Air Canada Aeroplan

Aeroplan redemption structure

Aeroplan uses two pricing models depending on the operating carrier:

• Star Alliance partner flights are priced from a fixed chart that combines region pairs (e.g. North America to Atlantic) with distance bands within each region. Each chart cell is a single point value, not a "starting from" range. Same point cost for every route in the same region + distance band + cabin combination.
• Air Canada-operated flights use dynamic pricing with a published "starting from" floor that can rise based on demand and inventory.

Carrier-imposed surcharges: $0 on partner airline awards (Aeroplan eliminated fuel surcharges/YR on partner bookings in 2020 - one of the program's biggest structural advantages over United, Lufthansa M&M, and most other Star Alliance currencies).

Partner booking fee: $39 CAD on awards that include a non-Air Canada segment.

Optional stopover: 5,000 points per direction, available only at points outside the US and Canada.

No close-in award booking fee.

The full distance-banded chart was updated effective June 1, 2026 (some premium-cabin transatlantic and transpacific bands rose 5,000-15,000 points one-way). For exact per-route pricing, use the official Flight Reward Chart linked below or the upcoming Booking Tool, which prices your route across all currencies that can book it.

Official chart: https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/loyalty-content/documents/flight-rewards-chart-en.pdf

US co-brand card

Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card:

• Automatic Aeroplan 25K status for the primary cardmember while the account is open, with no spending requirement
• 3X on Air Canada purchases (up to 5X with the 2X Air Canada gives 25K members), 3X travel, 2X gas, 1X everything else
• Dining and grocery earn 3X on purchases posting through December 31, 2026, then 2X
• At least 15% off the base fare points on Air Canada flight rewards when each direction is flown entirely by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or Air Canada Express and booked through aircanada.com, the app or the call centre (partner flights are not eligible)
• Up to $100 a year in Air Canada statement credits
• First checked bag free for the cardmember and up to 8 people on the same reservation, on Air Canada flights
• See the card page for the current welcome offer

(Canada has 11 separate Aeroplan-branded cards via TD, CIBC, and Amex; out of scope for this US-focused page.)

• No fuel surcharges on partner airline awards. Aeroplan is one of the few Star Alliance programs that charges zero carrier-imposed (fuel surcharges/YR) surcharges on partner awards. On a long-haul Lufthansa or Swiss business class redemption, that's typically $400-700 saved versus booking the same flight through United MileagePlus.
• 5,000-point optional stopover is a meaningful add-on. One per direction; stopover only counts at airports outside the US and Canada and starts at 24+ hours. Frequent use case: NYC -> London -> Frankfurt with a 7-day London stopover for an extra 5K points one-way.
• Transatlantic business class from the Eastern US to Western Europe starts at 60,000 points one-way on partners like Brussels Airlines or TAP. Lufthansa LAX-FRA or LHR-BOS in business is around 70,000 points one-way.
• Vancouver-Tokyo business class on Air Canada or ANA is 55,000 points one-way - one of the cheapest North America to Asia business class redemptions in any program.
• NYC-Toronto business class on Air Canada is 25,000 points one-way - useful for short hops with a meaningful cabin upgrade.
• Round-trip stopovers add up to 10,000 points total (one each direction) for two destinations on one ticket - effectively a multi-city itinerary at minimal cost.
• No close-in award booking fee - a nice perk that not all programs offer.
• $39 CAD partner booking fee is the only added charge on partner awards - small relative to the absence of fuel surcharges.

Aeroplan members at the 50K tier or above receive Star Alliance Gold status, which provides lounge access on all Star Alliance member airlines worldwide for the member plus one guest when traveling on a Star Alliance flight (regardless of cabin or fare).

Air Canada operates its own Maple Leaf Lounge network at major Canadian airports plus a handful of US gateway airports (LGA, YYZ-bound flights). Maple Leaf Lounge access rules:

• Aeroplan 50K and above: same-day Air Canada or Star Alliance flight required
• Aeroplan Super Elite: access at all times when traveling, including non-Air Canada paid travel (separate from same-day-flight rules)
• Star Alliance Gold members from any partner program (United Premier Gold, Lufthansa Senator, Singapore PPS, etc.) - same-day Star Alliance flight in any cabin

Single-visit passes: Maple Leaf Lounge day passes are sold to anyone with a same-day Air Canada or Star Alliance ticket (no Aeroplan status required); price varies by location, typically CA$50-80 per visit.

Discounted-cabin exclusion: Air Canada's Basic fare class on transatlantic flights does not earn lounge access through co-brand cards or status; the same-day-flight requirement applies but Basic fares are excluded from some perks.

• Star Alliance partner flights - 25+ partner airlines with no carrier-imposed surcharges. Long-haul business and first class are the headline use case (Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, EVA, Asiana, Turkish, SAS, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, TAP, Avianca, Air China, Eva, Ethiopian, etc.).
• Air Canada-operated flights - dynamic-priced with a published "starting from" floor; sweet spots remain on US-Canada and Canada-Europe routes.
• Optional stopover for 5,000 points - one per direction, only at points outside the US and Canada. Powerful for adding a Europe city to a Europe itinerary or an Asia city to an Asia itinerary.
• Aeroplan eStore + retail partners - merchandise from 3,500 points; usually a poor cents-per-point return but useful at low balances.
• HotelSavers - 9,000+ hotel partner properties bookable with Aeroplan; cents-per-point varies, generally lower than airline redemptions.
• Non-airline partners - Vroom (cars), Aeroplan retail dining/grocery, gift cards. Lower value than flights; most readers should ignore unless trying to clear a small balance.
• World of Hyatt partnership (launched July 2026): redeem Aeroplan points for World of Hyatt Free Night Awards from 25,000 points (Category 1-4 and 1-7 hotels). World of Hyatt points can also convert to Aeroplan at 2 to 1 (minimum 5,000).
• Air India Delhi to Toronto nonstop - a Star Alliance partner route bookable through Aeroplan, with business class from around 90,000 points one-way and no carrier-imposed surcharges.
• US East Coast to Europe in business for 60,000 points (partner metal) - Aeroplan's fixed partner award chart still prices one-way business class at 60,000 points for Atlantic routes up to 4,000 miles, which covers most US East Coast to Western Europe flights, on Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, Swiss, SAS, and TAP - with no fuel surcharges, just government taxes. Air Canada's own flights are dynamically priced and usually cost more, so target partner availability to lock in this rate. (Current post-June-2026 chart.)