Porter Airlines’ loyalty program, VIPorter, unveiled further details of two new credit cards on Monday, transforming Porter into a more relevant player in the loyalty space and one certainly worth considering.
In addition to new partnerships with Air Transat and Alaska Airlines, announced last week, the changes mean VIPorter will likely leapfrog WestJet Rewards in the eyes of some frequent fliers. However, Air Canada/Aeroplan will still often be the first choice for Canadians looking to save money on travel with loyalty points.
Two BMO VIPorter Mastercards introduced
The BMO VIPorter Mastercard is the airline’s entry-level card. It has an annual fee of $89, which is waived for the first year. With this card, you’ll earn two points for every dollar spent on Porter flights, one point on transportation, gas, groceries, dining and hotel accommodations, and 0.5 points on all other purchases.
Cardholders also get VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller status automatically, which gives you benefits such as earning six points per dollar spent on Porter flights – for a total of eight points if you pay with your BMO VIPorter Mastercard – priority security screening, early boarding and priority re-accommodation for flight delays.
Additionally, when spending $25,000 annually, you’ll earn an annual voucher for 35 per cent off the base fare on any Porter flight for up to four people.
The second card option is the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard. With this card, you’ll earn three points for every dollar spent on Porter flights, two points on transportation, gas, groceries, dining and hotel accommodations, and one point on all other purchases. The annual fee is $199, but it’s waived for the first year.
Cardholders receive VIPorter Avid Traveller Venture membership, which provides the same benefits as Passport status holders, plus one free checked bag, a carry-on bag when booking basic economy fares and complimentary seat selection. An annual companion pass, offering 100 per cent off the base fare, is granted upon spending at least $50,000 on the card.
“The significant growth we’ve had as an airline over the last two years gives us a presence in every province, so this is the right time to introduce a credit card that matches the value our customers have come to expect when flying Porter,” Edmond Eldebs, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at Porter Airlines said in an exclusive interview with The Globe and Mail.
From a benefits standpoint, these cards are better than what WestJet and Aeroplan offer. For example, the WestJet RBC Mastercard has an annual fee of $39 and gives you an annual round-trip companion voucher starting from $199, but you get no WestJet benefits. There’s also the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card, which gives you your first checked bag free, but the earning rate and overall airline benefits aren’t as generous as the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard.
It’s worth noting that Aeroplan does have premium credit cards that grant unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access – Porter has no airport lounges, priority check-in/boarding/baggage handling/airport standby/upgrades – but those cards do have an annual fee of $599.
That said, the spending requirements to get the annual vouchers are much higher with Porter, so it may not be attainable for some people. But if you signed up for the waiting list, you get an extra 10,000 for both cards as part of your welcome offer.
How VIPorter works
VIPorter uses dynamic pricing where the number of points required for a flight increases or decreases depending on supply and demand. Generally, the earlier you book, the fewer points it’ll cost.
To figure out the value of your points, you would use the following formula: (Value of the redemption − surcharges) X 100/points required = cost per point
For example, a standard one-way direct flight from Vancouver to Toronto on May 14, 2024, was priced as low as $188, or 8,000 points, plus $68 in fees. That’s a CPP of 1.5. That said, more popular departure times show a CPP of 1.04 on the same date.
Finding a CPP of 1.5 to 2 with VIPorter doesn’t appear too difficult, which makes the value of your points similar to Aeroplan’s. That said, flights to Europe on Air Transat using VIPorter points will cost you as low as 25,000 points, whereas Aeroplan redemptions are closer to 40,000 points.
To be fair, Air Canada and Air Transat offer two different products and service levels, so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. Plus, Aeroplan and its partners fly to more destinations and offer lie-flat business class seats.
Additionally, Porter recently announced that members can now redeem their points for flights with Air Transat and Alaska Airlines, which is big news because it greatly expands their network. With the Alaska partnership, VIPorter members will now have access to more than 1,000 itineraries, which covers most of the U.S. However, since this only applies to combined Porter-Alaska routes, you must take a connection. For example, Toronto to Seattle via Vancouver. Even though there’s a direct flight with Alaska Airlines.
The Air Transat partnership is interesting since you can book directly on their routes. Since they fly to Europe, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa, VIPorter has just become a global airline loyalty program.
Albertans who preferred WestJet may find these new reward routes appealing. For example, they could fly to Toronto or Montreal via Porter and continue to Europe on Air Transat. Although it requires a stopover, they now have more access to Europe compared to WestJet Rewards. However, if they want to head West, sticking with WestJet is better since Porter has limited options
Choosing the right airline credit card
Both VIPorter credit cards offer great benefits. If you fly with the airline regularly, getting the World Elite version is probably worth it since you get your first checked bag free and complimentary PorterClassic seat selection. However, to qualify for a World Elite Mastercard, you need a personal income of $80,000 or a minimum household income of $150,000.
Even though the cards’ benefits are better than Aeroplan and WestJet’s offer, that doesn’t mean everyone should sign up. You need to consider your travel goals, which airlines will help you get there and what additional benefits you get from the cards and loyalty programs.
Barry Choi is a personal finance and travel expert at moneywehave.com. He was previously affiliated with BMO, Aeroplan and WestJet but currently has no relationship with any of the brands mentioned.
