Air Canada Aeroplan: The ultimate guide

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program flies under the radar but is one of the most valuable and rewarding Star Alliance airline programs.

Even if you never plan to visit Canada, this is a program you should know about thanks to the ease of earning and redeeming Aeroplan points, especially on partner airlines like United Airlines.

Here is everything you need to know about the Air Canada Aeroplan program.

Air Canada Aeroplan overview

The Aeroplan program is the loyalty program offered by Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline. It allows travelers to earn and redeem points for various travel-related rewards.

Air Canada revamped the Aeroplan program in 2020 to make it more flexible and member-friendly. It eliminated fuel surcharges on award flights and introduced dynamic ticket pricing, allowing for more availability but with varying mileage costs.

Perhaps most importantly, Aeroplan still uses published award charts for partner flights — a rarity in a loyalty world largely driven by dynamic pricing.

Air Canada Aeroplan partners

Air Canada is a Star Alliance member, so you can earn and redeem Aeroplan points with any participating carrier. In fact, more than two dozen airlines around the world are full members, giving you massive geographical coverage.

Some of the largest Star Alliance hubs include Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Istanbul Airport (IST) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).

The following airlines are a part of Star Alliance:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Egyptair
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Airways
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

However, Aeroplan also has relationships with many carriers outside of the Star Alliance. In fact, Air Canada has leaned heavily into these partnerships in recent years, even winning a TPG Award for this investment in 2021.

Read more: Make your voice heard — vote now for the 2023 TPG Awards

The following airlines are non-alliance Aeroplan partners:

• Air Creebec
• Air Dolomiti (Star Alliance affiliate)
• Air Mauritius
• Air Serbia
• Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Bamboo Airways
• Calm Air
• Canadian North
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Eurowings (Star Alliance affiliate)
• Discover Airlines (Star Alliance affiliate)
• Gol Airlines
• Gulf Air
• Juneyao Air (Star Alliance connecting partner)
• Olympic Air
• Oman Air
• PAL Airlines
• SunExpress
• Virgin Australia
• Vistara

Related: How to credit miles to a partner airline program

Aeroplan elite status

Air Canada Aeroplan rewards frequent Air Canada and Star Alliance flyers with valuable perks like upgrades, free checked bags and other perks across five different status tiers.

To qualify, you’ll need to earn a set number of status qualifying miles or status qualifying segments in addition to a status qualifying dollar requirement. SQMs are calculated based on your flight distance, SQSs are based on how many flights you credit to Aeroplan, and SQDs are based on how much you spend on tickets. Note that SQDs are based on Canadian dollars.

Here’s a look at the requirements for each status tier:

• Aeroplan 25K: 25,000 SQMs or 25 SQSs and 3,000 SQDs
• Aeroplan 35K: 35,000 SQMs or 35 SQSs and 4,000 SQDs
• Aeroplan 50K: 50,000 SQMs or 50 SQSs and 6,000 SQDs
• Aeroplan 75K: 75,000 SQMs or 75 SQSs and 9,000 SQDs
• Aeroplan Super Elite: 100,000 SQMs or 100 SQSs and 20,000 SQDs

You’ll get more benefits with higher status tiers. You’ll also earn eUpgrade certificates as you progress through status tiers. These let you upgrade flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge from economy class to premium economy or business class.

Air Canada elite members can also pick Select Benefit Bundles that offer more rewards. Selections include bonus points earning, upgrade certificates and lounge passes. You’ll have different choices at each status level.

Related: How to earn Air Canada elite status without flying

How to earn Aeroplan points

It’s surprisingly easy to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points even if you’re not flying Air Canada.

Flying with Air Canada

Unlike most U.S. carriers, Air Canada has continued to award points based on flight distance. You also need to factor your fare class into your calculations. Some fares earn as little as 10% of mileage flown, while business-class fares earn 150% of miles flown.

Here’s a look at how much each fare earns:

Those with Air Canada elite status can choose to earn bonus points on Air Canada flights if selected as a Select Benefit Bundle. Here’s a breakdown of how many bonus points each tier earns:

• Aeroplan 25K: 25%
• Aeroplan 35K: 35%
• Aeroplan 50K: 50%
• Aeroplan 75K: 75%
• Aeroplan Super Elite: 100%

Flying with Star Alliance and non-alliance partners

You’ll earn miles the same way when flying with an Air Canada partner, but the number of points you’ll earn per mile flown varies by airline. You can find your partner’s earning chart on Air Canada’s airline partner page. Just find your partner on the list and click on it.

Earn points with the Air Canada Aeroplan credit card

New Air Canada Aeroplan credit card applicants can earn up to 100,000 Aeroplan points: 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, plus an additional 25,000 Aeroplan points after spending $20,000 total in the first 12 months from account opening.

TPG values Aeroplan points at 1.5 cents each, making this sign-up bonus worth up to $1,500.

Despite such a valuable welcome bonus, the Chase Aeroplan card has an annual fee of just $95.

