Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Air Canada Aeroplan hub
GUIDE
How to book Aeroplan flight rewards with points and cash
Aeroplan is Air Canada's loyalty programme, and an Aeroplan flight reward is a ticket booked with Aeroplan points for travel with Air Canada or with the programme's partner airlines. Aeroplan flight rewards are redeemed at aircanada.com, and Points + Cash is listed as a way to pay for a reward with points and money together. [5] [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Aeroplan flight rewards are booked at aircanada.com and cover travel with Air Canada and with Aeroplan partner airlines. [5]
- Aeroplan advertises "every seat, every Air Canada flight, no restrictions" for flight rewards, and no cash surcharges on flight rewards with Air Canada. [5]
- Points + Cash is offered as a payment option on flight rewards, so part of the reward can be paid in money rather than points. [5] [3]
- Points stay usable while the account earns or redeems at least one point within an 18-month period, and expiry has been paused until 30 November 2026. [3] [6]
How do you redeem Aeroplan points for a flight?
Aeroplan says members can redeem points for flights with Air Canada and its partner airlines directly at aircanada.com. [5] The programme describes the aim as getting members to a flight reward more easily, with flight rewards named first among the things points can buy. [5]
The same redemption page lists the other categories points can be spent on: hotels through HotelSavers, which Aeroplan describes as saving up to 30% on hotel redemptions; car rentals at more than 11,000 locations worldwide; Air Canada Vacations packages; activities and travel experiences; merchandise; and gift cards. [5]
Redeeming points for a flight reward is also one of the transactions that keeps an Aeroplan account active, alongside earning, donating, transferring and converting points. [3] Aeroplan asks members to earn or redeem at least one Aeroplan point within an 18-month period to stay active. [3]
Which airlines can you book with Aeroplan points?
Aeroplan's flight-reward wording covers two groups: Air Canada itself, and "our partner airlines". [5] On the earning side, the programme invites members to book with its airline partners, including the entire Star Alliance network. [3]
Two of the strongest statements on the redemption page are tied to Air Canada flights specifically: every seat on every Air Canada flight with no restrictions, and no cash surcharges on flight rewards with Air Canada. [5] Partner airlines appear in the same page's description of where points can be redeemed, rather than in those two statements. [5]
That distinction matters when you build an itinerary that uses both: the seat-availability and no-surcharge wording describes the Air Canada flights, while the partner-airline wording describes where else the reward can take you. [5]
How does Points + Cash work on a flight reward?
Aeroplan presents Points + Cash as one of the ways to pay for a flight reward, summarised on its redemption page as "pay your way with Points + Cash". [5] The activity page repeats the option, describing a flight reward as something you can book with a combination of points and cash. [3]
Points can also be spent on extras and upgrades, which Aeroplan describes as a separate category of redemption rather than part of the flight reward itself, naming AC Bid Upgrades and in-flight Wi-Fi as examples. [5]
Whether you pay in points alone or in points plus cash, the reward is a single booking made through aircanada.com for Air Canada and partner flying. [5]
Exceptions and limits
- Points validity. Points expire only if the account has been inactive for 18 months, and Aeroplan says expiry is temporarily on pause. [3] Points that would have expired do not expire up to 29 November 2026; from 30 November 2026 the normal policy applies, and points expire if an eligible transaction has not been completed before that date. [6]
- Expiry notices. Aeroplan emails members up to 60 days before points are due to expire, so a stale email address can hide the warning. [3]
- Status credits. In a worked example on its Elite Status page, Aeroplan counts zero Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for flights redeemed with points and states that flights redeemed using Aeroplan points do not accumulate SQC. [4]
- Missing points. Claims for a hotel stay or car rental cover the last six months, while a flight booking can be claimed within 11 months of the departure date, with some exceptions. [3]
- What this guide covers. Aeroplan flight rewards and the conditions Aeroplan publishes for them; hotel, car, merchandise and gift-card redemptions are noted only for context. [5]
Frequently asked questions
Where do you book an Aeroplan flight reward?
At aircanada.com, where Aeroplan says points can be redeemed for flights with Air Canada and partner airlines. [5]
Can you pay cash for part of an Aeroplan reward?
Yes: Points + Cash is listed as a payment option, and Aeroplan describes a flight reward as bookable with a combination of points and cash. [5] [3]
Does every Air Canada seat appear as an Aeroplan reward?
Aeroplan's redemption page states "every seat, every Air Canada flight, no restrictions" for flight rewards. [5]
Do Aeroplan points expire while you are planning a trip?
Only after 18 months of account inactivity, and expiry is paused until 30 November 2026, when the normal policy resumes. [3] [6]
Do flights booked with points earn Elite Status credits?
No: Aeroplan states that flights redeemed using Aeroplan points do not accumulate SQC. [4]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Aeroplan is the only programme covered here; other Star Alliance carriers' own programmes, and other airline and hotel programmes such as British Airways Club, Flying Blue and Marriott Bonvoy, are not covered.
- Aeroplan: keeping your points active, checked 18 October 2026
- Aeroplan Elite Status, checked 18 October 2026
- Aeroplan: redeem points for great rewards, checked 18 October 2026
- Aeroplan points expiry suspended, checked 18 October 2026