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Porter Airlines has just announced the addition of temporary fuel surcharges on reward tickets booked through the VIPorter program. Until now, the Canadian carrier stood out precisely because of the absence of these additional fees on point redemptions. This change alters the calculation for all VIPorter point holders—and for those earning via the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard.
Here is what we know, what it means in practice, and how to limit the impact on your future bookings.
Porter Airlines is now applying a $40 temporary fuel surcharge (also known as YQ) on all flights booked with VIPorter points. Previously, these reward tickets were exempt from fees beyond mandatory airport taxes. The surcharge is added to the existing point cost and must be paid in Canadian dollars at the time of booking.
In practice, this means that a Porter reward ticket is no longer “tax-free.” You must now budget for an additional $40, regardless of the destination.
Porter has indicated that the fuel surcharge is $40, per direction, per person, and that it is fixed for all destinations.
This amount is in addition to the usual airport taxes and fees.
For a round trip, the fuel surcharge must be doubled. For example, a Montreal – Toronto round-trip reward ticket that used to cost about $30 in taxes could now cost $110 in total fees.
The appeal of the VIPorter program was partly based on low-cost point redemptions in dollars. With this surcharge, the value proposition changes.
Let’s look at a concrete example for a Toronto – Montreal round trip in economy class.
The number of points required remains the same. However, the bill in dollars increases significantly.
When the dollar cost of a reward ticket increases, the effective value of each point decreases. In concrete terms, you “save” less by using your points since you still have to take out your wallet to cover the surcharge.
Before booking a reward ticket, systematically compare it with the price of a paid ticket. In some cases, especially on routes with high surcharges, paying for the ticket in cash might be more advantageous.
Like many airlines, Porter is impacted by the soaring price of oil linked to events in the Middle East.
Despite this bad news, several strategies allow you to continue getting the most out of your VIPorter points and program-related cards.
The question is worth asking. Fuel surcharges reduce the advantage of reward tickets, but they do not eliminate it completely. Here is a quick assessment.
To compare options, visit our page on the best credit cards in Canada. You will find alternatives categorized by reward type and program.
The addition of temporary fuel surcharges by Porter on VIPorter reward tickets is bad news for frequent travelers who appreciated the program’s simplicity. The value of VIPorter points mechanically decreases since more dollars must now be spent for each redemption.
That said, the program remains interesting on short routes and for those who value the Porter experience. The key is to systematically compare the total cost of a reward ticket (points converted to dollar value + taxes + surcharge) with the paid price before booking.
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