18 good uses of Aeroplan points

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Aeroplan points are the favorite currency of travel rewards enthusiasts because they can give unlimited value! While all travelers should have some (because they can also be redeemed in a more simple way), their potential for outsized value is amazing.

Let’s look at 18 good redemptions for Aeroplan points (plus a bonus one at the beginning), to give you concrete examples. These are sometimes called program sweet spots.

(And there’s a teaser about how it all works as an introduction… this is while you await more content, tips, and guides on all the major rewards programs — including Aeroplan — very soon!)

Contents hide
Basics of earning Aeroplan points
Basics of using Aeroplan points
18 good uses for Aeroplan points
Good Aeroplan use #0 (bonus): Flights with stopovers
Good Aeroplan use #1: Short-distance flights within North America
Good Aeroplan use #2: Medium-distance flights within North America
Good Aeroplan use #3: Long-distance flights within North America
Good use of Aeroplan #4: Flights to Western Europe or Morocco from Eastern Canada
Good use of Aeroplan #5: Business class flights across the ocean
Good use of Aeroplan #6: Flights to northern South America
Good use of Aeroplan #7: Flights to southern South America
Good use of Aeroplan #8: Flights to Asia or the Pacific
Good use of Aeroplan #9: Flights to Northern Canada
Good Aeroplan use #10: Short-distance flights around Asia
Good Aeroplan use #11: Short-distance flights around Central America
Good Aeroplan use #12: Short-distance flights around South America
Good Aeroplan use #13: Short-distance flights around the Middle East
Good Aeroplan use #14: Short-distance flights around Africa
Good Aeroplan use #15: Short-distance flights around Australia or New Zealand
Good Aeroplan use #16: Short-distance flights within Oceania
Good Aeroplan use #17: Short-distance flights around Europe
Good Aeroplan use #18: Mini-Round The World
Summary

 

Basics of earning Aeroplan points

As with all good rewards programs, it’s obviously with credit cards that you’ll earn lots of Aeroplan points (if you don’t know that, read the basics of travel rewards).

Best credit cards for
Aeroplan points
NEW
 TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $12k in 12 mos. (incl. $7.5k in 180 days)†
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
ends January 6th
Rewards: ≈ $791
Annual fee: $0 $139
Aeroplan points: 50k pts with bonus
(62,000 pts total)
50k + 12k on min. spend
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
American Express Aeroplan Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $3k in 3 mos. + $1k
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $540
Card fee: $120
Aeroplan points: 44,000 pts
+ a free bag
on Air Canada
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k/month for 12 months
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $1180
Card fee: $250
Aeroplan points: 72,000 pts
+ 4 lounges
and $100 travel credit
Platinum Card® from American Express
Platinum Card from American Express
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $10k in 3 months
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $1600
Card fee: $799
Aeroplan points: 80,000 pts
+ unlimited PP lounges
and $200 travel credit
American Express Cobalt® Card
American Express Cobalt Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $750/month for 12 months
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $156
Aeroplan points: 60,000 pts
+ 5X the points
best card in Canada
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $1041
Card fee: $599
Aeroplan points: 69,375 pts
+ unlimited AC lounges
& other AC benefits
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Infinite Privilege* Card
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $24k in 12 mos. (or $12k for lower bonus)
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
ends January 6th
Rewards: ≈ $1051
Annual fee: $599
Aeroplan points: 80k pts with bonus
(110,000 pts total)
80k + 30k on min. spend
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Platinum Card
TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k in 3 months
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
ends January 6th
Rewards: ≈ $315
Annual fee: $0 $89
Aeroplan points: 20k pts with bonus
(21,000 pts total)
20k + 1k on min. spend
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
Card: no business required
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $713
Card fee: $199
Aeroplan points: 47,500 pts
+ simpler
min. spend structure
American Express® Green Card
American Express Green Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k in 3 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $165
Card fee: $0
Aeroplan points: 11,000 pts
+ no fees
but way less value
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.
Best credit cards for
Aeroplan points		 WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)		 Aeroplan
points
NEW
 TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $12k in 12 mos. (incl. $7.5k in 180 days)†
Rewards: ≈ $791
Annual fee: $0 $139
50k pts with bonus
(62,000 pts total)
50k + 12k on min. spend
ends January 6th
American Express Aeroplan Card
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $3k in 3 mos. + $1k
Rewards: ≈ $540
Card fee: $120
44,000 pts
+ a free bag
on Air Canada
American Express Gold Rewards Card
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k/month for 12 months
Rewards: ≈ $1180
Card fee: $250
72,000 pts
+ 4 lounges
and $100 travel credit
Platinum Card from American Express
Platinum Card® from American Express
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $10k in 3 months
Rewards: ≈ $1600
Card fee: $799
80,000 pts
+ unlimited PP lounges
and $200 travel credit
American Express Cobalt Card
American Express Cobalt® Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $750/month for 12 months
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $156
60,000 pts
+ 5X the points
best card in Canada
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $1041
Card fee: $599
69,375 pts
+ unlimited AC lounges
& other AC benefits
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Infinite Privilege* Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $24k in 12 mos. (or $12k for lower bonus)
Rewards: ≈ $1051
Annual fee: $599
80k pts with bonus
(110,000 pts total)
80k + 30k on min. spend
ends January 6th
TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Platinum Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k in 3 months
Rewards: ≈ $315
Annual fee: $0 $89
20k pts with bonus
(21,000 pts total)
20k + 1k on min. spend
ends January 6th
American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
Card: no business required
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $713
Card fee: $199
47,500 pts
+ simpler
min. spend structure
American Express Green Card
American Express® Green Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k in 3 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $165
Card fee: $0
11,000 pts
+ no fees
but way less value
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.

