Earlier this 12 months, WestJet introduced a lot of sweeping adjustments to the WestJet Rewards program, which have taken impact as of April 30, 2025. These adjustments mark probably the most important overhaul of this system in its 15-year historical past.

There are a variety of main adjustments that WestJet Rewards members can anticipate, so let’s check out each intimately after which end with some broad evaluation of the revamped program.

Full particulars of the adjustments might be discovered on the WestJet web site.

Main Modifications to WestJet Rewards for 2025

As of April 30, 2025, WestJet has carried out a lot of important adjustments to its WestJet Rewards program.

As a reminder, the Calgary-based airline introduced a primary set of adjustments for 2025 final fall, which took impact in January 2025 and primarily affected its elite standing program.

The primary spherical of adjustments to this system have been largely adverse, as WestJet raised the tier qualifying spend (TQS) thresholds to earn elite standing, made amendments to boarding zones, and considerably altered milestone awards.

On a constructive be aware, the airline additionally expanded the eligibility of complimentary upgrades to incorporate one different passenger, and prolonged the validity of companion vouchers earned as a part of the milestone awards from one to 2 years.

The second part of adjustments are extra widespread, and have an effect on every part from the title of WestJet’s rewards foreign money to the methods in which you’ll earn and redeem them.

Out with {Dollars}, In with Factors

The title of the rewards foreign money utilized by WestJet has traditionally been WestJet {dollars} (WSD); nevertheless, as of April 30, 2025, it has turn out to be often known as WestJet factors (WSP). 

Beforehand, 1 WSD was equal to $1 (all figures in CAD). As of April 30, 2025, WestJet {dollars} have been transformed to WestJet factors at a fee of 1 WestJet greenback = 100 WestJet factors. 

Importantly, WestJet factors won’t ever expire.

As we’ll talk about under, the redemption worth of WestJet factors will range, relying on the way you redeem them. In some circumstances, it is going to be equal to 1 cent per level (cpp), whereas in others, it is going to be much less. 

Modifications to Incomes WestJet Factors and Tier/Milestone Qualifying Spend

WestJet has made a lot of sweeping adjustments to the methods by which members can earn factors and spend in the direction of tier and milestone qualifying spend (MQS). 

Beforehand, WestJet travellers solely earned rewards and tier/milestone qualifying spend on the bottom fares of flights, in addition to on a share of WestJet Holidays bookings. (We’ll talk about adjustments to Standing Raise intimately under, which additionally have an effect on tier qualifying spend).

As of April 30, 2025, WestJet has expanded what counts in the direction of incomes WestJet factors and tier/milestone qualifying spend to incorporate a lot of different charges related to  bookings, together with:

• Different Air Transportation Fees (Different ATC)
• Seat choice
• Baggage charges
• Improve charges

In different phrases, you’ll earn WestJet factors and tier/milestone qualifying spend on every part apart from the government-imposed taxes and charges on WestJet-marketed flights, and also you’ll now additionally earn on ancillary charges.

Moreover, base-level Teal members will earn 1 WestJet level per greenback spent on base fares, Different ATC, and ancillaries, which is up from the earlier fee of 0.5% again in WestJet {dollars} on base fares solely. 

The accrual charges for WestJet members with standing will proceed at their present charges (listed under); nevertheless, they’ll now earn factors and tier/milestone qualifying spend on Different ATC and ancillary charges, too:

• Silver: 3 WestJet factors per $1 spent (beforehand 3% again in WestJet {dollars} on base fares solely)
• Gold: 5 WestJet factors per $1 spent (beforehand 5% again in WestJet {dollars} on base fares solely)
• Platinum: 8 WestJet factors per $1 spent (beforehand 8% again in WestJet {dollars} on base fares solely)

All members will proceed to earn 1 WestJet level per greenback spent on WestJet Holidays package deal bookings and WestJet Holidays land-only bookings, and 20% of the person base worth of the WestJet Holidays package deal reserving can be eligible for tier and milestone qualifying spend.

Modifications to Redeeming WestJet Factors

Beforehand, WestJet Rewards members might redeem WestJet {dollars} towards base fares or holidays packages at a fee of 1 WSD = $1 off the bottom fare solely. Traditionally, members have neither been ready to make use of them towards Different ATC – which may make up a good portion of the price of a flight – nor on ancillary charges.

As of April 30, 2025, members are in a position to redeem 100 WestJet factors for $1 off a base fare or WestJet Holidays package deal, which corresponds to a price of 1 cent per level. That is in step with the established order.

Nevertheless, you’re now additionally in a position to redeem WestJet factors towards Different ATC, ancillary charges (seat choice, checked baggage charges, improve charges), government-imposed taxes and charges, merchandise and reward playing cards within the new WestJet Rewards eStore, and with yet-to-be-announced future companions.

Should you redeem WestJet factors on the time of reserving, you’ll get a price of 1 cent per level towards the bottom fare, Different ATC, baggage, and seat charges (100 WestJet factors = $1).

If in case you have sufficient factors in your account, you’re additionally in a position to redeem them towards the government-imposed taxes and charges on a reserving, at a fee of 105–110 WestJet factors = $1 (0.91–0.95 cents per level). You may select to cowl both 50% or 100% of the taxes and charges, which within the latter case would lead to a 100% free reserving.

