Flytrippers recently had an exclusive giveaway with 200,000 Aeroplan points to be won… that was our biggest ever, but even that is nothing compared to winning 1 million points (worth ≈ $15,000) with Aeroplan’s new giveaway open to all! There are 40 of those prizes to celebrate the program’s 40 years — and MANY special promotions, too!
With 17 (!!!) promotions in addition to the huge giveaway, it’s arguably the biggest promotion ever from Air Canada Aeroplan, the best airline rewards program for Canadian travelers.
If you’ve read our infographic with the basics of travel rewards (like every travel enthusiast should do), you know that promotions are nowhere near as important as welcome bonuses but still worth taking advantage of to get even more rewards!
Here’s everything you need to know about the Aeroplan-niversary (their clever name for the whole event).
40 million points giveaway for the Aeroplan-niversary
It’s obviously a no-brainer to at least try to get such a huge prize.
Here are the basics of the giveaway:
- 40 prizes of 1 million points to be won
- Ends July 17th at 11:59 PM (Eastern)
- Registration is mandatory and very easy
- On the official website
- IMPORTANT: Click the option to register for the offers too
- For Aeroplan members only
- It’s free to become a member, and takes 1 minute
- Elite status members get doubled chances
- Automatically when registering
Our conservative Flytrippers Valuation of Aeroplan points is ≈ 1.5¢/pt. But if you use them well, they can be worth more because these are rewards of the more lucrative type and have unlimited value (a flight’s price in points is NOT tied to its price in cash). In business class and first class particularly, they’re worth ≈ 2.1¢/pt or a lot more.
That means winning 1 million Aeroplan points is like winning ≈ $15,000 or ≈ $21,000 (or even more)!!!
You can read the basics of how rewards of the more lucrative type work.
So make sure to enter the giveaway today by going to the official page and registering in 10 seconds.
17 special promotions for the Aeroplan-niversary
Yes, 17 (!!!) special promotions. Wow. Obviously, one of the most basic things about travel is that just because there’s a “promotion” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good one.
But some of these definitely are. Others are terrible!
I’ll share a short section about each of the 17 promotions below, but in order for you to see them all at a glance, here’s an overview by theme.
3 promotions for your general spending:
- 40% more points if you spend on your existing Aeroplan credit card
- Amazing! But starts later (July 14-17)!
- 40% more points if you’ve never had an Aeroplan card and get one
- Amazing! We’ll help you choose the best for you!
- 10X points if you use the Aeroplan eStore to buy at 40+ retailers
- Amazing! Stop missing out on easy points!
6 promotions for your future travel bookings:
- 40% bonus pts if you buy Air Canada flights or packages
- Only good if you were going to book it anyway!
- 125% bonus if you buy Aeroplan points
- Usually not a good idea, but it could be!
- 4 bonus pts per $ if you buy Air Canada gift cards
- Not great unless you don’t care about credit card insurance!
- 4,000 points if you buy an eligible Air Canada flight pass
- Not a good idea for most!
- 400 SQMs if you book an eligible Air Canada flight (up to 10 times)
- Only offered to elite status members!
- 30% off and 6 pts/$ if you book a rental car with Avis and Budget
- Good if you think you might need one!
2 miscellaneous promotions:
- Up to 70,000 points if you switch to Bell
- Great if you wanted to switch!
- 40% bonus if you transfer Accor points to Aeroplan
- Could be good if you have any!
4 tiny promotions for Aeroplan partners:
- 40 pts if you fill up for 30L+ at JOURNIE gas stations (or spend $10+)
- A huge ≈ 60¢ worth of points!
- 40 pts if you make an eligible order or ride with Uber Eats/Uber
- A huge ≈ 60¢ worth of points!
- 40 pts if you buy for $80 at LCBO
- A huge ≈ 60¢ worth of points!
- 40 pts if you buy a beverage and bakery item at Starbucks
- A huge ≈ 60¢ worth of points!
2 promotions for terrible redemptions:
- 20% back if you redeem points for hotels or rental cars
- Don’t do it!
- 20% back if you redeem points for merchandise and gift cards
- Don’t even think about doing it!
Here are more details.
40% more points if you spend on your existing Aeroplan credit card
For many travelers, always having 1 of the 11 Aeroplan credit cards in their wallet is a must. If you do have one right now and register for the promo in 10 seconds, you’ll earn 40% more points from July 14-17 (on up to $40,000 in spend). So keep any big expenses for then, assuming you don’t need that amount to unlock a welcome bonus.
Of course, even with 40% more, it’s still terribly low compared to how much you earn with welcome bonuses (like 11% back with the new offer on the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card). But a 40% bonus is certainly better than the regular earn rates.
