Air Canada Aeroplan Rewards Program

Learn about the Aeroplan rewards program and explore the ways that you can earn Aeroplan points when you book travel or shop with an Aeroplan credit card. Read on to find out how much your points are worth and what you can redeem them for, and learn what common Aeroplan mistakes to avoid so you can get the most out of your membership and how to use Aeroplan points for a car rental.

What is the Aeroplan rewards program?

The Aeroplan rewards program (owned by Air Canada) is one of the most popular frequent flyer programs in Canada. It has a wide network of travel and retail partners in addition to 5 million active members across the country. This makes it easy to earn Air Canada rewards at some of Canada’s most popular stores and redeem them for a wide array of travel and merchandise.

Aeroplan works just like any other frequent flyer program. You get a membership card and a membership number, which is linked to any Aeroplan credit card you have. You can then shop for daily purchases with your membership and credit card, or make online purchases through the Aeroplan eStore.

Who are Aeroplan’s partners?

Aeroplan works with 3 main categories of partners:

1. Financial. Aeroplan’s main credit card partners are TD Canada Trust and CIBC (two of Canada’s Big Five banks). You can also sign up for a line of Aeroplan credit cards through American Express.
2. Travel. Aeroplan is owned by Air Canada and works with over 40 other airlines to help you earn Aeroplan flight rewards. It also offers the chance to earn Aeroplan rewards with hotels and car rental agencies. Find out more about Aeroplan’s travel partners.
3. Retail. You can earn Aeroplan rewards with over 150 brand-name retailers when you make online purchases through Aeroplan’s eStore. You can also earn points with in-store retailers such as Home Hardware, AmeriSpec Inspection Services, UPS and Starbucks.

How much are Aeroplan points worth?

The value of each individual Aeroplan Point is a subject of hot debate, with estimates ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 cents per point. That said, it’s very difficult to provide an exact estimate because your points will typically be worth different amounts based on the Aeroplan rewards you want to redeem them for.

As a rule of thumb, you’ll usually get a much higher value if you redeem your points for flights and other travel-related purchases. Your points will typically be worth less when you redeem them for items from the Aeroplan rewards catalogue such as merchandise or gift cards. Find out how many points you’ll need to use for flights with Aeroplan’s Points Predictor Tool.

Which providers offer Aeroplan credit cards?

You can sign up for a selection of basic and premium Aeroplan credit cards with CIBC, TD or American Express. Available cards include the following:

Compare and apply for Aeroplan credit cards

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Name	Product	Welcome Offer	Rewards	Purchase Interest Rate	Annual Fee		Min. Credit Score	Description
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card		85,000 points	Up to 3x points	20.99%	$599	Apply now More Info	Min. recommended credit score: 700	Earn up to 85,000 welcome bonus Aeroplan points. New Cardmembers can earn up to $2,600 in value within the first year.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Aeroplan Card American Express Aeroplan Card		50,000 points	Up to 2x points	30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full each month	$120	Apply now More Info	Min. recommended credit score: 700	Earn up to 50,000 welcome bonus Aeroplan points. That's a value of up to $1,100 in your first year.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card		85,000 points	Up to 3x points	16.99%	$599	Apply now More Info	Min. recommended credit score: 700	Earn up to 85,000 welcome bonus Aeroplan points. New cardholders can earn up to $2,600 or more in value within the first year.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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How to get Aeroplan points?

The number of points you can earn depends on where you spend your money, and whether you have an Aeroplan credit card. You’ll get one Aeroplan Point for every dollar you spend with partners on top of the points you earn when you pay with your Aeroplan credit card. You’ll also get a return of between 0.5 and 1.5 Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend on your credit card at non-partner stores.

So how does this translate to real dollars? Let’s say you want to collect 25,000 points to redeem for a long-haul flight from Toronto to California. You’ll have to spend $25,000 with partner stores to earn this amount with your membership alone. If you have an Aeroplan credit card, you’ll only have to spend $12,500 with partners, or between $16,000 and $25,000 with non-partner stores.

What promotions does Aeroplan offer?

