WestJet Companion Voucher is a useful tool for families who often have a limited vacation schedule. Peak holiday season might be the only time when they can travel as a family. For a family of four, flying in First Class is not a realistic goal. Instead, their focus might be on going to Hawaii in December or Disneyland during summer.
For families, it might be less important to have Business Class from Toronto to Los Angeles, as long as they can do budget family travel. After all, 4 tickets to Disneyland Los Angeles could nearly cost C$1,000 per day, ignoring the cost of flights, hotels, food and everything else.
This post will highlight all the opportunities Canadians have to access a WestJet Companion Voucher, that will provide a discounted (or free) second ticket. Of course, like any free ticket, taxes, fees and surcharges will be extra.
Annual World Elite Companion Voucher
All holders of the RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard are issued an Annual World Elite Companion Voucher. The annual fee for the RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard is $119, and the companion voucher will cost an extra:
- $119 for flights within Canada and continental USA
- $399 for flights anywhere else in the WestJet network
If a family decides to make a last minute Spring Break vacation to Los Cabos, they might be alarmed to see that the only non-stop flight is $1,465.10 per person.
If they look at the price breakdown closely, they will notice that the fare is broken into three separate components, as shown in the image below:
- Base Fare of $1,113.04
- Surcharge of $74.92 and ATC Fee of $82
- Taxes, Fees and Charges of $195.10
If the family of four had two companion vouchers, rather than paying, $5,860.40, they would instead pay:
- $1,465.10 for two people
- For the other two tickets, the fare will drop from 1113.04 to 399, for a savings of $714.04 per person. All other fees and surcharges will remain, so the total price will be $751.06 for the other two tickets
- $238 for the annual fee of 2 RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard’s
This will cost a total of $4,670.32. This is a savings of over $1,000, without including the first checked bag free for all travelers, that will be very useful during your family travel.
RBC WestJet Companion Voucher
Similar to the Annual World Elite Companion Voucher is a cheaper Annual Round Trip Companion Voucher, offered to RBC WestJet MasterCard holders with an annual fee of $39.
The Annual Round Trip Companion Voucher is more restricted than the Annual World Elite Companion Voucher, as this voucher can only be used for flights within Canada or the Continental USA.
It is ironic, however, that if you intend on using the voucher within Canada and the continental USA, the voucher, regardless of if you hold the World Elite or the regular MasterCard, will cost the same:
- RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard: $119 + $119 = $238
- RBC WestJet MasterCard: $39 + $199 = $238
The World Elite MasterCard will obviously give you additional perks when traveling with WestJet, such as a free first checked bag, but the companion voucher for domestic travel is relatively the same.
WestJet Milestone Reward Companion Voucher
The WestJet milestone reward companion voucher is awarded after reaching certain spending thresholds as described below on WestJet flight tickets:
- $4,000
- $6,000
- Every $2,000 thereafter
These vouchers are some of the best vouchers available on WestJet, since they are a flat $0 fare for the companion across the WestJet network in Economy or Premium Economy class.
This is the only companion voucher that can be used for Premium Economy class travel. However, it is possible that these companion vouchers are quite hard to earn for most of us since they require extensive travel across the WestJet network.
Conclusion
Companion vouchers can be an incredible opportunity for couples or families of four traveling during peak or last minute flights when they can be incredibly expensive for Canadians. A WestJet companion voucher is a useful tool in your arsenal if your travel is focused around last minute flights or peak travel destinations during peak travel season.
