As a travel hacker for many years, I have points and miles spread across more programs than I can count on both hands. Usually this means that I don’t use the same types of miles all the time. That said, over the past six months I’ve been using Aeroplan points more regularly. This is in part due to how easy it is to earn Aeroplan points but more importantly because of Air Canada’s amazing stopover policy on award tickets. Here’s how I redeemed my last (almost) 200,000 Aeroplan points.
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Planning a Legendary Trip With 200,000 Aeroplan Points
I’m a full-time traveler so the trip I planned with 200,000 Aeroplan points probably isn’t going to look the same as a trip that someone based in the U.S. would plan. Nevertheless, it’s a useful way to get some inspiration for how you may want to spend your points.
Note that because I travel full-time and, based on some of the places I wanted to visit, I wasn’t always able to use Aeroplan points. This article will only consider the flights booked with Aeroplan points.
Read More: Air Canada Aeroplan: The Ultimate Guide
1. Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) to Cairns, Australia (CNS) for 37,500 Aeroplan Points in Economy
Even though Asia is a lot closer to Australia than the U.S., it still isn’t necessarily that easy to get there. I needed to be in Cairns so I could connect onward to a trip to the Torres Strait Islands and then go on a Great Barrier Reef dive trip.
Even though I was in Bangkok, a major hub in Asia, I couldn’t find a good cash fare, nor could I find reasonable business class availability. What I was able to find was a solid redemption to fly a daytime flight from Bangkok to Melbourne, Australia (MEL), spend the night there and continue onward to Cairns in the morning for only 37,500 Aeroplan points plus ~$80 in taxes.
It would have been possible to add a stopover in Melbourne for only 5,000 additional Aeroplan points.
Points Spent: 37,500 Aeroplan points
Cash Spent: $80
2. Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Denver, Colorado (DEN) for 85,000 Aeroplan Points in Business Class
Finding availability from Bangkok to Australia was hard enough, but I also wanted to book a flight back to the U.S. for the holidays. I lucked out with an award alert from Straight to the Points indicating that Air Canada had released business-class space between the U.S. and Australia. Even though Aeroplan doesn’t offer as flexible of a cancellation policy for award tickets as some other airlines, I decided to jump on this great deal for business-class award space back to the U.S.
This routing took me from Sydney to Vancouver, Canada (YVR) and finally to Denver with reasonable layovers for only 85,000 Aeroplan points + ~$122 in taxes.
It would have been possible to add a stopover in Vancouver for only 5,000 additional points.
Points Spent: 85,000 Aeroplan points
Cash Spent: $122
3. Wellington, New Zealand (WLG) to Bali, Indonesia (DPS) for 37,500 Aeroplan Points in Economy
Wellington, New Zealand was my first major international destination in 2023, thanks to a killer award price I learned about through Straight to the Points, in 2022 that I booked with United miles. From there, I wanted to head to Bali, which is the destination to chill and stay in amazing hotels on points for low prices. My boyfriend and I are working toward requalifying for Marriott Platinum and Hyatt Globalist status, respectively, so spending a few weeks in Bali was high on our priority list for early 2023.
I found award availability from Wellington to Bali for 37,500 Aeroplan points plus ~$63 in taxes. We again chose to fly economy because all flights were daytime flights. This itinerary had connections in both Sydney, Australia (SYD) and Singapore (SIN) and we could have added a stopover in either destination for only 5,000 additional points, but we wanted to maximize our time in Bali so chose not to.
Points Spent: 37,500 Aeroplan points
Cash Spent: $63
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4. Bali, Indonesia to Seoul, South Korea (ICN) With a Three-Day Stop in Manila, Philippines (MNL) for 30,000 Aeroplan Points in Economy
After Bali we wanted to head to Seoul, South Korea, but we had a bit more flexibility about when we needed to arrive. We always like to consider destinations for a few days stopover and since my boyfriend had never been to the Philippines, we decided to spend some time in Manila.
