Canada’s best Aeroplan credit cards
Aeroplan is Canada’s largest airline loyalty program—and one of its most lucrative. Owned by Air Canada, Aeroplan offers a ton of flexibility compared to other airline loyalty programs. You can earn and redeem Aeroplan points with more than 50 partner airlines and even transfer points to other programs. Whether you’re looking for a no-fee card to get you started earning Aeroplan points or a full-service travel card with all the bells and whistles, there’s an Aeroplan credit card for you.
| Aeroplan credit card | Why we love it |
|---|---|
| Best for fast-tracking points American Express Cobalt Card Annual fee: $156 |
Earn up to 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent, and transfer those points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio |
| Best co-branded Aeroplan card TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Annual fee: $139 |
Earn Aeroplan points on your everyday spending, get a Nexus fee rebate, and more |
| Best Aeroplan credit card for luxury perks American Express The Platinum Card Annual fee: $799 |
Comes with airport lounge access, a $200 annual travel credit, and more |
| Best no-fee Aeroplan credit card CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card Annual fee: $0 |
A no-frills option that still lets you earn Aeroplan points |
Best Aeroplan card for fast-tracking points
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American Express Cobalt
Annual fee: $156
Welcome offer: earn 1,250 points for each month you spend $750, up to a maximum of 15,000 points.
Card details
| Interest rates | 21.99% on purchases, 21.99% on cash advances |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
| Point value | 1 Amex Membership Rewards point = $0.01 when redeemed with the Flexible Points Travel Program, $0.015 on average with the Fixed Points Travel Program, and up to $0.02 with airline points transfers. |
Best co-branded Aeroplan credit card
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TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
Annual fee: $139
Welcome offer: earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first purchase with your new card; earn 15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $7,500 within 180 days of account opening. Conditions apply. Account must be approved by September 3, 2024.
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases, 22.99% on cash advances, 22.99% on balance transfers |
| Income required | Personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000 |
| Credit score | 660 or higher |
| Anniversary bonus | Earn a one-time anniversary bonus of 15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 12 months of opening the account. Conditions apply. Account must be approved by September 3, 2024. |
| Point value | Aeroplan points are worth $0.02 on average. |
Honourable mention
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American Express Aeroplan Card
Annual fee: $120
Welcome offer: earn 30,000 Aeroplan points after spending $3,000 in purchases on your card within the first 3 months.
Card details
| Interest rates | n/a (Note: The American Express Aeroplan card is a charge card, so you’re required to pay off the balance in full with this card every month) |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | 725 or higher |
| Anniversary bonus | Earn 20,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in month 13 |
| Point value | Aeroplan points are worth $0.02 on average. |
- Like TD’s Aeroplan Visa Infinite, the American Express Aeroplan is a co-branded Aeroplan card. However, there are notable differences between the two cards: the Amex has a lower annual fee ($120) and its rewards rate will net you more points on Air Canada purchases and dining. We gave the edge to TD for delivering more points on two of the most common spending categories—groceries and gas—but if you spend more on dining out and travel, Amex’s offering may be the right fit for you.
- The card has travel insurance, including $500,000 in travel accident, flight and baggage delay, and lost or stolen baggage, plus hotel burglary, car rental theft and damage.
- Notably, the American Express Aeroplan is a charge card, so while you won’t be restricted by a credit limit, you will have to pay off the balance in full every month.
Best Aeroplan credit card for luxury perks
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American Express Platinum
Annual fee: $799
Welcome offer: earn up to 100,000 rewards points ($1,000 value). Conditions apply.
Card details
| Interest rates | N/A (as a charge card, you’re required to pay off your balance in full every month) |
| Income required | None |
| Credit score | 760 or higher |
| Anniversary bonus | $200 annual dining credit to use at a curated list of Canada’s top restaurants. Plus, $200 annual travel credit when booking through American Express Travel Online. |
| Point value | 1 Amex Membership Rewards point = $0.01 when redeemed with the Flexible Points Travel Program, $0.015 on average with the Fixed Points Travel Program, and up to $0.02 with airline points transfers. |
Best no-fee Aeroplan credit card
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CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card for Students
Annual fee: $0
Welcome offer: earn 10,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first purchase ($200 value)
Card details
| Interest rates | 20.99% on purchases and 22.99% on cash advances (21.99% in Quebec) |
| Income required | None specified |
| Credit score | None specified |
| Point value | Aeroplan points are worth $0.02 on average. |
How many Aeroplan points do you need for a flight?
