Head-to-head: Which of the 2 deals that give you ≈ $1126+ AND lounge access you should choose

You are currently viewing Head-to-head: Which of the 2 deals that give you ≈ $1126+ AND lounge access you should choose

There are some amazing deals right now that are literally some of the best ever in Canada. This is THE time to apply for a card and get lots of free travel, even if you (sadly) just do it once a year. There are 2 premium cards that stand out, giving ≈ $1211 and ≈ $1126 in net value just with their increased welcome bonus! We’ll help you decide between the 2 with this comparison because if you want airport lounge access, you should ABSOLUTELY take advantage of them!

Premium cards are fantastic! I love having unlimited access to airport lounges and it’s my favorite travel tip. But I’ll say this right away: it’s just for the savviest travelers. 

The ones who know how to count and who understand that it makes no sense to turn down scenario 2 when absolutely no one ever turns down scenario 1:

  • Scenario 1:
    • Pre-pay 2 roundtrip tickets in cash for a few months later and get just 4 one-way flights and nothing else (like everyone always does without hesitating for a second)
  • Scenario 2:
    • Pre-pay 1 premium card for exactly the same price and get 19 one-way reward flights with the welcome bonus PLUS unlimited access to airport lounges for 2 travelers for the entire year

If that’s you, the American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card are absolutely fantastic — these are 2 of the highest welcome bonuses ever seen in Canada and by far the best available right now (otherwise, 2 non-premium cards give a value of ≈ $915+)!

Offers that give you more than $1,000 are extremely rare! That’s a lot of free travel! Especially when it means you get paid for access to airport lounges as well!

(By the way, our free webinar on travel rewards is this Tuesday for beginners: it’s going to be the most rewarding hour of your summer, guaranteed!)

Important: if you’re not part of the Flytrippers readers who have now earned over 1 million dollars in travel rewards thanks to our welcome bonus recommendations, start by reading the 6 basic things to know about travel rewards.

 

Because in this head-to-head, we’ll assume you know that:

  • welcome bonuses are the key and it doesn’t matter whether or not you can use your card for 100% of your purchases
  • you always have to pay everything on time and there’s no “scam”
  • having multiple cards is better for your credit score
  • you must not cancel your current cards
  • annual fees alone are irrelevant
  • there are 2 types of travel rewards that work very differently

(1 million dollar sidenote: you may know Flytrippers from our many appearances in the mainstream media as travel experts or from the 50% off flight deals we spot, but our readers have also earned 1 million dollars just with welcome bonuses! Read why you should stop missing out and why that million makes us so much happier than the thousands of dollars we’ve earned ourselves for our own trips).

So let’s get started with the head-to-head between the Amex Platinum Card and the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card.

(I will also soon have a video presentation of the head-to-head if you prefer that format!)

Contents hide
Our recommendation of which card to choose
Overview of the differences between the 2 cards
What both cards offer
Additional benefits of the Amex Platinum Card
Additional benefits of the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card
More info on both cards
Detailed head-to-head comparison of both cards
Summary

 

Our recommendation of which card to choose

So many people ask us which one to choose. A lot of you tell us you want to be spoon-fed the recommendation and for us to just say which card to get, without any other details.

If you really want that, I’ll do it here because it’s pretty easy in this case: get the Amex Platinum Card. 

 

But we don’t like to do that because it doesn’t do you any favors. If you want to get $20,000+ in free travel as I’ve earned (yes, $20,000+ in the 10+ years I’ve been in this hobby), you have to learn for yourself too. At least a little bit.

Knowledge is power. So I’d much rather explain it so you can become a travel rewards pro too! 

Our mission at Flytrippers is to help you travel more for less. So I don’t want you to get just the ≈ $1100+ of this offer; I want you to be well informed and make it even easier for you to maximize this wonderful world.

And most importantly, the reality is that every traveler is different! I want you to pick the card that’s right for you!

For some people (for almost everyone, in my expert opinion), the Amex Platinum Card is the best one right now. But for others, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card could be the best (mostly for Air Canada fans really).

(Other travelers may even prefer other cards of the record 13 that give $533+ in value right now — but for 99% of people, it really should be these 2 cards or the 2 cards that give ≈ $915+!)

