Air Canada Aeroplan: The Ultimate Guide

Air Canada was born out of Trans-Canada Air Lines, which flew its first two passengers between Vancouver and Seattle back in 1937. Originally a Crown corporation with a monopoly on Canadian air travel throughout the 1950s, it started to run up against competing airlines in the 1960s and was privatized in the late 1980s.

To encourage frequent travelers to keep flying with it, Air Canada launched its Aeroplan rewards program in 1984. While it remained the national carrier’s in-house benefits program for decades, Air Canada sold a 12.5% stake in Aeroplan in 2005 as a way to raise cash in the aftermath of its 2003 bankruptcy.

The airline completely cut ties with Aeroplan in 2008, and the rewards program became a separate corporation, albeit one with a contract to serve Air Canada customers. That changed in 2017, when Air Canada announced it would no longer use Aeroplan in favour of its own in-house program. But only a year later, Air Canada did a complete about-face by partnering with CIBC and TD to buy back Aeroplan.

Today, the rewards program encompasses more than just frequent-flyer rewards. Members now get access to discounts on everything from car rentals to retail purchases, with over 150 different partners. Aeroplan also grants frequent-flyer rewards to passengers on 26 other airlines that are part of the Star Alliance along with Air Canada, including United, Air India, and Lufthansa.

While the original Aeroplan rewards program was aimed at frequent flyers, it now allows members to earn points without ever stepping on a plane. Here’s how you do it whether flying or not:

Flying Air Canada

The most straightforward way to earn points is, of course, by flying Air Canada or one of its subsidiary airlines, like Air Canada Rouge. By flying on a paid ticket, one not bought with miles,  you earn points based on the distance traveled, calculated based on the price of the ticket you bought and, in some cases, your destination.

The more expensive your ticket, the more miles it earns for the same distance flown. So, if you bought a flexible economy class ticket and flew roughly 3,549 miles between Toronto’s Pearson Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport, you’d earn 3,549 Aeroplan points. But a business class ticket would net you 150% of the miles you flew, for  5,323 Aeroplan points. On the other hand,  a basic economy ticket on Air Canada would get you just 25% of the distance flown, or 10% for flights within Canada.

Then there are Status Qualifying Miles or SQMs, which are explained in detail below. Those count towards building the status that allows you to upgrade  on future flights and gets you other perks on Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners, from free checked luggage to lounge access. Basic economy fares earn no SQMs.

Here is the full chart used by Air Canada to calculate Aeroplan point and SQM totals:

Earn Bonus Points With Elite Status

Every passenger automatically receives a minimum of 250 points for eligible fare on Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, and Star Alliance member airlines, regardless of how far you’re flying.

For Air Canada members with elite status, Aeroplan offers bonus points on top of their usual allotment. You receive a bonus multiplier of whatever points you’d normally accrue on your trip, based on your elite status. That means:

• A 25K member receives a 25% multiplier
• A 35K member receives a 35% multiplier
• A 50K member receives a 50% multiplier
• A 75K member receives a 75% multiplier
• A Super Elite Member receives a 100% multiplier

Earning Status With Air Canada Aeroplan

Each of the five Aeroplan elite status levels has a different qualification threshold. You can receive them in one of two ways. The most common is to fly. If you spend a minimum amount on airfare, and travel a minimum distance, you’ll get into the corresponding status tier. The other way to get elite status is through spending on everyday purchases.

With an Aeroplan credit card, you earn one Everyday Status Qualification or EDQ point for every Aeroplan point. If you accumulate 100,000 EDQs in a calendar year, you automatically receive 25K status, the lowest of the five elite status tiers. This is the only tier you can acquire through everyday spending.

Air Canada uses three different metrics to judge whether a traveler has flown far enough to qualify for its elite status tiers. Here’s how they work:

Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) vs. Status Qualifying Segments (SQS) vs. Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD)

Status Qualifying Miles are a key metric to reach elite status. To calculate them, the distance flown is multiplied according to the fare class  paid for, based on a minimum distance of 250 miles. An economy standard ticket, for instance, only gives a traveler 50% of the distance as  SQMs. Business class gives 150% of the total, and basic economy grants no SQMs at all.

Meanwhile, Status Qualifying Segments refers to the number of flights you actually take on an Air Canada or partner flight, regardless of the distance. It’s worth noting that multiple flights on the same journey add up: a two-stage trip on two different flights will count as two SQSs.

Status Qualifying Dollars are awarded to customers for every dollar they spend on the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges on their ticket, flight passes, and any eUpgrade add-ons.

