Air Canada Aeroplan Transfer Guide
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Quick Start
Air Canada Aeroplan
Airline
Star Alliance
Star Alliance international economy and business class
Transfer Points to Aeroplan
These programs are eligible to transfer your credit card points into Air Canada points, along with the standard transfer ratios.
Air Canada Aeroplan Transfer Ratios
| Program | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
| American Express | 11 |
| Bilt | 11 |
| Capital One | 11 |
| Chase | 11 |
| Citi | – |
| Rove | 11 |
| US Bank | – |
| Wells Fargo | – |
Point transfers are one way. Only transfer after confirming award availability and when you are ready to book
Best Credit Cards for Earning Aeroplan Points
These cards earn flexible bank points that can be transferred to Aeroplan points.
Chase Cards
American Express Cards
Bilt Cards
Capital One Cards
VentureOne Rewards
Venture Rewards
Venture X Rewards
VentureOne Business
Venture Business
Venture X Business
Savor Cash Rewards
Needs travel card
Quicksilver Cash Rewards
Needs travel card
Spark 1% Classic
Needs travel card
Spark 1.5% Cash Select
Needs travel card
Spark 2% Cash
Needs travel card
Spark 2% Cash Plus
Needs travel card
Best Ways to Use Aeroplan Points
Most of Air Canada’s most valuable award tickets will be with partner airlines in the Star Alliance. Occasionally, there will be good value when booking Air Canada’s own planes with Aeroplan points, but it’s harder to find gems because these flights use dynamic pricing, leading to inconsistent points costs.
So instead, we’ll focus on consistent and reliable value with Star Alliance partners.
Air Canada prices many of their partner award tickets with their award chart. In fact, there’s 10 different award charts to figure out how many points you’ll need to book a flight. This depends on which region of the world you are departing and arriving.
Here’s a few examples of routes around the world that will help you maximize your Aeroplan points.
As low as 60,000 points for Business Class from USA to Europe
According to Air Canada’s award chart, any business class flight under 4,000 miles from North America to Europe can be priced as low as 60,000 Aeroplan points. New York (JFK) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) is 3,856 miles according to greatcirclemap.com so this is one of a handful of 60k routes. Boston (BOS) to Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH) on Swiss Air would also qualify at 3,745 miles.
Additionally, longer flights up to 6,000 miles will cost as low as 75,000 Aeroplan points. Los Angeles (LAX) to Warsaw, Poland (WAW) measures curiously at just barely over the distance threshold at 6,016 miles, but costs just 75,000 points in business class.
As low as 55,000 points for Business Class from West Coast to Asia
ANA has a route from Vancouver, Canada (YVR) to Tokyo, Japan (NRT) that flies 4,674 miles. The award chart from North America to Asia is different than the award chart to fly to Europe. In this case, the cheapest fares are for flights under 5,000 miles and they cost 55,000 Aeroplan points. These routes don’t pop up very often, but could be a great deal if you’re willing to position yourself to Canada first.
Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (NRT) would also meet the distance requirement for 55,000 points, but that route may be even harder to find award availability for than the Vancouver flight.
United Airlines domestic economy as low as 6,000 points?
Technically, Air Canada’s award chart shows that you should be able to book flights within North America for as low as 6,000 points. In theory, if the flight is less than 500 miles, like this route from Kansas City (MCI) to Chicago (ORD), you could find a flight for only 6,000 Aeroplan points.
However, in practice, I searched a handful of United Airlines routes under 500 miles and found all of the ones I looked at to be 10,000 Aeroplan points. This happens because United is a select partner, which means Air Canada can price the flight however they want. This is also known as dynamic pricing.
It’s worth noting that 10,000 points may not be the cheapest way to book these United Airlines flights. Other partners, including United themselves might have a lower cost depending on your route and date.
Also keep in mind, there are many more economy sweet spots around the world I didn’t get a chance to mention in this post.
Air Canada Aeroplan Redemption Partners
Here is a full list of Air Canada partners so you can get creative with the trips you want to take.
Aeroplan Partner Airlines
Airlines where you can earn or redeem Aeroplan points, including Star Alliance members and other Aeroplan partners.
Star Alliance
26 airlinesThese airlines share earning, redeeming, and elite benefits with Aeroplan.
Other Aeroplan Partners
32 airlinesNon-alliance airlines with a direct Aeroplan partnership. Terms vary.
Refer to the Air Canada website for the most up-to-date list of partners
Aeroplan Booking Tips
- When booking flights with Air Canada, you will be charged in Canadian dollars. Make sure to use a card with no foreign transaction fees
- Cancelling an award ticket will come with a cancellation fee (no free changes or cancellations)
- Recently, the only transfer bonuses from banks to Aeroplan have been from Chase
- Multi-city awards cost only an additional 5,000 Aeroplan points to add a stopover
Remember to check out the cards at the top of this page to start earning points and miles to transfer to Air Canada
Is Aeroplan Worth It?
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the best airline transfer partners. With most major banks having the ability to transfer points into Aeroplan and the wide variety of great award redemptions, travelers will love using this transfer partner.