My Amex Platinum Card and my Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)

 

Personally, I would apply for the Amex Platinum Card if I didn’t have it already (I’ll get a different one soon and l’ll get an additional one just before the offers end on September 20; you should consider doing that too if you’re able to meet the minimum spend requirements to unlock the bonuses — our free travel rewards newsletter will send you a reminder before the deadline, along with lots of pro tips)!

 

Overview of the differences between the 2 cards

Below, I’ll obviously compare all the features of the Amex Platinum Card and the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card, but I want to look at the highlights first.

Here’s our Flytrippers Valuation of the welcome bonus for these 2 cards:

Amex Platinum Card and Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card (image credit: American Express)

 

If the Amex Platinum Card gives you $85 more, why would we even say that the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card might be better for some travelers (when we always say that value is what matters most)?

That’s because our Flytrippers Valuation is super conservative: we always include just the rewards and the fees! This is to really give you the true value that everyone can easily get and to not inflate that just for you to end up getting less! When we say ≈ $1,211, it’s really ≈ $1,211 in profit (rewards minus fees) just with the welcome bonus, easily! 

It can be a lot more with the other card benefits: they’re not included in our Valuation, but they’re often worth at least something to many travelers (not to mention that the “≈” symbol in front of the Valuation means that the rewards can easily be worth more too, if you follow our maximization tips)!

In short, what’s not included in our Flytrippers Valuation doesn’t often tip the scales for all travelers, but in a case where the difference in the offer value is just $85… it can. 

So yes, the Amex Platinum Card has a lot more benefits for most people, plus the net value is higher! But the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card has different benefits that may be better for you.

 

What both cards offer

Before looking at the differences, it is worth mentioning the most important elements that the 2 cards have:

  • Excellent access to airport lounges for you and 1 guest (but still very different)
  • Rewards that can be used as Aeroplan points (the most valuable ones in Canada)
  • The potential value of rewards is unlimited (≈ $1,100+ in value can really be $2,000 in value!)
  • The number of points earned (114,000 points versus 115,000 actually; and Amex points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1-to-1 rate)
  • The incredible amount of options for all tastes (like 19 one-way short-distance reward flights or almost enough for 2 one-way business class reward flights to Europe)
  • No time limit to use the points (whether or not you renew the card)
  • A $100 credit for the NEXUS card to avoid almost all wait lines for free when you travel — and almost free for 1 travel buddy too ($100 not even included in our Valuation)
  • Access to the priority security lane at Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) without NEXUS
  • Everyone is eligible to get the card (no minimum income requirement)
  • One of the best-ever increased offers on each card (and the same limited-time offer)
  • A special multiple-part welcome bonus structure that includes grocery store spending (including gift cards to other retailers)
  • The ability to share airport lounge access with a supplementary card (“joint” card) without traveling together, at a relatively decent price
  • Base earn rate of at least ≈ 1.5% or ≈ 1.875% as well as a few category multipliers
  • Standard Amex benefits (Amex Offers program, American Express Experiences, The Hotel Collection, etc.)
  • $1,000 for free hotels and meals with the flight delay insurance, as opposed to just $500 with most other cards in Canada
  • Medical travel, trip cancelation, trip interruption, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage, car rental theft and damage, hotel burglary, and travel accident insurance, as well as purchase protection insurance and extended warranty 

 

Additional benefits of the Amex Platinum Card

Here’s everything that’s unique to the Amex Platinum Card (that the other one doesn’t have):

  • Free unlimited access to airport lounges in way more lounges (1,400+) and valid worldwide, regardless of the plane ticket you purchased (for you and 1 guest)
  • The ability to use points as a simple travel credit applicable to any expense (simpler, less valuable)
  • The ability to transfer points to non-Aeroplan reward programs (in addition to Aeroplan)
  • An additional $85 in net value
  • Lower net fees (but it doesn’t matter: fees are already deducted from our Valuation, that’s a big part of the $85 value difference)
  • A simpler welcome bonus structure in 2 parts instead of 3
  • Gold Elite status at 8,000+ Marriott hotels and 6,000+ Hilton hotels (bonus points, free room upgrades, free late check-out, VIP treatment, etc.)
  • Gold Plus Five-Star elite status at Hertz (free car upgrades, free 2nd driver, discounts, priority line, free 4 hours, etc.)
  • Higher earn rate on travel (except with Air Canada), restaurants, and delivery services
  • The supplementary card (“joint” card) to share airport lounge access without traveling together is $24 cheaper
  • Doesn’t count towards the total of 4 Amex cards you can have at the same time
  • A metal card that’s a bit heavier and luxurious (if you’re interested in these things)

For most travelers, all that (but especially the more generous airport lounge access) should make the Amex Platinum Card the easy choice!

