RWRDS Canada is pleased to bring you a first look at the newest WestJet credit card that will be launching later this summer, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard for Business‡.
We’ve briefly discussed this card for past several months in our coverage of the new WestJet Rewards program and now have more to share about Canada’s newest small business credit card.
** Please note: Applications for the card are not available as it has not been released to the public. It will only become available later this summer. We have received the go ahead from WestJet to pass along these details to the RWRDS Canada community at this time. **
A Big thank you to “M” on Reddit who provided the initial details and asked us to cover the new card!
35,000 WestJet Points welcome bonus
The initial welcome bonus on the new WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard for Business‡ will be 35,000 WestJet Points that is awarded on your first purchase. That’s right, $350 in value with as little as a $1 purchase (it may not have to be $1 but I always use that as a minimum as you want to make sure the purchase is enough to earn the base points)
Annual Fee
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business annual fees are $175 for the primary card and $75 for any additional (supplementary) cards.
Earning Points
The new WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business will feature even more accelerated earn rates than seen on the consumer version. The points earning will be as follows:
- Earn 3 WestJet points for every $1 spent on WestJet travel (Marketed as up to 6 points per dollar but that includes the 3 points per dollar for having Silver Elite status in the first year)
- Earn 3 WestJet points for every $1 spent on eligible business expenses
- Earn 1.5 WestJet points for every $1 spent on everyday purchases
The eligible business expenses that will earn 3 WestJet points per dollar are:
- Telecommunications MCCs:
- 4812 Telecommunication Equipment Including Telephone Sales
- 4814 Telecommunication Services including, but not limited to, prepaid phone services and recurring phone services
- Electronics MCCs:
- 5045 Computers, Computer Peripheral Equipment, Software
- 5732 Electronic Sales
- 5734 Computer Software Stores
- Shipping MCC:
- 4215 Courier Services: Air and Ground, Freight Forwarders
Right away you can see the benefit of this card for frequent WestJet flyers with its 3 points per dollar earning on WestJet travel. This works out to a 3% return on spending when redeeming the points towards WestJet base fares. That’s an excellent earn rate that will help WestJet flyers rack up points even faster on their flights.
The next accelerated earn rate, again at 3 points per dollar, which is another healthy up to 3% return on spending and it is for eligible business expenses of telecommunications, electronics and shipping. (Heads up to the one RWRDS Canada community member in YVR who spends six figures a year on shipping alone – this may be a card to consider!)
Then all other purchases will earn 1.5 points per dollar (up to a 1.5% return on spending) which is the same as the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercardǂ
Features & Benefits
Automatic Silver Elite Status for the year you are approved + the following year
Once approved, cardholders will receive automatic Silver Elite Tier Status for the remainder of the year of approval plus the entire following calendar year. Cardholders can then re-qualify with only $30,000 in spending on the card each year (compare this to the status lift requirement of $100,000 in spending for the consumer version of the card)
Silver elite tier status provides priority check-in and boarding (Zone 2), complimentary upgrades, lounge access, two free checked bags and more.
This card becomes the first small business card in Canada to provide automatic airline elite status and only the third overall when including consumer cards. Although the WestJet card does skirt the line a bit as the status doesn’t renew automatically every year as is seen on BMO’s VIPorter Mastercards. Then again WestJet Silver provides more benefits than the Porter elite statuses so I can see why WestJet went the route they did with this option on the card.
Automatic flight discounts for the year you are approved + the following year
Cardholders will receive instant access to Tier 1 of WestJet’s Business Travel Program for the remainder of the year of approval plus the entire following calendar year. Thereafter cardholders simply have to book one WestJet flight via the WestJet Biz booking channel with their WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business to retain the Tier 1 status.
Having Tier 1 of WestJet Biz means cardholders will receive a discount on WestJet base fares.
First Checked Bag Free
The benefit that made the consumer version of this card so famous, is also available on the business card. The cardholder and up to 8 guest travelling on the same reservation can each check their first bag for free. That is at least a $35 savings per person per direction of flight.
Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass
The card provides complimentary membership to Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass. This gives access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide at discounted rate of $32 USD per person per visit.
It should be noted that the automatic Silver Status provides 6 free lounge visits which can be used to grant entry for the cardholder or any guests travelling on the same itinerary.
Status Lift
With the revamped WestJet Rewards program, you can earn elite tier status without even flying! Cardholders can now achieve Silver, Gold and even Platinum Status with Status Lift up to 50 times per year. Get 200 CAD in tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 in purchases on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business.
This status lift earning can be combined with status lifts earned on the consumer card.
RBC Partner benefits
RBC offers some exclusive benefits for all their credit cardholders with select retail partners in Canada. For this card those benefits are:
- Link your Petro-Points card to your WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business and use it to pay for purchases at Petro-Canada to always:
Save 3 ¢/L on gas with every fill-up - Earn more Be Well points at Rexall
Get 50 Be Well points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases when you shop at Rexall with your linked RBC® card - Enjoy $0 delivery fees with DoorDash
Get a complimentary DashPass subscription for up to 12 months with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business
World Elite Mastercard benefits
- FlexiRoam Global Data Roaming Stay connected around the world without a SIM card and get up to 15% off a Global Data Roaming plan plus up to 3GB of data, free.
- Fubo Discount Access 50+ live-stream sports channels and save $30 on your first three months of Fubo
- H&R Block Discount Save up to 30% when you pay for your tax preparation services using your eligible Mastercard
- Booking.com Discount Up to 7% off prepaid stays and save as you explore
Insurance Coverage
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business does a little bit better in the insurance department compared to the consumer version of the card as it has Trip Cancellation insurance and Mobile Device insurance! All the other coverage appears to be very similar to the consumer version and includes such coverage as 15 days (3 days for 65+) Out of Province Emergency Medical Coverage, Trip Interruption, Flight and baggage delay coverage and numerous others.
Wrapping it up
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business is set to hit the Canadian market this summer and should prove to be a really good option for small and medium enterprises (SME) who fly with WestJet! Overall I would say it has a very strong value proposition. With elevated earn rates on WestJet flights and everyday business expenses to automatic silver elite status and discounted fares, I would say it is safe to say the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business will quickly become a popular choice amongst businesses and business owners whose primary airline of choice is WestJet.
Images via WestJet