WestJet has announced that changes are coming to the WestJet Rewards program, which will affect the way travellers can earn and make use of their status.
The airline today announced the changes will take effect in January 2025, and mainly pertain to elite status qualifying and privileges.
While WestJet says it plans to reveal a second set of broader program changes in 2025, here’s what we know will happen first.
Upcoming Changes to WestJet Rewards in 2025
WestJet has announced changes to its loyalty program – WestJet Rewards – which will affect how members earn status and the privileges they can enjoy. The changes will happen in two stages in 2025.
Tier Qualifying Spend Thresholds
The WestJet Rewards program has four status tiers, with Teal being the level all members start at.
Tier qualification is based solely on how much you spend on base fares of WestJet-marketed flights, and 20% of the base package price for WestJet Vacations.
To advance to the higher tiers, you need to meet the annual spending requirement in a qualifying year, and those requirements are changing as follows:
2024 | 2025 | |
Silver | $3,000 | $4,000 |
Gold | $5,000 | $6,000 |
Platinum | $8,000 | $10,000 |
Adjusted Milestone Award Levels and Thresholds
WestJet is also making adjustments to the spending thresholds at which you earn milestone awards.
Milestone awards are directly tied to the member’s milestone qualifying spend independent of tier qualifying spend and tier status.
Currently, the program awards you your first milestone at $4,000 with each further milestone awarded for every $2,000 in qualifying spend that follows.
Those levels will change to include a new first milestone award after $2,000 in qualifying spend.
2024 Milestone Qualifying Spend Thresholds | 2025 Milestone Qualifying Spend Thresholds |
$4,000 | $2,000 |
$6,000 | $8,000 |
$8,000 | $12,000 |
$10,000 | $16,000 |
$12,000 | $20,000 |
$14,000 | $30,000 |
$16,000 | $40,000 |
$18,000 | $50,000 |
(Every $2,000 thereafter) | _ |
At the $2,000 threshold, you’ll have the option to select one of the following three awards:
- 20 WestJet dollars
- $200 in tier qualifying spend for the current year
- $25 Skip gift card
Once you reach $8,000 and above, you’ll continue to have a choice of the following awards:
- WestJet-wide companion voucher
- Six guest advance seat selection vouchers
- Four guest lounge vouchers
Eliminated from the program in 2025 will be the Gift of Gold milestone award, which was valid for Gold status for one round-trip flight. Any Gift of Gold vouchers earned prior to January 1, 2025 can continue to be redeemed.
Rezoning Priority Boarding
As an elite member, the WestJet Rewards program allows you to board with premium cabin customers, even if you’re flying economy.
WestJet is looking to improve the overall boarding experience and efficiency for members and guests seated in enhanced cabins ensuring all top-tier members are always amongst the first to board the aircraft.
Here’s how priority boarding will look in January 2025:
2024 Boarding | 2025 Boarding | |
Zone 1 | Platinum & Gold Tier members, Business & Premium fares | Platinum Tier members, Business & Premium fares |
Zone 2 | Silver Tier members, guests on Enhanced Comfort fares, & guests in the last 14 rows of the aircraft | Gold Tier and Silver Tier members, guests on an Enhanced Comfort fare |
Zones 3–8 | All remaining guests | All remaining guests |
Zone 9 | UltraBasic | UltraBasic |
The changes really only affect Gold Tier members, since Platinum Tier members will continue to enjoy Zone 1 boarding, and Silver Tier members will continue to enjoy Zone 2 boarding.
Expanded Eligibility for Complimentary Upgrades
Through the WestJet Rewards program, elite members have access to complimentary upgrades at the gate. Currently you’re only eligible for an upgrade if you’re flying solo.
As of January 15, 2025, Silver, Gold, and Platinum members travelling with a companion on the same reservation will be eligible to be upgraded to a Premium cabin.
Furthermore, Platinum Tier members travelling on a Member Exclusive economy fare will be eligible for an upgrade to Premium or Extended Comfort.
Extended Validity of Companion Vouchers Issued as a Milestone Award
The WestJet annual round-trip companion voucher offers passengers a discounted base fare for a second passenger when the first pays the full price. If you earn your vouchers as milestone awards, you’ll soon have an extra year to make use of them.
Effective immediately, companion vouchers earned as milestone awards will have a validity date of two years from the date on which they’re earned. Previously, they were only valid for one year, and not all members were able to use them by the expiry date.