With triple points in multiple categories, monthly bonus points, statement credits, Aeroplan elite status and discounted award pricing, this is an incredibly valuable card, especially if you ever fly Air Canada.

Those based in Canada have a few different options for Aeroplan credit cards. Three banks issue Aeroplan cards in Canada, and each card has different benefits, fees and points earning. You’ll want to assess each card and see which fits your needs and budget best. On the high end, you’ll get benefits like free checked luggage, lounge access and a high welcome offer.

Transferring credit card points to Aeroplan

You can transfer the following credit card rewards to Aeroplan at a 1:1 transfer ratio:

The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses with points and miles that you can transfer to your Aeroplan account:

Read more: Why transferable points are worth more than other rewards

Earning with retail partners

Air Canada has a shopping portal that lets you earn Aeroplan points with third-party vendors. These include Apple, Uber Eats and other popular merchants. You can click through the merchant’s link on the Air Canada eStore before you make a purchase, and you’ll earn a set number of points per dollar spent on your purchase. This can be a great way to earn bonus points on everyday purchases.

Note: Not all Air Canada retail partners are valid for points-earning purchases in the U.S. and Canada. Some are Canada-only, so double-check on the partner page before purchasing.

How to redeem Aeroplan points

You can use your Aeroplan points to fly worldwide. Air Canada offers a huge route network by itself, but its long list of alliance and non-alliance partners expands this even further.

Unlike many U.S. carriers, Air Canada has kept a standard award chart. This means you can book award flights at predictable prices. It also removed fuel surcharges, so you’ll only pay minimal taxes plus a $29 partner booking fee (if applicable).

Aeroplan’s award chart

Aeroplan employs a hybrid distance- and region-based award chart. You’ll pay based on your flight length, but pricing varies based on the region you fly to and from. You’ll notice that each is very broadly defined.

To find the cost of an award, determine the regions you’re flying from and to. Then, calculate the distance between your origin and destination using a tool like Great Circle Mapper. Then, find the award chart for your region pair in the Air Canada award chart and find the cost for your flight’s length.

Flights with standard saver award space will price at the lower end of the spectrum, while flights without this will price higher.

Air Canada for Business

Air Canada has a business rewards program dubbed Air Canada for Business.

Businesses can use this program to earn rewards when employees book trips on Air Canada or select Lufthansa Group airlines like Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines. These rewards are earned in addition to whatever the employee earns on their flights, so it’s a win-win for the business and the employee.

These rewards aren’t standard Aeroplan points. Instead, they’re separate rewards currency that can be redeemed for things like Maple Leaf lounge passes, eUpgrade certificates and preferred seating discounts, among other perks.

The best ways to redeem Aeroplan points

The Aeroplan award chart is full of interesting sweet spots and great deals. Here are some of the best ways to maximize the award chart and the program’s other interesting features, like stopovers on one-way award tickets:

• Book a mini round-the-world trip with stopovers. You can add one stopover to one-way tickets and two stopovers to round-trip tickets for 5,000 miles apiece. These stopovers can be anywhere in the world, and Aeroplan lets you get creative with your routing. The only major restriction to remember is that your connecting flight cannot require more than double the mileage cost of a nonstop flight to your final destination. This opens up a lot of interesting bookings. For example, you can book a mini round-the-world trip that takes advantage of a stopover, two round-trip tickets and multiple 24-hour layovers. Even better, you can now book stopover tickets online, but you may need to call in to book more complex itineraries with additional layovers.
• Fly domestically on United from 6,000 points. You can book economy flights on United Airlines within the continental U.S. and Canada from just 6,000 Aeroplan points for flights up to 500 miles in length, such as from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to many destinations in the Northeast.
• Book high-surcharge tickets without surcharges. Air Canada has joined United MileagePlus and Avianca LifeMiles by not adding fuel surcharges to Star Alliance award tickets. So, if you’re comparing where to transfer your Amex points or Capital One miles, consider transferring to Aeroplan to save on large fuel surcharges.
• Business class from the East Coast to Europe. Many flights from the U.S. East Coast to Europe fall into the 0-4,000 mile tier on the North America-to-Atlantic award chart. These flights cost just 60,000 points in business class and 90,000 in first class, so it’s a great way to hop over the Atlantic. This is cheaper than what other Star Alliance programs, like Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus, charge for the same flights.
• Fly business class to India for 85,000 points. You can book Star Alliance partners like United, Air India and Turkish Airlines between the United States and India for just 85,000 points each way in business class, or 55,000 points in economy class, with no fuel surcharges.

Related: 10 things to know about flying Turkish Airlines

Bottom line

Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is great. Solid redemption rates, flexible stopovers and no fuel surcharges mean you can get some excellent deals on award tickets. It also partners with many of the largest transferable points programs, so you may be sitting on a variety of rewards that can ultimately become Aeroplan points.

Even if you aren’t planning to visit Canada, or fly on Air Canada, you should consider it for your next points transfer or major redemption.