To qualify for an elite status tier, you must meet the Status Qualifying Dollars requirement, as well as either of the requirements for Status Qualifying Miles or Status Qualifying Segments, per the table below:

Flights on Partner Airlines

Because Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance, Aeroplan members can earn miles on all of the network’s member airlines. They include:

• Air Canada (AC)
• Aegean Airlines (A3)
• Air China (CA)
• Air India (AI)
• Air New Zealand (NZ)
• ANA – All Nippon Airways (NH)
• Asiana Airlines (OZ)
• Austrian Airlines (OS)
• Avianca (AV)
• Brussels Airlines (SN)
• Copa Airlines (CM)
• Croatia Airlines (OU)
• Egyptair (MS)
• Ethiopian Airlines (ET)
• EVA Air (BR)
• Juneyao Airlines (Star Alliance connecting partner)
• LOT Polish Airlines (LO)
• Lufthansa (LH)
• Scandinavian Airlines (SK)
• Shenzhen Airlines (ZH)
• Singapore Airlines (SQ)
• South African Airways (SA)
• Swiss (LX)
• TAP Portugal (TP)
• Thai Airways (TG)
• Turkish Airlines (TK)
• United Airlines (UA)

Aeroplan also has agreements with non-alliance partners like Emirates, Air Serbia, and Air Mauritius. The details on these arrangements vary, but they usually mean you earn Aeroplan points based on miles flown, but not Status Qualifying Miles.

Credit Card Spending

Aeroplan-branded credit cards are issued through American Express, TD, and CIBC in Canada. These cards all grant 3 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on food, including grocery stores, dining, and takeout, as well as Air Canada vacations and cruises. All other purchases earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent.

Different Aeroplan cards offer different earn rates and perks. For instance, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege offers 2 points on Air Canada-specific purchases, 1.5 points on gas, dining, travel and grocery purchases and 1.25 points on all other purchases plus a hefty welcome bonus.

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege is more or less the same—offering 2 points per dollar on Air Canada purchases, 1.5 Aeroplan Points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, travel and dining and 1.25 Aeroplan Points per dollar on all other purchases.

The American Express Aeroplan card also offers 2 points per dollar on Air Canada purchases, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada and 1 point per dollar on everything else. There are also a selection of business credit cards from these issuers that allow business owners to earn points on common business expenses.

Transfer Partners

As befits a worldwide airline, Aeroplan points can be earned also by transferring points from several different credit card and travel rewards programs. The exact conversion rate varies by brand, and the transfer time isn’t always immediate—some rewards programs require as long as 72 hours to convert your points or miles into Aeroplan points. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Marriott Bonvoy: 1 Aeroplan point for 3 Marriott Bonvoy points
• Best Western: 1 Aeroplan point for 5 Best Western points
• Shangri-La Golden Circle Award: 1 Aeroplan point for 1 Golden Circle Award point
• American Express Membership Rewards (Canada): 1,000 Aeroplan points for 1,000 Membership Rewards points
• Chase: 1,000 Aeroplan points for 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points
• Capital One (United States): 1 Aeroplan point for 1 Capital One mile

Shopping Portals

Through its online shopping portal, Aeroplan members can earn extra points per dollar on purchases made at hundreds of major retailers, including Sephora, lululemon, Amazon, Adidas, and Samsung.

Buying Aeroplan Points

Aeroplan typically sells points for about 3.5 cents each, although it sometimes offers promotions and discounts throughout the year that significantly reduce the cost of buying points. You can buy points through Aeroplan’s Buy.Points.com portal.

Other Ways To Earn Aeroplan Points

As mentioned above, members can use an Aeroplan-branded credit card to earn points, but the rewards program also has special partnerships with retailers and food delivery apps. If you link your Aeroplan rewards account with your Starbucks Rewards account, for instance, you’ll earn 100 points for every $75 or more loaded to your Starbucks card.

With Uber Eats, you can earn a point for every dollar spent on eligible rides, as well as on food orders of $40 or more. Again, you need to link your Aeroplan and Uber accounts to take advantage of this feature.

And at the LCBO, you can earn one Aeroplan point for every $4 spent, plus bonus points, every time you scan your physical or digital Aeroplan card at checkout.

Once you’ve earned enough Aeroplan points, you’ll find plenty of ways to spend them. As with all rewards programs, you should always check the fine print. That’s why we’ve broken down some of the details on using Aeroplan points below:

On Air Canada or Partner Flights

Aeroplan’s exact redemption rates vary pretty widely by mileage, seat class, and membership status. Unlike many other airlines Air Canada publishes an award chart, which means that the price for a ticket purchased with points for a destination within a certain zone of the world will vary within a defined range, valid for redemptions both on Air Canada and partner airlines

Aeroplan divides the world into four zones: North America; South America; an Atlantic Zone that encompasses all of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Kazakhstan; and a Pacific Zone that includes all of southeast Asia, about two-thirds of Russia, and Oceania. The farther the zone, the more expensive an award ticket tends to be. For instance, a flight from Toronto Pearson to London Heathrow could cost anywhere from 35,000 to 65,000 points in economy class, and as high as 60,000 to 160,000  in business class, largely depending on the season. Air Canada does not have long-haul first class, which sits above business, but on partner airlines that offer it the cost can be even higher.