But maybe your prefer the Air Canada airport lounge access that is very different (or you just don’t like free food and beverages or you love waiting at the crowded gate or you like waiting at the crowded gate).

More importantly, maybe you’re not able to reach the minimum spend requirement (despite our pro tips): you have half the time to do so with the Amex Platinum Card.

Maybe the Air Canada benefits below, which only the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card has, are more interesting for you.

In short, that’s what I mean by “every traveler is different.”

 

Additional benefits of the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card

Here’s everything that’s unique to the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card (that the other one doesn’t have):

  • 6 months instead of 3 months to reach the minimum spend to unlock the welcome bonus
  • Free unlimited access to Air Canada airport lounges (19) in North America only if flying on Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner (for you and 1 guest)
  • Free checked bag for you and 8 travel buddies on Air Canada flights
  • Priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling on Air Canada flights
  • A few hundred Aeroplan points off Air Canada flights (not partner airlines)
  • Supplementary card (“joint” card) for free without travel benefits (in addition to the supplementary card option with benefits for $199)
  • Travel and flight insurance coverage on tickets paid with Aeroplan points
  • A shortcut to Aeroplan Elite status (really just for those who travel and spend a lot on Air Canada)
  • Higher earn rate on Air Canada expenses and everything else (except travel that is not on Air Canada, restaurants, and delivery services)

 

More info on both cards

So, this summary should be plenty to go on to decide! 

Depending on your personal preferences (and your ability to meet the minimum spend), you can choose the Amex Platinum Card or the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card.

We also have plenty of content to learn more about each card if you want.

For the Amex Platinum Card:

 

For the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card:

 
 

Detailed head-to-head comparison of both cards

If you want a very detailed analysis, let’s look at each aspect of the cards to help you make the best decision based on your own situation.

Detailed analysis hide
Eligibility
Welcome bonus
Earn rates
Annual fee
Supplementary cards
Airport lounge access
Travel and other benefits
Points uses
Insurance coverage

 

Eligibility

Here are the minimum income requirements for the cards:

The first step every time you choose your next card is always to check if you’re eligible to get it.

There’s no minimum income for either card, and that’s for all cards issued by American Express — whereas other banks discriminate more.

(Even for the Amex “business” cards that don’t require you to have a business and allow you to get another year of free lounge access: Amex is the least restrictive issuer, in addition to giving the biggest welcome bonuses!)

In short, this one is very simple: it’s not a factor to consider at all.

(For pros: the exception is if you already have 4 Amex cards, because then you can’t get the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card — unless among your 4 cards, you have the basic Amex Aeroplan Card or Amex “business” cards that don’t count towards the total, just like the Amex Platinum Card).

 

Welcome bonus

Here’s our Flytrippers Valuation of the cards’ welcome bonus:

We’ve already covered it. It’s pretty similar! 

It’s everything else that should guide your choice, not this tiny difference.

 

Minimum spend requirement to unlock the welcome bonus

Here’s the minimum spend amount required to unlock the full value:

That’s a pretty big difference. The same amount, but twice as long to reach it with the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card.

For sure, a minimum spend of $6,000 in 3 months is higher than what we usually see. Ideally, you or someone you know has a big expense coming up. Don’t forget to read our top 5 tips for reaching required card spending amounts, because we also share some important mistakes to avoid.

Another trick, since both cards allow you to share lounge access through a supplementary card for under $200, would be to find a trustworthy travel buddy with whom to share the fee and the huge rewards! And most importantly, share the required spending! Amex makes it simple to see the total expenses split by main card or supplementary card!