 

Right now, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card has a good Aeroplan welcome bonus.

It’ll give you 62,000 Aeroplan points!

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card


min. income: $60k (or $100k household)
Flytrippers Valuation
of Welcome bonus (net value)
≈ $
Rewards: ≈ $791*
Card fee: $0 $139
 ends January 6th

spend $12,000 in 12 months

(incl. $7,500 in 180 days)†

Interest rates:

Purchases: 20.99%

Cash advances: 22.99%

Cash advances (QC): 20.99%
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. TD is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "Apply Now" to see most up-to-date information.

 

The American Express Aeroplan Card, the American Express Gold Rewards Card, and the American Express Cobalt Card are the best alternatives for those who don’t earn the minimum income required. They still give you a lot of Aeroplan points, too! Also, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card are the premium versions that give you plenty of benefits, like unlimited access to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf airport lounges in North America (only when flying on Air Canada or Star Alliance partners, though).

 

Basics of using Aeroplan points

Whatever the rewards program, there are 2 types of redemptions:

  • More simple redemptions
  • More lucrative redemptions

You can read the basics about the 2 types of reward that exist for more details.

With Aeroplan points, your best options are more lucrative redemptions (if you want to be able to choose both types, get American Express points that are transferable to Aeroplan AND also offer more simple redemptions).

The Aeroplan program has 2 main redemption options that are very different:

  • On the 47 Aeroplan partner airlines
    • Prices are fixed and guaranteed
      • No matter the cash price
      • Set by the award chart
      • So more lucrative (potential value is unlimited)
    • Available seats are limited
      • So less simple (this option requires flexibility)
    • Value is not limited
      • Estimated value of ≈ 1.5¢ per Aeroplan point
  • On Air Canada
    • Prices are not fixed and not guaranteed
      • Related to the cash price (dynamic and variable)
      • Can be above (or below) the partner award chart
      • So less lucrative (outsized value impossible)
    • Available seats are not limited
      • So more simple (this option gives you flexibility)
    • Value is limited
      • Estimated value of ≈ 1.1¢ per Aeroplan point

Aeroplan points are great for some specific flights in economy class and all flights in business class.

