Are you a frequent flyer? Aeroplan and Air Canada are offering some major promotions since merging in November 2020. Earn points that can be used towards Air Canada carriers.
Continue reading this guide to learn more about earning and redeeming points through Air Canada Aeroplan.
Aeroplan Quick Facts
Hubs | Calgary, Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver |
Alliance | Star Alliance |
Redemption Options | Award flights, extras & upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages, activities & travel experiences, brand-name merchandise, gift cards |
Average Point Value | $0.015 |
Aeroplan Elite Status
Aeroplan has five different elite status tiers including 25K, 35K, 50K, 75K and Super Elite. To You will first need to earn Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) or Status Qualifying Segments (SQS) in addition to a set number of Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) in one calendar year to earn a status. The requirements are listed below.
STATUS | SQM/SQS REQUIREMENT | SQD REQUIREMENT |
25K | 25K SQM or 25 SQS | $3K SQD or $1.5K SQD for non-Canadian residents |
35K | 35K SQM or 35 SQS | $4K SQD or $2K SQD for non-Canadian residents |
50K | 50K SQM or 50 SQS | $6K SQD or $3K SQD for non-Canadian residents |
75K | 75K SQM or 75 SQS | $9K SQD or $4.5K SQD for non-Canadian residents |
Super Elite | 100K SQM or 100 SQS | $20K SQD or $10K SQD for non-Canadian residents |
- After qualifying for elite status, you can enjoy the perks and benefits for the rest of the year.
STATUS BENEFIT | 25K | 35K | 50K | 75K | SUPER ELITE |
Star Alliance level | Silver | Silver | Gold | Gold | Gold |
Preferred seats (N. America travel) | 50% off | 50% off | Free | Free | Free |
Preferred seats (International) | 50% off | 50% off | 50% off | Free | Free |
Priority standby (Air Canada & Star Alliance) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Free checked bags on Air Canada | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Mable Leaf Lounge Guest Passes | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Free Maple Leaf Lounge access for member |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Free Maple Leaf Lounge access for member’s immediate family |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Free Star Alliance Gold Lounge access for member |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Free Star Alliance Gold Lounge access for member’s guest |
1 | 1 | 1 | ||
Access to the Air Canada Cafe | Member | Member | Member | ||
eUpgrade nominee | 1 | ||||
Award change & cancellation fees | Waived |
- Choose select benefits to customize your travel experience
25K | 35K | 50K | 75K | SUPER ELITE |
|
BUNDLE 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 2 | Pick 2 |
Bonus w/Air Canada & select partners | 25% | 35% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
eUpgrade credits | 5 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 50 |
Maple Leaf Lounge one-time guest passes | 2 | ||||
Lower SQM requalification | 45K | 70K | 95K | ||
Lower SQS requalification | 45 | 70 | 90 | ||
Elite status for a friend | Aeroplan 35K |
Aeroplan 50K |
|||
Aeroplan elite Wi-Fi plan | 12 months | 12 months | |||
Status Pass (gift status) | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
BUNDLE 2 | Pick 1 | Pick 1 | Pick 1 | Pick 1 | Pick 1 |
eUpgrade credits for eligible Flight Pass activities | 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
SQM for eligible Flight Pass activities | 750 | 1K | 1.25K | 1.5K | 2.5K |
- Earn vouchers that can be redeemed for up to 50% off select flights. These are earned after breaking a new SQD Threshold. Vouchers are valid for one year.
Status | Voucher is limited to… |
25K | Canada/US Economy |
35K | Canada/US Economy |
50K | North America up to Premium Economy |
75K | Worldwide up to Premium Economy |
SUPER ELITE | Worldwide up to Signature/Business Class |
- Earn special rewards for every million miles traveled by Air Canada
LIFETIME QUALIFYING MILES | PROGRAM BENEFIT |
1 million | Your elite status will always be at least Aeroplan 50K. |
2 million | Your elite status will always be at least Aeroplan 75K. The status of a friend will always be at least Aeroplan 50K. |
3 million | Your elite status will always be Super Elite. The status of a friend will always be at least Aeroplan 50K. |
4 million | Your elite status will always be Super Elite. The status of a friend will always be at least Aeroplan 75K. |
*For up-to-date information, click here for our source.
