Companion Fares: Which Credit Card is Best?

Airline companion fares are a handy addition to your rewards wallet that can give you either free or discounted base fares for your favourite travel companion.

In Canada, there are four airlines that offer companion fare vouchers, and all four do so through their co-branded credit cards.

In this article, we’ll explore these options to help you find the best credit card for companion fares.

Companion fares are an airline product (usually provided as a perk to loyalty members) that can help you save money when you and another person book and travel together on the same flight.

With a companion fare, one traveller buys their ticket at full price and the second traveller then enjoys a discounted (or free) fare by applying the companion fare voucher.

Since the vouchers only cover the base fare cost of the tickets, the second traveller does still need to pay the taxes and fees. That said, you can still usually save a nice chunk of money on your travels, especially if you use your vouchers strategically.

Essentially, the process to get and use a companion fare voucher is as follows:

1. Earn a companion voucher through an eligible credit card (or loyalty program)
2. Buy a full price ticket for Traveller 1
3. Apply the companion voucher for Traveller 2’s fare
4. Pay for the discounted fare (when applicable) and the fare’s taxes/fees
5. Enjoy your discounted/free fare!

Now, completing step one of this process – getting your hands on a companion fare voucher – is relatively straight forward. It all starts with having the right credit card!

In Canada, there are four airlines that offer companion fares through their co-branded credit cards: Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines, and British Airways.

Each airline has its own rules for earning and redeeming these companion fare vouchers, so read on to learn which credit cards offer these perks and how you can take advantage of the savings on your next trip.

To earn an Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass with any of the four Air Canada co-branded cards listed above, you’ll need to spend $25,000 during the year before your card’s anniversary date.

If you meet this requirement, the companion pass will be deposited into your Aeroplan account around 8 to 10 weeks after your card’s annual renewal date.

Unlike with the co-branded Aeroplan cards mentioned above, you don’t have to meet a spending requirement to get either of the WestJet round-trip companion vouchers.

As long as you have either of the co-branded WestJet RBC Mastercards, you’ll be given a voucher annually as part of the perks and benefits of being a cardholder.

The voucher should appear in your WestJet Rewards account each year shortly after your annual fee has been charged.

Another card that offers the ability to earn a companion fare is the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, which lets you earn a Companion Voucher for British Airways.

This voucher is unique as it can only be used when you’re booking a reward flight using your Avios points.

With this voucher, you can either bring a friend for free, or you can enjoy a 50% discount on the Avios fare costs of your reward ticket.

The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite comes with an annual fee of $165, and lets you earn Avios points on all your purchases. The card also comes with solid travel insurance coverage and Visa Infinite exclusive benefits like 24/7 Concierge Service.

You can earn the British Airways companion voucher when you spend $30,000 within the calendar year (January 1 to December 31) on your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite.

Once you hit the $30,000 in spend on the card, a companion voucher will arrive in your British Airways Executive Account in around 6 to 8 weeks.

As we mentioned, this voucher can only be used when accompanying a reward flight booked with Avios or a combination of Avios and cash. Additionally, the reward flight can also only be booked on British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus.

Uniquely, with this voucher you can opt to either use it to cover the base fare of a second ticket on the same flight as you, or you can enjoy a 50% discount on the number of Avios needed for your single reward flight.

Also, although this voucher gives the second traveller a completely free base fare (instead of the “discounted” fares provided with the Air Canada and WestJet vouchers), you’ll want to be cautious about British Airways’ notoriously high costs for “taxes, fees, and other charges.” In many cases, it may be most lucrative to use the voucher for a discount on solo travel.

The last card through which you can get a companion pass is the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard.

New to the market in 2025, the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard is one of two Porter Airlines co-branded credit cards and the only one that offers a companion pass as part of its perks and benefits.

With this pass, your travel companion can join you on a flight anywhere that Porter flies for no additional base fare cost, giving you lots of fun travel options.

The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $199, though this is often waived for the first year. With this card, you’ll earn VIPorter points on all your purchases, and you can enjoy a number of travel perks like complimentary checked and carry-on bags, free seat selection, and priority boarding.

To earn the VIPorter annual companion pass, you need to spend a set amount of money within a set amount of time.

During your first year as a cardholder, you need to spend a minimum of $9,000 in the first 180 days to earn a companion pass. After you meet the spending requirement, your companion pass will arrive in your account within 4 to 6 weeks.

In all the following years, you need to spend $50,000 within the 12 months before your card anniversary date to earn the annual companion pass.

The VIPorter annual companion pass can be redeemed by booking one full price round-trip ticket and then using the pass to receive a free base fare for a second seat on the same flight. As with the other companion passes, you’ll still need to pay for all taxes, fees, and additional charges when you redeem.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that the VIPorter annual companion pass expires 12 months after its been issued. This means that you need to have your flights booked before the 12 months are up, but your travel dates can be for after the expiration date.

Companion fares can be a nice way to save a few dollars when travelling with another person. With companion fare vouchers available from Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines, and British Airways, there’s plenty of opportunities to save.

Determining which companion fare and which credit card is the best for you will very much depend on your spending habits and travel preferences.

To further help you choose, check out our variety of guides to Air Canada’s Aeroplan, WestJet Rewards, VIPorter, and British Airways Executive Club to dive a little deeper into these loyalty programs.