Shannon Terrell
Barry Choi
Athena Cocoves
Air Canada’s loyalty program allows you to fly just about anywhere in the world. But Aeroplan points can be used for more than airfare. Understanding how the Aeroplan program works will help you maximize the value of your points.
What is Aeroplan?
Aeroplan was created as a loyalty program for Air Canada customers. The program has changed hands a few times over the decades but was sold back to Air Canada in 2018 and relaunched in 2020 with a focus on flexible rewards.
Since the relaunch, multiple airline and retail partners have been added to the program, as well as many Aeroplan credit cards to help members quickly earn points. There have been other positive changes, too, such as the elimination of fuel surcharges and a reworking of the Flight Rewards Chart in 2022, which reduced the pricing of many flights.
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
Enhanced Intro Offer: Earn up to $1,500 in value† including up to 50,000 Aeroplan points† and no Annual Fee for the first year†. Conditions Apply. Account must be approved by January 6, 2025.
†Terms and conditions apply. 50,000 Aeroplan points offer not available when applying directly through TD site.
How does the Aeroplan rewards program work?
At its core, Aeroplan is a loyalty program intended to serve frequent Air Canada flyers. Every available seat on the airline’s flight can be redeemed using Aeroplan points with no restrictions or blackout dates. In addition, you can use points to book flights with more than 50 partner airlines, which includes dozens of global airlines also part of the Star Alliance network.
The number of points required to redeem a free flight depends on the following:
- Departure city.
- Destination.
- Seat class.
- Miles flown.
- Airline.
- Demand.
Aeroplan rewards chart
Aeroplan operates under a zone-based chart with dynamic pricing. The farther you fly, the more points it’ll likely cost you. Plus, if the flight is in demand, the number of points required will fall closer to the upper end of the scale.
The Aeroplan flight reward chart is broken into four travel zones: North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America.
Each zone is broken down into two to five distance bands that represent varying mileage ranges across each travel zone.
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Aeroplan rewards highlights
Sweet spots
If you study Aeroplan’s flight reward chart, you may notice that there are some sweet spots where flying costs fewer points. If you’re flexible with your travels, you can take advantage of flights that require fewer points for redemption.
For example, at just over 4,900 miles, an economy ticket with a partner airline from Calgary to Tokyo costs 35,000 points. If that route was 100 miles longer, the flight would move into the 5,001 – 7,500 mile distance zone and cost 50,000 points.
Many ways to use points
Aeroplan allows you to use your points to improve your travel experience. For instance, you can use points to bid on seat upgrades or purchase in-flight Wi-Fi. Beyond flights, your points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, merchandise, gift cards and more.
No cash surcharges with Air Canada
Unlike some other airline loyalty programs, there are no cash surcharges when booking an Air Canada flight with points. Taxes and third-party fees still apply, but you can cover those with Aeroplan points.
When using points to book a flight on a partner airline, there’s a flat $39 fee per ticket, which you can pay for with cash or points.
Pool points with Family Sharing
Aeroplan Family Sharing allows up to eight family members to share points. Each member has their own Aeroplan account, but all individually earned points are added to a shared points pool. Combining points makes it easier for families to qualify for larger redemptions.
Note: Family Sharing is temporarily unavailable.
Prevent point expiry
Unless you have Aeroplan Elite Status or are the primary Aeroplan credit card holder, Aeroplan points expire after 18 months of account inactivity. You can maintain your account by earning, redeeming, donating or transferring Aeroplan points.
Founding member of Star Alliance
As one of Star Alliance’s founding members in 1997, Air Canada belongs to a global partnership that spans 26 carriers across five continents. Star Alliance members receive benefits that include streamlined airport experiences, convenient connecting flights and shared loyalty program benefits and privileges.
Aeroplan points value
According to NerdWallet analysis, the average value of one Aeroplan point ranges from 1.29 to 1.81 cents. Aeroplan points are worth more when redeemed for business-class flights.
How much is 1 Aeroplan point worth?
Since Aeroplan uses dynamic pricing, the value of every redemption varies. However, NerdWallet searched more than 50 flights in 2024 to determine the average value for Aeroplan flight redemptions.
Based on our analysis, the average value of 1 Aeroplan point is 1.60 cents.
More specifically, you can expect to get around:
- 1.29 cents in value per Aeroplan point for economy-class Aeroplan flight redemptions.
- 1.80 cents in value per Aeroplan point for business-class Aeroplan flight redemptions.
We used the following formula to calculate the value of a redemption:
(Ticket price – taxes) x 100 / points required for a redemption = Cost per point.
How many Aeroplan points are earned per dollar spent?
There are a few ways to make sure every dollar you spend earns Aeroplan points, such as:
- Using an Aeroplan credit card.
- Shopping at an Aeroplan merchant partner.