You can earn points faster if you take advantage of Aeroplan promotions. These include the following:

• Aeroplan partner deals. Many of Aeroplan’s partners offer special promotions and surge deals throughout the year. You’ll just need to keep an eye on in-store flyers or monitor Aeroplan’s official promotions page to earn Aeroplan flight rewards.
• Aeroplan eStore purchases. Aeroplan is well-known for offering a larger number of Aeroplan rewards through its online store. If you time it right, you could earn up to 10x the points when you spend money online.
• Loyalty points transfers. You may be able to earn extra Air Canada rewards if you convert your loyalty rewards into Aeroplan points. You just need to choose a conversion partner and follow its online instructions to convert your points.

How to earn Aeroplan Miles fast?

There are a number of ways to maximize the number of points you can earn if you want to make the Air Canada rewards program worth your while.

• Find the best Aeroplan credit card for you. Find the credit card that gives you the highest return on Air Canada rewards in combination with the best mix of benefits.
• Track down the best welcome offer. Look for a credit card that offers a generous welcome bonus to get a decent baseline of points right off the bat.
• Pay more for a premium credit card. Earn more points on everyday purchases and get comprehensive benefits with a premium card.
• Shop at partner stores. Make purchases with partner stores to earn double the Air Canada rewards or take advantage of special promotions on select purchases.
• Shop at the Aeroplan eStore. Earn up to 10x the Aeroplan points when you shop at the Aeroplan estore.
• Order additional cards. Grab a couple of extra cards for your family members to use so they can help you earn points faster.
• Redeem your points for travel. Use your Air Canada rewards to book travel to get the highest value for each point.

How can I redeem my Aeroplan points?

Once you bank a decent number of points, you can redeem them for travel and merchandise through the Aeroplan rewards catalogue. All you need to do is sign into Aeroplan by entering your nine-digit membership number and password. You can redeem your Aeroplan points in two ways:

1. Flights and other travel. Log in and hover over “Book travel” to redeem your points for Air Canada rewards such as flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages. From there, you’ll be redirected to aircanadavacations.com to make your booking.
2. Merchandise. Redeem your points for merchandise or gift cards through Aeroplan’s eStore (which doubles as an online store as well as the Aeroplan rewards catalogue).

Aeroplan reward charts and flight redemption

Aeroplan reward charts are kind of like “cheat sheets” made by Aeroplan to help you figure out how many Aeroplan flight rewards you’ll have to redeem to fly on popular routes. These charts split Aeroplan travel destinations into 4 different zones: North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America.

Each zone has its own Aeroplan rewards chart to outline points redemption rates for that zone. The number of points you’ll have to redeem to purchase an Aeroplan flight in that zone will be based on your flight distance and seat class. The charts for each zone are shown in the tables below and can give you a rough idea of how many Aeroplan flight rewards you’ll need to collect before you’re eligible to fly to certain destinations.

The map of Aeroplan zones above is from the Aeroplan website.

How to use Aeroplan rewards charts

Aeroplan has a number of different destinations you can fly to based on how many Aeroplan flight rewards you’ve collected. Follow these 6 steps to use an Aeroplan rewards chart to trade in your points for your next vacation:

1. Decide which destination you want to visit.
2. Find the distance (in miles) of that destination from your location in Canada using a tool like Google Maps.
3. Decide if you want to book an economy, premium economy, business or first class Aeroplan flight.
4. With all this information at hand, check the map above to find out which zone your destination is in.
5. Consult the tables above to determine how many points you’ll need to hand over based on the distance of your destination and the class of flight you want. Be sure to keep in mind that you’ll need to multiply the number of points required by two if you plan to book a return Aeroplan flight.

What is Aeroplan travel insurance?

Aeroplan doesn’t offer travel insurance directly, but it does allow you to book insurance quickly and easily through Air Canada’s third-party carrier, RBC Insurance. It’s not possible to redeem your Aeroplan rewards to get this insurance, but you’ll be able to pay a reasonable fee to lock in multiple forms of coverage.