According to the new Aeroplan redemption chart, how many points you need to redeem to book a flight depends on the distance between your city of departure and arrival, whether you’re flying Air Canada or a partner airline and which of the four “travel zones” you’re flying between.
At a minimum, you’ll need at least 6,000 points to redeem a one-way ticket within the North America travel zone to any destination within 500 miles of your departure (or 12,000 points for a round-trip). That includes trips like Toronto to Ottawa, or Vancouver to Calgary.
The number of points you need for redemption increases as you go further from your departure city or enter a new travel zone. For example, you’d need at least 70,000 Aeroplan points for a round trip to the Atlantic Zone travel zone within 4,000 miles of your city of departure.
Aeroplan has a handy points predictor tool to estimate how many points you need to redeem for a flight.
How much are Aeroplan points worth?
Unfortunately, Aeroplan points don’t have a fixed value. You can use the points predictor tool to see how it can vary. That said, you can get better value depending on the destination.
This formula can help you decide whether to redeem or not.
1 Aeroplan point = (price of ticket – Aeroplan fees) ÷ points needed to redeem
Generally, if the result of this equation is more than 1.2 to 1.5 cents per Aeroplan mile, you’re looking at a solid deal. For example, in January 2021, flying round-trip from Calgary to Halifax required 25,000 Aeroplan points, excluding taxes and fees. Since the total price of a ticket was around $770, plus $80 in taxes and fees, in this scenario, the value of 1 point would be 2.76 cents, based on the above equation: ($770 – $80) ÷ 25,000.
Business class flights are also known to offer better value as their retail value is much higher, but you’ll need to rack up more points to redeem for those rewards.
What is Aeroplan’s stopover policy?
Aeroplan has introduced a new stopover policy that will help both casual and seasoned travellers stretch the value of their points.
When travelling almost anywhere (excluding Canada or the U.S.), you can add a stop over on each one-way flight for an incremental 5,000 points. By leveraging this stopover policy, you can strategically add stops on your routes, see more destinations, and maximize the value of your points.
How to earn Aeroplan points faster
Aeroplan has many retail and brand partners, offering the ability to earn twice. Once with the credit card, and another with your membership card. So a good tip is to scan your Aeroplan cards for points as well as for charging at the register. Plus, you can take advantage of Aeroplan’s online store to make purchases and earn additional bonus points from popular online retailers like Amazon.
Redeeming through Air Canada versus Star Alliance member airlines
New Aeroplan points can be redeemed for flights on Air Canada or any of the roughly two dozen Star Alliance member airlines, just like before. However, Aeroplan has introduced a few changes when it comes to its redemption rules.
When redeeming on Air Canada, Aeroplan has introduced “dynamic pricing,” which effectively means the number of points you need for a flight can vary within a range. For instance, a round-trip economy flight from Calgary to Halifax with Air Canada can require anywhere between 25,000 and 35,000 points. You may need more points within this range if you’re travelling to a popular destination or during a high-demand travel season.
When redeeming on Star Alliance member airlines, which include United and Lufthansa, dynamic pricing isn’t part of the picture. For instance, the same round-trip flight from Calgary to Halifax always requires 25,000 points at any point in time. The one caveat is you’ll have to pay an extra $39 booking fee per traveller when flying on a Star Alliance airline versus using Air Canada itself.
When booking travel, you’ll want to compare between Air Canada and the other Star Alliance airlines to see which one offers the best return for your points. The answer will depend on your particular travel booking.
Which Aeroplan cards come with lounge access?
Three Aeroplan credit cards provide airport lounge access in Canada:
- TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card: Allows access to Maple Leaf Lounges in North America for primary and additional cardholders, each of whom can bring a guest. This access is only available with a same-day ticket on a departing Air Canada or Star Alliance flight. You’ll also get complimentary access to the Visa Airport Companion Program by Dragonpass that gives you six free visits to over 1,200 lounges worldwide.
- CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card: Offers the same Maple Leaf Lounge and Dragonpass benefits as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege.
- American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card: Provides Maple Leaf Lounge access for the primary and additional cardholders (and one additional guest) on eligible Air Canada and Star Alliance flights.
More of Canada’s best credit cards:
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