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As two of Canada’s most popular frequent flyer programs, Air Miles and Aeroplan both offer a nice mix of rewards and benefits. This can make choosing between them a daunting task if you don’t know what to look for.
To make things a bit easier for you, we’ve compared some of the key features on offer from each program. This should help you make an informed decision about which one is the best fit for your unique set of needs.
What's in this guide?
There are a number of features that you should compare before settling on a membership with Air Miles or Aeroplan. These include the following:
The number of points you can earn with Air Miles vs Aeroplan depends on how often you shop with partners of each program. It will also depend on whether you take advantage of special promotions or have a program-affiliated credit card that lets you earn extra points on everyday purchases.
The value of Air Miles and Aeroplan points will fluctuate according to what rewards you’re redeeming them for. This makes any guesswork about the average value of each point somewhat unreliable for both programs. That said, many sites agree that each individual Aeroplan Point is worth between 0.5 and 2.5 cents. The value of each individual Air Mile, on the other hand, is said to range between 10 and 15 cents.
This means that your Air Miles are worth more in general terms, though it’s important to remember that the value of each Air Mile is offset by the fact that you earn less of them for every dollar you spend. If you consider the number of rewards you earn for each purchase and do some basic math, you might find that Aeroplan points are actually more lucrative in the long run.
Let’s say you spend $20 at a partner store with both Air Miles and Aeroplan. Depending on the store, you might earn 1 Air Mile (worth 10 cents) or 20 Aeroplan points (worth 20 cents) for your purchase. In this case, Aeroplan points are actually worth more despite Air Miles having a higher value per point.
That said, if you get a return of one Air Mile for every five dollars you spend, then you’ll earn one Air Mile (worth 10 cents) and 5 Aeroplan points (worth 5 cents) for the same type of transaction. As you can see, the return you can get on each point depends on how many Air Miles you earn for each dollar you spend.
With this in mind, you should try to figure out the earn rate you’ll get on points at the places you shop most frequently to decide which program is the best fit for you.
Aeroplan and Air Miles both have an impressive network of partners that they work with to help you earn points. Some partners overlap between both programs and some are unique to each program. The best way to figure out which program is the best fit for you is to find the one that works with the retailers or partners you shop with most frequently.
Since Air Miles and Aeroplan are both frequent flyer programs, members tend to redeem their points for flights and other travel-related rewards.
Air Miles and Aeroplan work with affiliated credit cards to help you earn points. The number of points you can earn will typically vary based on whether you have a basic or premium card.
It can be difficult to say whether you’ll benefit more from an Air Miles or Aeroplan membership since it depends on your unique set of needs. That said, you can compare a number of features to find the best fit for you. These include the number of points you can earn with each program, how much each point is worth and what rewards you can redeem your points for when you’ve collected enough.
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