This coverage isn’t explicitly linked to Aeroplan, but is offered to Air Canada passengers at a discounted rate. You can choose from essential emergency medical, travel accident, baggage or flight delay and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. You can also purchase other forms of travel coverage – like car rental insurance – through Aeroplan’s main page.

It may also be useful to note that if you have an Aeroplan credit card, you might already get comprehensive travel insurance as an integrated benefit. Be sure to check whether or not you’re already covered before you spend money to get additional insurance with RBC.

Pros and cons of the Air Canada rewards program

Can I redeem Aeroplan points for a car rental?

Yes. It’s easy to cash your points in for Aeroplan car rentals using your Aeroplan account. Just follow the step-by-step booking process below to get started.

1. Log in to your Aeroplan account using your nine-digit Aeroplan number or email and the password you made when you created your account.
2. Once you’re logged in, open the Aeroplan car rentals page, select “Points” from the red toggle (as pictured below), and then click “Find”.
   
   
3. On the next page, input the dates you want your vehicle for and where you intend to pick it up and drop it off.
   
4. Hit search to get a list of eligible vehicles from Aeroplan car rental partners, Avis and Budget. This list will include the pick-up location, the type of vehicle, the cost in dollars, and how many points you’ll have to redeem for your rental.
5. Choose the vehicle that best fits your needs and when a new screen opens, indicate how you want to pay for your rental (with credit card or points).
6. Hit “Add to cart” to process your booking and your Aeroplan points will be deducted from your account.

Read our guide here for more ways to redeem your Aeroplan Miles.

How long will it take me to collect enough points for an Aeroplan car rental?

A one-day rental for a compact car will typically cost you between 4,000 and 10,000 Aeroplan points in Canada. That said, you may have to exchange more or less than this amount depending on a number of factors. These can include where you rent your vehicle, what type of vehicle you need, which provider you settle on and how long you need the rental for.

If you want to collect enough points to book an Aeroplan car rental, you should budget for at least 5,000 to 10,000 points per day for an economy car. The amount of time it will take to save up this many points will depend on your spending habits and credit limits, as well as what kind of credit card or Aeroplan membership status you have.

If you want to get a one-day Aeroplan car rental with 5,000 points and you have a basic Aeroplan membership, you’ll need to spend at least $5,000 with Aeroplan partners. If you have an Aeroplan credit card, you’ll have to spend at least $2,500 with partners or $5,000 on everyday purchases (depending on how many points you earn per dollar).

Keep in mind that the value you’ll get for your points when you exchange them for an Aeroplan car rental will be lower than for flights. For example, you can afford a one-way flight within Canada or the US for as little as 12,000 Aeroplan points. If that flight is around $250, your points will be worth much more than if you exchange a portion of them for a one-day car rental worth around $60.

What are some of the most common Aeroplan mistakes?

These are 7 of the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid in order to get the most out of your Aeroplan rewards:

1. Not signing up for an Aeroplan credit card. If you don’t have an Aeroplan credit card, you’ll only earn one point for every dollar you spend at partner stores and you won’t earn the maximum number of Aeroplan rewards when you shop for everyday purchases.
2. Not comparing Aeroplan credit cards. If you don’t take the time to compare credit cards, you could end up with a card that gives you the minimum return on points, has benefits that aren’t useful or comes with an annual fee that’s too high for your budget.
3. Failing to check for Aeroplan promotions. You could lose out on Aeroplan rewards if you don’t keep an eye out for special promotions. For example, you could earn 10x the points when you shop online at the Aeroplan eStore.
4. Letting your points expire. Aeroplan rules for expiry dates state that your points can expire if you haven’t earned, redeemed, donated or transferred any points in 18 consecutive months.
5. Not shopping at the Aeroplan eStore. You could be losing points when you choose to shop for products in-store instead of through Aeroplan’s eStore. Find out which retailers participate in the online eStore and what types of products you can buy here.
6. Booking flights with fuel surcharges. Fuel surcharges can add hundreds of dollars to your Aeroplan flights. Find out more about how to avoid fuel surcharges when you book flights using your Aeroplan rewards.
7. Exchanging points for low-value rewards. You’ll usually get a much higher value if you redeem your Aeroplan rewards for flights and other travel-related purchases. Your points will typically be worth less when you redeem them for merchandise and gift cards using the Aeroplan rewards catalogue.

