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Air Canada, the country’s flagship airline, is the biggest provider of passenger service between the U.S. and Canada. When you participate in its Aeroplan loyalty program, you can earn points with Air Canada, Star Alliance airlines and other partner airlines. You can spend them on future Air Canada flights or on trips with other airlines in the Star Alliance.
So is it worth flying and participating in its loyalty program, Air Canada Aeroplan? Here’s an overview of the program to help you decide.
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About Air Canada
Founded in 1937, Air Canada is the flag carrier of Canada. Headquartered in Montreal, with additional hubs in Toronto and Vancouver, Air Canada offers service to over 180 destinations across six continents under three brands: Air Canada proper, regional operator Air Canada Express and subsidiary Air Canada Rouge.
Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, which is the world’s largest airline alliance. As a member, Air Canada’s reach extends to 1,300 destinations in nearly 200 countries worldwide through its more than 25 member airlines.
Air Canada fare classes
Air Canada offers three cabins — economy, premium economy and business class.
Within those three cabins comes seven fare types: basic, standard, flex, comfort, latitude, premium economy and business.
Depending on the aircraft flown, cabins may also go by different names and layouts. For example, on the A319 and A321, aircraft, you might opt for the Premium Rouge cabin which features large comfortable seats in a 2x2 seat configuration. No middle seats here.
On some Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft or Airbus A330 aircraft routes, business class is referred to as Air Canada Signature Class. This class guarantees an open suite in the form of an Executive Pod on the 787, 777 and A330 and a Classic Pod on some North American A330 routes. In all cases, pod seats convert to fully flat beds, maxing out at 79 inches in the Executive Pod. Air Canada Signature Class is available on European, Asian, Pacific and South American routes.
» Learn more: How to make the most of economy class on Air Canada
Main U.S. routes
Air Canada offers numerous flights between its Canadian hubs and the U.S. daily, as well as direct service from smaller Canadian airports to the U.S. There are multiple flights to cities like Boston, New York and Detroit, as well as other popular tourist destinations like Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers, Florida, and San Francisco.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Air Canada uses aircraft with Signature Class (its top business class product) on several nonstop, medium-haul routes between the U.S. and Canada, making it the only North American airline with lie-flat seats between these two markets. Signature Class is available on most flights between Toronto and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, as well as between Vancouver and Montreal or Newark, New Jersey. How to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points
Earn by flying
Aeroplan members earn 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on eligible Air Canada flights, based on the base fare and carrier surcharges (excluding taxes, fees, and third-party charges). That replaces the prior, distance-based award chart. Elite members earn between 2 and 6 points per dollar spent, depending on their status level at the time of travel.
You can also earn points by flying any Star Alliance member airline, as well as on eligible flights with Air Canada's other partner airlines. These include Air Serbia, Azul, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Vistara.
» Learn more: Your guide to the Star Alliance
Earn by spending on credit cards
Beyond flying, another way to amass a lot of Aeroplan points is to earn a sign-up bonus from the Aeroplan® Credit Card. It’s the only Aeroplan card for U.S. residents and offers several bonus categories and other benefits.
Earn by transferring
Aeroplan is currently a transfer partner with American Express, Bilt, Chase and Capital One, and transfers are instant. AmEx Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Capital One miles can be transferred at a rate of 1:1. It’s an excellent option if you need to top up your account for an award flight.
Other ways to earn
- Travel partners: Earn points with over 15 hotel and car rental partners such as Marriott and Avis.
- Shopping portal: Earn points with over 300 retailers when shopping through the Aeroplan eStore.
- Buy points: Buy points at a standard rate of about $55 ($75 Canadian) per 2,000 points.
- Family points pool: Called Aeroplan Family Sharing, you can add up to eight verified family members to a points pool. It’s an easy way to share Aeroplan points, as well as redemption privileges and preferred pricing for Aeroplan credit cardholders.
What are Air Canada Aeroplan points worth?
So you've earned a bunch of points, but what are Air Canada Aeroplan points actually worth? Based on our analysis, the value of 1 Aeroplan point is 1.1 cents. Using that figure, you can estimate the value of your own Air Canada Aeroplan stash using this calculator:
How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value
Aeroplan uses a somewhat complicated award pricing system that’s both zone-based and distance-based. Award charts detail pricing between and within four travel zones — North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America — further broken down by distance and class. That's good and bad. It can make finding great award flights complicated, but it also means there are plenty of Air Canada Aeroplan sweet spots with great redemptions.
On its own flights, Aeroplan employs a dynamic award pricing system within the chart ranges. For partner airlines, award prices are fixed.
Fly Air Canada
For flights on Air Canada, the dynamic pricing system tries to match the points price with the current cash price. On the one hand, that means there’s no official points price; on the other, it means that all flights and seats are fair game. Aeroplan’s award chart offers guidance in the form of a likely range of expected prices, and its website has a Points Predictor Tool to further help you.