Here’s the equivalent per week that it adds up to, just to put the amounts into perspective:

 

Structure of the welcome bonus

Here’s how to maximize each welcome bonus, because both are structured a little differently to allow for such high offers:

  • American Express Platinum Card: 
    • Standard welcome bonus: $6,000 in the first 3 months to get 90,000 points
    • Special rate as part of the welcome bonus: $2,000 of that $6,000 at grocery stores (including gift cards) to earn 20,000 points (10X the points at grocery stores and restaurants in the first 3 months; maximum $2,000)
  • American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card: 
    • Standard welcome bonus: $6,000 in the first 6 months to earn 60,000 points
    • Special rate as part of the welcome bonus: $2,000 of that $6,000 at grocery stores (including gift cards) to earn 20,000 points (10X the points at grocery stores and restaurants in the first 3 months; maximum $2,000)
    • Monthly welcome bonus: $6,000 split evenly each month to get 30,000 points (5,000 points per month during which you spend $1000; maximum 6 months)

(You’ll also earn a minimum of 4,000 or 5,000 more points depending on the card, the regular earnings on the $4,000 you’ll have left to spend anywhere — the special rate on groceries is limited to $2,000!)

So while it gives you more time for the spending, the structure of the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card welcome bonus is a bit more complex: it has 3 separate and independent parts instead of 2.

For both cards, the bulk of the bonus is with the $6,000 in 3 (or 6) months, as usual. It’s just that when you add up the other special welcome bonuses, it gives you a lot of value.

Both cards give you a special bonus on spending at grocery stores that accept Amex (Sobeys, Metro, Food Basics, FreshCo, Whole Foods Market, Foodland, Safeway, Giant Tiger, etc. are all coded as grocery stores). 

Just be aware that the special grocery bonus is only valid for 3 months on the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card, even though the main welcome bonus gives you 6 months.

In exchange for giving fewer points on the main part of the bonus, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card gives you another bonus each month during which you spend $1000. 

That part is actually 6 bonuses: you can skip any month and still get the other monthly bonuses. Each month is really separate. And those are the same $6,000 as the main bonus, just split evenly.

 

Effective return rate with the welcome bonus

Here’s the effective return rate with the welcome bonus (value earned/spending required):

It’s the same amount to spend and almost the same net value, so unsurprisingly, the effective return rates are very similar. 

(Much better than the 1% or 2% most people get on their purchases, right? That’s why welcome bonuses are the key!)

 

Earn rates

Here’s how many points* each card earns (excluding the special rate on groceries and restaurants that’s part of the welcome bonus):

*The Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card earns Aeroplan points while the Amex Platinum Card earns American Express Membership Rewards points — but Amex points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1-to-1 rate and that’s usually the best use!

Again, it bears repeating, because it’s so important and so misunderstood: earning points on your purchases isn’t the way to maximize your travel rewards. It’s really the slowest way to earn; you should be using your spending to unlock welcome bonuses (and thus improve your credit score at the same time if you pay everything on time).

But it’s still one of the factors to consider. I unlock many welcome bonuses every year, but I still maximize the multiplier rates on many of my other cards. So I get many, many points.

There are always 2 things to understand about earn rates:

  • Category bonuses (multipliers)
  • Base rates

Here, it’s pretty split. The Amex Platinum Card has the best rate on only a few categories:

  • 140% higher rate on travel (excluding Air Canada)
  • 50% higher rate on restaurants and delivery services 

On the other hand, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card has the best base rate and Air Canada earn rate:

  • 50% higher rate on Air Canada travel
  • 25% higher rate on everything else (except other travel, restaurants, and delivery services) 

But once your welcome bonus is unlocked (and if you don’t get another one right away), some of your current cards may have better earn rates! Always be sure to check. That’s why we often tell you not to use the same card everywhere. It always depends.  

 

Annual fee

Here are the cards’ annual fees:

The annual fee is already deducted from the total net value of the welcome bonuses above, as always (the total value of the Amex Platinum Card welcome bonus is actually ≈ $1,910, but we deducted the $699 for our Flytrippers Valuation of ≈ $1,211). 

So this specific section is for subsequent years, not the 1st year. Every card you get from now on (NOT your current cards) should be reevaluated when the 1st year ends, and simply canceled/downgraded if it no longer provides value (our free checklist for when you get a new card will help you stay organized).