Earning Aeroplan Points
- Earn points based on how much you plan to spend from the following airlines:
-
- Aegean Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Air China
- Air Creebec
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- Air Serbia
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Calm Air
- Canadian North
- Cathay Dragon
- Cathay Pacific
- Central Mountain Air
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Eurowings
- EVA Air
- GOL
- Juneyao Airlines
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Middle East Airlines
- Olympic Air
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- SriLankan Airlines
- SWISS
- TAP Air Portugal
- THAI
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
- Earn points when booking travel at one of their travel partners
- You can earn Aeroplan points when you shop your favorite online products through the Aeroplan eStore and at popular retailers in store.
- To maximize your earnings, read our complete guide to online shopping portals.
- The following cards will earn Aeroplan points,. However you have to be a Canadian resident to apply. For more information, have a look at the Aeroplan credit cards page.
- TD Aeroplan credit cards
- American Express Aeroplan credit cards
- CIBC Aeroplan credit cards
- Aeroplan allows you buy point at low cost as low as three Canadian cents each (or USD$0.023), but you can get them at a lower rate during a promotion. Members are limited to purchasing up to 250,000 points per transaction and up to 500,000 points per calendar year. For more information, click here.
Earning Aeroplan Points with American Express Membership Rewards®
If you are a U.S. Citizen, you can transfer Amex Membership rewards points for Aeroplan points. Credit card that earn Amex rewards include the folowing:
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. This card comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. |
The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). • 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
The American Express® Green Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. You'll earn: • 3X Membership Rewards points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals. • 3X Membership Rewards Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways. • 3X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US. This card does carry a $150 annual fee & no foreign transaction fees. Terms Apply. See Rates & Fees Terms Apply. |
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. • 1.5X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. • 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases • Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless with the Business Platinum Card. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card. • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Business Platinum Card. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). • 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
Other transfer partners include:
REWARDS PROGRAM | TRANSFER RATIO |
Capital One® Rewards | 4:3 |
Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 |
Diners Club® International | 1:1 |
Barclays Arrival Premier World Mastercard | 17:10 |
Redeeming Aeroplan Points
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aeroplan has extended their points expiration policy. As of July 20, 2020, Aeroplan points expire after 18 months of inactivity, instead of 12 months. To reset the expiration date, simply earn or burn your points at least every year and a half.
- You can redeem your Aeroplan points for Air Canada, Star Alliance and non-alliance partner award flights to over 1,300 destinations. Itinerary possibilities are endless with the ability to mix and match partners.
- Use your Aeroplan points to make your travel experience even better, such as upgrades, in-flight WiFi and more.
- You’ll end up getting far below $0.015 per point when you redeem for the following:
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Vacation packages
- Travel experiences
- Merchandise
- Gift cards
Aeroplan Tips & Tricks
With the new zone- and distance-based award chart, you’ll find the best sweet spots within a single region or short routes from one region to another.
ORIGIN | DESTINATION | POINTS | EXAMPLES |
N. America | < 500 mi | 6K in economy 14K in business |
New York to Toronto New York to Boston Boston to Washington, DC |
N. America | 501 – 1,500 mi | 10K in economy 20K in business |
Chicago to Cancun Houston to Cancun Washington, DC to Cancun |
N. America | 1,501 – 2,750 mi | 12.5K in economy 25K in business |
Newark to Los Angeles West Coast to Hawaii |
N. America | Atlantic (under 4,000 mi) |
35K in economy 60K in business |
New York to Frankfurt |
N. America | Pacific (under 5,000 mi) |
35K in economy 55K in business |
Seattle to Tokyo Vancouver to Osaka |
Conclusion
The Air Canada Aeroplan makes it easy to get value and use your points. Keep traveling to earn points to earn perks such as flights, amenities, and much more.
Additionally, If you are interested be sure to check out our list of bank bonuses, saving rates and CD rates!