Bottom line

The Air Canada rewards program lets you earn and redeem points with an Aeroplan membership and a suite of Aeroplan credit cards. Find out more about how you can make the most out of your Air Canada Aeroplan membership and affiliated credit card with this comprehensive guide.

Air Canada Aeroplan FAQs

• What are my Aeroplan points worth?

  That depends on what you're redeeming them for. Your points will usually have the most value when you redeem them for Aeroplan flight rewards. You'll also get a decent return when you cash them in for travel-related purchases. Other rewards like merchandise and gift cards may be less lucrative when you redeem them using the Aeroplan rewards catalogue.

• How many Aeroplan points will I earn on a flight?

  You can earn up to 2 points per dollar when you spend money on Aeroplan flights with some credit cards. You'll also get one point for every dollar you spend with your membership. This means you could earn up to 3 points per dollar in total – or 300 points for every $100 you spend on flights.

• Which Aeroplan partners offer the most points?

  The number of points you'll be able to earn with each partner varies based on what time of year it is as well as on whether they have any promotions going on. It's easy to see the current deals and promotions on offer by checking out Aeroplan's list of partners and online retailers.

• Will I earn double the points if I shop at the Aeroplan eStore?

  You'll earn double the points if you pair your Aeroplan membership with your Aeroplan credit card. You'll also have the chance to earn as much as 3x-10x the points on every purchase, depending on where you shop.

• Is it possible for my Aeroplan points to expire?

  Yes. Your Aeroplan points can expire if you fail to accumulate or redeem Aeroplan points for a period of 18 consecutive months. Find out more about how to stop your points from expiring.

• What's the minimum number of Aeroplan points I need to afford a flight?

  You'll need a minimum of 6,000 points to book a short-haul flight from your city to other destinations in Canada and the US. To fly to most international hotspots, you'll typically need at least 12,500 points to start. When you're figuring out the number of Aeroplan flight rewards you need, remember that you'll need to multiply by two for round-trip flights.

• Can I apply for an Aeroplan credit card online?

  For sure. If you want to earn Aeroplan rewards faster on every purchase, you can compare Aeroplan credit cards by using the table above or by reading our guide here. Just click "Go to Site" next to the card you're interested in.

• What's the minimum number of points I need to afford an Aeroplan car rental?

  You'll typically need a minimum of about 5,000 points to book a basic or economy car for one day. This amount will typically go up if you book luxury vehicles or need to keep your rental for a longer period of time.

• Will the taxes for my Aeroplan car rental be covered by my Aeroplan points?

  Yes. You shouldn't have to pay any extra taxes or fees when you book your vehicle on the Aeroplan rewards page.

• Which Aeroplan car rental partners can I book with?

  The only Aeroplan car rental partners you can book with using the online booking portal are Avis and Budget. You'll also be able to get special discounts with these partners, along with earning extra points when you book in cash.

• Will I have to pay for any extras when I rent my vehicle?

  It depends on which provider you go with. Some providers might charge more for certain services, like adding an additional driver or requesting special equipment like roof racks or car seats. You'll also have to pay for your own gas with every provider, so make sure to budget enough to cover this expense for your whole trip.

• Can I earn Aeroplan points when I redeem my points for an Aeroplan car rental?

  Yes. You'll often earn extra points for redeeming your points with Aeroplan car rental partners, Budget and Avis. You can usually earn a baseline of Aeroplan points every time you rent a car using your credit card or your points. You could also have the chance to earn more during special promotions or at certain times of year.

• Will my Aeroplan points ever expire?

  Yes. Your Aeroplan points can expire if you fail to accumulate or redeem Aeroplan points for a period of 18 consecutive months. However, this is not usually an issue if you have an Aeroplan credit card since you'll renew your points every time you make a purchase on your card.

• Is it possible to apply for an Aeroplan credit card online?

  Yes. You can use the comparison table at the top of this page to apply for the credit card of your choice. Just click "Go to site" next to the card you're interested in to start your application.