Aeroplan points guide

Joining Air Canada Aeroplan is simple and straightforward. Even better, it's free to join! Just head over to Air Canada's official website and look for the Aeroplan section. Once there, you'll need to provide some basic information to join:

• Full name
• Email address
• Create a password
• Date of birth
• Preferred language

Once you hit "submit," check your inbox for a confirmation email from Aeroplan. Click the link to verify your account and you're all set.

Air Canada's Aeroplan program offers five tiers of Elite Status, each providing increasingly valuable benefits for frequent travelers. This guide outlines the requirements for each tier and the associated privileges.

Elite status tiers

• 25K
• 35K
• 50K
• 75K
• Super Elite

How to reach elite status

To reach and maintain Elite Status, Aeroplan members must accumulate a combination of:

• Status Qualifying Miles (SQM)
• Status Qualifying Segments (SQS)
• Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD)

The specific requirements for each tier are as follows:

Note: Some Aeroplan-affiliated credit cards offer a Status Accelerator feature, allowing cardholders to earn additional SQM and SQS through everyday spending.

Benefits overview

Core Benefits (Available to All Tiers):

• Priority check-in and boarding
• Complimentary checked baggage allowance
• Priority baggage handling
• Priority airport standby and seat selection
• Preferred Aeroplan redemption rates

However, as members progress through the elite status tiers, they gain access to a range of select benefits not available to other members, including:

• eUpgrade credits
• Bonus Aeroplan points
• Status passes for guests
• Maple Leaf Lounge access passes

Super Elite exclusive benefits

• Unlimited global Maple Leaf Lounge access
• Priority Rewards applicable to Signature Class
• Complimentary 50K status for a designated individual
• Concierge service

Status Validity: Once achieved, Elite Status remains valid until January 31 of the second calendar year following qualification. For instance, status earned in August 2025 would be valid until January 31, 2027.

Early Recognition: Members who qualify for a higher tier mid-year receive immediate access to the new tier's benefits and may select certain benefits in advance.

There are many Aeroplan credit cards. We thought it'd be helpful to break it down a little deeper to help you make a wise choice. For a full list, read our best Aeroplan credit cards guide.

There are Aeroplan credit cards, co-branded Aeroplan cards (like TD Bank and CIBC), and there are credit cards that earn Aeroplan points (e.g. Amex Membership Rewards transfer points at a 1:1 ratio). We can't forget the generous welcome bonuses eitherm which could have you flying as soon as you qualify. 

Disclosures

CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card disclaimer: The information for the CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has been collected independently by Money.ca. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. †Terms and Conditions Apply. This offer is not available for residents of Quebec.

^†TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card annual fee rebate: To receive the first-year annual fee rebate, you must activate your Card and make your first Purchase on the Account within the first 3 months after Account opening and you must add your Additional Cardholders while this offer is in effect.

†Terms and conditions apply.

American Express disclaimer: 

Aeroplan has many partner merchants which you probably use and shop with on a regular basis.  Some notable partners include Starbucks, Uber & Uber Eats, LCBO, Amazon, and a range of other brands across various sectors like electronics, fashion, home decor, and health. Each Aeroplan partner offers unique ways for Aeroplan members to earn and redeem points through purchases or promotions. Below we break down Aeroplan partners by their respective categories.

Aeroplan partners for hotels and accommodation

You can convert your hotel points to Aeroplan points at hotels like Fairmont, Sofitel, Hilton, Le Germain, and Omni hotels. Below we list hotel partners where you can earn points. 

You can also earn 1 point per dollar at Clique Hotels & Resorts (Blackcomb, Acclaim, and Applause), and 250 points per stay at Nova hotels (Nova Inn, Chateau Nova), and more. 

If you're travelling, be sure to check out Aeroplan's complete list of accommodation partners¹. 

Aeroplan retail partners

Keep in mind that some of these merchants only allow you to earn Aeroplan points when shopping online. For example, you may be able to earn Aeroplan points when making onlin purchases ut you won’t earn any Aeroplan points for anything bought in-store.

The Aeroplan eStore is a great resource if you shop a lot online, as it showcases more than 260 retail and other partners who partner with Aeroplan. Each retailer has its own earning rate and some merchants may occasionally have extra mile promotions. Some popular brands you can find on the Aeroplan eStore include amazon.ca, chapters.indigo.ca, Bed Bath & Beyond, Etsy, Dyson, and more.

How you redeem Aeroplan Points has also been simplified. You no longer need to go to a separate website (aeroplan.com) to redeem your points. Now you can search and redeem your flight rewards just like you would any other booking at aircanada.com or on the Air Canada app. The aircanada.com address is also where you can redeem your points for other items like merchandise, rental cars, hotel stays, gift cards, and more.

You can redeem Aeroplan points in the following ways:

• Travel (including flights, hotel bookings and car rentals)
• Unique experiences like concerts or sporting events
• Charitable donations
• Statement credits
• Gift cards
• Merchandise
• Shop with points

Travel redemptions include flights with any Star Alliance member (including Air Canada) and other travel-related purchases such as hotels, car rentals, or vacation packages. As for merchandise options, there’s a large selection of items to choose from, ranging from fashion accessories to cookware. Alternatively, you can use your Points for gift cards rather than actual products.  

