Is VIPorter worth it?
Depends on where you fly. Strong fit if any of these apply:
- You fly Porter regularly for Eastern Canada or transborder routes
- You want instant Venture elite status without earning it through flights
- You want a path to transatlantic travel through the Air Transat JV
Less useful if your travel regularly goes beyond Eastern Canada and the Transat partnership.
What can you redeem VIPorter points for?
Three carriers: Porter’s own network, Air Transat through the JV partnership, and Alaska Airlines on transborder itineraries that include a Porter segment. Domestic redemptions typically land around 1.5–1.6¢ per point; Air Transat transatlantic holds similar value.
JetBlue, Qatar Airways, Icelandair, and Azores Airlines are earn-only. You can credit flights to your VIPorter account but cannot redeem points there.
What is the best way to use VIPorter points?
Eastern Canada getaways and transborder routes where Porter flies nonstop. See how the card tiers compare across real trips.
Short hops, small planes, no connection. Ottawa in under an hour or a long weekend in the Plateau.
See the math →Porter flies direct from Pearson. Caribbean coast, the Malecón, or desert meets Pacific. Pick your beach.
See the math →Porter doesn’t fly the Atlantic. Air Transat does. The JV partnership opens VIPorter redemptions to transatlantic routes at 25,000 pts per person.
See the math →How do you earn VIPorter points?
An Aeroplan co-branded credit card is the fastest path to most programs — for VIPorter, the BMO card is the equivalent.
Flying on Porter
Every Porter flight earns VIPorter points. The earn rate depends on your fare class and status tier. Porter operates the Embraer E195-E2 on most routes, a 2-2 configuration with no middle seat across the entire cabin.
The onboard service is the part most people underestimate. Beer, wine, and premium snacks are complimentary on every flight, in every fare class, served in glassware rather than plastic. Free streaming WiFi is available at every seat on the E195-E2. These are not premium-cabin perks, because Porter does not sell a stripped basic economy fare the way Air Canada and WestJet do. It is the reason Skytrax named Porter the best regional airline in North America two years running.
Co-branded credit cards
VIPorter has two co-branded cards from BMO, and both grant status automatically on approval with no flight activity required. The $89 VIPorter Mastercard grants Passport, which is priority lanes only. The $199 World Elite grants Venture, which adds a free checked bag, a free carry-on, and seat selection, and extends all of it to up to 8 companions on the same booking. Both waive the fee in year one.
Airline earn partners
JetBlue, Qatar Airways, Icelandair, and Azores Airlines (SATA) allow you to credit flights to your VIPorter account. Points land in your balance but can only be spent on Porter, Air Transat, or a qualifying Alaska itinerary.
What is VIPorter elite status?
VIPorter has four flight-based status tiers (Avid Traveller), earned through qualifying spend on Porter flights in a calendar year. The co-branded cards short-circuit the bottom two: the VIPorter Mastercard grants Passport and the World Elite grants Venture, both on approval. Ascent and First have to be flown for.
| Passport | Venture | Ascent | First | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual qualifying spend | $2,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $10,000 |
| Priority security, check-in & boarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free seat selection | — | ✓ | ✓ + Stretch seats | ✓ + Stretch seats |
| Free checked bag | — | 1 bag | 2 bags | 2 bags |
| Earn rate on Porter flights | 6 pts / $ | 6 pts / $ | 7 pts / $ | 7 pts / $ |
| PorterReserve certificates | — | 1 cert + 1 per $2K add’l | ✓ | ✓ |
| Same-day flight changes | — | — | ✓ free | ✓ free |
| Guaranteed seat on sold-out flights | — | — | — | ✓ |
What is the companion pass?
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard includes an annual companion pass that grants a second traveller a 100% discount on base fares on any Porter flight when you book and pay full price for your own ticket. The companion pays only taxes, fees, and surcharges. There are no blackout dates, so you can use the pass on any route where Porter operates.
There are two separate routes to it. The welcome bonus includes one pass at $9,000 of spending in the first 180 days. The recurring annual pass needs $50,000 within 365 days of the account opening and resets on each anniversary, roughly $4,200 a month, so for most cardholders it is realistically a year-one benefit. The pass covers one companion. Since Porter’s planes are configured 2-2 with no middle seats, both travellers sit side by side in the same cabin.