WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

[Mama Bear Me2]

Please forgive the "double" posts again ... posting on both Disneyland and Canadian Planning Forum to increase my chances of getting answers. Thanks for your kind patience & understanding!!

Hi ... thinking about getting the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

Would like to book flights soon BUT not sure if I have time to apply & receive WestJet Credit card AND also receive the $250 credit & $99 Companion Fare voucher in time to use when I book my flights.

Does anyone know the following:

a) How long did it take for your credit card application to be approved?

b) How long did it take before your credit card was received by you?

c) How long after the 1st transaction before you received the $250 credit & $99 Companion Fare voucher?

Ideally, I would like to use the $250 Credit & $99 Companion Fare voucher when I book my flights. This is the main reason for applying for the credit card. Thanks for your help!

 

[Disney_Alli]

a) I was approved within 20 minutes of applying
b) I had the card withing 2 weeks
c) I had the credits on my account within a few days of making the first purchase on the card.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Don't forget that on top of the $99 you still need to pay taxes fees and charges which can be a significant amount in Canada. I would look into how much this would be before applying to see if it is even a good deal or not.

 

[mab2012]

I don't remember exactly, but it's not super quick. Approval is not instant, and I had to go to an RBC branch to pick up the card (which I thought was weird - never had to do that for any other credit card). Maybe took a couple of weeks?

The companion voucher takes a couple of months to post.

 

[buyerbrad]

What is the annual fee? When do the credit and voucher need to be used by?

 

[bcwife76]

What is the annual fee? When do the credit and voucher need to be used by?

The annual fee is $99 which wipes out the companion fare (plus with the companion ticket you still need to pay taxes etc) so I'm still trying to figure out what makes this card worth it. I guess you get free checked bags as well?

 

[Mama Bear Me2]

a) I was approved within 20 minutes of applying
b) I had the card withing 2 weeks
c) I had the credits on my account within a few days of making the first purchase on the card.

THANK YOU! This sounds good!

 

[Mama Bear Me2]

Don't forget that on top of the $99 you still need to pay taxes fees and charges which can be a significant amount in Canada. I would look into how much this would be before applying to see if it is even a good deal or not.

THANK YOU! Good tip!!

 

[Mama Bear Me2]

Hi All,

The "duplicate" post from the "Canadian Planning" forum was "merged" to this post on the Disneyland forum.

I hope the "Canadian Planners" find their way here to this forum! System did an automatic merge. Don't know what happened. Sorry for any inconvenience!

If you find your way here ... THANKS to all those who shared on the "Canadian Planning" forum. I can only thank you here since the other post is gone.

 

[Mama Bear Me2]

I don't remember exactly, but it's not super quick. Approval is not instant, and I had to go to an RBC branch to pick up the card (which I thought was weird - never had to do that for any other credit card). Maybe took a couple of weeks?

The companion voucher takes a couple of months to post.

THANKS!! Hmm ... a couple of months won't work for our upcoming flights! So sad!!

 

[Mama Bear Me2]

The annual fee is $99 which wipes out the companion fare (plus with the companion ticket you still need to pay taxes etc) so I'm still trying to figure out what makes this card worth it. I guess you get free checked bags as well?

THANKS!! Unless I can use the $250 credit & $99 Companion Fare THEN basically the only benefit would be 1st free checked bags. Good if you have a large family since I "think" up to 8 people (total) can have 1st free checked bag when the Cardholder is travelling. I "think" just make sure that the cardholder's WestJet number is on each reservation ... need to confirm with WestJet for what to do in order to get the free checked bags.

I think the Companion Fare is valid for 1 year from issuance but the $250 credit has a longer expiration date. Not sure if you get to keep the $250 credit if the card is cancelled and the $250 credit is still unused. Again ... need to check with WestJet.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO SHARED!!

 

[Disney_Alli]

It clearly varies by person how quickly anything clears and posts. I applied for the card towards the end of January while visiting my parents out of town which is how I remember the date. And I received a notification immediately that I was approved. By February 25th I had thevoucher. it took me longer to use the card to activate it because when they mail the card they mail the pin code separately and I didn't receive it - plus I didn't realize I needed to use the card to start the process so I was waiting for the companion fare to post and when It didn't I called and they said I needed to use the card so I did and then it posted. Start to finish was no longer than a month.

 

[mab2012]

It clearly varies by person how quickly anything clears and posts. I applied for the card towards the end of January while visiting my parents out of town which is how I remember the date. And I received a notification immediately that I was approved. By February 25th I had thevoucher. it took me longer to use the card to activate it because when they mail the card they mail the pin code separately and I didn't receive it - plus I didn't realize I needed to use the card to start the process so I was waiting for the companion fare to post and when It didn't I called and they said I needed to use the card so I did and then it posted. Start to finish was no longer than a month.

I should have said "can take" a couple of months, rather than "takes".

My card renews in September and my companion ticket posts in October. So it probably didn't take two full months, but I'm pretty sure it was longer than a month for me. And I would have used my card within a day or two. But that was a couple of years ago now. They may have sped things up since then, and it probably does vary somewhat.

OP, if this is a one-time thing for you it might not be worth trying if your timelines are tight. Of course that's something you'll have to decide yourself. But the free bags alone can make it worthwhile, unless you're a very light packer. One round trip with one bag each for you and your companion will recoup the annual fee. You don't have to do anything to get the free bags, besides make sure the cardholder's WestJet number is on the reservation (as you noted).

The other minor benefit is that you can redeem any number of WestJet miles as a cardholder - no need to wait until you've accumulated $50 WestJet dollars.

I use the card heavily and between the companion ticket, the free bags, and the extra accumulated reward miles, we've done pretty well with it.

 

[Disney_Alli]

We've had ours (mine) just over a year and we've done well with it. We decided to book our June trip using a seat sale as the companion ticket would only have saved us $60. We paid out of pocket for both our 2017 vacations but got really good rates on both and are saving the luggage fees which is always nice!