The New Aeroplan Program 2023

It’s been a couple of years since the announcement that a new Aeroplan program was on the horizon, and the changes have finally been revealed. Air Canada announced that it would acquire Aeroplan and make some modifications to the plan, and Aeroplan members are anxious to find out what they are.

Aeroplan is a traveller rewards loyalty program owned by Air Canada that allows members to earn miles when they use their Aeroplan card with any purchases made at participating merchants. The accumulated points can then be used to redeem flights, vacations, concert tickets, and other expenditures. 

Now, after a long period of speculation, the changes are in place and will be in full effect by early 2021. The question is, what do these changes mean for your Aeroplan miles and using your rewards card going forward? Here’s everything you need to know about the new Aeroplan program.

Changes To The Aeroplan Program

Although Aeroplan was initially established by Air Canada as its loyalty program, Aeroplan started operating as a subsidiary in 2002, and by 2005, it became a separate entity. Early last year, Air Canada took over Aeroplan once again and announced that it would launch its own loyalty program. 

Current Aeroplan cardholders will automatically move to the new program and retain the same Aeroplan account numbers. Aeroplan miles accumulated will still be honoured and members can continue to use and redeem their points as they did before the change. 

Here are the changes you can expect.

Aeroplan Miles Will Now Be Referred To As Aeroplan Points

With the new program in place, all Aeroplan miles will now be known as Aeroplan points, which will be converted at a one-to-one ratio.

Earning Aeroplan Points Is Now More Simplified

With the old program, you earn miles for every mile you fly on each component of a trip. Your earning potential depended on the fare class that you fly with. For instance, basic economy seats to fly anywhere in North America came with an earning rate of 10%, while flying in business class would earn you up to 150%.

With the new Aeroplan program, things have been simplified. Now, your ability to earn points will be based on multipliers that are added to the base airfare and surcharges, as illustrated below:

Aeroplan Partners You Can Earn Points

Redeeming Aeroplan Points Will Be Easier

With the new Aeroplan program changes, redeeming points will be easier going forward. The plan is to rebrand Aeroplan so that it’s more in line with the Air Canada brand. As such, points can be redeemed directly on the Aircanada.com website or the Air Canada app.

When it’s time to book a flight, you’ll have over 150 routes to choose from to get to your destination. There’s also a “points plus cash” program that lets plan members combine both points and cash to make a redemption and book a flight. 

When it comes to flights and seats, the redemption of your Aeroplan points will depend on:

• Where you plan to fly
• Where you’re flying from
• Distance from departure to destination
• How frequently people travel on specific routes

Your Points Can Be Combined With Points From Up To 8 People

You’ll be able to accumulate and redeem points faster now that Aeroplan points can be collected by up to 8 people. In addition to adding family members, you can also add friends or others you choose. Every person included in the group will come in with their own points and can make a redemption, as long as the points being redeemed is approved by the group manager. 

There are a few rules when it comes to group sharing of points and redemption. For starters, points collected and redeemed are based on a percentage of how much each person brings to the group. 

Further, members have to stay in the group for at least 3 months and will have to wait 6 months before they can join another Aeroplan points group. If you leave the group, you can keep all the points you came in with and earned while you were in the group, less any points that were redeemed. 

Points Can Be Applied To Any Flight, Date, And Seat

With the new plan, you’ll have a lot more flexibility when it comes to applying your points. Now, Aeroplan points can be applied to any flight, date, and seat. As long as what you’re looking for is available, you won’t be met with any pesky blackout dates and minimal seat options. Instead, all seats on Air Canada flights will be available to book using your points, including seats in business class. 

With the new changes, flights will be divided into 4 separate zones, including the following:

• North America
• South America
• Atlantic
• Pacific

Carrier Surcharges Have Been Eliminated

Carrier surcharges will no longer be in effect when booking. Prior to the new changes, there may have been surcharges on specific airlines, and Air Canada was one of them. These hikes in ticket prices are a thing of the past with the new plan on all fares going forward. 

Limits On The Number Of Stopovers Are No Longer Applicable

With the new plan in place, you’ll be able to add a stopover with every one-way flight segment to customize your trip, though you’ll need to spend an additional 5,000 points to do so. Before the new changes were made, you could only include one stopover. 

Plus, the Maximum Permitted Mileage (MPM) has also been eliminated. The MPM restricted the number of layovers under 24 hours that you could add to your trip. Now, you can add as many as 15 layovers to your itinerary.

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Three Financial Institutions Offer Aeroplan Personal Credit Cards

Aeroplan credit cards will still be available, helping you speed up your points accumulation. Here are just some of the reasons why you may want to consider taking out an Aeroplan credit card:

• Earn Aeroplan points faster. If you are already an Aeroplan member, you can accumulate points much quicker with an Aeroplan credit card. Plus, your earning power will increase when you use your card for purchases made at participating grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and on travel expenditures. 
• Air Canada travel perks. Not only can your Aeroplan credit card help you earn points to be used to cover airfare, but it also offers other travel benefits, such as free first checked bags, Maple Leaf Lounge access, and priority airport services. 
• Reach Elite Status quicker. An Aeroplan credit card can help you get to Elite Status faster so you can enjoy perks like eUpgrades, Priority Contacts, and VIP airport lounge access. 

The following financial institutions offer Aeroplan credit cards:

TD Aeroplan Credit Cards

TD offers 3 Aeroplan personal credit cards that allow you to earn Aeroplan points on every dollar spent: 

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite 

• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent with Air Canada
• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent at participating gas stations and grocery stores
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases 

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum 

• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent with Air Canada 
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent at participating gas stations and grocery stores. 
• Earn 1 point for every $1.50 spent on all other purchases 

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege

• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent with Air Canada 
• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent at participating gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and travel 
• Earn 1.25 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases

American Express Aeroplan Credit Cards

American Express also offers 3 Aeroplan personal credit cards to choose from:

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at participating restaurants
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn up to 65,000 bonus points and a $100 credit

American Express Aeroplan Card

• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures
• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent at participating restaurants
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn up to 15,000 bonus points and a bonus Buddy Pass 

American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card

• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at participating hotels and car rental locations
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn up to 65,000 welcome bonus points and a $100 credit

CIBC Aeroplan Credit Cards

Choose from 3 different CIBC Aeroplan credit cards to help you collect Aeroplan points faster:

CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card

• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures, 
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent at participating gas stations and grocery stores
• Earn 1 point for every $1.50 spent on all other purchases

CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures
• Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent at participating gas stations and grocery stores
• Earn 1 point for every $1.50 spent on all other purchases

CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card

• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations expenditures
• Earn 1.5 points at participating gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and travel 
• Earn 1.25 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Final Thoughts

If you’re already an Aeroplan member or are thinking of becoming one, you’ll be pleased to know that the new changes being implemented will streamline your ability to earn and redeem points. Plus, there are a handful of other perks to take advantage of, like pooling your points with others and avoiding surcharges and blackout dates. Finally, if you really want to accelerate your earning potential, consider applying for any one of the many participating Aeroplan credit cards.