redeem them for maximum value along your travels.
WestJet Companion Voucher: The Rules
Broadly speaking, the WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher offers a discounted rate for a second passenger when the first passenger pays full price for a ticket. In many ways, it’s similar to the Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass.
It’s important to note that the second passenger is still subject to other taxes, fees, and air transportation charges (ATC) imposed by the airline, as we’ll explore in detail below.
As you might expect, the voucher comes with a number of rules that govern its use.
First off, it can only be used on new bookings, which must be made before the voucher expires. However, keep in mind that travel can occur after the voucher’s expiry date.
For example, if a voucher expires on June 1, 2023, travel must be booked prior to that date, but you can use it for travel after June 1 through to the end of the airline’s bookable schedule, which is about 11–12 months from the date of booking.
You can redeem the voucher for Basic, Econo, EconoFlex, Premium, and PremiumFlex fares, as long as no corporate codes are applied. The voucher cannot be used for Business, BusinessFlex, or Member Exclusive fares.
The WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher can be used for travel anywhere in WestJet’s network without any blackout periods. The flight must be marketed and operated by WestJet, WestJet Encore, and/or WestJet Link, and vouchers aren’t valid on WestJet Vacations, charters, or with any codeshare or interline partners, such as Delta.
The annual round-trip companion voucher must be applied to a booking that includes the member whose account the voucher is attached to. Vouchers are non-transferable, and only one may be applied per booking.
Both passengers on the ticket must be booked on the same fare type, meaning you cannot choose a cheaper fare type for you or your companion in order to minimize your out-of-pocket cost.
However, you can choose to have a different fare type per direction, such as Econo on the outbound flight and EconoFlex on the inbound. Consequently, the inclusions and restrictions of the selected fare type in each direction will apply to both passengers.
If you wanted to add benefits, such as bags or seats otherwise not included with your fare, you’ll have to pay for them per passenger, unless either of you have these benefits included with your WestJet elite status or credit card.
Bookings made on the WestJet website must have a Canadian departure city. If you’re using a companion voucher on a flight originating outside of Canada, you need to call into the WestJet contact centre to complete your booking and use your voucher.
To minimize your out-of-pocket costs further, you may redeem WestJet Dollars in conjunction with a WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher to pay for the base fare portion of the booking.
Lastly, the companion voucher is only valid for a single use. If a booking is cancelled, the voucher will retain its original expiry date, and if you only use it for a one-way flight, the companion voucher won’t be valid for the return leg if booked separately.
How to Earn a WestJet Companion Voucher
There are three types of WestJet companion vouchers, and the type of voucher you have depends on how you earned it in the first place.
Both the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and the WestJet RBC Mastercard come with a companion voucher as part of the cards’ ongoing benefits; however, there are important differences between the vouchers.
WestJet RBC Mastercard
The annual companion voucher on the WestJet RBC Mastercard is valid for travel anywhere in Canada or the continental United States (excluding Hawaii) for a $199 base fare. It cannot be used for travel outside of North America, and out of the three types of vouchers, it’s the least powerful.
The base fares according to various destinations are as follows:
- Travel within Canada or to the continental U.S. (excluding Hawaii): $199
- Travel to Hawaii or Mexico: n/a
- Travel to the rest of the WestJet network: n/a
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
Meanwhile, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard’s companion voucher is quite a bit more useful, as it can be used on any route that WestJet flies. The base fares according to various destinations are as follows:
- Travel within Canada or to the continental U.S. (excluding Hawaii): $119
- Travel to Hawaii or Mexico: $399
- Travel to the rest of the WestJet network: $399
Both versions of the Mastercard get a companion voucher every year, which refreshes upon the cardholder anniversary. There is no minimum spending requirement to earn the credit card annual round-trip companion vouchers, aside from paying the cards’ annual fees.
It’s worth noting that you can convert a voucher earned from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard into four lounge vouchers instead. But given that WestJet’s flagship Elevation Lounge Calgary can be accessed through credit cards with Priority Pass and DragonPass, you’ll likely stand to benefit more by using your voucher for flights instead.
Milestone Awards
Lastly, while the vouchers earned via credit cards are the easiest to obtain, the strongest type of companion voucher is reserved for WestJet’s frequent flyers via milestone awards.
Upon spending $4,000 or $6,000 in a calendar year with WestJet, you’ll earn WestJet annual round-trip companion vouchers. Furthermore, after spending $8,000, and every incremental $2,000 spent beyond that, you can choose another voucher as an award.
The reason why the vouchers earned through milestone awards are so valuable is because the second passenger won’t pay a base fare at all when the voucher is redeemed.