- Shopping through the Aeroplan eStore.
The number of points you earn per dollar spent will vary, and the best Aeroplan credit cards will offer the most generous rates.
Without an Aeroplan credit card, however, you won’t earn Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend on Air Canada. Instead, the number of points you are awarded is based on fare type and miles flown with the airline. During your travels, you can continue to earn Aeroplan points when you make duty-free purchases and buy in-flight food and beverages.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Typically, you’ll be awarded more points when booking standard Air Canada flights if they’re international, or at least between the U.S. and Canada. Standard fares on these routes earn more points than standard flights within Canada.
How many Aeroplan points are needed for a free flight?
Aeroplan’s flight reward charts
display the number of points needed to cover Air Canada flights in ranges (e.g., 10,000 to 20,000). That’s because flight rewards on Air Canada are priced dynamically. The number of points needed depends on your desired departure and arrival cities, seat class and number of miles you plan to fly. Generally, more popular flights cost more.
Conversely, partner airlines require a fixed number of points (e.g., 10,000), often at the lowest end of the flight reward range. While appealing, there are a limited number of award seats offered by partner airlines and a $39 booking fee applies.
Aeroplan flight redemption example
Let’s see what a one-way flight from Calgary (YYC) to London (LHR) might cost.
Using the points predictor tool, this one-way flight is estimated to cost 40,000 to 70,000 Aeroplan points in economy on Air Canada, or 40,000 points on partner airlines.
To narrow down that range, we used Air Canada’s website to check for a more specific cost.
If we book that one-way flight 90 days out:
- A non-stop flight in economy on Air Canada costs 33,200 Aeroplan points (at the time of writing).
- A one-stop flight in economy that includes a flight on United Airlines, a partner airline, costs 40,000 Aeroplan points (at the time of writing).
» MORE: The best ways to use your credit card overseas
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Use Aeroplan’s points predictor tool to estimate the range of points required for a redemption. Or, conduct a manual search using the Points Finder Tool to see the most accurate price for the flight you’re interested in.
How to earn Aeroplan points
There are multiple ways to earn Aeroplan rewards points.
Booking flights with Air Canada and partners
Aeroplan members who purchase a ticket to fly with Air Canada earn Aeroplan points. The number of points awarded depends on fare class, type of seat, destination and miles flown.
You can also earn Aeroplan points most times you fly with partner airlines, but how much you earn, and whether or not you’ll also receive Status Qualifying Miles (SQM), varies by airline.
Using Aeroplan credit cards
Co-branded Aeroplan credit cards are an efficient way to earn points since you earn Aeroplan points on every purchase you make. In addition, these rewards cards often come with a welcome bonus and an increased earn rate when spending in specific categories.
The following co-branded credit cards earn Aeroplan points:
- American Express Aeroplan Card.
- American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.
- American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card.
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Credit Card.
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card.
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.
- TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card.
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card.
Transferring points
There are a few loyalty programs that allow you to transfer your points to Aeroplan. American Express Membership Rewards, for example, can be converted to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy has a 3:1 transfer ratio, but you get a bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points when transferring 60,000 Marriott points over.
Other programs include:
- ALL – Accor Live Limitless points, 2:1 ratio.
- Best Western Rewards points, 5:1 ratio.
- Choice Privileges points, 5:1 ratio.
- Coast Rewards points, 1:1 ratio.
- Hilton Honors points, 10:1 ratio.
- IHG Rewards Club points, 5:1 ratio.
- Shangri-La Golden Circle Award Points, 1:1 ratio.
- Wyndham Rewards points, 5:1 ratio.
You’ll maximize the value of your rewards by transferring points to Aeroplan from loyalty programs with a 1:1 ratio. The higher the transfer ratio, the more costly the transfer. For example, if you transfer 5,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points to your Aeroplan account (a 1:1 ratio), you’ll get 5,000 Aeroplan points. But if you transfer 5,000 Choice Privileges points to your Aeroplan account (a 5:1 ratio), you’ll only get 1,000 Aeroplan points.
Just be sure to note any limits or minimums, as you typically need to stay within set increments and must have a certain number — say, 1,000 points — for each transfer. So, you won’t usually be able to convert an odd number of points from another program into Aeroplan.
Shopping in-store with Aeroplan retail partners
Aeroplan has a variety of retail partners that allow Aeroplan members to earn points even if they don’t have an Aeroplan credit card. You just need to show your Aeroplan number or card.
Some of the program's most popular partners includes:
- Adidas.
- Apple.
- Best Buy.
- LCBO.
- LG.
- Etsy.
- PetSmart.
- Samsung.
- Starbucks.
- The UPS Store.
- Uber.
- Wayfair.