Redemptions on the 47 partner airlines are the most interesting because the amount of points required never changes, no matter the price in cash. Those seats are obviously limited, that’s what allows for unlimited value. This option is by far the best if you want to maximize the value of your points and want to be more flexible. Sometimes flights on Air Canada are at the same price as on partners too.

Redemptions on Air Canada allow you to book any seat on any flight. That’s a lot more flexible, so necessarily it often gives you less value. When seats aren’t limited, prices can’t be fixed and so the value can’t be unlimited. But it’s simple.

Of course, as with all rewards programs, you should never redeem your Aeroplan points for anything other than travel, so I won’t even mention these terrible options in an article about good redemptions.

 

18 good uses for Aeroplan points

For every concrete example, I indicated the fixed amount of points required for flights on partner airlines obviously. The price can sometimes be the same on Air Canada, but seats at that price are limited on Air Canada too.

I have 10 examples of good redemptions of Aeroplan points from Canada (#1 to #9… and #18). 

I have 8 examples of good redemptions of Aeroplan points around the world (from #10 to #17) because these points can be very valuable to travel around once you’re at your destination (for example if you got there with a cheap deal). Aeroplan points are amazing for great travelers who want to travel more (and discover more places).

And these are just a tiny fraction of the possibilities! You can mix and match all these examples as you wish, since airline points like Aeroplan really are fully customizable! 

 

Good Aeroplan use #0 (bonus): Flights with stopovers

Flytrippers loves to give you bonuses and this time I’m listing it at the beginning!

A great feature of the Aeroplan program allows you to add a stopover for only 5,000 points! Even on a one-way ticket.

With a 5,000 points stopover, you can visit 2 incredible destinations of your choice for almost the same price as one. It’s a great value for avid travelers once again, those who want to experience as many places as possible. Because 2 destinations are often better than just 1!

Note that stopovers are only available outside of Canada and the United States, however. 

I had a stopover in Guatemala on my flight to El Salvador in January (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)

 

Good Aeroplan use #1: Short-distance flights within North America

  • Price (one-way): 6,000 points
  • Distance: 0-500 miles
  • Examples:
    • Montréal–Washington
    • Montréal–New York City
    • Montréal–Boston
    • Montréal–Philadelphia
    • Toronto–Chicago
    • Toronto–New York City
    • Toronto–Boston
    • Vancouver–Portland
    • Calgary–Seattle

Washington, D.C. (photo credit: Andy Feliciotti)

 

Perfect for weekend getaways to amazing cities (long weekend getaways are ideal for those who say time is the biggest obstacle to traveling more, not money).

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $400
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $250
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 12,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 2¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #2: Medium-distance flights within North America

  • Price (one-way): 10,000 points
  • Distance: 500-1,500 miles
  • Examples:
    • Montréal–Miami
    • Montréal–Nashville
    • Montréal–New Orleans
    • Montréal–Chicago
    • Toronto–Miami
    • Toronto–New Orleans
    • Vancouver–Los Angeles
    • Calgary–Las Vegas
Miami Beach, Florida (photo credit: Antonio Cuellar)

 

It covers a good part of eastern North America from Montréal and Toronto, including Florida, beloved by many Canadians. It covers popular destinations like California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah from the Vancouver and Calgary/Edmonton. This gives you a lot of incredible destination options!

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $450
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $300
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 20,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #3: Long-distance flights within North America

  • Price (one-way): 12,500 points
  • Distance: 0-2,750 miles
  • Examples:
    • Montréal–Costa Rica
    • Montréal–Mexico
    • Montréal–Nicaragua
    • Montréal–Jamaica
    • Toronto–Costa Rica
    • Vancouver–Cabo
Costa Rica (photo credit: Etienne Delorieux)

 

Lots of possibilities for exotic “sunny” destinations with longer flights. It covers almost all of Central America from Toronto and Montréal.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $525
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $375
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 25,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #4: Flights to Western Europe or Morocco from Eastern Canada

  • Price (one-way): 35,000 points
  • Distance: 0-4,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Vancouver–Tokyo
    • Montréal–Madrid
    • Montréal–Nice
    • Montréal–Zurich
    • Montréal–Marrakech
    • Toronto–Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal (photo credit: Liam McKay)

 

Vancouver to Tokyo is an amazing sweet spot. Since flights to Europe have become very affordable if you’re flexible (often around $500 roundtrip on our deals page), it’s not often a great way to redeem points for that. But many travelers still pay $1,200 to go to Europe, sadly…

I included Morocco to show you how sweet spots can come to be: it’s often considered more exotic since it’s in Africa, but since Aeroplan puts Morocco in the Atlantic zone and it’s closer to us than almost all European countries, it costs fewer points!