Unlike the vouchers earned through credit cards, which charge a base fare depending on the destination, companions flying on milestone award vouchers pay a $0 base fare to all destinations.
The base fares according to various destinations are as follows:
- Travel within Canada or to the continental U.S. (excluding Hawaii): $0
- Travel to Hawaii or Mexico: $0
- Travel to the rest of the WestJet network: $0
As you can see, these vouchers can potentially save you $119–399 per booking compared to the vouchers earned through credit cards. If you’re someone who tends to pay for flights with WestJet, then be sure to keep an eye out for this voucher in your account.
How to Use the WestJet Companion Voucher
Once you have a voucher available in your account, it’s simple to use.
The first step is to head to the WestJet website, and sign in to your account.
Next, fill out the “Book a flight” form, and be sure to check the “Use companion voucher” box, located just underneath your destination. It’s also important to specify that two guests will be travelling, as the voucher won’t otherwise be applicable.
After clicking “Get flights”, you’ll be brought to a page that displays the available vouchers in your account. The expiration date is displayed under each one, so your best bet, naturally, is to select the one that expires first.
From there, simply select flights as you typically would during the booking process. At the top of the results page, it will clearly display that your annual round-trip companion voucher has been applied.
At the checkout screen, you’ll see a breakdown of the costs associated with your trip. You’ll notice “Companion voucher” listed on the summary of charges, along with the corresponding charge, if any, next to it.
From here, simply pay for your booking as you otherwise would, and you’ll be all set.
How to Maximize the WestJet Companion Voucher
First and foremost, the WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher is going to be more valuable if Passenger 1 spends more on their base fare. Likewise, you’ll get better value out of your voucher by using it for round-trip bookings, since round-trip bookings cost more than one-way bookings.
Naturally, higher base fares include any time when cash prices for flights are high, such as last-minute bookings and during peak seasons, as well as booking higher fare classes.
Let’s take a look at a few examples to illustrate how to make the best use of the voucher.
Note that we’ll assume that you’re using the companion voucher earned from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard in the below examples. If you happen to have one earned through a milestone award, you can expect the value each time to increase by $119–399, depending on the destination.
Booking Basic Fares
Suppose a couple is eyeing up a round-trip booking from Calgary to Toronto, and they’re flexible with dates. They’re simply looking for the cheapest price for two passengers, and so they select the lowest “Basic” fare on the cheapest flights for the day.
After selecting flights with the voucher applied, the breakdown of the costs shows that Passenger 1 paid a total base fare of $168, and Passenger 2 paid $119 with the companion voucher.
When we compare the total cost of the booking with the total without the voucher applied, we only see a roughly $10 difference between the two. What gives?
In this instance, the voucher isn’t really that valuable at all, since it’s effectively only saving around $10. Passenger 1’s base fare with the voucher is $168, and Passenger 2’s base fare is $119, but you’ll notice that there’s also an additional $40 in “Other ATC” with the voucher applied, but not when booking without one.
The “Other ATC” line, short for other air transportation charges, is WestJet’s way of combining fuel surcharges and other fees into a catch-all category. Unfortunately, there’s no way to break down the charges in the category, in the same way that the “Taxes, fees, and charges” section breaks down the different fees all passengers are subject to.
There are also plenty of instances where the base fare is low, while “Other ATC” constitutes the bulk of the total fare. For example. a round-trip Basic economy ticket from Calgary to London, costing $897 per passenger, is broken down as follows:
Applying a companion voucher on a ticket like this would make no sense at all, since the base fare is only $78, while a voucher would require Passenger 2 to pay $399 base fare for a round-trip ticket to Europe. Plus, you’ll still be on the hook for all other taxes, fees, and charges, as well as “Other ATC” per passenger.
In both cases, you’re better off saving the voucher for a different use, as they don’t justify paying the annual fee on a WestJet credit card.
Booking Premium Fares
Rather than booking a Basic fare, let’s see what happens if you decide to live it up and book a “Premium” fare on the same domestic flights above instead.
For example, here’s the cost of a round-trip booking for two in WestJet Premium with a companion voucher applied.
And here’s the cost of a round-trip booking on the same flights without a companion voucher applied.
As you can see, the companion voucher winds up saving over $600. This is due to the cost of the base fare for Passenger 1, which is $846, while the companion voucher knocks Passenger 2’s base fare down to a fixed price of $119.
It’s worth noting that the “Other ATC” total $160 with the voucher applied, but only total $120 without the voucher applied. This makes up for some of the difference.
In this case, you’d be getting good value out of the voucher that justifies the card’s annual fee, with the caveat being that you’re spending more to begin with.
