1. Enjoy Aeroplan’s stopover policy
One of the biggest perks of the new Aeroplan program is that they have changed up their stopover policy for the better. Previously, you could only have one stopover (more than 24 hours) and up to 15 layovers (under 24 hours). However, you couldn’t exceed the maximum permitted mileage (MPM) which prevented you from coming up with some creative routes.
Under the new program, you can add in two stopovers, one in each direction (although you are no longer allowed a stopover in Canada or the USA when departing from North America). There is an added cost of 5,000 miles for each stopover but the layover rules are still the same (up to 15). However, the big perk here is that MPM is no longer in place. Which means you can truly create a proper round-the-world ticket. For example, Toronto-London-Dubai-Singapore-Sydney-Toronto.
As long as you continue to go in the right direction, you shouldn’t have a problem. Now, it may end up being quite expensive as you are essentially building your itinerary with one-way flights. However, if this is what you have been saving for- you can make it happen. Even if you don’t plan on doing a RTW, it’s still worth taking advantage of those layovers and/or stopover opportunities to explore somewhere new. Toronto to Bangkok via Hong Kong? Yes, please!
2. Earn miles quicker with an Aeroplan credit card
How do you earn miles faster? Well, the easiest way is to get an Aeroplan credit card. Aeroplan credit cards will earn you points on all purchases, but also allow you to double dip with Aeroplan partners.
Air Canada's Aeroplan offers credit cards for both the Canadian and U.S. markets. One of the reasons why we love the Aeroplan program is because there are so many associated credit card options available, which make it a very accessible loyalty program for Canadians. TD Bank, CIBC, and American Express are all Aeroplan credit card providers. In the United States, Chase is the Aeroplan credit card partner, with the Aeroplan® Credit Card offering a huge welcome bonus, a first checked bag free and no foreign transaction fees.
3. Take advantage of family sharing
Under the old program, you could share points by paying a fee but, thankfully, that isn’t the case any longer thanks to Family Sharing. This feature allows up to 8 people to merge their points into one big pool so you can redeem your points faster.
Say you and your partner are planning a trip to Europe. You have enough points to cover your flight and then some. They don’t have quite enough points. You can create a pool with family sharing so that, together, there are enough points to book flights for each of you. No more waiting, no paying to transfer points. It’s fast, efficient, and easy which means you can travel faster.
Another big perk to family sharing; you can share benefits with those you are travelling with. So, if you have status or preferred rates and your partner doesn’t, he/she will be able to take advantage of those benefits as well.
Key points to keep in mind.
- The term ‘family’ is loose. You can choose to pool your points with whoever you want (up to a maximum of 8 people).
- Points redeemed are taken from everyone, not just the individual. This is done on a percentage basis depending on how many points each person brings into the pool.
- You must be part of a group for at least 3 months and if you leave, you can’t join another for at least 6 months.
- When you leave, you take any points you brought and earned with you, minus any that have been redeemed.
4. Don’t forget about partner airlines
With the old Aeroplan program, fuel surcharges (also known as carrier surcharges) were a nightmare. Air Canada especially was known for its horrifically high fuel surcharges which often added hundreds of dollars to the cost of the ticket. In order to avoid this, travel experts would suggest avoiding Air Canada and instead recommended choosing various partner airlines such as Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, and Brussels Airlines to avoid those fees.
While the fuel surcharges have now been eliminated for all airlines under Aeroplan bookings, there is a $39 partner booking fee. Now, while this fee isn’t necessarily large, it could be enough to convince some buyers to stick with Air Canada flights. But, hold on.
Unlike Air Canada flights which now have dynamic pricing, partner airlines still have fixed pricing. Often, these fixed prices are on the lower end of the points range. Now, there is the downside to being limited with seats when redeeming with partner airlines, however, even with that added $39 fee, partner airlines may come in at a better value in the end.
Aeroplan points also transfer to more than 45 airlines in the Star Alliance global aitriline alliance. Prominent Star Alliance member airlines include United Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Turkish Airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Thai Airlines, Signapore Airlines, Air India and more.
5. Shop online with Aeroplan partners
Aeroplan has more than 170 online retail partners that make collecting Aeroplan points while doing your regular shopping a breeze. Partners include businesses such as Hudson’s Bay, Indigo, Sephora, GAP, and more. These are everyday businesses that many Canadians shop from fairly regularly, plus many of us prefer to shop online so it’s worth your time to go through the Aeroplan portal to ensure you can earn the Aeroplan points.
Make sure to keep an eye out for special promotions and sales too as you can find some pretty great deals. For example, for Black Friday 2020 online purchases from Sephora earned Aeroplan members 10x the points and online orders from Indigo earned members 7x the points.
To see what brands are Aeroplan online partners, log into your Aeroplan account at Aircanada.ca Aircanada.com or via the app and sign in to Aeroplan. From there you can browse by category, brand, or even current promotions. Money.ca has compiled a a full list of Aeroplan partners in our guide to Aeroplan Points.
Final word
This loyalty program may seem a bit daunting, but as per the new Aeroplan changes, these hacks are sure to help you stretch those miles further. Whether you’re planning on traveling anytime soon or holding on to your points for future use, there is nothing holding you back from maximizing the power of your points.
This post was not sponsored. The views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
