Aeroplan Adopts Revenue-Based System for Points and Status — What It Means for You

Updated: January 1, 2026, 6:58am CST

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Table of Contents

Revenue-Based Points Earning
Aeroplan’s New Status Qualifying Credits
Final Thoughts

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Big changes have hit Air Canada’s Aeroplan program.

From January 1, 2026, the program has switched to a revenue-based earning system and introduced a new way for Aeroplan members to earn elite status.

Here are the details you need to know.

Revenue-Based Points Earning

Aeroplan has joined the growing list of airline loyalty programs switching to revenue-based earning. As of January 1, 2026, rather than earning a set number of points related to the distance of your Air Canada flight, you’re now awarded points based on the amount you paid for your ticket.

You now earn 1 Aeroplan point per CA$1 spent on Air Canada flights (roughly 73 cents in USD at the time of publishing). Note that points are only awarded for the base fare and carrier surcharges, while taxes, fees, and third-party charges aren’t eligible for points earning.

Earning rates increase as high as 6 points per CA$1 spent, depending on the passenger’s level of Aeroplan elite status. The breakdown is as follows:

2x earnings for Aeroplan 25K members
3x earnings for Aeroplan 35K members
4x earnings for Aeroplan 50K members
5x earnings for Aeroplan 75K members
6x earnings for Aeroplan Super Elite members

Ultimately, this means a passenger buying an expensive last-minute ticket will earn more points than a passenger who got a deal on their ticket when purchasing in advance — even when flying on the same plane.

Hot Tip:

Aeroplan has been a firm favorite among points and miles aficionados thanks to the excellent value Aeroplan points redemptions that you can find.

Aeroplan’s New Status Qualifying Credits

Also changing January 1, 2026, Air Canada has introduced Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) as the sole metric for earning Aeroplan status. The new SQCs replace existing Status Qualifying Miles, Status Qualifying Segments, and Status Qualifying Dollars. This mirrors moves to a single metric in other programs, such as Delta’s Medallion Qualification Dollars and American Airlines’ Loyalty Points.

For every CA$1 spent, Aeroplan members earn up to 4 SQCs. Once again, this excludes taxes, fees, and third-party charges.

Members earn 4x SQC on Economy Flex and higher fares (such as business class), 2x SQC on Economy Standard fares and eUpgrade Add-Ons, and 1x on Air Canada Vacations packages. Members also earn 1 SQC for every 5 Aeroplan base points earned with Aeroplan partners, though points transfers, bonus points, and the Aeroplan eStore aren’t included. Members can accumulate a maximum of 25,000 SQC from these partners annually.

Air Canada 787 business class seat — Air Canada Signature Class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Image Credit: Ehsan Haque

Aeroplan members can also earn up to 25,000 SQCs through eligible Aeroplan credit card spending.

For every 10,000 SQC earned, Aeroplan members unlock Milestone Benefits, such as bonus SQCs, status passes, and more.

And finally, beginning in 2027, primary account holders of Aeroplan’s premium credit cards will earn a 10% SQC bonus of the previous year’s earnings when qualifying for Aeroplan elite status.

Final Thoughts

Air Canada’s much-loved Aeroplan loyalty program has jumped on te revenue-based bandwagon. This is often interpreted as a devaluation of a program, rather than a “customer-centric” change in the way airlines try to spin it.

Only time will tell if Aeroplan will reign supreme in the world of airline frequent flyer programs — or whether the changes will see members rethinking their loyalty.