When you’ve made a reserving, you’re in a position to redeem WestJet factors for flight extras at an change of 100–110 WestJet factors = $1. 

Importantly, the worth of WestJet factors will range once you redeem them for something aside from flights or trip packages. 

Modifications to Standing Raise

As a reminder, Standing Raise is without doubt one of the options of the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard. 

Beforehand, you’d earn $500 in the direction of your tier qualifying spend for each $15,000 in purchases on the cardboard.† You may earn a most of three Standing Lifts per calendar 12 months, which might offer you $1,500 in tier qualifying spend.

In earlier years, that may put you 50% of the way in which to Silver standing, which required $3,000 in tier qualifying spend up till the tip of 2024. As of 2025, Silver now requires $4,000 in tier qualifying spend, and $1,500 in tier qualifying spend is equal to roughly 38% of the way in which in the direction of Silver. 

As of April 30, 2025, Standing Raise has modified to make it attainable to earn all tiers of WestJet standing with out flying, and the cap of three Standing Lifts is being eliminated.

Now, for each $5,000 spent on the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard, you’ll get $200 in the direction of your tier qualifying spend, as much as a complete of $10,000 tier qualifying spend (100% of the requirement for top-tier Platinum standing). 

Which means that you may qualify for all three tiers of WestJet standing by placing the next quantities of spend in your WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard every calendar 12 months with out ever heading to the airport:

• Silver: $100,000 of eligible spending in your bank card = $4,000 tier qualifying spend (20 Standing Lifts of $200)
• Gold: $150,000 of eligible spending in your bank card = $6,000 tier qualifying spend (30 Standing Lifts of $200)
• Platinum: $250,000 of eligible spending in your bank card = $10,000 tier qualifying spend (50 Standing Lifts of $200)

In fact, the tier qualifying spend you earn in your bank card additionally combines with any natural tier qualifying spend you earn by means of eligible flight exercise.

It’s price noting that the brand new Standing Raise phrases will apply to all purchases produced from January 1 onward, which signifies that you’ll have the complete 2025 calendar 12 months to earn in the direction of standing primarily based on bank card spending.

WestJet’s New Milestone Awards Chart

There are additionally adjustments to WestJet’s milestone awards program.

As of April 30, 2025, you’ll earn milestone qualifying spend on 100% of the quantity spent on eligible revealed base fares, Different ATC, seat charges, checked baggage charges, and cabin improve charges for WestJet-marketed flights flown by the member inside a qualifying 12 months.

You’ll additionally earn 20% of your particular person portion of the bottom worth of an eligible WestJet Holidays package deal accomplished throughout the qualifying 12 months.

Importantly, any tier qualifying spend earned by means of Standing Raise (by means of spending in your bank card) doesn’t depend in the direction of milestone awards.

Moreover, WestJet has revealed the brand new milestone award selections that may be earned at every degree as of April 30, 2025. Seven of the eight tiers could have 4 selections, together with a factors choice, two journey choices, and a “wildcard” choice, structured as follows:

• $2,000: 2,000 factors, $200 tier qualifying spend bonus for the present 12 months, or $25 Skip reward card
• $8,000: 20,000 factors, WestJet-wide companion voucher, 4 seat choice vouchers (any seat in financial system), or $500 TQS bonus for the present 12 months
• $12,000: 10,000 factors, WestJet-wide companion voucher, one-year Reward of Gold voucher, or $1,000 TQS head begin for subsequent 12 months
• $16,000: 10,000 factors, 40% low cost on any Premium fare (most two friends), $250 WVI or Sunwing future journey credit score, eStore merchandise merchandise
• $20,000: 10,000 factors, transferable WestJet-wide companion voucher, 4 transferable seat choice vouchers (any seat in financial system), or eStore merchandise merchandise 
• $30,000: 25,000 factors, $500 WVI or Sunwing Holidays future journey credit score, one-year Reward of Gold voucher, or eStore merchandise merchandise
• $40,000: 25,000 factors, 40% off low cost for any Enterprise fare (most two friends), eight transferable lounge vouchers, or eStore merchandise merchandise
• $50,000: 25,000 factors, transferable WestJet-wide companion voucher, or $1,000 Fairmont Lodges reward card

The primary member to succeed in the $50,000 TQS threshold may even have the choice of selecting a WestJet suite for a Blue Jays house recreation for the member and as much as 17 associates. 

It’s price noting that WestJet had initially deliberate to sundown the Reward of Gold choice as a milestone award within the Fall 2024 program adjustments announcement; nevertheless, it’s now been reintroduced. The fortunate recipients will take pleasure in WestJet Gold standing for one full 12 months (beforehand it was legitimate for one round-trip flight solely).

WestJet’s New Tier Advantages

WestJet has launched a number of new advantages to members at numerous tiers.

Silver members will now obtain 4 commonplace seat choice vouchers, whereas Platinum members will obtain six transferable visitor seat choice vouchers (along with the limitless ones for themselves). 

