Take a look at these Canadian credit cards for rewards and insurance.
Key Comparisons
| WestJet RBC Mastercard | CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card for students | |
| Estimated Credit Score | 660 | 300 |
| Annual Fees | $39 | N/A |
| Interest Rate | 19.99% | 20.99% |
| Insurance Coverage | Yes | Yes |
| Pros | 1. $50 WestJet Dollars sign up bonus after your first purchase. 2. $50 Additional WestJet dollars when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months. 3. Free first checked bag for you and up to 8 other people on the same reservation. 4. Earn 1% back on all other purchases. 5. Annual companion voucher costs $199 and is good for a round-trip flight within Canada and the continental U.S. | 1. No annual fee, no minimum income requirement, and comes with a sweet sign-up bonus of 10,000 Aeroplan miles. 2. Earn 2x the points when you shop with partner retailers through the Aeroplan miles portal (including companies like Hudson’s Bay, Chapters, and Etsy). 3. Easy to funnel into other CIBC Aeroplan credit cards. |
| Cons | 1. Lacks travel medical and trip cancellation insurance. 2. Reward redemptions are restricted to WestJet flights and vacation packages. 3. You won’t get free checked bags or priority boarding with this card. | 1. Does not come with travel perks such as emergency medical coverage, trip cancellation insurance, free checked baggage or lounge access. 2. You won’t be able to take advantage of comprehensive benefits such as roadside assistance or mobile device protection with this card. 3. You’ll have to be a student registered with an eligible post-secondary institution to qualify for the CIBC Aeroplan Visa for Students. |
Key Benefits of WestJet RBC Mastercard
Westjet Dollars
Get 50 welcome WestJet dollars when you make your first purchase, earn 1% of all eligible purchases made with your card, and get 1.5% back when you use your card to pay for flights or vacation packages offered by WestJet. When you pay the full base cost with WestJet dollars, Member Exclusive fares provide excellent value with exclusive savings. With options to book in Economy, Premium, and Business, you can save on more seats on more flights. When making a reservation, log in to see if any Member Exclusive fares are available. Redeem your WestJet dollars to pay for flights or WestJet Vacations packages4 to locations around North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. There are no blackout dates, and your WestJet dollars never expire.
Perks
Get a yearly round-trip companion voucher with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. Simply book one round-trip ticket for yourself, and a discounted rate for a second passenger on the same itinerary is available starting at $119 CAD (plus taxes, fees, charges, and other air transportation expenses) inside Canada and the continental United States. Travel throughout the remainder of the WestJet network is also available starting at $399 CAD (plus taxes, fees, charges and other Air Transportation Charges). You can also use your companion voucher to pay for a Premium fare. You’ll get one step closer to obtaining status with each purchase you make using the card. Gain access to additional privileges including lounge access, early boarding, advance seat selection, higher WestJet dollar earn, and more.
Welcome Bonus and Insurance
With the RBC® World Elite Mastercard, you can receive up to 450 welcome WestJet dollars. After making their first purchase within three months, new cards will receive 250 WestJet dollars. They will also receive an additional 200 WestJet dollars if they spend $5,000 CAD in the first three months following activation. That might save you $450 on your upcoming WestJet flight’s base ticket.
Key Benefits of CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card for Students
Aeroplan Points
1 point is awarded for every $1 spent with Air Canada directly, including through Air Canada Vacations, on gas, groceries, and other purchases. With Journie Rewards, participating petrol stations will give you up to 10 cents off per litre. For every $1.50 you spend on all other purchases, you receive 1 point. Double your points at more than 170 online merchants and more than 150 Aeroplan partners via the Aeroplan eStore. By pooling points with other Aeroplan household members, you may use Aeroplan Family Sharing to quickly earn your next flight reward. No limits apply when using Aeroplan points to purchase any Air Canada seat. Additionally, you can use both cash and points to pay for flight rewards. As long as the primary cardholder maintains ownership of the CIBC Aeroplan Card.
Card Protection
The Visa Zero Liability policy, which establishes the norm for what you can anticipate when doing business with us, is something that CIBC is dedicated to keeping. Visit Visa Purchase Protection Opens in a new window to learn more. As long as you fulfill your commitments and take precautions to safeguard your card and PIN, you won’t be held liable for fraudulent purchases made via the Visa network if your card, card number, or other card details are stolen. We keep an eye on trends in fraud as well as ordinary debit and credit card usage. We’ll call, text, or email you if we see any indications that a transaction might be fraudulent and ask you to confirm it.
Rewards and Insurance
Enhance your travel experience with Aeroplan EliteTM Status.
The more flights you take with Air Canada, the better your travel experience will be, including premium services at the airport and your choice of upgrades. Flight rewards can frequently be booked by primary cardholders for even less points. Additionally, Air Canada doesn’t impose any additional airline fees on flight rewards. Auto Rental Collision and Loss Damage Insurance provides additional protection when renting a vehicle. Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance provides additional protection when making new purchases.