Other ways to earn points
- Online shopping portal: Earn points on all eligible purchases with over 250 online retailers when shopping through Aeroplan’s eStore. To get your points, log into your Aeroplan account and navigate to the partner merchant via the Aeroplan eStore.
- Promotions and special offers: Occasionally, Aeroplan runs promotions and special offers, such as an increased earn rate when you meet certain spending criteria, enter a contest or fill out a survey.
- Hotels and car rentals: When you book hotel accommodations and car rentals through the Aeroplan travel portal, you earn points per dollar spent.
- Purchasing points: Buying points — up to 1,000,000 Aeroplan points per calendar year — is an option, but the cost may be more than the established base value of the points.
- Gifts from friends: Ask a friend for points, as Aeroplan allows members to gift points to other members at a rate of 2 cents per point. Members can give anywhere between 1,000 to 250,000 points. So, at a rate of 2 cents per point, a gift of, say, 1,000 Aeroplan points, would cost $20.
How to redeem Aeroplan points
There are many ways to redeem Aeroplan points, but you’ll get the most value out of your points by redeeming them for flights on the Air Canada website or app.
Aeroplan has a dedicated travel portal for members who want to book hotels or flights. From the Aeroplan travel portal, input your destination, travel dates and number of guests. When you log in, you’ll see your profile and points balance. Once you start searching for travel, you’ll see an option to use your points, cash or a mix of the two.
Members with Aeroplan Elite Status or an Aeroplan credit card may get preferred pricing on flight redemptions.
Flying Air Canada
How much you need to redeem for an Air Canada flight depends on the fare price, which varies based on the dynamic pricing system.
While inputting the search criteria for your flights on the Air Canada website or mobile app, you’ll see an option to pay in cash or points. Once you select points, the search results will show you the number of Aeroplan points it takes to cover the flight, plus any taxes or third-party fees. Aeroplan allows you to pay for fees with points, so it’s possible to get a flight without paying anything out of pocket.
Flying with partner airlines
Aeroplan partners with more than 50 airlines and you can redeem points for fixed-cost fares on each, as long as a seat is available.
Aeroplan partners with more than 50 airlines.
- Aegean Airlines.
- Aer Lingus.
- Air China.
- Air Creebec.
- Air Dolomiti.
- Air India.
- Air Mauritius.
- Air New Zealand.
- Air Serbia.
- ANA.
- Asiana Airlines.
- Austrian Airlines.
- Avianca.
- Azul Brazilian Airlines.
- Bamboo Airways.
- Brussels Airlines.
- Calm Air.
- Canadian North.
- Cathay Pacific.
- Central Mountain Air.
- Copa Airlines.
- Croatia Airlines.
- Discover Airlines.
- Edelweiss Air.
- EGYPTAIR.
- Emirates.
- Ethiopian Airlines.
- Etihad Airways.
- Eurowings.
- EVA Air.
- Flydubai.
- GOL.
- Gulf Air.
- Juneyoa Airlines.
- LOT Polish Airlines.
- Lufthansa.
- Lufthansa City Airlines.
- Middle East Airlines.
- Olympic Air.
- Oman Air.
- PAL Airlines.
- Scandinavian Airlines.
- Shenzhen Airlines.
- Singapore Airlines.
- South African Airways.
- SriLankan Airlines.
- SunExpress.
- SWISS.
- TAP Air Portugal.
- THAI.
- Turkish Airlines.
- United.
- Virgin Australia.
Other ways to redeem points
- Hotels. Search the Aeroplan travel portal for available accommodations by inputting your destination and travel dates. A list of available hotels that meet your criteria will appear. You can pay with cash, Aeroplan points or a mix of the two.
- Car rentals. You can also book car rentals through Aeroplan’s travel portal. Besides your destination and travel dates, the platform will ask for your age and if you plan to return the vehicle to a different location.
- Gift cards: When logged into Aeroplan, you can go to the eStore to redeem your points for gift cards. Aeroplan has dozens of gift card partners, including Amazon, Apple, Canadian Tire, Costco, LCBO, Pioneer, President’s Choice, Sephora and Uber. The number of points required per redemption will differ depending on the merchant, but the most common rates are about 7,000 points for a $50 gift card.
- Merchandise: The Aeroplan eStore also has a variety of products available for redemption, including electronics, toys, small appliances, beauty products, travel accessories and more. Click on the “Products” tab for the full list.
- Charitable donations: The Aeroplan Member Donation Program allows members to donate their points to more than 300 organizations, charities and causes. Since its founding in 2006, the program has raised more than 1.8 billion points for over 1,500 causes — equal to about $28.8 million, based on our valuation of Aeroplan points. Visit donatepoints.aircanada.com for a full list of organizations.
