Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Credit Card: You’re Permanently Elite

Generous welcome bonus

The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card features the following welcome offer, which can go a long way toward booking your next vacation: Earn up to 115,000 bonus points. Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 40,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months your account is open.

Solid ongoing rewards, even on non-Air Canada spending

Sure, the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card earns bonus points for purchases made with Air Canada. But you’ll earn also 3 points per dollar spent on groceries and at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) through Dec. 31, 2026, and 2 points back in these categories beginning in January 2027. The card's 3x travel category is broad and includes airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, operators of passenger trains, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges, highways, parking lots and garages. And if you're more a road-tripper, you'll earn double points back at gas stations, too.

Automatic — and permanent — elite status

Cardholders are automatically granted Aeroplan 25K Elite Status, the entry-level tier in Air Canada’s loyalty program. Just as important, there's no spending requirement to maintain that status. That's a change from before the card's overhaul in September 2026. Prior to that, the 25K status was good only for the year you opened the card and the next calendar year, and you had to spend a certain amount each year to keep it.

The 25K status comes with attractive perks on Air Canada flights, including early boarding, priority check-in and upgrades, priority check-in and priority boarding (Zone 2), 5 eUpgrade Credits each year, and more. Those credits can be used on eligible flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge to upgrade to Business Class, Premium Economy or Premium Rouge.

Up to $100 in annual Air Canada credits

Receive up to $50 in Air Canada statement credit from January 1 through June 30 and up to $50 from July 1 through December 31 every year, which can be used toward paid fares, award bookings, in-flight purchases and more. The statement credit is automatically applied to your account at a later time after making the qualifying purchase.

Free checked bags

When you use your Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card to pay for an Air Canada flight, you’ll get one free checked bag for you and up to eight additional people in your reservation. This is one of the more generous free-baggage policies among airline cards, and it can provide generous savings — particularly if you’re traveling with a large party. A first checked bag for economy class travel on Air Canada typically starts at $45 one way, depending on the destination.

Rewards can be used to cover an array of purchases

Have a pile of Aeroplan points but you're not flying anytime soon? The card's Pay Yourself Back® feature allows you to redeem those points for a statement credit to cover travel, dining, grocery store and gas station purchases made with your card. Eligible travel expenses include hotels, car rentals, cruises, flights on any airline and more. You can redeem your points for statement credit for up to 90 days after your purchase.

Each point is worth 1.25 cents when redeemed against an eligible travel purchase. Redemptions for purchases at restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations get a lower value of 0.8 cents cents per point.

15% off eligible Air Canada award flight redemptions

Get 15% off the number of Aeroplan points that you'd otherwise need to redeem toward eligible flights on Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada Rouge through aircanada.com, Air Canada’s app or the call center.

Big spenders get even bigger perks

It's possible to move up to the next Aeroplan status tier when you spend $75,000 on the card in a calendar year. You'll also get 50% off the number of points needed for an eligible flight after spending $100,000 or more. If you spend your way to $1 million, you’ll receive a global plus-one benefit that returns the points used for your companion’s flight to any destination. Terms apply. (Granted, these are extremely high spending bars to hit.)

Other cards can offer more flexibility

Points earned from the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card can be redeemed for flights across multiple airlines, including those in the Star Alliance network. But United Airlines is the only domestic airline in the Alliance; all other airlines are internationally based.

Additionally, most of the card’s benefits like elite status, a free checked bag and reward discounts are tied to Air Canada.

A general travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for example, that isn’t tied to one airline or network can offer greater redemptions and benefits flexibility. Rewards earned with the card can be redeemed for a variety of options, including for travel booked through Chase. You can also transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to a number of domestic and international airline and hotel travel partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan. The card charges an annual fee of $95 and earns rewards in the following categories:

• 5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).

• 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.

• 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

• 3 points per $1 spent on gas stations and EV charging stations.

• 3 points per $1 spent on vacation homes booked directly with brands like Airbnb and VRBO.

• 2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase.

• 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

Aeroplan also partners with American Express. You can transfer Membership Rewards earned from several cards, like the American Express® Gold Card and the American Express Platinum Card®, to Aeroplan at a 1:1 rate.

Keep in mind, though, that such general travel cards typically don't come with airline-specific perks. For more options, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit card offers.

Relatively high annual fee

For people who fly Air Canada frequently, the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card certainly packs a punch. But if you rarely visit Canada (or just don't want to pay an annual fee), the card's $195 annual fee could be a dealbreaker. That's higher than what most airline credit cards in this class charge.

The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card is a good $0-annual-fee alternative. Cardholders earn an unlimited 3 points per dollar spent on:

• Restaurants.

• Travel and transit.

• Gas stations and EV charging stations.

• Popular streaming services.

• Select phone plans.