Meanwhile, a shorter-haul flight within the North America zone, from Vancouver’s YVR to Los Angeles’ LAX, requires the same number of points for business class as the London flight did to fly economy:

For some city pairings like Calgary to Istanbul, the price can be much higher.

Sweet Spots

The cheapest deals can be found within a given zone.

From Toronto Pearson, a member could fly to New York’s LaGuardia or Chicago’s O’Hare using just 6,000 points in economy class. That same price will also take a traveler from Vancouver to Portland, Oregon or from Montreal to Boston.

As for Europe, those 6,000 points could fully cover a flight in coach from Brussels to London or Munich.

Stopovers

One of Aeroplan’s more unique features is that it allows travelers to pay a little extra for a stopover, rather than spending points on two separate trips. Air Canada allows stopovers once per direction of travel, meaning a member flying from Toronto to Vienna could pay a visit to Paris, but not Paris and Amsterdam. A stopover costs 5,000 points.

One downside, however, is that stopovers are not allowed within Canada or the United States.

Aeroplan members can also spend their points on in-flight upgrades like Wi-Fi, as well as expenses not in flight, like hotel stays or car rentals.

Gift Cards

You can buy gift cards for a multitude of brands, from Amazon to Air Canada itself, using Aeroplan points. The exact conversion rate varies by brand. A $50 Starbucks gift card, for instance, is currently going for about 5,760 points. That comes out to around $0.008 per Aeroplan point.

That’s the same exchange rate as a $500 Costco Shop Card, which is priced at 63,000 points. But Air Canada gift cards have far more favourable rates: A $750 gift card goes for 75,000 points, or 0.01 cents.

Based on the price of flights in cash on the Air Canada site versus what they would cost in Aeroplan points, you can generally get a much better rate if you use your points to fly.

Merchandise

You can also simply buy products with Aeroplan points — anything from a power blender to a pearl pendant. These items are all on sale though Aeroplan’s eStore, and can be paid for in just points, or a mix of points and cash.

As with gift cards, hanging onto Aeroplan points for flights rather than purchases might be the best bet. In the case of the power blender, a Ninja Twisti High Speed Blender Duo could have been purchased for 19,500 points up until March 10. Those points could take you from Vancouver to Los Angeles with plenty to spare.

Meanwhile, the cost of the blender ($129 at Canadian Tire) means that you would be getting a measly 0.6 cents per point if you bought it using Aeroplan points.

Donations

Aeroplan points aren’t just for spending. You can also donate them to 300 different organizations, charities, and causes around the world, from Doctors Without Borders to Rainbow Railroad. These donated Aeroplan points help organizations with administrative and travel costs.

To donate, simply log in to your Aeroplan account and visit Aeroplan’s Member Donation Program page. It doesn’t cost anything to donate, but you need to give a minimum of 1,000 Aeroplan points. Unfortunately, tax receipts are not issued.

Fees

There are still a number of fees charged by the Aeroplan program. Here’s a list of them:

Award Change and Cancellation Fees
Aeroplan charges a $100 cancellation fee, plus taxes, per direction per ticket.

Carrier-Imposed Charges
Thankfully, this doesn’t apply to Aeroplan.

Booking Fee
Booking a flight reward on a partner airline costs $39 per ticket, which can be covered with points.

The fine print is crucial in any rewards program, and Aeroplan is no exception. We’ve dug up the most important details:

Family Pooling
As many as eight family members can share in a single pool of Aeroplan points, while still keeping separate accounts. Whoever creates the pool is called the Family Lead.

The Family Lead sets each family member’s rewards and permissions when they’re invited to the pool. This ensures kids, for instance, can earn points for a family without being able to redeem them.

Traveling with Infants
Infants under the age of two who aren’t occupying a seat (i.e. are flying on an adult’s lap) fly free on Aeroplan award tickets within Canada, or between Canada and the U.S. For all other flights, they will get a discounted fare of 2,500 Aeroplan points, or $25. That is a very good deal compared to what other airlines charge to fly on points with an infant.

Expiration policy
Aeroplan points expire after 18 months if you haven’t earned, redeemed, donated, or converted any points during that time. The program will also notify you 60 days before your points expire.

No premium economy partner awards
Unfortunately, Aeroplan doesn’t allow members to book premium economy awards on partner-airline flights. Premium economy can only be booked on Air Canada.

Carrier-Imposed Charges
Thankfully, this doesn’t apply to Aeroplan.

Aeroplan is a broad rewards program that connects with dozens of airlines around the world as well as hundreds of retailers, not just with Air Canada. In terms of ability to book flights with points on a vast number of airlines, Aeroplan is one of the better points programs in the world. It is also one of the few that still publishes an award chart detailing how much a flight to a certain region will cost in points, instead of having the price of awards float dynamically according to demand.

For frequent Air Canada flyers, being Aeroplan members is a no-brainer. And even if you fly Air Canada or its partners once or twice a year, you should enroll and collect points for your journeys, since joining is free.