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $1,200
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $1,050
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 70,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #5: Business class flights across the ocean

  • Price (one-way): 60,000 points
  • Distance: 0-4,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Vancouver–Tokyo
    • Toronto–Brussels
    • Toronto–Lisbon
    • Montréal–Madrid
    • Montréal–Nice
    • Montréal–Zurich
    • Montréal–Milan
Business class seat on SWISS (photo credit: SWISS)

 

If you’re interested in business class flights (more quality, less quantity), you’ll get even more value. Aeroplan points are the go-to currency for fans of premium cabin travel. It’s expensive, so never pay with cash! It doesn’t make sense; get Aeroplan points — and fast!

If you want to take advantage of cheap roundtrips to Vancouver to position yourself there, one-way tickets from there to Tokyo are only 55,000 points one-way in business class if you prefer going to Asia.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $2,750
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $250
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $2,500
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 120,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 2.1¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #6: Flights to northern South America

  • Price (one-way): 30,000 points
  • Distance: 0-4,500 miles
  • Examples:
    • Toronto–Lima
    • Montréal–Galápagos
    • Montréal–Lima
    • Montréal–Cartagena
    • Montréal–Manaus
    • Vancouver–Quito
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (photo credit: Nathalie Marquis)

 

This use of Aeroplan gives you many options in the northern part of the South American continent. Some of these destinations can be super expensive with cash, especially the exotic Galápagos Islands.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $1,100
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $900
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 60,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #7: Flights to southern South America

  • Price (one-way): 40,000 points
  • Distance: 4,500+ miles
  • Examples:
    • Toronto–Argentina
    • Toronto–Chile
    • Toronto–Uruguay
    • Montreal–Argentina
    • Montreal–Chile
    • Montreal–Uruguay
    • Vancouver–Chile
    • Calgary–Argentina
Argentina (photo credit: Rachel Jarboe)

 

For a few more points, you can actually go anywhere on the South American continent, including many destinations that are very rarely (or never) discounted in cash.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $1,400
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $1,200
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 80,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #8: Flights to Asia or the Pacific

  • Price (one-way): 60,000 points
  • Distance: 7,501-11,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Toronto–Australia
    • Montréal–Australia
    • Montréal–Indonesia
    • Montréal–Thailand
    • Montréal–New Zealand
    • Montréal–Bali
    • Vancouver–Australia
    • Calgary–New Zealand
Australian outback (photo credit: Ondrej Machart)

 

Want to go very far? With 60,000 points, you have a one-way ticket to almost anywhere in the world. However, this is not necessarily the best use in terms of value. But certain destinations and dates are very expensive sometimes, especially right now.

And you can do 2 destinations in Southeast Asia or Southeast Asia AND Australia with a stopover, so it makes this a little more interesting!

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $2,100
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $2,400
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 120,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good use of Aeroplan #9: Flights to Northern Canada

  • Price (one-way): 10,000 points
  • Distance: 50-1,500 miles
  • Examples:
    • Montréal–Kuujjuaq
    • Ottawa–Iqaluit
    • Edmonton–Yellowknife
Nunavut, Canada (photo credit: TNFF)

 

This one is a bit niche, but it’s really interesting. In terms of value per point, hard to do better than this (in economy class at least). Some folks pay a LOT of money for their flights to unique destinations in Northern Canada… but all routes operated by Canadian North are available at amazingly low prices with Aeroplan.

