TL;DR: This is a card you’ve got to have if you fly more than twice a year. The earn rate on this card is mediocre, but the free first checked bag benefit and annual companion voucher make this the best airline credit card in Canada.

This WestJet Mastercard is at the top of the airline rewards card heap in Canada, and is a must have if you fly more than twice a year.

WestJet was founded in 1996, and is the second-largest airline in the country. Their customer service has always been highly regarded, and their WestJet Rewards program is one of the stronger airline rewards programs around. The WestJet World Elite Mastercard is the best way to be a part of their rewards program.

The card offers strong airline related benefits (such as free checked bag) as well as an annual companion travel voucher. Best of all, the WestJet rewards program doesn’t have blackout dates like Aeroplan.

One thing to note is that this card does not give you lounge access. This is a little weird for a premium travel card so we got in touch with WestJet to see why this was the case. It turns out they survey their gold members every year on what benefits are most important to them, and the lounge has never made the cut as a key “must-have” benefit.

Even without lounge access, the annual fee of $119 is more than covered by the benefits on this card. There’s also a sign-up bonus that ranges from $250 to $350 WestJet dollars!

Read on to learn more about the robust benefits and perks that come with the WestJet World Elite Mastercard.

The currency of WestJet’s rewards program is the powerful WestJet Dollar.

This is how much the WestJet World Elite Mastercard will earn for you:

2% back in WestJet dollars for the amount spent on any WestJet purchase. This means that for $100 you spend you will get $2.00 back.

1.5% back in WestJet dollars for the amount spent on all other purchases. This means that for $100 you spend you will get $1.50 back.

Earn extra WestJet dollars with WestJet flights since you can earn once with your credit card, and again with your WestJet Rewards ID when booking a flight directly through the company. The amount you earn will depend on your WestJet Rewards tier (teal, silver, or gold).

Let’s get real here for a minute. The earn rates for this credit card are not good.

Cash back credit cards with a lower annual fee will get you more money back than what the WestJet Mastercard can offer.

The real strength of this credit card lies in the extra airline benefits that it provides.

In true WestJet fashion, the company has made redemption very straight forward.

Every WestJet Dollar is treated as one Canadian dollar. They can be used to book flights and vacation packages directly with WestJet.

Surprisingly, there are no redemption tiers or region categories (yay!). The only restrictions are that WestJet Dollars cannot be used to pay for taxes/fees, and there is a minimum redemption amount depending on what you’re purchasing.

The most popular redemption options are below:

Flights. You can redeem your WestJet dollars for any flight operated by WestJet or their code-share partners. The minimum redemption amount is $15.

Vacation Packages. You can redeem your WestJet dollars for any vacation package offered by WestJet. The minimum redemption amount is $50.

It’s a bit of a letdown that you can’t use your hard-earned WestJet dollars for the taxes and fees portion of the fare. We hope that WestJet changes this soon as many other rewards programs let you redeem points for the full amount of the flight so that it’s $0 out-of-pocket.

The benefits that come with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is where it really shines.

Our favorite benefits include:

• Annual Companion Voucher. When you purchase a ticket with WestJet you can get a companion ticket for as a little as $99 (plus taxes and fees).

$99 (plus taxes and fees) will get you anywhere in Canada or the continental US. $299 (plus taxes and fees) will get you to Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean & Central America. $399 (plus taxes and fees) will get you to anywhere in Europe that WestJet flies

What’s more? The companion voucher can be used for ANY fare class! The amount you save by using this voucher will depend on where you’re flying and what class cabin you’re in. For the average economy flight in Canada and the US, this benefit will easily save you $250.

• Free first checked bag. The primary cardholder and up to 8 additional guests (yes eight) on the same reservation get their first checked bag for free. At $30/bag this benefit is amazing.

• No blackout dates. We want to give WestJet kudos for this one as many other programs have blackout dates to the point where it is almost impossible to redeem your points.

• Travel Insurance. This card has a strong suite of insurance benefits that are inline with competitors such as the TD First Class Visa Infinite. The insurance on this card includes emergency medical insurance, trip protection, rental car insurance, and purchase protection. For full details on all available insurances coverages click here.

For a full list of benefits on this WestJet Masertcard click here.