WestJet sweet spot: fly a companion to Europe in Premium for a fixed $499

WestJet points are a flat cent each with no award chart, so the real sweet spot for Canadians is the RBC World Elite companion voucher, which caps a second Premium base fare to Europe at $499.

WestJet Rewards works differently from the mileage programs, and it helps to say so up front. WestJet points are worth a flat cent each, 100 points knocks $1 off the base fare, surcharges, bags, and seats, and you can apply any number of points to any available fare with no award chart and no blackout dates. That is refreshingly simple, but it also means there is no hidden business class deal buried in the points the way there is with Aeroplan or Avios. The real WestJet sweet spot for Canadians lives in the annual companion voucher that comes with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. The figures below are an example of how the voucher works, not a quote for any date, so always confirm the live fare when you book.

Here is how it works. You get a round-trip companion voucher after your first purchase on the card and then one more each year. Your travel partner books the exact same itinerary as you and pays a fixed base fare instead of the going rate. Within Canada and the continental US that fixed fare is $119 in economy or $219 in Premium. To the rest of the WestJet network, which is where Europe and the Calgary to Tokyo route live, it is $399 in economy or $499 in Premium. Your companion still owes the taxes and fees, and you still pay your own fare in full, but that second base fare is capped no matter how expensive the route gets.

Here is the value math on a realistic booking. WestJet flies its Boeing 787 Dreamliners from Calgary to Europe, with London, Rome, Paris, Dublin, and Barcelona among the destinations, plus the long Calgary to Tokyo run. Say a summer Premium round trip from Calgary to London prices around $2,600 all in, of which roughly $2,000 is the base fare the voucher discounts and the rest is taxes and fees. Your companion pays the fixed $499 base fare plus those same taxes and fees, so about $1,100 instead of $2,600. That is roughly $1,500 off the second seat, on a card whose annual fee is $139. Confirm the live fare when you book, because prices move and the example is only there to show the shape of the deal.

One honest thing about the cabin. WestJet Premium on the 787 is a premium economy cabin, a wide recliner in a 2-3-2 layout with a proper leg rest and extra legroom, not a lie-flat business seat. It is a genuine and comfortable step up for a long overnight to Europe, but do not walk on expecting an Aeroplan-style flat bed. The voucher is also not valid on WestJet's Business or BusinessFlex fares, nor on Member Exclusive fares, so the lie-flat cabin is simply off the table for this trick.

A few more caveats worth knowing. You need two people traveling together on the same booking, and the companion still pays the taxes and fees, which on a transatlantic run can be a few hundred dollars. The card's annual fee is $139, and starting November 5 2026 you will need to put $5,000 on the card each year to earn the voucher, though vouchers issued before that date carry no minimum spend. Premium seats on the 787 are limited and summer sells out early, so book ahead and stay flexible. And remember the points themselves are worth a flat cent, handy for shaving cash off any WestJet fare with no blackouts, just not the place to hunt for outsized premium value.

Dig into the full strategy, or go back for more examples.