Moreover, Gold and Platinum members will obtain two transferable visitor airport lounge vouchers (along with the present limitless entry for themselves and household).

WestJet’s New Partnerships & eStore

Lastly, WestJet is asserting new partnerships with the relaunch of this system, with extra to return in a while. WestJet Rewards members will have the ability to hyperlink their accounts with TELUS Rewards and their Skip accounts.

WestJet can be launching an eStore, by means of which members can earn and redeem factors on purchases made by means of the portal.

Analyzing the Modifications to WestJet Rewards in 2025

Given the huge scope of the adjustments introduced day, there’s lots to digest right here. 

We’ll reserve a full evaluation of WestJet’s new milestone awards for a separate article at a later date, because it warrants a dialogue of its personal.

These Modifications Are Largely Constructive… However

First off, I believe it’s price noting that these adjustments are largely constructive, whereas conserving in thoughts that the adjustments introduced in Fall 2024 have been largely adverse.

One main gripe that many members had was that beforehand, WestJet {dollars} might solely be redeemed towards the bottom fare of a reward flight, and never towards the Different ATC.

In some circumstances, Different ATC make up a good portion of the price of a flight (typically greater than the bottom fare), and having to fork out money for these took away from the novelty of getting a flight for reasonable.

It’s the same story to how solely the bottom fare counted in the direction of tier and milestone qualifying spend, and also you didn’t stand to learn in any respect from what you needed to pay for Different ATC or different charges.

It’s good to see these modified, and it’s additionally good that you simply’ll earn factors and TQS/MQS on ancillary charges as of now, too.

Informal customers of the WestJet Rewards program will recognize these adjustments, because it’s now attainable to make use of WestJet factors to get a flight 100% free of charge (which wasn’t beforehand attainable). 

Ought to You Spend in the direction of WestJet’s New Standing Raise?

One of many restrictions of the Standing Raise previously has been that it might (at most) carry you to 50% of the TQS required for Silver standing. It’s fascinating to see WestJet take away that cap and make it attainable to earn its top-tier standing with out ever taking a flight.

Nevertheless, simply since you can earn WestJet’s top-tier standing by means of bank card spending alone doesn’t essentially imply that you simply ought to.

I can consider some ways of strategically spending $250,000 on my bank card(s) that may lead to a way more important worth than what’s supplied by means of WestJet Rewards, each by way of standing and WestJet factors. 

Even for those who assume a baseline incomes fee of 1 level per greenback spent on many different bank cards, you may simply flip 250,000 factors (of varied currencies) into one thing price far more than what’s supplied with WestJet Platinum and WestJet Rewards, specifically a number of long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights in enterprise class or First Class.

On the identical time, it’s good to see WestJet loyalists who put a tonne of spend on their playing cards getting quick tracked in the direction of greater standing, whereas it had a capped worth earlier than.

Nonetheless No Alternatives for Outsized Worth

To me, the most important takeaway from these adjustments is that WestJet Rewards continues to be a program that doesn’t supply many alternatives for its members to get outsized worth.

Certainly, that’s by design, as WestJet maintains that it prides its loyalty program on being simple and straightforward to grasp. 

The worth of your WestJet factors largely stays capped at a hard and fast quantity of 1 cent per level, and it’s very tough to squeeze something greater than that from the factors that you simply earn by means of flying and spending in your co-branded bank card. 

In some circumstances, you’ll even get lower than the best-available worth of 1 cent per level with the brand new adjustments, which is a reasonably low bar, for my part. 

The one conditions that provide the flexibility to get a little bit of outsized worth stays in Member Unique Fares, which supply a nominal low cost in comparison with commonplace fares, and include a lot of restrictions. 

Personally, I discover this to be a really limiting issue when contemplating whether or not or to not meaningfully interact with this system, particularly since one of the best methods to earn WestJet factors and guide WestJet flights with factors stay exterior of the WestJet ecosystem.

In case your lone objective is to economize on WestJet flights, you may look to different fixed-value factors applications in Canada, similar to Scene+, which might assist you to get a hard and fast worth of 1 cent per level towards the complete price of a WestJet flight (together with Different ATC, seat charges, baggage charges, improve charges, and government-imposed taxes and charges). 

In actual fact, going ahead, my go-to approach to economize on WestJet flights will stay both reserving financial system flights at a hard and fast fee utilizing Delta SkyMiles (transferred in from American Categorical Membership Rewards), or paying money for flights utilizing the WestJet companion voucher and offsetting the fee with a fixed-value factors foreign money of my selecting (maybe together with WestJet factors).

Conclusion

At present, WestJet has carried out the second spherical of sweeping adjustments to its WestJet Rewards loyalty program. The adjustments have an effect on every part from the title of its rewards foreign money to the methods in which you’ll earn and redeem factors.

By and huge, this spherical of adjustments is constructive, conserving in thoughts that the primary spherical of adjustments introduced have been adverse.

Nonetheless, the chance to attain outsized worth by means of WestJet Rewards stays very restricted, and relying on what your journey objectives are, this system nonetheless could not supply sufficient intrigue to warrant a change in your loyalty habits.

† Phrases and situations apply. Please check with the RBC web site for up-to-date data.