Air Canada Aeroplan remains a favorite in the loyalty world. In addition to reasonable reward tables, it also offers several customer-friendly features such as cheap layovers, minimal fees and family points pooling. These features put Aeroplan in the spotlight as one of the best airline loyalty programs in the industry. It’s a program you should know about even if you don’t plan to visit Canada.
If you’re looking to grow your Aeroplan points balance, you have plenty of options, from using transferable points programs to making purchases with non-travel partners. There’s even a cobranded card available for those living in the US: the Aeroplan credit card.
Today I’ll show you all the easy ways to earn Aeroplan points, many of which don’t even require you to travel.
Earn Aeroplan points by flying with Air Canada
At its core, Aeroplan is an airline loyalty program. You can earn points when you fly with Air Canada and its partners.
Currently, you earn points based on the distance of the flight and the fare class you booked in. Here you will find an overview of the earnings charts:
Elite members earn the following bonuses:
- Airplane 25K: 25%
- Airplane 35K: 35%
- Airplane 50K: 50%
- Airplane 75K: 75%
- Airplane Super Elite: 100%
This way of earning points is beneficial for those who fly with cheap long-haul tickets. For example, someone who books a flight from Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in premium economy will earn 4,445 points one-way. The flight is 3,556 miles long and the fare earns 125% points per mile flown. Whether you pay $500 or $5,000 for your ticket, this revenue is the same.
Earn Aeroplan points by flying with partner airlines
You earn Aeroplan points based on the length of your flight with partner airlines, of which Aeroplan has no fewer than 51. This includes Star Alliance partners and an impressive list of non-alliance partners such as Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia, Emirates and Etihad Airways.
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The number of Aeroplan points you earn per mile flown is based on your fare class and varies from airline to airline. You normally earn more points for more expensive tickets in premium cabins, so Basic Economy earns fewer points than Premium Economy or Business Class.
You can see how many points you earn by requesting your partner airline details on the Aeroplan website. Click on the “Details” link to view a list of fare classes, with a percentage on the right. This percentage is the points you earn based on the distance flown.
Earn Aeroplan points with the Air Canada Aeroplan credit card
The Aeroplan credit card from Chase is another great option for earning Aeroplan points, and right now new applicants can earn up to 100,000 Aeroplan points when they apply and are approved. You’ll earn 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, plus an additional 25,000 Aeroplan points after you spend a total of $20,000 in the first 12 months of 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 prices, 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, each with different benefits, fees and points earning rates. You’ll want to evaluate each card and see which one best suits your needs and budget. At the high end, you get benefits like free checked bags, lounge access, and a high welcome bonus.
Transfer credit card points to Aeroplan
You can transfer the following credit card rewards to Aeroplan with a 1:1 transfer ratio:
The following cards currently all offer strong welcome bonuses with points and miles that you can transfer to your Aeroplan account:
The benefit of owning one (or more) of these cards is that you can wait to transfer rewards to your Aeroplan account until you need to book a specific flight. You also have all the other redemption options in each one.
Read more: Why transferable points are worth more than other rewards
Pool Aeroplan points with your family
While Aeroplan’s Family Sharing feature isn’t necessarily a way to earn more Aeroplan points, you can consolidate them. Basically, you can link the Aeroplan accounts of up to eight family members (including your own) to a pool. You can then share these points to redeem rewards.
This is useful if your family has several Aeroplan accounts with low balances. Combined, you might have enough for an award ticket that you can use to subsidize future family travel.
If you only travel a few times a year, your family’s rewards in a combined account will go further than with small balances spread across multiple individual accounts. There are no costs associated with using this feature.
Buy Aeroplan points
One of the fastest ways to earn Aeroplan points is to buy them. You can normally purchase Aeroplan points for 0.035 Canadian dollars per point (about 2.6 cents per point). However, the airline regularly discounts these points, so you may be able to purchase them at a lower price.
