Air Canada Aeroplan has become a fan-favorite loyalty program over the years thanks to its strong redemption opportunities with Star Alliance carriers and the ease of earning miles in the program.
The program has gone through some changes in recent years, most recently introducing a revamped award chart, elimination of carrier-imposed surcharges, the introduction of a points-pooling program, and more.
There are many ways to leverage the Aeroplan program, but we think the best way to do it is by focusing on long-haul business class flights and using the program’s stopover rules to get amazing value for your miles.
In this article, we’ll cover how to earn Aeroplan points, how to leverage the Aeroplan network of airline partners, and, of course, the best ways to use your Aeroplan points.
Best Ways To Earn Aeroplan Points
Aeroplan points can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio, or from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.
Aeroplan points can also be earned directly with the Aeroplan® Credit Card issued by Chase.
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Earn Points With Partners
Aeroplan has several travel partners. You can find the full list in our post covering the best ways to earn lots of Aeroplan points.
You can earn extra miles by linking your Aeroplan account with the Aeroplan eStore, your Starbucks account, and various hotel and car rental partners to “double-dip” in your mileage earnings.
For example, if you book a car rental with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you will earn both Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the rental plus Aeroplan points from your account that you linked.
Use the Aeroplan Award Charts To Plan Travel
Aeroplan uses 10 award charts to determine redemption rates between and within its 4 travel zones.
The new Aeroplan award rates are determined by zone and by flight distance. To find out how many miles you’ll need for a specific flight, first locate your destination on Air Canada’s zone map.
Then, you can input your origin and destination cities into a service like The Great Circle Mapper to find out the distance between the cities. Finally, reference the Aeroplan award chart that applies to the appropriate zone of your destination and you’ll be able to find the cost of your flight.
Aeroplan’s terms and conditions contain a number of rules that are important to review. For simplicity, here are some of the most important rules to keep in mind as you’re searching for award flights:
- Mileage is determined by the region, class of service, and whether the redemption is round-trip or one-way.
- Award flights must be confirmed at the time of booking. There’s no waitlisting permitted.
- Aeroplan does not charge a close-in (within 21 days) booking fee.
- Award flights booked over the phone require a CA$30 booking fee (~$23).
- Partner flights require a booking fee of CA$39 (~$30).
- You can cancel within 24 hours of booking for a full refund.
- You can refund awards up to 2 hours before departure (this was previously 21 days).
- Award refund fees are as follows:
- CA$125 (~$97) for refunding online
- CA$150 (~$117) for refunding over the phone
- Free for Air Canada Aeroplan Super Elite 100K members
The 8 Best Ways To Use Your Aeroplan Points
The Star Alliance has an extensive network in Europe as well as strategic partners in Asia, Africa, and South America that allow you to travel all over the world seamlessly.
While the number of miles required for many of these redemptions is high compared to other award programs, there’s still great value to be found with your Aeroplan points.
1. Fly Between the East Coast and India From 85,000 Points One-way in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
Turkish Airlines 777-300ER business class. Image Credit: Turkish Airlines
A one-way business class flight between the East Coast of the U.S. and India using Aeroplan is likely not at the top of your list of redemptions, but in our opinion, it really should be.
From just 85,000 Aeroplan points, you can book a one-way business class flight on any Star Alliance partner from the East Coast to India, which is classified as part of the “Atlantic” zone on the new Air Canada Aeroplan award chart.
In economy, you’ll spend at least 55,000 Aeroplan points to book a one-way economy ticket on Star Alliance partners:
Here’s an example of a flight you can book:
One of the benefits of the new Aeroplan program is that it doesn’t pass on carrier surcharges, so you don’t have to worry about forking over a lot of out-of-pocket cash on top of the points you use.
2. Fly Between the East Coast and South Africa From 170,000 Points Round-trip in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
Swiss Air business class cabin. Image Credit: Swiss Air
Africa is on many a traveler’s bucket list, but it’s typically challenging to get to.
However, you can book a round-trip business class flight between the East Coast of the U.S. to South Africa from 170,000 points. One-way flights are half the price. If economy makes more sense, you can book a round-trip flight from 110,000 Aeroplan points.
Here are some example itineraries you can book:
3. Fly Between the U.S. and Europe From 120,000 Points Round-trip in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
United’s Polaris business class is sure to please. Image Credit: United Airlines
Using your points and miles to fly to Europe in business class may not yield you the greatest value for them, per se, but we still think it’s a great way to put them to good use.
With 120,000 Aeroplan points, you can book a round-trip business class flight from many U.S. cities to destinations across Europe.
All of Europe is located in the same zone according to Aeroplan, but remember that within each zone, redemption rates vary by flight distance, so you’ll have to check the mileage of your specific destination to accurately calculate how many miles you’ll need to spend.