When you book a seat in Signature Class, you also get a VIP experience on the ground. Air Canada Signature Service includes dedicated check-in counters, expedited security clearance, exclusive boarding lanes, priority baggage handling and more. There's also lounge access, which includes chef-designed meals and a quiet place to wait before your flight.
On board, Air Canada Signature Class customers are treated to exclusive service and amenities, including a massage function on the chairs.
Fly on partner airlines
This is where Aeroplan shines, because it’s often much simpler (and smarter) to use Aeroplan points on partner airlines, for which flights have fixed award costs. The catch is that award seats must be available (versus Air Canada’s anytime, any flight on points policy). But if you can find them, you can score a high-value award ticket.
Though Aeroplan has eliminated cash surcharges on all award tickets, even for its own flights, booking a partner ticket requires you pay an added partner booking fee. This flat fee costs around $32 ($39 Canadian) per ticket.
Other ways to redeem Aeroplan points
- Upgrades: Aeroplan points can also be used for flight upgrades on eligible Air Canada flights through a bidding system called AC Bid Upgrade.
- In-flight Wi-Fi: Air Canada’s onboard Wi-Fi can be paid for with Aeroplan points.
- Hotel stays and car rentals: Points can be used for other travel experiences like hotel stays, pulling from a booking engine with over 300,000 hotels and car rentals through various agencies at 11,000 locations worldwide.
- Shopping: At Aeroplan’s eStore, points can be used on merchandise, activities, travel experiences and retailer gift cards.
- Vacation packages: Aeroplan points can be used to pay for an Air Canada Vacation package in its entirety.
Aeroplan Elite Status
Air Canada’s loyalty program is called Aeroplan Elite. Here’s how it works.
Status levels and benefits
There are five status tiers: Aeroplan 25K, 35K, 50K, 75K and Super Elite. Each level offers its own Core Benefits as well as Select Benefits, where you choose from a selection of extra perks. Benefits include priority reservation services, priority airport services (e.g., increased baggage allowance), Maple Leaf Lounge access and eUpgrade credits, all of which vary by status.
The full list of benefits, broken down by status level, can be found here.
Aeroplan’s Select Benefits for elite members allows frequent flyers to choose which benefits matter most to them beyond their standard Core Benefits. Options include elite status for a friend, Aeroplan Elite Status bonus with Air Canada and select airline partners, eUpgrade credits, and one-time guest passes to the Maple Leaf Lounge.
These Milestones must be chosen as bundles and vary in size as you move up the status ladder. You get new Milestone rewards for every SQC you reach, all the way up to 1 million SQC.
Aeroplan 25K members are entitled to one additional complimentary checked bag beyond what is included in their purchased fare, up to a maximum of two checked bags total.
How to earn Aeroplan Elite Status
Aeroplan has a single path to elite status using Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) as of 2026.
Achieving the various tiers of Aeroplan Elite Status will depend on accumulating SQC through:
- Eligible Air Canada flight purchases: Earn up to 4 SQC per $1 spent on eligible fares (based on fare type and dollars spent on base fare and carrier surcharges, excluding taxes and fees)
- Aeroplan credit card spending: Earn up to 25,000 SQC annually through eligible credit card spending
- Partner activity: Earn up to 25,000 SQC annually through travel and everyday partners, as well as Star Alliance member airlines
Status tiers are named based on the number of SQC required to achieve status. For example, 35K status requires 35,000 SQC.
Starting in 2027, Aeroplan premium credit cardholders who qualify for elite status will begin the new qualification year with an extra 10% of the total SQC they earned in the previous year with no cap.
Harbour Air partnership
Aeroplan has expanded its earning opportunities beyond traditional airlines with a partnership with Harbour Air, North America's largest seaplane airline. Aeroplan members can earn points on eligible Harbour Air flights across coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest but won't earn SQC.
Harbour Air operates up to 200 daily flights to 15 destinations, connecting communities between Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and beyond. The airline specializes in scenic seaplane travel, with average flight times of just 30 minutes.
Earning Aeroplan points on Harbour Air Aeroplan members earn a fixed number of points based on the Harbour Air fare class:
- Harbour Air Flex Fare: 200 Aeroplan points.
- Harbour Air Comfort Fare: 150 Aeroplan points.
- Harbour Air Value Fare: 100 Aeroplan points.
- Harbour Air Light Fare: No points.
Air Canada Aeroplan, recapped
Air Canada is a major player in the U.S. airline market. Its Aeroplan loyalty program offers solid opportunities to earn and redeem points on flights within the Americas and worldwide — and often presents high value for award travel on partner airlines.
With the Status Qualifying Credits system, the program is evolving to better reward members who spend more with Air Canada.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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