- Flight upgrades: When purchasing an economy or premium economy class ticket on eligible Air Canada flights, you can bid with points to be upgraded to a higher cabin class. You can submit an upgrade bid any time up until 48 hours before your flight. On-page charts from the AC Bid Upgrade website can help you determine how many points to bid. Once a bid is in place, Air Canada will accept or reject your bid no later than 48 hours before your flight.
- Wi-Fi during flights: You can also use your points for in-flight Wi-Fi.
What to know about Aeroplan Elite Status
Aeroplan Elite Status is a program within Aeroplan designed to reward its most frequent flyers. Simply put, the more you fly and spend with Air Canada, the more benefits you’ll get. That said, the program is complex and there are numerous ways to earn Aeroplan Elite Status tiers. Each Elite Status tier comes with core benefits that will enhance your travel experience. In addition, you get select benefits that allow you to choose specific perks that matter the most to you.
Status levels and benefits
Aeroplan Elite Status has the following tiers:
- 25K.
- 35K.
- 50K.
- 75K.
- Super Elite (100K).
Tiered benefits include:
- Priority reservation waitlist.
- Priority seat selection.
- Complimentary preferred seats.
- Priority check-in.
- Free checked bags.
- Free sports equipment handling.
- Priority baggage handling.
- Priority security clearance.
- Priority boarding.
- Airport lounge access.
- Guest lounge passes.
- eUpgrade credits that can be used to upgrade to higher seat classes.
- Priority rewards.
- Elite status partner offers.
- Additional points earned on hotel stays and car rental bookings, as well as at the Aeroplan eStore.
How to earn Aeroplan Elite Status
There are four different criteria that can be used to earn Aeroplan Elite Status.
- Status Qualifying Miles (SQM). Earned as a percentage of the distance you fly.
- Status Qualifying Segments (SQS). Earned for each flight segment.
- Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD). Earned on eligible dollars spent on tickets, flight passes, eUpgrade add-ons and Air Canada vacations.
- Everyday Status Qualification (EDQ). Earned on eligible dollars spent on everyday purchases.
To reach each status tier, you need:
- 25K – 25,000 SQM or 25 SQS and $3,000 SQD or 100,000 EDQ.
- 35K – 35,000 SQM or 35 SQS and $4,000 SQD.
- 50K – 50,000 SQM or 50 SQS and $6,000 SQD.
- 75K – 75,000 SQM or 75 SQS and $9,000 SQD.
- Super Elite (100K) – 100,000 SQM or 100 SQS and $20,000 SQD.
Note that SQM, SQS, SQD and EDQ are separate from earned Aeroplan points. While Aeroplan points can be earned and redeemed in a variety of ways, SQM, SQS, SQF and EDQ are exclusive to the Aeroplan Elite Status program.
How to get the best value for Aeroplan redemptions
Earning Aeroplan points is just one part of the equation. Knowing how to redeem your Aeroplan points for the best value is equally important. Although every redemption value will be different, there are a few things you can do to maximize your points.
- Know your base value. Whether it be for airfare or hotel stays, whenever you redeem your points, you should aim for a value of at least 1.60 cents per point.
- Look for partner airlines. Partner airlines require a fixed number of points for airfare redemptions, which may help you maximize the value of your Aeroplan points.
- Study the Aeroplan chart. Since the Aeroplan program uses a zone and distance rewards chart, there are a few sweet spots — specific routes and seats that offer the best value.
- Go for business. When you use your Aeroplan points for business class redemptions, the base value of each point rises to 1.80 cents per point. This means you get more bang for your buck.
- Earn points as quickly as possible. Maximizing the value of Aeroplan becomes easier when you have a lot of points to use. If maximizing rewards is your goal, consider a co-branded Aeroplan credit card so you can stack rewards and earn Aeroplan points on every eligible dollar spent.
Aeroplan alternatives
One alternative to Aeroplan is Air Miles — another popular Canadian travel rewards program. There are co-branded Air Miles credit cards and the program has online travel and shopping portals for its collectors.
Unlike Aeroplan, Air Miles isn’t affiliated with an airline. Another difference? Its rewards can be collected as Cash Miles, redeemable for cash rewards, or Dream Miles, which can be put towards flights, rental cars, hotel stays, merchandise and more.
When comparing the Aeroplan and Air Miles programs, consider credit card and redemption options to find the rewards that best fit your lifestyle. You can also get insight from what other travellers think in our Reddit section below.
What Reddit has to say
To give an overview of the Aeroplan program, NerdWallet’s credit card experts rigorously review everything from the valuation of points to redemption options. But our Nerds know it can also be helpful to hear what everyday cardholders think. We took to Reddit to find out what users are saying across multiple threads.
Redditors agree with NerdWallet’s opinion on Aeroplan.
NerdWallet feels that Aeroplan, while certainly not perfect, is a solid loyalty program for travellers. Redditors largely agree that it’s a good program. They are particularly vocal about Aeroplan being superior to Air Miles.
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