Here are some examples of itineraries you can book with Aeroplan:
- Chicago (ORD) to Athens (ATH) via Istanbul (IST) for 70,000 points one-way in Turkish Airlines business class
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Frankfurt (FRA) nonstop for 70,000 points one-way in Lufthansa business class
- Newark (EWR) to London (LHR) nonstop for 60,000 points one-way in United business class
4. Fly Between the U.S. and Australia or New Zealand From 150,000 Points Round-trip in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
Regardless of what plane you fly, Air New Zealand business class is a great product. Image Credit: Air New Zealand
While it’s natural to get pumped about flying to Australia or New Zealand in business class, the reality is that award space is very limited, no matter which program you hope to book with.
If you can find availability, you could book a round-trip business class flight from the West Coast of the U.S. to Australia or New Zealand from 150,000 Aeroplan points. One-way flights require half the points.
Here are some examples of itineraries you can book:
- San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL) nonstop for 75,000 points-one way in Air New Zealand business class
- San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD) nonstop for 75,000 points one-way in United business class
Hot Tip: You may have better luck finding award space by using United’s search engine. If you’re successful, you can call Aeroplan to confirm the booking.
5. Fly Within North America on United From 12,000 Points Round-trip in Economy
Enjoy United economy from just 6,000 points one-way. Image Credit: United
You can book round-trip economy flights on United Airlines within the continental U.S. and Canada from just 12,000 Aeroplan points. Again, the exact rates depend on the distance of the flight.
Flights between the West Coast of the U.S. and Hawaii will require 25,000 points round-trip in economy and 50,000 points round-trip in business class, while flights between the East Coast and Hawaii will cost 45,000 points round-trip in economy and 70,000 round-trip in business.
Here are some examples of itineraries you can book:
- Newark (EWR) to Boston (BOS) nonstop for 6,000 points one-way in United economy
- Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) nonstop for 25,000 points one-way in United business class
- San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) nonstop for 12,500 points one-way in United economy
Hot Tip: Check out all the best ways to fly to Hawaii using points and miles!
6. Fly Between the U.S. and Southern South America From 120,000 Points Round-trip in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
Enjoy access to United’s Polaris Lounge when flying in Polaris class. Image Credit: Chris Hassan
The Star Alliance has a solid presence in South America with several airlines providing nonstop flights, such as Avianca, Copa Airlines, and United Airlines.
You can book a round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to cities across southern South America from 120,000 Aeroplan points.
Here are some examples of itineraries you can book:
- Houston (IAH) to Buenos Aires (EZE) nonstop for 60,000 points one-way in United business class
- Houston (IAH) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) nonstop for 60,000 points one-way in United business class
7. Fly Between the U.S. and Asia From 110,000 Points Round-trip in Business Class on a Star Alliance Partner
ANA’s new business class seating is excellent. Image Credit: ANA
The Star Alliance has several Asian carriers that allow you to access many cities across the region with nonstop flights or easy 1-stop itineraries.
Partners based in Asia include All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways.
You can book a round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to destinations in Asia from just 110,000 Aeroplan points.
Keep in mind that most of Asia falls into the Pacific zone in Aeroplan’s award chart and it’s a vast region, so mileage rates will vary depending on your origin and destination cities.
Here are some examples of itineraries you can book:
Hot Tip: You can snag a round-trip economy flight from the West Coast of the U.S. to select destinations in Asia from just 70,000 points, which can be a great way to stretch your miles for a long-haul flight.
8. Fly Between the U.S. and the Middle East for 85,000 Points One-way in Business Class on Etihad
Etihad Airways Airbus A380 business class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
While Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways isn’t a Star Alliance partner, Aeroplan maintains a partnership with the airline that opens up some amazing redemption opportunities.
Thanks to this partnership, you can redeem 85,000 Aeroplan points to fly one-way in Etihad business class from cities on the U.S. East Coast, such as New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH).
Want to up the luxury ante a notch (or 3)? You can fly the same routes in Etihad’s spectacular first class product for 120,000 points each way.
List of Star Alliance Partners
Below is a list of all Star Alliance member airlines:
List of Non-Star Alliance Partners
Below is a list of airlines that partner with the Aeroplan program but are not full Star Alliance members:
- Aeromar
- Air Creebec
- Air Dolomiti
- Air Mauritius
- Air Serbia
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Calm Air
- Canadian North
- Cathay Pacific
- Central Mountain Air
- Etihad Airways
- Eurowings/Eurowings Discover
- GOL
- Gulf Air
- Juneyao Airlines
- Olympic Air
- Oman Air
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
Car Rental and Hotel Partners
Aeroplan offers numerous opportunities to earn points through spending at its car rental and hotel partners.
Final Thoughts
The Aeroplan program has gone through some changes recently, but there are still many opportunities for maximizing your points. In addition to eliminating carrier-imposed surcharges, the program’s stopover and open-jaw allowance can help boost the value of your points even more.
Aeroplan shouldn’t be overlooked when you’re planning your next bucket-list getaway!
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