Porter Airlines Now Matching Air Canada Elite Status

Porter Airlines is an ever-expanding airline in Canada. They're now flying from coast-to-coast, and are adding more flights and destinations all the time.

Earlier in 2023, Porter offered a status match for those with higher tiers in WestJet Rewards.

And now, they're coming after Air Canada Elite members. Until September 6, 2023, Porter will match your Elite status for Air Canada. Here's what they're offering.

Details on Porter Airlines Air Canada status match

What is Porter offering? There are 2 ways you can get a Porter status match. All the details on Porter's status match promotion are here.

The easiest is to simply be a current Elite member, with a status of 25K and higher.

However, you can also qualify for a status match based on the number of Status Qualifying Segments (SQS) you've flown so far this year.

Armed with these rules, here is the equivalent status Porter will give you.

So what's included with these various tiers? You can see the full details on this Porter page. There are a lot of benefits, we'll stick to the ones that you most care about – when you're actually traveling.

When booking, here are the extras you'll get when it comes to seats.

At the airport, here are the extra services.

There's a lot here. But there are 2 main things missing, especially if your Air Canada status is 50K or higher.

The biggest one is airport lounge access. Porter doesn't operate any airport lounges, and they don't include any access at all.

The other are upgrades to business class. Porter doesn't have a full business class like Air Canada has. They do have Porter Reserve, but these are regular seats with more legroom and come with a free meal. And you don't have X free amount of Porter Reserve seats either, you have to earn them through spending.

But outside of that, Porter offers a very compelling program.

And their in-flight service is terrific. There's free beer and wine on all flights, high-end snacks, and if you fly on their Embraer aircraft, you'll get access to free, fast WiFi.

Here's where you can learn more about Porter's service.

How to get your status match

It's quite easy to get your status matched. First, you'll need to be a VIPorter member. If you're not, you can get enrolled here.

Once that's done, you can start the process here where you'll sign into your VIPorter account.

All you then have to do is select your current Air Canada status, and upload proof of it. Porter doesn't define what is required, but a picture of your membership card and/or screenshot of your Aeroplan profile should do.

A Porter member will take a look and follow up with you in a few weeks.

Where Porter Airlines flies

Curious where Porter can take you? They've come a long way this year in moving beyond their traditional Toronto-Billy Bishop base.

They now operate from coast to coast, with an ever expanding route network. Here's where you can see where Porter flies, with an interactive route map and future destinations.

And it looks like they're about to start running flights to various cities in Florida (this is very new).

You can see where Porter can take you here.

Credit cards for free flights on Porter

Want to earn points for a free flight on Porter? Sadly, unlike WestJet and Air Canada, there are no credit cards to earn VIPorter points. So you'll need to get a credit card with points you can use for any travel provider.

Here are a few to consider.

Credit Card	Welcome Bonus	Earn Rates	Annual Fee, Income Requirements
American Express Cobalt Card	$100 GeniusCash + Up to 15,000 bonus points (terms)	* 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants (up tp $2,500 spent per month) * 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services * 2 points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit, and ride share purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases	* $191.88 * None
MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard	$100 GeniusCash + 30,000 bonus points (terms)	* 5 points for every $1 spent on restaurants, groceries, and select recurring bills (up to $50,000 spent annually per category) * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases	* $120 * $80K personal/$150K household
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card	$100 GeniusCash + Up to 50,000 bonus points, first year free (terms)	* 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more * 5 Scene+ points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, and entertainment * 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent on gas, select streaming services, and transit * 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases * 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases	* $120 * 12K personal
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card	$20 GeniusCash + Up to 165,000 bonus points (terms)	* 8 points per $1 spent on travel booked online through Expedia For TD * 6 points per $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, and public transit * 4 points per $1 spent on recurring bill payments, streaming, digital gaming, and media * 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases	* $139 * $60K personal/$100K household

Will you take up Porter on their status match?

If you have Aeroplan Elite status, we can definitely file this under "it doesn't hurt to do this". There's no obligation on your part to actually fly on Porter once you get it.

And this way, you'll be ready in case you do happen to fly with Porter.

For Air Canada Elite members, will you take up Porter on their offer?

Let us know in the comments below.