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How to Cancel a WestJet Flight [Points or Cash Ticket]

BY 

Jarrod West

- UPDATED: April 26, 2021   |    1

1. Travel  / 
2. Airlines

1

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When life happens and you need to cancel a flight, we all know that the process can be both expensive and frustrating.

If you have booked your flight with WestJet and need to cancel, you’re in the right place. Here’s all the information you need to navigate their cancellation and change policies to help you save time and money!

Cancellation Policies Due to COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WestJet is offering free changes and cancellations for flights booked before April 15, 2020, for flights scheduled in March, April, or May 2020.

View the full policy here. If you booked via a third party, refer to your booking provider for its policies.

With cancellation policies due to COVID-19 being ever-changing, for the most up-to-date policies across all airlines, please refer to our COVID-19 Airline Cancellations article.

WestJet’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

All customers have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to cancel their reservation without being charged a cancellation fee, regardless of the fare selected.

Basic Ticket

WestJet does not allow cancellation to Basic tickets unless the cancellation was made within the 24-hour window from booking.

Econo Ticket

After the initial 24-hour window, the fee to cancel an Econo ticket with WestJet depends on the route you’re flying and the number of days before your flight departs.

Canceling a flight within Canada will cost $CA50-$59 (~$35-$41) if the flight is more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if the flight is less than 60 days away.

If the flight is between Europe and Canada the fee is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if it is more than 60 days away, and CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) if it is less than 60 days away.

All other flights are CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

Econo Flex Ticket

If you’ve purchased an Econo Flex ticket, there is no charge to cancel a flight within Canada — regardless of the timeframe.

The fee for flights between Europe and Canada is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if it is more than 60 days away, and CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) if it is less than 60 days away.

For all other flights, the fee is CA$25-$30 (~$17-$21) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

Premium Ticket

For those who have purchased a Premium ticket, canceling a flight within Canada will cost CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) if the flight is more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if the flight is less than 60 days away.

If the flight is between Europe and Canada the fee is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if it is more than 60 days away, and CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) if it is less than 60 days away.

For any other flight, the fee is CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

Business Ticket

Finally, those that have purchases a Business ticket will need to pay CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) to cancel a flight within Canada — regardless of the timeframe.

The fee for flights between Canada and Europe is CA$600-$708 (~$417-$492) — regardless of the timeframe.

For all other flights, the cancellation fee is CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

Award Ticket

WestJet does not offer a typical award program that you’re probably used to. You do not earn miles, and there is no award chart to base your redemptions on. Instead, WestJet offers a rebate-type program where funds are deposited into your WestJet Travel Bank each time you fly that can later be redeemed for future flights.

So, instead of earning 1,000 award miles for a flight, you might earn $10 that gets deposited in your Travel Bank. This $10 can then be redeemed for $10 off your next flight. So how does this apply to cancellation fees?

The cancellation fee for your “award ticket,” like with the above options, will depend on what type of ticket you buy with your Travel Bank funds, along with where you are traveling to and how soon the flight departs.

For example, if you spend $200 of the funds in your Travel Bank to book an Econo ticket between Toronto and Vancouver, and you cancel more than 60 days before the flight departs, your cancellation fee would be CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41).

Hot Tip: For those who need more information about canceling award tickets, explore our guide on canceling award tickets, including information on over 30 carriers, to learn more.

WestJet’s Flight Change Policy

All customers have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to change their reservation without being charged a change fee, regardless of the fare selected.

Basic Ticket

Similar to the cancellation policy, WestJet does not allow those with Basic tickets to make any changes to their flight after the initial 24-hour window from booking.

Econo Ticket

If it has been more than 24 hours since you booked your Econo ticket, you can still make changes but the fee will depend on the route and number of days until your flight.

Flights within Canada can be changed for CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) if the flight is scheduled in more than 60 days, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if it is less than 60 days away.

Flights from Canada to Europe can be changed for CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if the flight is more than 60 days away, and CA$250-$259 (~$174-$205) if the flight is less than 60 days away.

For all other flights, the change fee is CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) if the flight is more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) if it is less than 60 days away.

Econo Flex Ticket

Those that have purchased an Econo Flex ticket for a flight within Canada can make changes to their flight without paying any additional fees.

If your Econo Flex ticket is between Canada and Europe, the change fee is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$250-$259 (~$174-$205) for flights less than 60 days away.

For any other flight routes, the change fee is CA$25-$30 (~$17-$21) for flights more than 60 days away and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

Premium Ticket

For Premium Tickets on a flight within Canada, the change fee is CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 60 days away.

If your flight is between Canada and Europe, the change fee is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights departing in more than 60 days, and CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) for flights departing in less than 60 days.

Any other flight routes are subject to change fees of CA$50-$59 (~$35-$41) for flights more than 60 days away, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights less than 6 days away.

Business Ticket

Lastly, business tickets within Canada can be changed for CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) — regardless of the number of days before the flight departs.

Flights between Canada and Europe can be changed for CA$400-$472 (~$278-$328) — again, regardless of the number of days until the flight.

All other flights will have a change fee of CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) no matter when the flight is scheduled.

Award Ticket

As with cancellations, the fee for changing your award ticket depends entirely on what type of ticket you purchased with your Travel Bank funds.

Hot Tip: Keep in mind that if you’re changing a flight to a more expensive option, you will need to pay the difference in fare. 

Same-Day Changes

WestJet also allows same-day changes for all ticket types besides Basic tickets. The charge for doing so varies on the ticket type and destination.

Econo Ticket

Same-day changes for Econo tickets cost CA$150-$177 (~$104-$123) for flights within Canada, CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) on flights between Canada and Europe, and CA$150-$177 (~$104-$123) on all other flights.

Econo Flex Ticket

Same-day changes for Econo Flex tickets are free for flights within Canada, CA$250-$259 (~$174-$205) for flights between Canada and Europe, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for all other flights.

Premium Tickets

A same-day change for a Premium ticket is CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) for flights within Canada, CA$250-$295 (~$174-$205) for flights between Canada and Europe, and CA$100-$118 (~$70-$82) on all other flights.

Business Tickets

Lastly, those with business class ticket can make same-day changes for free, regardless of their flight destination.

Award Ticket

The same-day change fee for your award ticket will be based on what type of ticket you purchased with your WestJet Travel Bank funds.

How to Cancel a Flight With WestJet

Step 1: First, log into your account on the WestJet homepage and select Manage Bookings.

Step 2: Select which booking you would like to cancel, then click the Cancel link.

Step 3: Once your cancellation has been finalized, a confirmation email will be sent to the email you provided at the time of booking, and the remaining funds after any cancellation fees will be deposited into your WestJet Travel Bank.

How to Use the WestJet Travel Bank

The WestJet Travel Bank is an easy-to-use account where travel credits resulting from non-refundable ticket changes, cancellations, or service credits are held. These travel credits are kept in your Travel Bank until you use them to pay for future travel.

To use your Travel Bank funds, you first need to sign in to your WestJet Rewards account. When you reach the payment page of a flight booking, you will be given the option to use your Travel Bank credits or another form of payment.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with the need to cancel a flight can be difficult, but knowing the rules and guidelines around each ticket type can really help if you find yourself in a situation where you need to cancel. As always, it is also worth looking into which credit cards provide compensation for times like these. After all, the more you know — the better off you’ll be!