This sweet spot is ending soon, so don’t miss a detailed post about it.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $1,150
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $1,000
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 20,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 5¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #10: Short-distance flights around Asia

  • Price (one-way): 8,000 points
  • Distance: 0-1,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Chiang Mai–Krabi
    • Bangkok–Singapore
    • Tokyo–Okinawa
    • Hong Kong–Taipei
Thailand (photo credit: Sumit Chinchane)

 

If you grab one of our cheap flight deals to Asia (like Japan for $500 roundtrip or Southeast Asia for a bit more), you can save a lot of money once you get there with an impressive number of options.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in Asia: ANA in Japan, EVA Air in Taiwan, Air China/Shenzhen Airlines/Juneyao Air in China, Cathay in Hong Kong, THAI in Thailand, Singapore Airlines in Singapore, Bamboo Airways in Vietnam, Asiana Airlines in South Korea, and Air India/Vistara in India.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $350
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $100
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $250
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 16,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.6¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #11: Short-distance flights around Central America

  • Price (one-way): 6,000 points
  • Distance: 0-500 miles
  • Examples:
    • Guatemala–Nicaragua
    • Costa Rica–Panama
    • El Salvador–Honduras
Nicaragua (photo credit: Gabriella Trejoss)

 

If you grab one of our cheap flight deals to Central America (often $350 roundtrip), you can move around for a great price with Aeroplan if you want to avoid the infamous long bus rides across land borders. It’s also a great place to add a stopover as I did in January.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in Central America and Mexico: Copa Airlines in Panama City and Avianca in Guatemala City, San Salvador, and San José.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $400
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 12,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.7¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #12: Short-distance flights around South America

  • Price (one-way): 15,000 points
  • Distance: 1+ miles
  • Examples:
    • Argentina–Colombia
    • Brazil–Galápagos
    • Chile–Peru
    • Bolivia–Brazil
Colombia (photo credit: Dawin Rizzo)

 

This is an excellent sweet spot if you make your way to South America with our deals (we often spot Brazil for $500 roundtrip or Colombia for $400). Every one-way flight within the continent costs the same low amount of points, an amazing value especially since many of those flights are expensive in cash. It’s another great spot to add a stopover too.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in South America: Avianca in Colombia and Ecuador as well as GOL and Azul in Brazil.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $600
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $450
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 30,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.5¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #13: Short-distance flights around the Middle East

  • Price (one-way): 7,500 points
  • Distance: 0-1,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Tel Aviv–Cairo
    • Istanbul–Tbilisi
    • Muscat–Dubai
    • Cairo–Amman
Egypt (photo credit: Simon Berger)

 

If you’re interested in visiting Türkiye or Egypt (2 of the most affordable countries to travel to), you can also get many flights there (although domestic flights in Türkiye are pretty cheap — I’ve bought many $50 flights on my 5 trips there). You have many options in Gulf countries as well.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in the Middle East and Northern Africa: Turkish Airlines in Istanbul, EGYPTAIR in Cairo, Etihad in Abu Dhabi, Oman Air in Muscat, and Gulf Air in Bahrain.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $450
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $300
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 15,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 2¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #14: Short-distance flights around Africa

  • Price (one-way): 7,500 points
  • Distance: 0-1,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Ethiopia–Kenya
    • Mauritius–Madagascar
    • Zambia–Zimbabwe
    • Johannesburg–Durban
Kenya (photo credit: Damian Patkowski)

 

Africa is an underrated continent and flights in some parts can be very expensive in cash, which means you can get a lot of value with your points, despite the relatively small number of partners in such a large region.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in the rest of Africa: South African Airways in South Africa and Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa (they also have many “5th freedom” flights — routes that serve 2 cities that are not in the airline’s home country).