Plus, Gold and Platinum members can apply two companion vouchers to a single booking, which must be done through the priority support number accessible via the WestJet app.
As it stands, all other members will only be able to apply a single companion voucher to a booking.
Big Promises from WestJet for 2025
In announcing this first round of changes to WestJet Rewards, it’s worth mentioning this is the first time since 2018 that WestJet has made any major changes to the program.
While other airline rewards programs have updated and upgraded their offerings on a more frequent basis, WestJet has kept the status quo until now with this “mixed bag” of changes.
Without knowing what’s to come in phase two of the revamp later in 2025, it’s safe to say phase one packs a bit more of a negative punch than positive.
When it comes to raising the status thresholds, earning status with WestJet will be harder in 2025 than it was in years prior. Simply put, members will have to spend more to earn status than they used to.
The first two tiers are increasing by $1,000, while top-tier Platinum status will require members to spend $2,000 more than before.
And that’s taking into account that only base fare spending counts towards your WestJet status, and not the much-maligned Other Air Transportation Charges (Other ATC).
Sometimes, WestJet’s Other ATC fees make up a much more significant portion of the cost than the base fare, and none of it counts towards status.
For what it’s worth, Air Canada counts all base fares and carrier-imposed surcharges towards its Status Qualifying Dollar (SQD) earning. Meanwhile, Porter Airlines counts every dollar you spend with the airline towards its VIPorter status (excluding taxes and fees, but including base fares, checked baggage fees, change fees, and more.)
At the very least, WestJet could start counting the Other ATC charges towards status tiers to help offset the raised thresholds for every status tier in 2025.
It’s a similar story with the revamped milestone awards.
WestJet is following suit with many other airline and hotel loyalty programs by introducing a milestone award that you can earn before you’ve earned any status. However, the rest of the milestone thresholds have been raised, which means again, you’ll need to spend more to earn more as of 2025.
Plus, the benefits offered at the $2,000 threshold aren’t really appealing.
For example, let’s say you spent $10,000 with WestJet in 2024, and plan to do the same in 2025.
In 2024, you’d have earned four milestone awards, but in 2025, you’d only earn two. Plus, if you were a frequent flyer with WestJet, the distance between awards after you reach $12,000 is much farther apart.
WestJet hasn’t revealed what the promised new milestone awards will be – that information is expected to come later in 2025. Hopefully they’ll become more valuable given the fact this first round of changes means you’ll have to work harder to earn more.
As a reminder, WestJet currently awards companion vouchers, Gift of Gold vouchers, lounge vouchers, or advance seat selection vouchers, depending on your milestone qualifying spend. Gift of Gold vouchers will become a vestige of the past in 2025, as they’re being eliminated from the options.
As for the expanded validity of companion vouchers earned through milestone awards from one to two years, it gives you a much longer window to use the vouchers, and this is a positive development. Another plus is that Gold and Platinum members will be able to use two on the same booking, which is certainly helpful to a family of four looking for flights.
However, they’ll have to call WestJet to do so, and it’d be a more seamless option if that could be done online.
(We should also mention that it appears WestJet has stopped adding a fee for using companion vouchers, as we reported earlier this year.)
When it comes to the rejigged boarding zones, Gold tier members will be bumped from Zone 1 to Zone 2, while Platinum and Silver tier members will enjoy the same boarding privileges. This shouldn’t make a world of difference to anyone.
The expansion of complimentary upgrades at the gate to the elite member plus a companion is a welcome change to the program. Previously, an elite member travelling with someone else wouldn’t be eligible for a complimentary upgrade at the gate.
Now, elite members might be able to enjoy a slightly more elevated experience with their plus one. It’d be great to see this expanded further, so families might be able to enjoy a nice experience together, too.
WestJet has signalled that 2025 is going to be the biggest year in the history of WestJet Rewards. Let’s hope the airline lives up to the promise.
Once we have the news on the second round of changes for the program in 2025, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Conclusion
WestJet has announced changes are coming to its WestJet Rewards program and it’s going to affect how members earn qualifying status and the privileges associated with it.
For the first time in a long time, the airline is adjusting tier qualifying spend thresholds for Silver, Gold, and Platinum members. The Bottom line is that members will have to spend more to earn status in 2025 than they did in 2024.
Other changes will affect milestone award levels, complimentary upgrades, companion vouchers and priority boarding.
Changes to the program will roll out in two phases beginning in January 2025. WestJet has yet to reveal what the phase two changes will look like, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
