RBC Avion puts on occasional transfer bonuses to its airline partner programs. This time, you can transfer RBC Avion points to WestJet Dollars and receive a 15% bonus.
The transfer bonus runs until July 11, 2023, so you have plenty of time to consider if this promotion is worth pursuing or not.
15% Transfer Bonus from RBC Avion to WestJet Dollars
The usual conversion ratio from RBC Avion to WestJet Dollars is 100:1, or 100 Avion points = 1 WestJet Dollar. With the transfer bonus, you’ll get an effective ratio of 100:1.15, or 100 Avion points = 1.15 WestJet Dollars.
You need to initiate the transfer with a minimum of 1,000 Avion points, which would equal 11.5 WestJet Dollars, but can then transfer in increments of 100 Avion points thereafter.
It’s important to note that the WestJet Dollars you receive as part of the 15% transfer bonus will expire in one year from the issue date, whereas ordinary WestJet Dollars have no expiry date.
Keep in mind that the current public offer on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard has a welcome bonus of up to 450 WestJet Dollars upon spending $5,000 in the first three months, and a round-trip companion voucher which you can use anywhere WestJet flies.
Furthermore, the current welcome bonuses on the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card, RBC Avion Visa Platinum Card, and RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card offer 35,000 Avion points upon approval. This means you could theoretically get approved for a card and still capitalize on the transfer bonus, which would equal roughly 402 WestJet Dollars.
The last day for the transfer bonus is July 11, 2023. If you stand to benefit from the promotion, be sure to take advantage of it by then.
Should You Transfer RBC Avion Points to WestJet Dollars?
Whenever there are transfer bonuses available, it’s always worth a second look to see if it offers any outstanding value for you.
The WestJet Rewards loyalty program has fallen out of favour in the Canadian scene, ever since the program had an unfortunate revamp in late 2020.
However, if you tend to fly with WestJet, WestJet Dollars can be used to help offset the cash price of a flight. Therefore, if you’re sitting on a large sum of RBC Avion points and have flights with WestJet planned, the transfer bonus could be worth considering.
You could also look to use them against a WestJet Vacations booking, which is one of the better ways to extract value out of your WestJet Dollars.
Furthermore, many cardholders find value in using the WestJet companion voucher. When used in conjunction with WestJet Dollars, you can potentially score a meaningful discount on travel, especially when the base fare is higher due to last-minute travel or booking a higher fare.
In any event, be sure to have a specific use in mind before conducting a transfer, because once the points leave your Avion account, there’s no getting them back.
However, you could stand to get much better value out of your RBC Avion points by transferring them to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or American Airlines AAdvantage instead. These programs give you access to world-class products, such as Qatar Airways Qsuites, and opportunities to get outsized value from your RBC Avion points.
Remember that RBC Avion also puts on transfer bonuses to British Airways Executive Club, sometimes up to 50%. However, we aren’t sure when, if ever, we’ll see this promotion return, and a 30% transfer bonus is much more common.
Recall that RBC Avion is the best program in Canada to access Asia Miles, as it’s the only one that transfers at a 1:1 ratio.
The RBC Avion Travel Redemption Schedule can provide some decent value for flights as well. It offers short-haul one-way flights starting from just 7,500 Avion points.
Lastly, don’t forget that cardholders of the top-tier RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card have the ability to redeem Avion points at a flat rate of 2 cents per point against any flight booked in business or First Class.
Conclusion
RBC Avion has put on a 15% transfer bonus to WestJet Dollars, which is among the highest we’ve seen. This could be good news for anyone with upcoming travel plans on WestJet flights.
However, you might be able to get better value by transferring to other airline partner programs, such as British Airways Executive Club or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, rather than WestJet Rewards.
With that having been said, if you need WestJet Dollars for a specific reason, now would be as good a time as any to transfer from RBC Avion. Just make sure to take advantage of the offer by July 11, 2023.
