Companion Fares: Which Credit Card is Best?

What Are 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.

Which Credit Cards are Best for Companion Fares?

Premium Aeroplan Credit Cards

There are four premium Aeroplan credit cards that let you earn an Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass each year:

• American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
• American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card
• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
• CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card

As premium cards, each of these comes with a fairly high annual fee of $599, making them among the more expensive cards in the Canadian market.

However, they do each offer a nice array of travel perks and benefits to make up for this fee, such as complimentary airport lounge access, free first checked bag with Air Canada, and strong travel insurance coverage.

How to earn

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.

How to redeem

When redeeming your Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass, the cost of the discounted base fare that you can enjoy changes based on where you’re travelling to/from, as follows:

• $99 for travel within Canada and the continental US (excluding Hawaii)
• $299 for travel to/from Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
• $499 for travel to/from South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
• $599 for travel to/from Asia, Australia, and New Zealand

The pricing above is for a round-trip ticket in economy class, and you still have to pay the full taxes and fees on top of this price.

Additionally, your companion pass will expire 12 months after its been issued, so travel must be booked before these 12 months are up; however, your travel date can be after the expiry date.

Thanks to Air Canada’s large global route network, there’s lots of interesting ways to redeem this companion pass. Check out of full guide on the Annual Worldwide Companion Pass to learn the best ways to redeem.

WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard / WestJet RBC Mastercard

There are two versions of the WestJet Round-Trip Companion Voucher, and they’re provided annually to everyone who has either the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or the WestJet RBC Mastercard.

The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $119, and comes with the following perks and more:

• earn up to 2% back in WestJet dollars/points on everyday purchases
• get an annual World Elite round-trip companion voucher
• earn WestJet rewards status faster with the WestJet’s Rewards Status Lift
• enjoy a free first checked bag with WestJet

Comparatively, the WestJet RBC Mastercard comes with an annual fee of $39, and let’s you earn up to 1.5% back in WestJet dollars/points on everyday purchases in addition to giving you  an annual round-trip companion voucher.

How to earn

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.

How to redeem

To redeem your WestJet round-trip companion voucher, you’ll need to purchase a full price ticket and then apply the companion voucher for the second fare.

If you have the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, you’ll be given a voucher that can be redeemed for the following base fares:

• $119 for a round-trip economy flight within Canada and the continental US (or $219 for Premium economy)
• $399 for a round-trip economy flight to/from the rest of the WestJet network (or $499 for Premium economy)

The WestJet RBC Mastercard also provides an annual round-trip companion voucher to its cardholders except this one is only valid for round-trip travel within Canada and to/from the continental US.

The costs when using this voucher are $199 for Basic, Econo, and EconoFlex fares, and $299 for Premium and PremiumFlex fares.

Also, don’t forget that taxes, fees, and additional charges are then added on top of the discounted base fare regardless of which voucher you use.

If you’re looking to maximize your value with these vouchers, check out complete guide to the WestJet round-trip companion vouchers to learn all the ins and outs.

RBC British Airways Visa Infinite

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.

How to earn

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.

How to redeem

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 flights operated by British Airways (no franchise, codeshare, or alliance partners are eligible).

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.

BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

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.

How to earn

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.

How to redeem

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.

Bottom Line

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.

FAQs

What credit cards offer companion fares?

In Canada, the following credit cards offer companion fares:

Air Canada

• American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
• American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card
• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
• CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card

WestJet

• WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
• WestJet RBC Mastercard

British Airways

• RBC British Airways Visa Infinite

Porter Airlines

• BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

How do I exchange my WestJet companion voucher for lounge access?

You can exchange your WestJet Annual World Elite Companion Voucher for 4 lounges passes on WestJet’s website. If you qualify, you’ll receive your lounge passes in your account within 4 days.

Are companion passes transferrable?

No. None of the companion passes offered in Canada can be transferred.