We're trying to maximize points/coupons/deals, etc. for our flights to Europe next summer. There are 4 of us travelling (2 adults, kids will be 14 and 15). Plan is to fly into Paris about the 10/11 of July and return from somewhere else about a month later (Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, not sure yet). DH has a Westjet credit card we can use the companion fare from. A few thoughts...
It says we can use it for return flights, but how does that work when we're not using the same airports to/from?
If not, can we use two? Book one years certificate for one way, another years for return?
I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to apply as well, we are above the family income threshold but I won't qualify under the individual income, any idea if this is possible?
Any other flight tips appreciated! I don't have a lot of experience booking non-North America...
Aside from the requirement to book WestJet operated flights, I also suspect you wouldn't be able to use the companion fare on a multi-city itinerary. They're pretty much only good for your standard round-trip itinerary. I booked tickets for my family from Ottawa to Gatwick this summer with a week-long stopover in Halifax to visit my family in Nova Scotia. The base fare didn't change with the addition of the long stopover, which was awesome, but I wasn't able to use a companion voucher. The WestJet agent I spoke to initially said I could, but ultimately was not able to apply it.
You might be able to use the two certificates for one-way flights, but it wouldn't be worth it. The base cost of the companion voucher is $400 to Europe, plus unlike domestic pricing, one-way international flights are still usually priced at well more than half of the round trip fare. So I doubt you could do this and come out ahead. (For context, the base fare on my *return* ticket to Gatwick is $700, so using two one-way companion vouchers, even if it's possible, would cost more than a return ticket on the price of the companion vouchers alone.)
I tend to agree with the previous poster; if you really want to use the companion fare for this trip, your best option is probably to make your way back to Paris for departure.
As for your question around applying for a second account, you should be fine if you meet the family income threshold, but whether it's worth it depends on how you intend to use it. Even though we have a family of four and fly WestJet fairly regularly, I've resisted having my husband apply for a second account. The annual fee is up to $120, and the companion voucher base fare is $99 + tax for a domestic or continental US flight. So if you're buying the card JUST for the sake of the companion voucher, your base cost on that flight is effectively $220. I rarely book domestic flights with a base cost higher than about $350 (total fare ~$500), so the extra companion voucher might save us around $100/year, as long as we use it. If for some reason we don't have the opportunity to use the voucher in a given year, it costs us $120 for the annual fee, with no incremental benefit. If we're travelling together, bags go free anyway on my WestJet card. So for us it's just not worth it. Some people will apply for the card with a single trip in mind, and cancel after a year. That way you offset the annual fee (and then some) with the welcome bonus, save money on your trip, and don't need to worry about the card costing you money down the road. I'm not a card churner, so that kind of one-off strategy doesn't interest me much, but it can be very effective if you're just trying to drive down the cost of an individual trip.
For the record, I love my WestJet Mastercard and it has definitely saved us money for several years running, but for us one is enough. If I was going to consider paying an annual fee for a second premium card, there are probably other options that would save us more overall.