Again, this is a great example of why it doesn’t make sense to avoid cards with annual fees just for the sake of avoiding fees. The annual fee alone is irrelevant: it’s the total net value that counts, always. A $699 card that gives you $1,910 is obviously better than a $0 card that gives you $0… if you can count.

(Look… it’s a good idea to avoid fees normally, but with travel rewards, it just doesn’t make sense — the world of travel rewards is very counter-intuitive.)

In this case, the Amex Platinum Card‘s $699 fee scares a lot of people, even though it’s not rational, but in fact, it’s just a net $499 because the card comes with a $200 “travel” credit each year.

It can be easily cashed out with our pro tip, so it’s really $499 if you know how to do the math.

That’s $100 less than the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card. So it could be a factor for those who would like to keep the card after the 1st year.

No matter which one you choose, as per our free checklist, set a reminder for 1 year from now. 

Then, evaluate whether the Amex Platinum Card’s unlimited airport lounge access, elite statuses, and other benefits are worth $499 to you, or evaluate whether the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card’s airport lounge access, free bag, and other benefits are worth $599 to you. If not (as is usually the case), move on. Simple. 

But many have a hard time understanding that this has absolutely nothing to do with the year 1 decision, it’s for year 2! The year 1 decision should obviously be based on the net value with the welcome bonus!

 

Supplementary cards

Here’s the cost for supplementary cards (“joint” cards):

Both cards let you get a supplementary card so you can share travel benefits (like airport lounge access) with someone else, at a relatively decent price (the Amex Platinum Card is a bit cheaper, as is the case for the main fee).

If your travel buddy sometimes travels without you, they could access the airport lounges without you thanks to their supplementary card. 

If you have more guests to let into the airport lounges than the 1 you get for free (some lounges let babies in for free, it’s rarely the case for children), your travel buddy would have 1 more access with their supplementary card.

Both cards give you the option to also have an additional card just to earn more points faster in the same account, without the travel benefits. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card offers it for free, so that’s good, but it obviously should be avoided with the Amex Platinum Card since it’s not free.

In short, it’s not really a factor to consider, since the appeal is mostly the supplementary cards with airport lounge access and it’s just a $24 difference.

 

Airport lounge access

Here are the differences in airport lounge access for each card:

  • American Express Platinum Card: 
    • Unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges (1300+ lounges worldwide, many in Canada) regardless of plane ticket purchased (for you and 1 guest)
    • Unlimited access to Plaza Premium lounges (100+ lounges worldwide, many in Canada) regardless of plane ticket purchased (for you and 1 guest)
    • Unlimited access to Aspire/Swissport lounges in Canada (4 lounges) regardless of plane ticket purchased (for you and 1 guest)
    • Unlimited access to Escape Lounges and Airspace lounges in the US (15 lounges) regardless of plane ticket purchased (for you and 1 guest)
    • Unlimited access to Amex Centurion Lounges (24 lounges, mostly in the US) regardless of plane ticket purchased (for you and 1 guest, but no guest as of February 2023 — just for these lounges)
    • Unlimited access to Delta SkyClub lounges in the US (50+ lounges) only if your flight is on Delta (no guest)
    • Unlimited access to Lufthansa Business lounges in Germany (14 lounges) only if your flight is on Lufthansa, SWISS, or Austrian (no guest) 
  • American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card: 
    • Unlimited access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges in North America (19 lounges) only if your flight is on Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner (for you and 1 guest)

Airport lounge access is the big draw of the Amex Platinum Card. It’s by far the best access of any Canadian card. Not even close.

Unlimited access. Lots of lounges. Everywhere in the world. With a guest. No matter the flight. 

Phenomenal. I’ve been enjoying it for 5 years and I wouldn’t do without it, since I travel a lot. There are many lounges included in Canadian airports.

But the only disadvantage compared to the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card is that because of the terminal configuration in Canada (mostly because of the US pre-clearance we have here, the Amex Platinum Card doesn’t have lounges in many terminals for US-bound flights especially. 

I had access to an airport lounge in Banjul (BJL) in the Gambia, but not when I’m in Montreal and flying to the USA. Sad. But it’s still exceptionally beneficial all over the world (and like anything travel-related, everything is so much better in the lounges in non-Western countries of course).

The Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card gives access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, so there are some in most US transborder terminals across Canada.

But this access is much more restrictive: you must have a ticket on Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner to be able to enjoy this access (whereas with the Amex Platinum Card, it doesn’t matter which airline).

Plus, the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card only gives you access to Maple Leaf Lounges in North America. And no other lounges are included. That’s 19 lounges versus 1,400+ for the Amex Platinum Card.

So the Amex Platinum Card access is better for almost everyone.

For the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card‘s lounge access to be better for you, you’d have to like paying too much for your flights by flying with just Air Canada or not travel often enough to take advantage of the lower fares (in points or cash) on other airlines. Or maybe you travel for work (so probably on Air Canada), or maybe you sadly never leave North America.

You can see a list of every airport lounge in Canada for each of the cards in our article on airport lounge access.

 

Travel and other benefits

Here are the benefits (other than airport lounges) for each card (those unique to each card are in bold):

  • American Express Platinum Card: 
    • Free Gold Elite status at Marriott, Hilton, and Radisson
    • Free Gold Plus Five-Star status, benefits, and discounts at Hertz
    • $100 credit for a NEXUS card
    • Access to the Toronto (YYZ) security checkpoint priority line 
    • Access to the Amex Offers program
    • Access to the American Express Experiences program
    • Access to The Hotel Collection program 
  • American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card: 
    • Priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling on Air Canada
    • Free checked bag on Air Canada
    • Aeroplan flight discounts on Air Canada
    • Shortcut to Aeroplan Elite status
    • $100 credit for a NEXUS card
    • Access to the Toronto (YYZ) security checkpoint priority line 
    • Access to the Amex Offers program
    • Access to the American Express Experiences program
    • Access to The Hotel Collection program

Having Gold Elite status at 8,000+ Marriott hotels is a really valuable perk. 

Especially since all Canadian travelers should easily get plenty of free nights at Marriott hotels with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card (just not now if you don’t have it yet; all the other summer increased offers are so much better than that one right now).

Free room upgrades, fruit baskets and bottles of wine often waiting upon arrival, the many bonus points given, and late check-out are all very nice extras that make stays more enjoyable.

I was also treated very well at all the Hiltons I’ve stayed at with Gold Elite status, although I use it quite a bit less often. I’ve never tried a Radisson hotel in 5 years though.

As for Hertz status, it’s so great to see the line of 10 people who look like they’ve been waiting for a long time and seem so frustrated, giving me angry looks when I get there and I instantly walk past each of them thanks to the elite line.

This is the kind of nice feeling that becomes very common with the travel benefits (including lounges of course) you get with the Amex Platinum Card.

Especially if you take the free NEXUS card offered in order to completely avoid the security lines at Canadian and US airports, the customs lines at Canadian and US airports, and the lines and land borders. So great!

As for the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card, except for the NEXUS credit also offered, the travel benefits are really focused on Air Canada flights. This makes sense since it’s a cobranded card from Air Canada.

Priority boarding on Air Canada is a nice benefit, but nothing like the hotel and car rental elite status offered with the Amex Platinum Card.

Priority check-in is not so useful in 2022 when everyone should be checking in online of course. 

If you like to bring too much stuff on your trip, the free checked bag on Air Canada is interesting. If you’re a pro flier who always travels with just a carry-on (or avoid the high cost of flying by not taking Air Canada), this provides zero value — every traveler is different!

How much value you give to all of these benefits is really extremely personal. 

So while you wait for our video and text reviews, check out the Amex Platinum Card page and the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card page for details on the benefits.

Determine the value you place on each. And simply factor that into your card choice.

 

Points uses

Here are the point redemption options for these cards (those unique to each card are in bold):

  • American Express Platinum Card: 
    • Transfer to Aeroplan
    • Transfer to Avios and other airline programs
    • Transfer to Marriott and Hilton
    • Amex award chart for flights
    • Simple travel credit applicable to any travel expense 

As mentioned, these 2 cards are the best cards to earn Aeroplan points. Amex points can be transferred to Aeroplan at the 1-to-1 rate as mentioned. This is often the best use.