For example, if you have the Amex Aeroplan Card, the earn rates will be 40% better:
- 2.8 pts/$ (≈ 4.2%) instead of 2 pts/$ (≈ 3%)
- On Air Canada purchases
- 2.1 pts/$ (≈ 3.2%) instead of 1.5 pts/$ (≈ 2.3%)
- On dining and food delivery
- 1.4 pts/$ (≈ 2.1%) instead of 1 pt/$ (≈ 1.5%)
- Everywhere else
If you have multiple Aeroplan credit cards, no matter the issuing bank, the 40% bonus promotion will apply to all your cards (if you’ve registered, of course).
40% more points if you’ve never had an Aeroplan card and get one
It’s absolutely the best time to get an Aeroplan credit card if you have never had one. You’ll get a huge welcome bonus and 40% more points for 40 days (on up to $40,000 in spending). You must apply and be approved before July 17!
This promo will give you even more points on your welcome bonus’ minimum spending requirement! For example, our Flytrippers Valuation of the Amex Aeroplan Card’s bonus is ≈ $555, but it actually becomes ≈ $573 if you can reach the minimum spend in the first 40 days to get 40% more points on it.
You can check out the best Aeroplan credit cards to choose the best one for you.
10X points if you use the Aeroplan eStore to buy at 40+ retailers
Online shopping portals like the Aeroplan eStore are such a simple way to get more rewards on the things you buy with popular brands. It just makes no sense not to use them. Especially when there’s a promo, like 10X points (≈ 15%) from July 8-17.
Instead of visiting a retailer’s website, you can simply click on its website link through the Aeroplan eStore portal.
Not all retailers will earn 10X the points, but there are over 40 for this promotion. Buy from July 14 -17 and pay with your Aeroplan credit card to get 10 pts/$ AND the 40% bonus on all your card spending!
You can read all the details in our post about the Aeroplan eStore promotion.
40% bonus pts if you buy Air Canada flights or packages
Contrary to the common myth, you won’t earn a lot of points on flight bookings or packages. But you should obviously take the points anyway; it’s still free, even if it’s so much lower than what you earn with credit cards. Now, you even get 40% more points with this promo. It’s not good enough to book more flights just for that, but it’s good to book travel that you had to book anyway.
Roundtrip flights (or 2 one-ways) and packages from Canada to all destinations are eligible for the 40% promo if the flight is operated by Air Canada (including Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge). You must book from July 8-17 and your travel must take place between August 15 and December 15. Fare classes from Economy Standard and above are included.
Bookings made before registering for the offer are excluded — but if it was a refundable fare and the price hasn’t gone up, you could rebook and then cancel the old one.
125% bonus if you buy Aeroplan points
Buying Aeroplan points isn’t usually a good idea, even with a huge bonus like 125% — so imagine how bad it is to do it without a bonus. It can make sense in some scenarios, though, and 125% is the biggest bonus we’ve seen.
The 125% bonus is only from July 8-11. It will then decrease to 100% from July 12-17.
You can read our post about buying Aeroplan points for the details on why it can make sense.
4 bonus pts per $ if you buy Air Canada gift cards
Paying for flights with gift cards is usually a terrible idea, as you lose out on all the free insurance coverage on your credit card. But if you don’t care about trip cancelation/interruption insurance and flight/baggage delay insurance, you can get 4 bonus pts per $ (≈ 6%) by buying Air Canada gift cards.
The bonus applies to gift card purchases of $500 or more from July 8-17. There’s a maximum of 40,000 bonus points, which means $10,000 in gift cards (you can purchase in increments of maximum $2,000 per individual transaction).
4,000 points if you buy an eligible Air Canada Flight Pass
Air Canada Flight Passes are only good for those who tend to pay a lot for their flights, which we hope you don’t do, thanks to all our tips. But if you want to buy one, it is the best time to do so with this 4,000 bonus points (≈ $60) offer.
It only applies to the Sun Flight Pass or Weekender Flight Pass. Each flight pass purchased from July 8-17 will earn you a bonus of 4,000 points.
400 SQMs if you book an eligible Air Canada flight (up to 10 times)
This one is only for elite status members. If you have flights to book, every eligible roundtrip gives you 400 bonus SQMs, up to 4,000 bonus SQMs (10 roundtrips or 20 one-ways). Only the more expensive fare classes (Economy Flex and above) are eligible, though.
You must book the flights in cash from July 8-17, and the flight must take place on September 30 at the latest. Only flights originating in Canada are eligible.
30% off and 6 pts/$ if you book a rental car with Avis and Budget
Aeroplan partners with Avis and Budget, and this promotion makes it worthwhile to include your Aeroplan number when booking a rental car. You’ll get 30% off base rates and earn 6 pts/$ (≈ 9%) in the U.S. and Canada.
As most car rental bookings are fully refundable, you should book if you think you might need one and just cancel if you don’t need it after all — always double-check the policy, of course.
You must book from July 8-17, and the rental must be completed by December 15th at the latest.
You need to enter promo codes:
- 30% off
- Avis: AWD C682300
- Budget: BCD A258200
- 6 pts/$
- Avis: Coupon MCAA003
- Budget: Coupon MCAZ007
Don’t forget that if you have an Aeroplan premium credit card, you get automatic elite status with Avis!
Up to 70,000 points if you switch to Bell
That is indeed a huge bonus if you want to switch to Bell for mobility (up to 30,000 points) and/or home services (up to 40,000 points), although this promotion seems to be available after the event, too.
For mobility:
- 30,000 Aeroplan points (≈ $450) over 18 months
- When you bring your own phone and activate a new line
- 20,000 Aeroplan points (≈ $300) after 60 days
- When you buy a new phone with Bell SmartPay on an eligible 2-year plan
For home services (Ontario and Québec only):
- 40,000 Aeroplan points (≈ $600) over 12 months
- When you activate new Internet and TV services
- 25,000 Aeroplan points (≈ $375) over 12 months
- When you activate a new Internet service
40% bonus if you transfer Accor points to Aeroplan
Usually, bank points are the only ones you should transfer, but there are exceptions. Like when it’s a niche hotel program and you may find it hard to use the points, like with Accor Live Limitless. A 40% bonus makes it a good time to transfer Accor points into Aeroplan points if you don’t want to stay at an Accor hotel.
You must complete the transfer from July 8-17.
40 pts if you fill up for 30L+ or spend $10+ at JOURNIE gas stations
Aeroplan partners with JOURNIE, the rewards program for Pioneer, Fas Gas, Chevron, and Ultramar. If your accounts are linked, you’ll get an extra 40 points for gas or convenience store items (On The Run or Marché Express).
It’s a tiny bonus worth ≈ 60¢, but it’s still free, and you should take it if you’re already going to make that purchase anyway. It’s capped at 1 fuel bonus per day.
The bonus is in effect from July 8-17 on gas purchases over 30L and convenience store purchases over $10 (before taxes). Gift cards are explicitly excluded in the terms and conditions, along with alcohol, tobacco, and prepaid phone cards.
This bonus is in addition to the regular earn rate you should already be getting if you fill up at these gas stations. You can read our post about the Aeroplan and JOURNIE partnership.
40 pts if you make an eligible order or ride with Uber Eats/Uber
Aeroplan partners with Uber Eats and Uber, so you should link your accounts. You’ll get an extra 40 points for eligible orders or rides in Canada only.
Again, it’s a tiny bonus worth ≈ 60¢, but it’s still free, and you should take it if you’re already going to make that purchase anyway.
The bonus is in effect from July 8-17. For Uber, eligible rides include airport rides and premium rides. For Uber Eats, eligible orders are those over $40 (before taxes, fees, and tips).
40 pts if you buy for $80 at LCBO
Aeroplan partners with LCBO, which is only useful if you’re in Ontario or close to the border in Québec (and if they’re not striking). If your accounts are linked, you’ll get an extra 40 points for purchases over $80 (before tax, container deposits, or delivery fees).
This also runs from July 8-17 in-store or online. Gift card purchases are explicitly excluded in the terms and conditions.
40 pts if you buy a beverage and bakery item at Starbucks
Aeroplan partners with Starbucks, so you should link your accounts. You’ll get 40 extra points for transactions that include both a beverage and a bakery item. Assuming your city’s Starbucks franchisee isn’t a terrible one like mine, where Starbucks Rewards don’t apply.
This promo also runs from July 8-17 and is capped at 1 bonus, for a grand total of ≈ 60¢ — the other 3 partners with these small promos at least have the decency of not capping it at 1 bonus total.
20% back if you redeem points for hotels or rental cars
Aeroplan points should be redeemed for flights if you want to get the most value. Even with 20% back, redeeming points for hotels and rental cars will still give you a very low value.
If you do want to do it, you need to book with Aeroplan points from July 8-17 and the reservation must take place by December 31st at the latest. The minimum price must be 20,000 Aeroplan points. You only get 20% back on the first booking.
You can read the value of each Aeroplan redemption option.
20% back if you redeem points for merchandise and gift cards
The value is even more terrible for merchandise and gift cards, as usual. There’s really no scenario where this makes any sense, even with 20% back.
If you do want to do it, please rethink it, seriously. But the promo is valid from July 8-17 on redemptions of at least 20,000 points. It’s not capped because the program would really love for people to waste points this way so the program can save so much money (because it gives so much less value).
If you’re a traveler, always use your rewards for travel to get more value.
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Summary
Aeroplan is celebrating its 40th anniversary with its greatest giveaway ever and 17 promotions, so make sure you take advantage of it. Whether you’re an Aeroplan member yet or not, this is an opportunity to earn more rewards for free travel.
What would you like to know about Aeroplan’s anniversary giveaway or promotions? Tell us in the comments below.
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Valuation ≈ $420