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $500
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $150
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $350
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 15,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 2.3¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #15: Short-distance flights around Australia or New Zealand

  • Price (one-way): 8,000 points
  • Distance: 0-1,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Auckland–Christchurch
    • Dunedin–Wellington
    • Melbourne–Gold Coast
    • Sydney–Tasmania
New Zealand (photo credit: Tobias Keller)

 

If you’re going to Australia or New Zealand, you can fly cheaply around there with Aeroplan, as I might do in November. Like many other places on this list, it’s especially great on peak dates or other times when the cash price is high.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in Oceania: Air New Zealand in New Zealand and Virgin Australia in Australia.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $350
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $100
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $250
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 16,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.6¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #16: Short-distance flights within Oceania

  • Price (one-way): 12,500 points
  • Distance: 1,001-2,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Auckland–Fiji
    • Auckland–New Caledonia
    • Auckland–Samoa
    • Brisbane–Vanuatu
Fiji (photo credit: Sebastina Pena Lambarri)

 

Here’s an even better value if you’re in Australia or New Zealand: if you want to explore the exotic Pacific islands, the cash price is often super expensive. But with Aeroplan, you can make your way there at a decent price.

These are again flights on partner airlines in Oceania: Air New Zealand in New Zealand and Virgin Australia in Australia.

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $600
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $200
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $400
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 25,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.6¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #17: Short-distance flights around Europe

  • Price (one-way): 8,000 points
  • Distance: 0-1,000 miles
  • Examples:
    • Rome–Dubrovnik
    • Munich–Athens
    • Lisbon–Marrakech
    • Warsaw–Oslo
Dubrovnik, Croatia (photo credit: Spencer Davis)

 

While flights are very cheap in Europe if you’re flexible (like $9 cheap), they can be more expensive if you want more comfort, if you want more schedule options, if you aren’t flexible on your dates at all, or if you’re not well prepared either.

These are flights around partner airlines’ hubs in Europe: TAP Air Portugal in Lisbon, Brussels Airlines in Brussels, Lufthansa and Eurowings in Germany, SWISS in Zurich, Austrian in Vienna, Air Dolomiti in Italy, LOT Polish in Poland, Croatia Airlines in Zagreb, Air Serbia in Belgrade, Aegean and Olympic in Greece, as well as Scandinavian (SAS) in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. 

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $350
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $100
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $250
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 16,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.6¢

 

Good Aeroplan use #18: Mini-Round The World

  • Price (total): 130,000 points (or 180,000 in business class with lie-flat seats)
  • Distance: 0-11,000 miles per direction
  • Examples: Montréal–Greece–Thailand–Japan–Montreal

The Mini-RTW was the old Aeroplan program’s holy grail, and it’s still possible to get an epic trip with the new rules. How about visiting Greece, Thailand, and Japan on the same trip, and going literally all around the world?

However, that requires 130,000 points so one welcome bonus alone won’t be enough. But you can simply earn more points with future cards afterwards! It’s really easy!

In fact, for just 180,000 points, you could even go on that epic journey in lie-flat business class seats if you prefer.

Here’s the type of itinerary you could get, which consists of 2 one-ways that cost 60,000 points and then 2 stopovers that cost 5,000 points each. This will allow you to visit 3 amazing destinations.

A sample Aeroplan Mini-RTW itinerary (image credit: GCmaps.com)

 

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip in economy class):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $2,500
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $300
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $2,200
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 130,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 1.7¢

Example of Aeroplan’s value (1 roundtrip in business class):

  • Normal cash price for tickets: ≈ $10,000
  • Taxes to pay with Aeroplan: ≈ $400
  • Savings with Aeroplan: ≈ $9,600
  • Amount of Aeroplan points: 180,000
  • Value per Aeroplan point: ≈ 5.3¢

  

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Summary

There are many great redemptions for Aeroplan points to get incredible value from your points! You can get almost $800 in value with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card‘s great increased welcome bonus, for example. 

What would you like to know about Aeroplan points? 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: Costa Rica (photo credit: Atanas Malamov)

 

 

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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).

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. PCBytown December 5, 2023 Reply

    Could you give more details on #18?

    1. Andrew D'Amours December 7, 2023 Reply

      Hi, I’ll do a complete guide for sure. In the meantime what else would you like to know?

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