If you have the Elite status with Aeroplan and Air Canada, you know how wonderful it is and how addictive all these benefits can be. You normally have to fly a lot of expensive flights to reach this status, but for those who already have it, there’s a very interesting shortcut to extend it until the end of 2023.
Our ultimate guide to the Aeroplan program coming this weekend will have an intro on the Aeroplan Elite program, but a more detailed article will follow since it’s a quite complex topic.
In the meantime, here’s an important update that’s only for those who currently have the Aeroplan Elite status.
Shortcut to extend status
To extend your Aeroplan Elite status until the end of 2023, the Aeroplan program is offering an interesting shortcut: if you earn 30,000 points via your Aeroplan credit cards from January 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022, your current status will be automatically extended.
It’s retroactive, which means anything you’ve already earned counts towards the total. It’s also cumulative if you have multiple Aeroplan cards issued by American Express, CIBC, and TD (as I do, obviously).
Of course, take into account the opportunity cost: 30,000 Aeroplan points is between $20,000 and $30,000 in spending.
That would literally unlock thousands of dollars in welcome bonuses by getting new cards (while obviously improving your credit score) to get more rewards instead of getting Elite status.
But if you want to extend your status and don’t want to have to meet the requirements which are quite high for those who don’t have expensive flights paid for them by their employer, this is a great option.
Which points count
Only points earned with purchases count, not welcome bonuses or transfers.
(So you wouldn’t be able to get a new Aeroplan card or take advantage of the awesome enhanced offer on the American Express Gold Rewards Card and just transfer the 44,500 Amex points to Aeroplan; that would be too easy!)
Also, some Aeroplan cards had limited-time accelerated earn rates this year (10X points on groceries or travel, for example) and those promotional bonus points are excluded.
However, the “normal” accelerated rates do count (like the 2X points rate on Air Canada flights on the American Express Aeroplan Card or the 3X on the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card); it’s really just the special or limited-time promotional rates that are excluded.
We’ll have a lot more details on all the Aeroplan cards coming soon. In the meantime, we have pages with more details on the American Express Aeroplan Card and the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.
All the promotion details regarding the Aeroplan Elite status shortcut are on the Air Canada website.
How to view your earned points total
Unfortunately, there’s no official tracker to see how much you have spent on your Aeroplan credit cards.
So you have to count manually.
On the Air Canada website, when you log in to your account, click on “My Aeroplan” and then “Activity” to see your points history and what you earned on your credit cards.
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Summary
If you currently have the Aeroplan Elite status, it’s possible to extend your current status to the end of 2023 without having to qualify under the regular requirements, by earning 30,000 points on your Aeroplan credit cards from January 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022. This can be a great shortcut for many travelers.
What would you like to know about the Aeroplan program? Tell us in the comments below.
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