Both are airline programs built around everyday credit card spending, but they sit at opposite ends. Aeroplan is a variable currency with a high ceiling and a path to status. WestJet Rewards is a fixed-value currency: 100 WestJet points is always $1 off the fare. The right fit depends on where you fly and how much you want to think about it.
Aeroplan vs. WestJet Rewards: full comparison
Aeroplan
WestJet Rewards
Currency & value
Currency
Aeroplan points (variable value)
WestJet points (100 pts = $1 CAD)
Per-point value
~1.1¢–2.6¢+ (variable)
1¢ exactly (fixed)
Predictability
Depends on route, cabin, and availability
Fully predictable, no award charts
Pricing model
Dynamic on Air Canada, fixed chart on partners
Cash price minus dollars applied
Redemption
Where you can redeem
Air Canada + 40+ Star Alliance airlines, hotels, car rental
WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations, seat upgrades
Partner airlines
40+ Star Alliance carriers worldwide
None (closed ecosystem)
Best redemption value
2–4¢/pt on long-haul partner business class
1¢/$ (fixed ceiling)
Award availability
Separate award seat inventory
Any seat you can buy with cash
Earn rates (flagship card)
Gas, grocery, airline
1.5 pts/$1 (TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite)
1.5% back in points (World Elite, all spend)
Airline purchases
1.5 pts/$1 on Air Canada
2% back in points on WestJet
Everything else
1 pt/$1
1.5% back in points
Flagship card cost
Annual fee
$139 (TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite)
$139 (WestJet RBC World Elite)
Signature perk
Path to Air Canada elite status, free first bag
Annual round-trip companion voucher, free first bag
No-fee option
No (entry card is the $89 Platinum)
WestJet RBC Mastercard, $0 fee
Program structure
Operated by
Air Canada
WestJet Airlines
Elite status
25K / 35K / 50K / 75K with upgrades & lounges
Teal / Silver / Gold / Platinum
Expiry
18 months of inactivity
No expiry with activity every 24 months
Ceiling versus certainty
This is the whole comparison in two words. A hundred WestJet points is a dollar off the fare, every time, with no math. You see the cash price, you apply your points, you are done. That certainty is the product. The cost is a hard ceiling: a WestJet point will never be worth much more than a cent, because that is what it buys.
An Aeroplan point has no fixed value. On a weak redemption it can be worth less than a WestJet point. On a long-haul business class seat booked through a Star Alliance partner on the fixed chart, it can be worth two to four times as much. Aeroplan also earns you a path to Air Canada status, which WestJet points do not. The tradeoff is effort: you need to find award space, understand dynamic versus fixed pricing, and book at the right time. WestJet rewards simplicity. Aeroplan rewards planning.
Aeroplan vs. WestJet Rewards: annual travel value
Comparing the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite vs. the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard. Assumes 40% of spend on gas, grocery, and airline. The Aeroplan figure swings with how you redeem; the slider sets that value. A WestJet point is always worth about 1¢.
Monthly spend$2,500/mo
Aeroplan redemption value1.5¢/pt
Aeroplan net value
—
annual, after $139 fee
WestJet net value
—
annual, after $139 fee
Aeroplan advantage
—
at the chosen value
Aeroplan: gas/grocery/airline (40% of spend × 1.5 pts)—
Aeroplan: all other spend (60% × 1 pt)—
Aeroplan: points earned per year—
Aeroplan: gross value at chosen rate—
Aeroplan: annual fee−$139
Aeroplan: net annual travel value—
WestJet: all spend × 1.5% back in points—
WestJet: gross value (100 pts = $1)—
WestJet: annual fee−$139
WestJet: net annual travel value—
The WestJet number cannot move. WestJet's value is locked at 1¢ per dollar by definition, plus the companion voucher (not counted above). Aeroplan's number is the variable one: a poor redemption sits near the bottom of the slider, a long-haul partner business class seat near the top. The points calculator shows where real redemptions land.
The companion voucher and the status path
Two perks sit outside the earn-rate math and can decide the choice on their own. The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard includes an annual round-trip companion voucher: once a year it covers a companion's base fare on a WestJet booking, with taxes and fees still due. If you fly WestJet with a partner even once a year, that single voucher can be worth more than the card's fee. The WestJet card comparison runs the breakeven on it.
Aeroplan's equivalent edge is status. Flying Air Canada earns Status Qualifying Credits toward 25K, 35K, 50K, and 75K tiers, unlocking upgrades, lounge access, and priority boarding, and your Aeroplan card contributes credits alongside points. WestJet has its own Teal/Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers, but they are earned only by earning WestJet points on flights and do not carry the global Star Alliance reach. If status and international upgrades matter, Aeroplan is the program built for it.
Which program is right for you?
Choose Aeroplan if…
Choose WestJet Rewards if…
You want long-haul or business class international travel at outsized value
Most of your flying is WestJet, domestically or to sun destinations
You fly Air Canada and want a path to elite status and upgrades
You want a predictable currency with no award charts to decode
You are willing to plan around award space to capture the higher ceiling