Always dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Written By Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Barbara King Credit Cards WriterAlways dreaming about the next destination, credit cards specialist Barbara King is an avid traveler who optimizes her adventures through the use of points and miles. Barbara has earned and redeemed millions of credit cards points which has enabled h.
Credit Cards Writer Toni Perkins-Southam Lead EditorToni is a points and miles enthusiast who has been leveraging loyalty programs to travel around the world (for nearly free) with her husband and their four young children. She’s passionate about sharing travel tips so that others can not only feel in.
Toni Perkins-Southam Lead EditorToni is a points and miles enthusiast who has been leveraging loyalty programs to travel around the world (for nearly free) with her husband and their four young children. She’s passionate about sharing travel tips so that others can not only feel in.
Toni Perkins-Southam Lead EditorToni is a points and miles enthusiast who has been leveraging loyalty programs to travel around the world (for nearly free) with her husband and their four young children. She’s passionate about sharing travel tips so that others can not only feel in.
Toni Perkins-Southam Lead EditorToni is a points and miles enthusiast who has been leveraging loyalty programs to travel around the world (for nearly free) with her husband and their four young children. She’s passionate about sharing travel tips so that others can not only feel in.
Updated: Aug 7, 2024, 3:23pm
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
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Air Canada Aeroplan is not just for Canadians. Aeroplan offers a wide range of rewards and benefits to its members, plus Aeroplan points are relatively easy to earn and obtain. Aeroplan is a transfer partner of most major transferable points programs, which gives you a quick and readily available source of Aeroplan points when you need them.
Since Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance, Aeroplan points can be redeemed for flights with any of the Star Alliance airlines. In addition, Air Canada partners with over 20 more airlines which further expands redemption opportunities.
With its expansive network of partners, Aeroplan can give you both a huge selection of routing options and award availability. Its fixed award chart—a rarity these days—has some high-value redemptions for certain routings.
Redeeming Aeroplan points for flights is pretty straightforward. You can book most flights directly online. Start by navigating to aircanada.com, enter in your desired travel details and click the checkbox next to “Book with points Aeroplan.”
While you don’t need to be logged in to search, it may be better if you are. Those with an Aeroplan co-branded credit card or Aeroplan status may be eligible for preferred pricing on eligible flights.
Whether you log in or not, you’ll be able to see redemption options and prices. Be aware tha t in the points pricing view, Aeroplan will display numerous mixed-cabin itineraries as premium-cabin redemptions. By hovering over “mixed cabin,” you can see what percentage of the itinerary is in the premium class.
If you are logged into your account, you’ll be able to see a weekly award calendar indicating the lowest prices.
When you find an itinerary you like, you can choose between different award levels available within that class of service. For example, if you’re booking an economy ticket, you’ll be able to choose between a Standard Reward, a Flex Reward and a Latitude Reward.
Each award level has different pricing, inclusions and restrictions.
After selecting your reward level, you can choose to pay for a larger portion of your trip with cash. In this case, the normal redemption is 39,600 Aeroplan points plus $33.80 Canadian dollars (around $25). If you don’t have enough points, you could opt to pay fewer points and more cash. If you wanted to cover the taxes with points, you could also do so for an additional 3,380 points.
After you’ve selected your pricing breakdown, click through and enter all of the passenger details. Here you’ll have the opportunity to select your seats. Finally, you’ll be presented with the payment page to confirm your booking details are correct and the option to enter your payment information.
That’s it. Your award redemption with Aeroplan is complete—your miles will be deducted and the award itinerary will be on its way to your inbox.
Upgrading paid flights with miles is often viewed as an easy way to fly in business or first class and it is possible to upgrade with Aeroplan points. However, it’s not all guaranteed: Air Canada offers the option to bid for an upgrade, meaning you aren’t guaranteed to get that seat.
The other upgrade option is to use eUpgrade points for upgrades in business or first class, which only Aeroplan Elite S tatus holders are eligible to earn. These points can be earned during annual benefit year selections or when crossing status qualifying thresholds. In addition, not all flights are eligible for upgrades.
You can use your Aeroplan points to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi. Once onboard, you can log in to your Aeroplan account and you’ll see the pricing in Aeroplan points for the various Wi-Fi plans. Wi-Fi pricing varies by route and duration.
Aeroplan HotelSavers allows you to book hotel stays with select partners using Aeroplan points. The redemption rate varies by hotel property but generally returns less than a penny a point, so not an optimal redemption. Something to consider is that booking a hotel through a third party does not usually qualify you for earning points within a hotel loyalty program or for receiving elite benefits through status.
Aeroplan’s car rental portal features several major rental companies. You can either rent for cash and earn Aeroplan points, pay with part Aeroplan points and part cash, or redeem Aeroplan points to pay entirely for your rental.
If you opt for paying with Aeroplan points, the redemption rate differs by rental company but generally falls below one cent a point.
Aeroplan points can be redeemed for a cash credit toward purchasing vacations packages or cruises. 5,000 points equates to a $50 credit towards your trip package which works out to 1 cent per point. A minimum 5,000 points is required to make a redemption. You’ll have to call Aeroplan at 1 866-529-2079 to redeem points for a cruise.
Aeroplan points can be used to purchase a variety of merchandise including golf equipment, grills, toys and tools. Gift cards are also available. They are denominated in Canadian dollars and can only be used in Canada or on Canadian websites if you purchase a digital gift card .
Aeroplan points are worth roughly 0.5 cents per point when redeemed for merchandise and gift cards, so not a particularly good use of points unless you have orphaned points that you might want to use up.
Aeroplan also partners with several charitable organizations where you can donate your points. You can search participating charitable organizations based on categories, which include miles for social good and miles for our planet.