Air Canada offers an awesome stopover program where it’s possible to add a stopover on a one-way award for only 5,000 additional points. Had we not decided to stop in Manila, we would have been able to book the flight from Bali to Seoul for 25,000 Aeroplan points. Because we decided to book the stopover, we paid 30,000 Aeroplan points and ~$56.
Points Spent: 30,000 Aeroplan points
Cash Spent: $56
Flight Summary
As mentioned, since I travel full-time, these were not all of my flights from “home.” I don’t have a permanent homebase—there’s nowhere that I always go back to. So this trip cost isn’t going to be representative of what a trip looks like for many people. That said, it can go a long way to help inspire what you could do with 200,000 Aeroplan points.
In total, I was able to book 10 flights for only 190,000 Aeroplan points plus about $321 in taxes. Of these 10 flights, two were in business class—including one on a (very) longhaul flight from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, Canada (in December, no less!).
This itinerary allowed us to visit Cairns, Australia; Bali, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines; Seoul, South Korea; and go back to visit family in the U.S. for the holidays. All of these flights involved flying 25,990 miles.
My goal had been to see how far I could get with 200,000 Aeroplan points, and while I didn’t quite empty my account, I could have planned two additional stopovers with the remaining 10,000 points. There are also some short flights that can be booked with Aeroplan points for under 10,000 points per ticket, but none that have made sense for my plans as of yet.
Credit Cards That Earn Aeroplan Points
Luckily for you, even if you don’t have any or enough Aeroplan points right now, they’re relatively easy to earn through numerous credit cards.
Aeroplan® Credit Card
The Aeroplan® Credit Card is a fantastic way to jumpstart your Aeroplan balance.
Rewards: 3 points per dollar spent on dining, takeout and eligible delivery services, grocery stores and each dollar spent directly with Air Canada including vacations and cruises and 1 point per dollar for all other eligible purchases
Welcome Offer: 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
Annual Fee: $95
Other Benefits and Drawbacks: In addition to earning Aeroplan points, Aeroplan Credit Card holders get free checked bags when flying Air Canada and achieve Aeroplan 25K Elite status for the remainder of the first calendar year and the following year as a cardholder. Cardholders can continue to earn 25K status by spending $15,000 on their card within a calendar year. Cardholders can level up to 35K elite status or higher by spending $50,000 on the card within a calendar year. Cardholders also receive preferred pricing when booking Aeroplan award flights on Air Canada.
The card also offers up to $100 every four years to cover your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and offers various travel and purchase coverage including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, auto rental collision damage waiver and purchase protection.
Aeroplan® Credit Card
Up to 3x Reward Rate
Earn 3x points for each dollar spent on grocery stores, dining at restaurants including takeout and eligible delivery services, andRead More
Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 points
Annual Fee
$95
Regular APR
21.74% - 28.74% Variable
Credit Score
Good, Excellent (700 - 749)
The solid reward-earning potential of the Aeroplan® Credit Card makes the card an excellent option for those loyal Air Canada passengers who also regularly spend on food and travel.
- Excellent rewards earning
- No foreign transaction fees
- Travel benefits including perks for Air Canada flyers
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks non-travel related benefits
- Earn 60,000 bonus points
- Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $95 Annual Fee
- Redeem points for both international and domestic flights with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Fly to another continent and travel the world with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Earn 3X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
- 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month – up to 1,500 points per month.
- Member FDIC
Other Credit Cards That Earn Aeroplan Points
There are many other credit cards that offer access to Aeroplan points through their transferable rewards programs. Credit cards earning American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards® offer transfers to Aeroplan at a 1:1 rate. It’s also possible to transfer various hotel points to Aeroplan but this usually isn’t a good deal. Transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan is a unique hotel transfer option that may make sense depending on your circumstances.
Bottom Line
Aeroplan points can be incredibly valuable, especially for those who want to make use of Aeroplan’s unique stopover program which allows a stopover to be booked on one-way awards for only 5,000 additional points. It’s an easy way to stretch your points further and plan an epic trip without breaking the mileage bank.