Booking During Peak Season
Another good use of the WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher is to book travel during peak seasons, such as the summer months, long weekends, winter holidays, and Spring Break.
This time, suppose a couple is looking to spend the winter holidays down in warmer waters, and they decide to look at a flight from Edmonton to Puerto Vallarta. We can expect the base fares to be higher during this time, since it is a very popular travel period.
With the voucher applied, the couple can expect to pay $2,498 for round-trip flights between Edmonton and Puerto Vallarta.
It’s worth noting here that Passenger 2 pays $399 instead of the $119 charged for a domestic itinerary, since that is the cost that corresponds to flights to Mexico with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard voucher.
Without a voucher applied, the couple would have to pay $3,544 for the same flights.
In this case, they’d wind up saving over $1,000, which is well above the cost of the credit card’s annual fee.
Once again, it’s worth noting that the “Other ATC” with the voucher applied amount to $204, while they’re only $164 without the voucher. There’s also a surcharge of $114.98 per passenger, which is waived for Passenger 2 with the voucher applied.
Booking Last-Minute Flights
Sometimes, travellers are forced to book last-minute flights to deal with personal or business matters. To add to what might an already unpleasant or urgent situation, cash fares for imminent flights are usually quite high.
For example, suppose you and your partner have an urgent matter to deal with in Montreal, and you need to be on the next flight out of Calgary that departs just a few hours from now. Without a voucher applied, you’re looking at around $2,787 for the two of you, with a return flight scheduled for the next day.
However, upon recalling that you have an annual round-trip companion voucher available from your credit card, you’ll see the total cost of your trip drop to $1,715 with it applied, which winds up saving over $1,000.
While paying this much for a round-trip flight within Canada is still a tough pill to swallow, you’d at least be squeezing good value out of your voucher.
Once again, it’s worth noting that the “Other ATC” amount to $160 with the voucher applied, and just $120 without it, which suggests that there’s a $40 fee baked in when the companion voucher is applied.
Booking Long-Haul Routes
For the last example, let’s see what happens if the voucher is applied to a long-haul route. While WestJet’s international network is quite small, you can use a voucher on any flight to Europe or Asia and Passenger 2 will pay a fixed base fare of $399.
You may recall that WestJet added a route between Calgary (YYC) and Tokyo Narita (NRT) in the recent past. Japan is a popular destination for tourists, so let’s determine if using the voucher on this route can add up to any considerable savings.
During the summer travel season, when we can expect base fares to be higher than usual, a round-trip flight with the voucher applied totals $3,215.
The same flights booked without a companion voucher total $4,517.
In this case, the voucher wound up saving over $1,300, which is once again a great deal.
In a reversal to what we’ve seen with the rest of the examples, the “Other ATC” add up to $1,207 with the voucher applied, and $1,496 without it.
How Much Is the WestJet Companion Voucher Worth?
It’s tricky to determine the value of the WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher, since it really depends on how much the first passenger is willing to spend on their own base fare.
For example, if you’re willing to pay more to fly in a higher class of service or to book in a higher fare bucket – whether it’s for more flexibility or perks, or for earning status – the companion voucher would be worth a lot more than for someone who’s looking to fly for as little as possible.
As we saw in the above examples, the voucher didn’t result in meaningful savings when redeemed for a Basic fare; however, there were other uses in which the voucher offered value well in excess of $1,000.
With this in mind, a fair middle-of-the-road valuation for the WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher would be somewhere around $500 (CAD).
It’s certainly possible to save more or less depending on how you choose to redeem it, but aiming for this value would ensure that you’re easily justifying the annual fee of your credit card (if applicable) and getting at least a moderate amount of savings.
Of course, as long as you’re getting good use out of the voucher, you can be happy with its value, since not everybody travels on long-haul flights, at the last minute, or during peak travel periods.
Conclusion
The WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher comes in three different forms, depending on the method through which you obtained it. While the application and cost of each voucher is different, you’ll get a discounted base fare for a second passenger when the voucher is applied to a booking.
WestJet annual round-trip companion vouchers are easiest to earn as a benefit on the WestJet RBC Mastercard or the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, as there’s no minimum spending requirement and you’ll get it every year upon your cardholder anniversary date.
The most powerful voucher comes via WestJet’s milestone awards, although you’ll need to spend thousands of dollars with WestJet to earn one.
You’ll get the most value out of the voucher by spending more to begin with; however, as long as it’s helping you meet your travel goals and saving you money along the way, you can consider it to be a good deal scored.
This story originally appeared on princeoftravel
