Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Air Canada Aeroplan hub
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How to check Canadian card points expiry rules
Canadian card points expiry is the set of programme rules that decides when a points balance stops being usable and what activity keeps it alive. For Air Canada's Aeroplan, expiry is paused until 30 November 2026, and from that date the normal expiration policy applies again to points with no eligible transaction completed before it. [9]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Aeroplan points that would have expired up to 29 November 2026 will not expire, because Air Canada has paused Aeroplan points expiry until 30 November 2026. [9]
- From 30 November 2026 the normal expiration policy applies again, and Aeroplan points expire where an eligible transaction has not been completed before that date. [9]
- Card points and airline points sit under different terms: once Membership Rewards points are transferred to a partner programme, the transfer cannot be reversed and the partner programme's terms and conditions apply. [10]
What does the Aeroplan points expiry pause cover?
Air Canada's notice sets out to give members "one less thing to think about" and names 30 November 2026 as the end of the pause. [9]
Between the notice and 29 November 2026, any Aeroplan points that would have expired do not expire. [9]
Effective 30 November 2026, the normal expiration policy applies again, and points expire if an eligible transaction has not been completed prior to that date. [9]
In the notice's own wording, the test applied from that date is whether an eligible transaction has been completed before it. [9] A practical way to prepare is to work through the activity options on the points expiration activity checklist before the pause lifts.
Do card points and airline points follow the same expiry rules?
Card points and airline points are separate balances held under separate programmes, and a transfer moves value from one set of terms into another. [10]
Under the U.S. Membership Rewards programme terms, last updated October 2026, a member links the partner loyalty programme account first, and that partner account must be in the member's name or in the name of an Additional Card Member whose card was issued at least 90 days before the accounts are linked. [10]
Once the transfer is made, the points cannot be converted back into Membership Rewards points, and the partner programme's terms and conditions govern them instead. [10]
For that reason an Aeroplan balance follows Aeroplan's own rule, including the pause running to 30 November 2026, rather than the expiry wording of the card programme that supplied the points. [9] [10]
| Currency | What the published terms say | Scope of the statement |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroplan points (Air Canada) | Expiry paused until 30 November 2026; the normal expiration policy resumes on that date, and points expire where an eligible transaction has not been completed before it [9] | Air Canada's Aeroplan programme [9] |
| Membership Rewards (American Express, India) | No limit to the points that can be earned; points never expire until the card is closed [7] | India-market cards [7] |
| Membership Rewards (American Express, U.S.) | A transferred balance cannot be converted back; the partner programme's terms and conditions apply [10] | U.S. programme terms, last updated October 2026 [10] |
What happens to card points when the card account is closed?
American Express's India credit-card page says there is no limit to the points a member can earn and that the points "never expire until the card is closed". [7]
That wording scopes the promise to the life of the card account, so closure of the account is the event that ends it in that market. [7]
The description is published on the issuer's India site for that market's cards, so it applies to those cards rather than to Canadian-issued ones. [7] For how Canadian card programmes differ from one another on other features, see Canadian card points programmes compared.
Exceptions and limits
- The Aeroplan pause covers points that would have expired up to 29 November 2026; from 30 November 2026 the normal expiry policy applies again. [9]
- A transfer out of Membership Rewards is one-way: transferred points cannot be converted back, and the receiving programme's terms take over. [10]
- In most cases the minimum transfer is 1,000 points, in multiples of 1,000 points; processing typically takes 48 hours, and some programmes post points to the partner account later than that. [10]
- Points transferred to a U.S. airline frequent flyer programme carry an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, capped at $99. [10]
- In the India market, the issuer's promise that points never expire runs only until the card is closed. [7]
Other programmes' rules are set out in the mileage expiry overview.
Frequently asked questions
Do Aeroplan points expire in 2026?
Aeroplan points that would have expired up to 29 November 2026 do not expire, because expiry is paused until 30 November 2026. [9] From that date the normal policy returns and points expire where an eligible transaction has not been completed before it. [9]
What happens to expiry rules after card points are transferred to an airline?
The transfer cannot be reversed, and the receiving programme's terms and conditions apply from that point on. [10]
Is there a minimum number of points I can transfer?
In most cases the minimum is 1,000 points, transferred in multiples of 1,000, and processing typically takes 48 hours. [10]
Do Membership Rewards points survive the card being closed?
American Express's India-market page says Membership Rewards points there never expire until the card is closed. [7] That statement covers those cards rather than Canadian-issued ones. [7]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Aeroplan's wider programme terms, other Canadian card issuers' rewards currencies and other airline programmes are not covered here; see the mileage expiry overview.
- American Express India credit cards overview, checked 18 October 2026
- Air Canada Aeroplan: points expiry suspended, checked 18 October 2026
- American Express Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions (U.S.), checked 18 October 2026