Whereas frequent vacationers are most definitely acquainted with Air Canada and its loyalty program, Aeroplan, one under-the-radar service that you could be wish to develop into acquainted with is WestJet. Although WestJet is just not affiliated with any airline alliance, Canada’s second-largest airline at present has 20 codeshare companions. With WestJet’s partnerships, you possibly can simply earn the airline’s foreign money, WestJet {dollars} (equal to 1 Canadian greenback), when flying on associate airways. WestJet {dollars} can then be used to e book flights or trip packages by the airline.
So, why would you wish to fly with this specific service?
As some could deem WestJet a “price range” Canadian airline, the service soars above U.S.-based carriers Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways. Working routes inside the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe, WestJet could also be a superb (and typically cheaper) airline various.
Except for discovering nice offers — just like the round-trip, nonstop flight I booked from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport (FLL) to Calgary Worldwide Airport (YYC) in Alberta for simply $292 — you may also use your factors and miles to e book WestJet flights. Preserve studying to be taught extra about how one can e book WestJet flights utilizing your factors and miles.
Ebook WestJet flights utilizing a journey portal
Not like different airline loyalty applications, you can not switch your transferable bank card rewards to your WestJet account and e book flights utilizing factors and miles. Nevertheless, there are a number of methods to make use of your hard-earned rewards on WestJet flights.
Ebook WestJet flights utilizing the Chase Journey portal
Although it is not going to get you the perfect redemption in your Chase Final Rewards factors, you possibly can e book WestJet flights by the Chase Journey℠ portal. TPG values Chase factors at 2.05 cents apiece when transferring to associate airline and lodge applications. Whenever you redeem by the journey portal, you get a hard and fast worth of 1.25 or 1.5 cents per level, relying on which Chase bank card you may have.
Since I’ve the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, I can e book WestJet flights by the journey portal at 1.5 cents apiece.
For instance, this round-trip flight from FLL to YYC is at present $593 in primary financial system when reserving by the Chase Journey portal. Since my Final Rewards factors may be redeemed at a hard and fast worth of 1.5 cents per level, it can price me 39,501 factors.
With WestJet’s dynamic pricing mannequin and this journey being nonrefundable, I counsel you store round and/or watch for a greater redemption (i.e., the value of the ticket lowering) if you wish to get monetary savings.
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Associated: Who’re the Chase switch companions? All the things to know
Ebook WestJet flights utilizing the American Specific Journey portal
Just like reserving with the Chase Journey portal, you possibly can e book WestJet flights utilizing the Amex Journey portal. TPG values Amex factors at 2.0 cents per level when transferring the factors to associate resorts and airways. Whenever you redeem your factors by the Amex portal, you get a hard and fast worth of 1 cent per level. Due to this fact, you is probably not maximizing your Amex factors by reserving through the journey portal.
For instance, if I wished to e book this round-trip WestJet flight, it will price me $719.50 or 71,950 Membership Rewards factors.
Associated: Greatest American Specific bank cards
Ebook WestJet flights utilizing Delta SkyMiles
One probably beneficial method to e book WestJet flights utilizing factors and miles is thru the Delta SkyMiles program. Whereas most associate airways booked with SkyMiles value dynamically, WestJet itineraries nonetheless comply with a hard and fast value: 12,500 miles every method for flights from the U.S. to Canada (or vice versa).
Even higher? Availability tends to be fairly good.
For instance, this is a one-way seek for 4 passengers from Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) from mid-July to mid-August.
And this is the identical date vary in the other way.
These flights may be fairly dear, so you might even see redemption values considerably larger than our present valuation of Delta miles at 1.2 cents apiece.
This weeklong journey from Orlando to Toronto in June would set you again 25,000 SkyMiles plus $62.18 per passenger. The identical flights by WestJet could be $681.91, providing you with a redemption worth of practically 2.5 cents per mile.
These costs even maintain for connecting flights — like this one from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) to Kelowna Worldwide Airport (YLW) in British Columbia’s wine nation.
