Start here: Aeroplan

Steps 1 and 2: what Aeroplan is, and how to join

Air Canada's pages describe members earning Aeroplan points when they fly with Air Canada, book with airline partners including the Star Alliance network, or book a hotel room or car rental. [3] [6] The same pages carry a "Join now" link to an Aeroplan enrolment page and a combined sign-in or create-an-account entry point. [3] [4]

Earning depends on the member's own number. Each passenger on a booking needs their own Aeroplan membership, the number must be attached to the reservation, and the passenger details must match the member profile. [6] Tickets bought through Air Canada channels are issued with an Air Canada ticket number beginning 014, and that number decides which earning rules apply. [6]

Step 3: how earning works

For flights departing on or after 1 January 2026, members earn one Aeroplan point per dollar of base fare and carrier surcharges on eligible Air Canada flights, excluding applicable taxes, fees and third-party charges; for flights departing on or before 31 December 2025, points were earned on distance flown and fare option instead. [6] Elite status multiplies that base earn: 1x in total with no status, 2x at 25K, 3x at 35K, 4x at 50K, 5x at 75K and 6x at Super Elite, based on the member's status at the time of travel. [6]

On tickets issued by Air Canada (014), the multiplier also applies on eligible Star Alliance-operated flights. [6] On tickets issued by another airline (numbers not starting 014), partner-operated flights earn on distance flown, with Helijet and Harbour Air named as exceptions. [6] Where a ticket has several segments, the eligible amount is divided between them in proportion to distance, and a ticket spanning 2025 and 2026 is split so the 2025 segment earns on distance and the 2026 segment on spend. [6] Purchases in other currencies are converted to Canadian dollars at an industry-standard exchange rate, and points are deposited after each completed flight. [6]

Air Canada lists tickets that do not earn, among them refunded, void or unused tickets, reward and free promotional tickets, travel-agency and industry reduced rates, companion, infant and tour-conductor tickets, tickets bought for excess baggage, single-entity charters and fares whose rules exclude earning. [6] Baggage and seat-selection fees do not earn, and flights booked with points or points plus cash do not earn. [6] Air Canada Vacations packages pay fixed amounts that depend on region and cabin, credited after the last flight of the package. [6] Bonus-point promotions also run, and some appear during flight searches. [6]

Steps 4 and 6: spending points, and planning a first award

Points can be redeemed for flight rewards, including bookings paid with a combination of points and cash, and for hotel rooms and car rentals. [3] Air Canada's page also lists gift cards and events, extras and upgrades such as in-flight Wi-Fi, donating points to charity, transferring points to another Aeroplan member, and converting points in from another loyalty programme. [3]

Before a first award booking, the practical checks are about account health. Earn or redeem at least one Aeroplan point within an 18-month period, since earning, redeeming, donating, transferring and converting all count, and the inactivity date appears in the Aeroplan dashboard under the Activity tab. [3] Air Canada emails members up to 60 days before points would expire. [3] Points that would have expired while the current pause runs will not expire up to 29 November 2026; from 30 November 2026 the normal policy applies, and points expire if no eligible transaction has been completed before that date. [5] Points booked as awards themselves do not earn new points. [6]

Air Canada says points can be kept from ever expiring by primary TD or CIBC Aeroplan credit cardholders, American Express Aeroplan cardmembers, and members holding Aeroplan Elite Status. [3] If points do expire, Air Canada lists three routes back: buying expired points back for a fee, flying with Air Canada within six months of expiry, where the booking may be made after expiry but travel must fall inside the six-month window, or getting an Aeroplan credit card. [3] Missing-points claims can be made for a hotel stay or car rental within the last six months, and for a flight booking within 11 months of departure, with some exceptions. [3]

Step 5: how Elite status works

Aeroplan Elite status is earned by collecting Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) within a calendar year, and SQC are also the route to Milestones, unlocked at every 10,000 SQC up to 200,000 and at every 20,000 SQC after that. [4] The thresholds are 25,000 SQC for 25K status, or Everyday Status Qualification, 35,000 for 35K, 50,000 for 50K, 75,000 for 75K and 125,000 for Super Elite. [4] Air Canada says the way members qualify for Elite Status and unlock benefits changed on 1 January 2026. [4] For how status behaves on other airlines, see the status and lounges course.

On Air Canada tickets issued by Air Canada (014), members collect 4 SQC per dollar of base fare and carrier surcharges on Economy Flex, Comfort, Latitude, Premium Economy and Business fares, and 2 SQC per dollar on Economy Standard fares and eUpgrade add-ons, while Economy Basic fares collect no SQC. [4] Partner activity earns 1 SQC for every 5 Aeroplan base points, capped at 25,000 SQC per calendar year, and excludes eStore points, the Chexy welcome offer, bonus points and points converted from other programmes. [4] Aeroplan premium credit cards earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent and core cards 1,000 SQC per $20,000, with a combined cap of 25,000 SQC per calendar year across all cards and issuers. [4] Flights booked with Aeroplan points collect no SQC. [4]

Two credit-card mechanics sit alongside SQC. From 2027, eligible primary Aeroplan premium cardholders who requalify receive a head start equal to 10% of their previous year's total SQC, deposited by the end of March, if they were approved for the card by 15 December of the previous year and hold Elite Status on the February determination date. [4] For 2026, 2025 SQM above the amount required for the highest status held in 2025 convert to SQC at 5 to 1, up to 200,000 SQM and a maximum of 40,000 SQC, deposited by the end of March 2026. [4]

Exceptions and limits

• Economy Basic fares collect no SQC, and flights paid with Aeroplan points collect neither points nor SQC. [4] [6]
• Partner SQC is capped at 25,000 per calendar year and credit-card SQC at a combined 25,000 per calendar year across issuers, so spend in those channels cannot pass the ceilings. [4]
• On tickets not starting with 014, partner-operated flights earn points on distance, except Helijet and Harbour Air. [6]
• The expiry pause is time-limited: it protects points up to 29 November 2026, and the normal policy returns on 30 November 2026. [5]
• After expiry, buy-back carries a fee, reinstatement through flying requires travel inside six months, and missing-points windows differ between hotel and car rentals, six months, and flights, 11 months from departure. [3]
• Scope: these rules are Aeroplan's own and apply to Aeroplan points, SQC and Air Canada-ticketed travel as published by Air Canada on 18 October 2026; other programmes set different earning rates, status thresholds, caps and expiry rules, so none of this should be carried across to them. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Related pages

Programme: Aeroplan. Courses: start here with airline miles and start here with status and lounges. Glossary: frequent flyer terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers Aeroplan only; other airline, hotel and credit-card programmes are not covered here, and their rules differ.

1. Air Canada, Keeping your Aeroplan account active, checked 18 October 2026
2. Air Canada, Aeroplan Elite Status, checked 18 October 2026
3. Air Canada, Points expiry suspended, checked 18 October 2026
4. Air Canada, New ways to earn Aeroplan points with Air Canada starting January 1, 2026, checked 18 October 2026