6 Great Uses for Aeroplan Miles – Forbes Advisor

Aeroplan is the frequent flyer program of Air Canada, Canada’s flag carrier. For 2020, the Aeroplan program has been completely revamped by new owners, with no fuel surcharges and revised benefit charts. The elimination of fuel surcharges is a welcome change that makes Aeroplan redemption far more attractive than before.

Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance. That means you can use your Aeroplan Her points for award travel for her Star Alliance members. This includes airlines such as Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

Beyond Star Alliance, Air Canada also has an extensive network of other partners, including Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Oman Air, Gulf Air and Bamboo Airways, offering rewards. further increasing the possibilities.

Aeroplan has a distance-based benefit chart. In other words, the number of points required for a reward is determined by the distance traveled.

read more: Air Canada Aeroplan: The Ultimate Guide

Here are six great uses for Aeroplan points.

1. 6,000 Aeroplan points on short-haul flights within North America

Aeroplan charges 6,000 points for economy flights less than 500 miles within North America, defined as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Routes such as New York (NYC) to Toronto (YYZ), San Francisco (SFO) to Las Vegas (LAS), Houston (IAH) to New Orleans (MSY), and Panama City (PTY) to San Jose (SJO) are being discontinued. into this category.

2. 10,000 Aeroplan points on flights less than 1,500 miles within North America

For itineraries less than 1,500 miles within North America, the Aeroplan Economy Award is 10,000 points. As with short-distance awards, North America includes the United States, Canada, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, so the possibilities are vast. This award is available to both sunseekers and ski enthusiasts.

Examples of routes under 1,500 miles include Orlando (MCO) to Montreal (YUL), Detroit (DFW) to Denver (DEN), and Dallas (DFW) to Roatan (RTB).

3. West Coast to Japan with 55,000 Aeroplan Points

West Coast travelers can take advantage of Aeroplan’s very affordable business class benefits to Japan. Flights less than 5,000 miles from North America to the Pacific zone are 55,000 Aeroplan points on partner airlines. Itineraries that meet this criteria are Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (TYO) and Vancouver (YVR) to Tokyo (TYO).

For Vancouver departures, Osaka (KIX) is still within 5,000 miles and is discounted at 55,000 Aeroplan points. In this example, we have a business class segment from Vancouver to Tokyo Haneda and an economy segment to Osaka.

4. West Coast to Hawaii 12,500 points

Hawaii is considered part of North America by Aeroplan, so economy flights within 2,750 miles from the West Coast to Hawaii require 12,500 Aeroplan points on partner airline United. This includes departures from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), San Diego (SAN) and Seattle (SEA).

5. East Coast to Western Europe with 60,000 Aeroplan Points

Western European destinations within 4,000 miles are discounted at 60,000 Aeroplan Points when departing from the East Coast. Examples of city pairs include New York (EWR) to London (LHR), Washington, DC (IAD) to Paris (CDG), and Boston (BOS) to Brussels (BRU).

6. Additional 5,000 Aeroplan points stopover

Aeroplan allows you to add stopovers in each direction of travel for 5,000 points per stopover. This option works well whether you’re on a regional flight or want to add an entirely different country or continent to your trip.

Why not combine Tokyo and Singapore into one? Visit two great destinations and take advantage of both All Nippon Airways and Singapore Airlines’ outstanding business class offerings in one itinerary. In this example, we add his 9-day stopover in Tokyo (HND) to a flight from New York City (JFK) to Singapore (SIN). A flight from JFK to SIN costs 87,500 Aeroplan points. Adding the Tokyo stop raises the price to a reasonable 92,500 points given the amount of flight in the premium cabin.

The stopover feature is useful for short intra-regional flights. In economy, he earns 12,500 Aeroplan points for his Mediterranean journey through Dubrovnik, Istanbul (3-day stopover) and Athens. Without a stopover in Istanbul, a flight from Dubrovnik to Athens would be his 7,500-point economy.

A quick guide to understanding the Aeroplan Awards

Geographically, Aeroplan divides the world into five large travel zones. Award ticket prices are determined by the number of miles traveled and the zone.

Please refer to the Air Canada website for the number of points required for award tickets. Please note that Aeroplan distinguishes between Air Canada award ticket prices and partner airline flight prices.

Benefits on Air Canada flights range from cheaper to astronomically higher than partner benefits. The eye-popping prices are due to the fact that Air Canada always offers availability, but you pay for that availability. Then it will be cheaper.

A very attractive feature of the Aeroplan program is the ability to add a stopover for 5,000 Aeroplan points. Stopovers are allowed up to 45 days and are not permitted in the US or Canada. You can add one stopover to a one-way ticket and two stopovers to a round-trip ticket. This means you must arrive and depart from the same stopover airport.

Aeroplan recently updated their website to allow you to book stopovers online. However, if you have a complex multi-segment itinerary, you may need to call Aeroplan to add a stopover.

commission

Reservation fee

Aeroplan charges a booking fee of $39 per partner award ticket.

fuel surcharge

There are no fuel surcharges for Aeroplan benefits.

Cancellation/change fee

Changes or cancellations to Aeroplan benefits may incur costs. Aeroplan lets you change tickets for $100 each way. The cancellation fee is $150 if you cancel online and $175 if you use the call center. Some Aeroplan Elites are exempt from award cancellation fees.

Avoid award cancellation fees by booking a fully refundable Latitude or Flexible Award. However, point surcharges for Latitude or Flexible Economy Rewards can be a hassle. For business class tickets the surcharge is much more reasonable. For example, the surcharge for a flexible ticket is 16,000 Aeroplan points for a business class flight between New York and Singapore.

Conclusion

Aeroplan is no different than any other airline program. There will always be good things, bad things, and ugly things. Aeroplan has some sweet spots for certain itineraries. So make the most of your Aeroplan stash by focusing on the best redemptions.