It’s also possible to use Delta miles on WestJet’s worldwide flights, however they’re priced considerably larger than itineraries inside North America. For instance, round-trip flights from Toronto to the UK are priced at 84,000 miles plus $200, whereas round-trip, nonstop flights from Calgary Worldwide Airport (YYC) to Seoul, South Korea’s Incheon Worldwide Airport (ICN) begin at 140,000 miles.
Keep in mind that, as of Jan. 1, associate award tickets booked with Delta SkyMiles depend towards incomes elite standing. You may obtain 1 Medallion Qualification Greenback for each 100 miles redeemed — so a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Canada on WestJet would earn 250 MQDs. Sadly, these reservations aren’t eligible for the TakeOff 15 low cost for reserving Delta-operated award flights you probably have sure Delta bank cards.
If you have already got Medallion standing, you are eligible for a number of perks when touring on WestJet, together with precedence check-in and additional baggage allowance. Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion members may even choose most well-liked seats at no further price.
Use Capital One miles to cowl your WestJet flight
Capital One has greater than 15 airline and lodge companions, and one perk of holding a Capital One bank card is the choice to redeem your miles to cowl your latest journey purchases. Sure, you possibly can e book a flight along with your Capital One bank card after which redeem your miles at a hard and fast worth of 1 cent per mile.
If you wish to redeem your Capital One miles for latest journey, click on on “Cowl journey purchases,” and you will be taken to a display with your entire eligible journey purchases made inside the final 90 days. Then, determine which journey bills you wish to offset along with your miles.
You possibly can select to both approve the redemption fully or edit the quantity of miles you wish to use to cowl a part of your journey.
Greatest bank cards to e book WestJet flights
For those who’re not a Canadian citizen, you can not open a cobranded WestJet bank card. Nevertheless, there are transferable rewards bank cards that you need to use to e book a WestJet flight. Listed below are a number of of our favourite playing cards:
Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual charge):
- Present provide: Earn 60,000 Final Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening.
- Obtain a $300 annual journey credit score.
- Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked by Chase Journey℠.
- Redeem Final Rewards factors on the Chase Journey portal for 1.5 cents per level.
Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card ($95 annual charge):
- Present provide: Earn 60,000 Final Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked by Chase Journey.
- Redeem Final Rewards factors on the Chase Journey portal for 1.25 cents per level.
The Platinum Card® from American Specific: ($695 annual charge; see charges and costs)
- Present provide: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $8,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on flights booked straight with the airline or by American Specific Journey (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).
- Redeem Membership Rewards factors on the Amex Journey portal for 1 cent per level.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Specific Card: ($0 introductory annual charge for the primary 12 months, then $150; see charges and costs)
- Present provide: Earn 70,000 SkyMiles after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- Obtain a $200 Delta flight credit score after spending $10,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar 12 months (phrases apply).
- Redeem Delta SkyMiles for WestJet flights.
Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card: ($395 annual charge; see charges and costs)
- Present provide: Earn 75,000 Capital One miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening.
- Obtain a $300 annual journey credit score for bookings made by Capital One Journey.
- Obtain 10,000 bonus miles every year in your account anniversary.
- Redeem miles as a press release credit score at a charge of 1 cent per mile; due to this fact, you possibly can pay in your WestJet flight utilizing your miles.
Backside line
WestJet could also be a Canadian airline, however this service has routes throughout the U.S., Europe and even South America. Like most airways, WestJet’s costs can fluctuate and are typically borderline abysmal. Fortunately, you need to use your factors and miles to assist lower the price of the flight and even discover offers that may get you to a global location for a fraction of the associated fee.
Whether or not you are seeking to head to a Canadian vacation spot, resembling Toronto or Calgary, and even fly to standard European cities like Dublin and Rome, WestJet is a service that must be in your radar. Plus, since you possibly can redeem your Delta SkyMiles, reserve flights by a journey portal or redeem miles as a press release credit score to cowl your airfare, you possibly can simply e book your subsequent journey journey utilizing your factors and miles.
For charges and costs of the Delta Gold Amex, please click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
