Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- WestJet regulars who will buy flights, WestJet Vacations, or Sunwing Vacations on this card and want the 2x cobrand rate.
- Households that can also park grocery, gas, EV charging, public transit, and rideshare on the same Mastercard for the second 2x bucket.
- Applicants who meet World Elite income figures (personal or household amounts are in eligibility) and pay the card in full.
- People based in WestJet-heavy cities who would rather collect WestJet Rewards than Aeroplan or Avion.
Skip it if you…
- Air Canada flyers. WestJet points do not become Star Alliance awards. Look at an Aeroplan cobrand instead.
- Travellers who do not know which airline they will use next year. RBC Avion Visa Infinite keeps the decision open.
- Applicants who already hold an RBC personal credit card and hope to product-change into this welcome bonus — the current eligibility text excludes that group, and extra cardholders too.
- Anyone who will not clear World Elite income. Confirm whether the lower-fee WestJet RBC Mastercard is actually easier; that sibling currently shows the same income figures, so read RBC’s live application.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 2x on WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations, and Sunwing Vacations is the cobrand doing what a cobrand should do.
- 2x on grocery stores plus gas, EV charging, public transit, and rideshare is a stronger everyday mix than Avion Infinite’s travel-only bump.
- 1.5x on everything else means general spend does not fall to a dead 1x the way some airline Visas do.
- The current welcome path stacks a first-purchase bonus, a spend bonus, and an anniversary bonus — new cardmembers who stay a year can collect all three if they hit the hurdles.
- Mastercard World Elite acceptance includes places that still skip American Express, including many Canadian grocers.
Cons
- You are paying a World Elite fee to live inside one airline’s program. Miss a year of WestJet flying and the points feel stranded.
- Additional cards currently carry their own annual fee.
- Check the issuer’s site for current insurance coverage. Do not assume travel medical coverage from the World Elite name alone — read RBC’s certificate.
- Headline welcome points and the estimated dollar value imply a modest cents-per-point. Treat the “up to” value as marketing, not as cash.
- Purchase and cash-advance rates are standard rewards-card rates. Interest will erase a year of 2x groceries in a cycle or two.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $139
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $700
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $561
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
The annual fee in our table is the ongoing price of World Elite. Set it beside the estimated welcome-bonus value — currently an “up to” figure that assumes you complete every stage of the offer, including the anniversary dump.
Year one can look fine on paper if you are a new primary cardholder who makes a first purchase, hits the six-month spend, and still has the card open a year later. Year two is the fee versus 2x WestJet and grocery/transport and 1.5x everything else.
That ongoing math only works if WestJet is how you fly. Additional cards are extra.
Offers change. Existing RBC personal-card customers transferring in are called out as ineligible in the current eligibility text, so do not count on a product-change bonus.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: WestJet Dollars
You earn WestJet Rewards points. The listing names the program WestJet Dollars and the earn rates in points — same cobrand, slightly messy labelling.
Eligible WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations, and Sunwing Vacations earn 2 points per dollar. Eligible grocery stores and supermarkets, gas, EV charging, and public transit including rideshare also earn 2 points per dollar.
All other purchases earn 1.5 points per dollar. Those categories depend on merchant codes: a warehouse club, a restaurant inside a grocer, or a vacation package bought through a third-party site can miss the 2x bucket.
Points live in WestJet Rewards and are meant for WestJet travel, not for a generic travel portal the way Avion is. If you want a bank currency you can park for any airline, Avion Infinite is the RBC alternative.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Get up to 70,000 WestJet points
The current offer is three timed deposits: a first-purchase bonus split across two later statement windows (only if that first purchase posts within the first three months), a larger dump after a qualifying spend in the offer period, and a smaller anniversary bonus after the account has been open a year. You need the whole sequence to match the “up to” point total.
Only the primary cardholder is eligible. Additional cardholders, and existing RBC personal-card customers transferring to this product during the offer, are excluded in the current eligibility text.
That last line catches a lot of people who already hold an RBC Visa and thought a product change would pay. Read the live RBC terms; do not stretch spend to hit the hurdle if WestJet is not already in the calendar.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Only the primary cardholder on the Credit Card Account is eligible for this offer. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)), as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account, transferring to a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.
FAQ
Is the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard worth it?
It is worth it when WestJet is your airline, grocery and transport spend will use the 2x category, and you can hit the welcome stages as a new primary cardholder. It is not worth it as a generic travel card or an Aeroplan substitute.
WestJet RBC World Elite vs the regular WestJet RBC Mastercard?
World Elite pays 2x on WestJet and on grocery/transport, with 1.5x elsewhere. The regular WestJet RBC Mastercard currently lists a lower headline fee, 1.5x on WestJet and on dining/streaming, and 1x on everyday spend.
Choose World Elite if the grocery 2x and higher base rate clear the extra fee. Confirm income: both currently show the same World Elite-style income figures, which may be a listing error — use RBC’s application.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Most Canadian World Elite Mastercards add a foreign-conversion fee on foreign-currency purchases. This is a WestJet cobrand, not a no-FX card. For overseas spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite, and confirm RBC’s current FX rate in the agreement.
WestJet RBC World Elite vs RBC Avion Visa Infinite?
Choose this card if you fly WestJet. Choose Avion Infinite if you want RBC points that are not tied to one airline. Avion’s everyday earn is weaker; WestJet’s everyday earn is stronger if groceries and transit are on the card.
What income do I need?
The current eligibility text asks for a World Elite-style personal or household minimum. That is a higher bar than a typical Visa Infinite card. If you cannot meet it, this is the wrong cobrand — do not apply hoping RBC will make an exception, and do not treat the regular WestJet Mastercard as a sure fallback until you read its live income line.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- WestJet RBC Mastercard review · RBC · $39 annual fee
- RBC Avion Visa Infinite review · RBC · $120 annual fee
- Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card review · Scotiabank · $150 annual fee