All travel rewards pros prioritize Aeroplan points every year, because these variable-value rewards that offer outsized value and unlimited value are the most valuable. 

It’s also my favorite program, as a traveler who likes to maximize value. I almost always transfer all my many Amex points into Aeroplan points.

But the Amex Platinum Card also gives you the flexibility to use your points in other ways that the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card doesn’t. There’s no downside: you can still use Amex points as Aeroplan points, it’s just that you have more options.

You can use Amex points as a simple travel credit (which can be applied to any travel expense), which gives you a welcome bonus that’s still worth $641 instead of ≈ $1,211. You can obviously use your desired combination of rewards as Amex points or as Aeroplan points (it’s 100% flexible).

Amex points can also be used for flights with the Amex award chart, which can give you as much value as Aeroplan points if you usually buy flights that are expensive in cash.

In short, if you only want Aeroplan points (the points we highly recommend focussing on for travelers who want maximum value, especially those who use their points well), this is not an issue. But if you want more flexibility, the Amex Platinum Card is definitely the best option.

 

Insurance coverage

Here are the types of insurance included with the cards:

  • American Express Platinum Card: 
    • Medical travel insurance
    • Trip cancelation insurance
    • Trip interruption insurance
    • Flight delay insurance
    • Baggage delay insurance
    • Lost or stolen baggage insurance
    • Car rental theft and damage insurance
    • Hotel burglary insurance
    • Travel accident insurance
    • Purchase protection insurance
    • Extended warranty 
  • American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card: 
    • Medical travel insurance
    • Trip cancelation insurance
    • Trip interruption insurance
    • Flight delay insurance
    • Baggage delay insurance
    • Lost or stolen baggage insurance
    • Car rental theft and damage insurance
    • Hotel burglary insurance
    • Travel accident insurance
    • Purchase protection insurance
    • Extended warranty

Basically, it’s the same for both cards. It’s among the best insurance coverage in Canada. Not surprising given that these are premium cards.

One outstanding benefit is flight delay insurance, the most frequently used insurance for frequent travelers. Both the Amex Platinum Card and the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card give you $1,000 instead of $500 on almost all other cards in Canada.

So you can get a nice hotel and free meals if your flight is delayed more than 4 hours, no matter the reason for the delay. Most importantly, you’ll get it without having to go stand in line with other travelers who don’t have this insurance and without having to beg the airline at all.

I’ve used it 10 times myself and it gave me almost $5,000 in free hotels during delays. Plus, I also got over $1,000 in hotels for later (since I’m paying for a nice, expensive hotel myself — instead of a standard hotel paid by the airline — which allows me to earn tens of thousands of free hotel points for lots of free nights)!

The only difference between the 2 is that the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card will also cover you when your flight was paid with Aeroplan points!

The other most important insurance is obviously medical insurance. And contrary to common myth, medical insurance is the only insurance that doesn’t even require you to pay for your trip with the card in question to be covered.

For this one and all other types of very useful insurance coverage, both cards have the exact same inclusions.

In short, it’s not really a factor to consider when choosing between the 2, unless you really want to be covered by all flight-related insurances when paying with Aeroplan points.

 

Want to receive all our travel rewards content?

Sign up for our travel rewards newsletter

 

Summary

The American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card are great premium cards to earn a huge amount of valuable points through increased welcome bonus offers and airport lounge access. Which one is best for you depends on your preferences, but you just can’t go wrong with either of these!

What would you like to know about the best deals of the summer? Tell us in the comments below.

 

See the deals we spot: Cheap flights

Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration

Learn pro tricks: Travel tips

Discover free travel: Travel rewards

 

Featured image: Amex Centurion Lounge (photo credit: American Express)

Advertiser disclosure: In the interest of transparency, Flytrippers may receive a commission on links featured in this post, at no cost to you. Thank you for using our links to support us for free, we appreciate it! You allow us to keep finding the best travel deals for free and to keep offering valuable travel content for free. Since we care deeply about our mission to help travelers and our reputation and credibility prevail over everything, we will NEVER recommend a product or service if we don’t believe in it and/or use it ourselves, and we will never give any third-party any control whatsoever on our content. For more information on our advertiser disclosure, click here.

 

Share this post to help us help more people travel more for less:

Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

Leave a Reply