Canadians are subject to paying sales tax on these purchases. Fortunately, Americans are exempt. That said, you will be charged in Canadian dollars and the purchase will not be coded as travel. So pay with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and offers a solid return on daily spend.
Earn Aeroplan points by shopping and dining
You can earn Aeroplan points when you click through the Aeroplan eStore before making an online purchase. There are several popular sellers that allow you to earn at least 1 mile per dollar spent by clicking on the portal.
Some sellers are limited to Canada, while others are available worldwide. Be sure to check with your merchant before making a purchase, and consider using a different shopping portal if the merchant you choose does not offer Aeroplan points for purchases outside Canada.
Using the portal is simple. Go to the Aeroplan eStore, log in and find the retailer you want to shop with. Then click the ‘Shop Now’ button and make your purchase as usual. The points will appear in your Aeroplan account within six to eight weeks, but some may be credited sooner.
Related: How to Maximize Shopping Portals for Your Online Purchases
Aeroplan has several retail partners that allow you to earn points, such as UPS and Home Hardware.
You can also earn points by linking your Aeroplan and Starbucks Rewards accounts. You’ll earn 100 points for every $75 loaded onto your digital Starbucks card. From time to time, Aeroplan offers special bonuses for new members who link their accounts.
Earn Aeroplan points with travel partners
Aeroplan works with three major car rental companies: Avis, Budget and Payless. Book with one of these rental providers and earn 1 Aeroplan point for every Canadian dollar spent, with double points for Aeroplan elite members.
Plus, you can earn bonus points when you pay for airport parking at major Canadian airports. The exact number of points depends on the airport, but varies between 50 and 100 points regardless of how long you park. Unfortunately, US airports are not currently eligible for revenue.
Air Canada Vacations is a package booking service offered by the airline. You can use it to book packages that include flights, hotels and rental cars and earn Aeroplan bonus points at the same time.
Select Air Canada Vacations packages also earn points. These are listed when searching on Air Canada’s website, but not all packages are eligible.
You have a number of options to earn Aeroplan points at hotels. Many major hotel chains, such as Marriott and Wyndham, allow you to earn Aeroplan points instead of hotel points. The number of points earned depends on where you stay and how much you spend. Always compare the value of Aeroplan points with the hotel points you earn to ensure you get the best deal.
Alternatively, you can transfer existing hotel points to Aeroplan. The transfer ratio depends on the hotel program you are transferring from, with the best being 3:1 from Marriott Bonvoy. Plus, you get a bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan.
Other hotel programs will be transferred to Aeroplan at the following rates:
- Accor Live Limitless: 4,000:2,000
- Best Western Rewards: 5:1
- Hilton Awards: 10,000:1,000
- IHG One Rewards: 10,000:2,000
- Marriott Bonvoy: 3,000:1,000 (5,000 bonus miles when transferring 60,000 points)
- Wyndham Rewards: 6,000:1,200
We normally do not recommend transferring hotel points to Aeroplan. It may be a good option to top up a particular award, but generally you’ll get more value if you use your points for hotel stays.
Moreover, you can book hotels through Rocketmiles and earn points for your stay. The number of points you earn will largely depend on the cost of your hotel, so do a search to be sure.
Please note that you will not typically earn hotel points or receive hotel elite status benefits when you book with Rocketmiles. We recommend that you use the service to book boutique hotels and independent hotels where you would not otherwise earn points.
Related: 9 Things to Consider When Choosing to Book Through a Portal vs. Booking Directly
In short
There is no shortage of ways to earn Aeroplan points. When you use these methods together, you’ll quickly earn enough points to book great award tickets and maybe even earn elite status at the same time.
We recommend starting with credit cards that allow you to earn transferable points. This way you can redeem your points with Aeroplan or one of the program’s other transfer partners. This keeps your options open so you can always get on the flights you want, regardless of the airline. Thanks to strong daily revenues and numerous travel benefits, the Aeroplan credit card is also worth considering.