Also, it’s important to note that under the new Aeroplan Points program, you can book with a combination of points and cash, giving you more booking flexibility.

What is the Aeroplan points chart?

Aeroplan has completely overhauled its chart system. Previously, you had two options when booking flights with your Aeroplan points. You could book with the fixed mileage option or with market fare rewards. Now the new Aeroplan chart is based on a dynamic pricing model and is divided into four different zones:

• North America
• Atlantic
• Pacific
• South America

Image courtesy of Air Canada/Aeroplan

How many points you need to redeem for a specific flight will now depend on the market value of the flight, the travel distance between where you take off and where you land, and whether or not the flight is in high demand. Fixed point redemption values remain only for partner airlines. For Air Canada flights, Aeroplan members will see a range of possible points needed for redemption, and you won’t actually know how many points you specifically need until you go to select your flight.

^{North America award chart for Air Canada operated flights}

^{North America award chart for Air Canada partners}

^{Note: Premium economy bookings may not be available through partner carriers}

So, for example, note in the chart above that for each class of ticket for an Air Canada flight, there is a given range of possible points needed for redemption. Whereas for the partner airlines, there is a clearly allotted fixed number of points needed. Obviously, to get the best value for your points, you want to aim for the lower range of points needed for a flight. Keep in mind that while the simplicity of the partner airline redemption fixed point system is attractive, this often means you’ll have to take longer routes because of stopovers. There’s also limited seat selection.

When you look at the new Aeroplan Chart, you may also notice that there have been some increases in the points needed for many routes (especially in the Atlantic and Pacific zones). However, there are now no more carrier surcharges, and you will have much better availability of flights because blackout dates and seat availability limitations have been eliminated under the new Aeroplan Points program.

^{Award charts for other zones}

So, just how many points do you need to book an award flight with Aeroplan, Air Canada or an airline alliance codeshare carrier? Unless you are using a partner airline with fixed points, there’s no real way to know how many points it will take to fly somewhere because all Air Canada flights are now based on a variable points model. Luckily Air Canada has provided a Points Predictor Tool so you can get at least an idea of how many points you’ll need to redeem for your flight.

^{Using Aeroplan points to fly with Emirates}

Aeroplan members can also use points towards award flights with Emirates and Fly Dubai:

^{Award flight booking example}

If I booked a flight from Toronto to Paris in November 2020 with Air Canada, the ticket, according to the website, would be approximately $905.97. To figure out the net value of my flight, I would first subtract $141.97 (the amount for taxes and third-party charges like airport fees, which aren’t included under the “no more surcharges” exception. I subtract that amount because I would have to pay with cash or points when redeeming a flight reward, and I want to know the overall net value of a point).

The total price I will use to calculate the value of my rewards is now $764. Now we compare that price to what it would cost me to get to Paris using my Aeroplan points. If I can get a rewards economy ticket on the low range of the scale for 70,000 (35,000 each way) Aeroplan Points, that means that the value of one Aeroplan Point is approx. .0109 or 1.09 cents (764 ÷ 70,000=.0109), which is somewhat below what the average Aeroplan Point was worth under the old plan (.014). If I had to redeem in the higher range of points to get a flight, such as high as 60,000 each way, the value of each point would be even lower.

Other ways to redeem Aeroplan points

Beyond flight bookings with Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, or other codeshare partners, Aeroplan members can redeem points towards several other options:

• Hotels and car rentals: Use points to book stays at participating hotels or to rent cards from major agencies using your points worldwide
• Merchandise: Redeem Aeroplan pints for merchandise through the Aeroplan shopping portal
• Gift cards: Use points to purchase gift cards from leading brands like Apple, Nike and more. You can also use points to purchase Air Canada gift cards (a great gift if you're struggling for ideas around birthdays, celebrations or the holidays)
• Charitable donations: Donate points to select charities, including Doctors without Borders, Miles for Life, Stephen Lewis Foundation, Veterinarians without Borders, War Child Canada, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, Second Harvest, Rainbow Railroad, the David Foster Foundation and more.
• Shop with points: Aeroplan members can also shop with their points at select merchants. There are some pretty surprising merchants available, including the option to use Aeroplan points to buy liquor and spirits with LCBO.  

^{Aeroplan Family points sharing / pooling}

Luckily, Aeroplan has made it very easy to pool points by introducing the new Aeroplan Family Sharing (and don’t let the name fool you; you don’t have to be family members). This sharing plan allows you to create a group of up to 8 members. All points earned by the members are combined into a shared balance. Any group member can redeem a flight reward using points from your shared balance. Better yet, if there is an Elite Status Member or a primary Aeroplan Credit Cardholder in your group, everyone benefits from the associated preferred pricing, so you can often redeem for fewer points.

^{List of all Aeroplan points conversion partners}

Aeroplan points also transfer to a number of loyalty programs in Canada. These include several hotel and airline partners where Aeroplan points can be converted to another programs currency and then used to book award travel, merchandise, experiences or more. Here's the current list of eligible Aeroplan transfer partners in Canada: