Aeroplan is by far the best airline rewards program for literally all Canadian travelers who know what they’re talking about. As long as you define “best” as the one that allows you to save the most, which is definitely our case as fans of good deals.
One of the main reasons is obviously the 48 partner airlines, so we must share the news about the addition of the 49th! And while sharing this update, we’re also telling you about the contest that’s only interesting for those who like Starbucks.
It’s a bit niche, so I also take advantage of this to share important basic reminders about the program (and don’t miss the 4 Air Canada updates shared yesterday, as a follow-up to the nightmarish strike; especially if you’re booking on Air Canada soon).
Here are 2 quick updates on Aeroplan, with a new partner airline and a Starbucks contest.
1. New partner airline for Aeroplan
Airline partnerships are one of the most important things for travelers to understand!
Basics of Aeroplan airline partnerships
With Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, you can earn and (especially) redeem points on dozens of partner airlines! Not just on Air Canada!
For the earning aspect, it’s obviously very few points, but it’s better than no points at all! It’s obviously with credit cards that you earn quickly, but you should also take the points offered when you fly, of course. Don’t miss an important post about Aeroplan credit cards next weekend!
For the redemption aspect, almost all the best redemptions of Aeroplan points are on partner airlines! NOT on Air Canada! And yet, so many people continue to not even know this, sadly. It’s because the price of flights is a guaranteed fixed price (limited price) that can give you unlimited value (on 41 partner airlines).
You can read my business class example from mid-August (60,000 points for a 10-hour flight worth $3000+), but it’s the same principle in economy class.
Overview of the new partnership
There will soon be a 49th partner airline: Québec-based airline Air Inuit!
It’s obviously very niche, but it’s still excellent news that there’s a new partner. It’s been a long time since there was an addition.
(As a reminder, ITA Airways, Italy’s flag-carrying airline, will also become a partner in 2026. That’s obviously much more interesting for most people. Especially for seats at the guaranteed fixed price on their 8 transatlantic routes, and especially for the luxurious business class with lie-flat pod seats on those flights!)
Here are the logistical details of the new Air Inuit/Aeroplan partnership:
- Points earning
- Starting October 1, 2025
- By distance and booking class
- Points redemption
- In the “first half of 2026”
- Might unfortunately be a “special partner”
Air Inuit has quite an impressive network, especially in the Nunavik region of Northern Québec.
But these aren’t the destinations that attract the most leisure travelers, let’s be honest. Depending on the point redemption details, that may change. I know I’d love to go up there.
One of my best friends recently got to try 2 Air Inuit flights and liked the experience, even though these were charter flights rather than regularly scheduled flights.
Air Inuit has a fleet of 36 aircraft; Air Transat has 43 for comparison.
But Air Inuit’s aircraft are smaller:
- 9 Boeing 737s (classic single-aisle aircraft with 100+ seats)
- 17 DHC-8s (turboprop aircraft with 37 to 45 seats)
- 7 DHC-6 Twin Otters (small 19-seat aircraft)
- 3 Beechcraft King Air 350s (very small 11-seat aircraft)
Sidenote for other AvGeeks: 5 of their 737s are the famous Combi aircraft with gravel kits, which can land on gravel runways. They will be retired soon, though.
Point earning
Here’s the Aeroplan point earning table for Air Inuit flights, which is quite standard.
With the upcoming Aeroplan changes in 2026, point earning on flights will be drastically modified. But that doesn’t affect flights operated by partners and sold by partners.
Point redemption
Once point redemptions for Air Inuit flights are allowed, it might be terrible or absolutely phenomenal.
That’s because we don’t know if Air Inuit will be considered a “special partner” or a regular partner. That makes a world of difference, as you know if you know the basics of how Aeroplan points work.
Aeroplan’s 4 existing domestic partner airlines are mainly categorized as special partners, unfortunately:
- Special partners
- Canadian North
- Calm Air
- PAL
- Regular partner
- Air Creebec
These flights to remote destinations are often expensive in cash (altough there are some flights at $500 roundtrip subsidized by the Québec government), so the dynamic pricing for special partners would likely be very unattractive.
But if Air Inuit flights are at the guaranteed fixed pricing that 41 of the 48 Aeroplan partner airlines have, that would be amazing.
It would allow us to visit very unique destinations at the low guaranteed fixed prices! I tried to get this info from Air Canada media contacts, but it will only be announced “closer to the redemption launch.” Stay tuned.
2. Starbucks/Aeroplan contest
As you probably know, Starbucks and Aeroplan have a partnership. A popular contest highlighting it is back.
Basics of this partnership
If you love Starbucks and you love free travel, you’ve probably already linked your Aeroplan account to your Starbucks Rewards account.
Otherwise, you should do it now; there’s obviously no reason not to do it! It even gives you a welcome bonus of 750 Aeroplan points (≈ 11 CAD) if you make a Starbucks purchase within 7 days!
Overview of the contest
So for the month of September, Aeroplan and Starbucks are offering the Sip-tember to remember contest.
It’s only for those who have linked their accounts.
You’ll earn:
- Bonus points
- It’s obviously not much
- Like everything except credit cards
- But it’s free, so take them!
- Contest entries
- To win 100,000 Aeroplan points
Our conservative Flytrippers Valuation of this 100,000-point prize is ≈ 1500 CAD. But as mentioned, my 10-hour business class flight 2 weeks ago, in a luxurious lie-flat pod seat, cost me just the guaranteed fixed price of 60,000 points… and was worth 3112 CAD!
So Aeroplan points are obviously worth much more if you redeem them well for business class! That’s the beauty of rewards of the more valuable type that have unlimited value and are so much better than rewards of the more simple type that most people sadly settle for.
How to enter the contest
Contest entries work differently each week (and the last week is really not recommended, obviously):
- Week 1 (September 1-7)
- Buy a cold coffee (any size)
- Get 1 contest entry
- Get 15 bonus Aeroplan points
- Maximum 2 entries and 30 points
- Week 2 (September 8-14)
- Make 3 separate purchases of at least 3 CAD
- Get 1 contest entry
- Get 25 bonus Aeroplan points
- Week 3 (September 15-21)
- Make 1 purchase of at least 15 CAD
- Get 1 contest entry
- Get 30 bonus Aeroplan points
- Maximum 2 entries and 60 points
- Week 4 (September 22-28)
- AVOID THIS
- Transfer Aeroplan points to Starbucks Stars
- Get 1 contest entry
- Get a 25% transfer bonus
- Terrible redemption of Aeroplan points
You should always redeem your Aeroplan points for flights. Simple.
Never for hotels, packages, merchandise (the worst!), taxes on flights, etc. Just for flights. It’s truly one of the most basic things to understand about the redemption aspect of the wonderful world of travel rewards!
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Summary
For those who travel by plane in Québec, it’s good to see that Aeroplan is adding yet another partner airline (a 5th among Canadian domestic regional carriers). For those who already buy Starbucks, it’s good to get some bonus points and chances to win 100,000 of them!
What would you like to know about the Aeroplan updates for August 2025? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Air Inuit plane & Starbucks storefront (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons & AK, edited by Flytrippers)
