Fortune Recommends\u2122 has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends\u2122 and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.<\/em><\/p>\n Aeroplan is the credit card transfer partner you didn\u2019t know you needed. Here\u2019s why.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aeroplan is the Arrested Development<\/em> of airline programs<\/a>. Let me explain. In the classic TV show, the corrupt patriarch George Bluth Senior used to tell his son Michael \u201cwelp, there\u2019s always money in the banana stand.\u201d We, the audience, were meant to interpret this as \u201cwelp, at least our frozen banana stand is still making money.\u201d<\/p>\n But we later found out that he meant there was literally <\/em>$100,000 cash lining the walls of the banana stand. Of course, this was revealed after <\/em>Michael had already burnt it down for the insurance money.<\/p>\n Anyways, that\u2019s why I often tell my friends \u201cwelp, there\u2019s always a transfer to Aeroplan\u201d in my best George Senior voice. Because for lack of a better idea, transferring credit card points to Air Canada\u2019s loyalty program often results in a win\u2014even if you have no plans to fly to Canada.<\/p>\n So without further ado, here\u2019s exactly why Air Canada Aeroplan is a massively underrated transfer partner where you can score some amazing deals on domestic and international flights \u2014no burning banana stand required.<\/p>\n As the name not-so-subtly implies, Air Canada is Canada\u2019s largest airline and the flagship carrier for the entire country. Headquartered in Montreal, Air Canada flies to 51 different destinations in Canada alone, 52 in the U.S. and 80 total overseas. Its main hubs are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, with smaller hubs in Calgary and Halifax that still offer a handful of international routes to and from.<\/p>\n Air Canada has committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, and to help them get there, they plan to put 30 all-electric ES-30 airplanes<\/a> from Heart Aerospace into regular flight service by 2028. Pretty neat stuff.<\/p>\n Aeroplan is the name of the rewards program Air Canada utilizes. The airline is also known for being a member of Star Alliance, which is a big deal because it means you can use Aeroplan points to book select flights on the following partner airlines:<\/p>\n Did you see it? That last one on the list? Yep \u2013 having United Airlines<\/a> on the list means you can book domestic U.S. flights using high-value Aeroplan points. In fact, you may get better deals booking United flights via Aeroplan as you\u2019ll see below.<\/p>\n But before we get ahead of ourselves, let\u2019s briefly cover how Aeroplan works in general.<\/p>\n Aeroplan is Air Canada\u2019s official loyalty rewards program. It doesn\u2019t have a fancy name for its currency like Miles, Credits or Republic Dataries<\/a>\u2014it simply uses the term \u201cpoints.\u201d<\/p>\n You can earn Aeroplan points by making purchases with Aeroplan itself (e.g. flights, upgrades and extras), making purchases with the airline\u2019s retail partners like Starbucks and Uber Eats, booking with Air Canada\u2019s travel partners and by using an Aeroplan-branded credit card.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve accumulated enough Air Canada points, you can then redeem them for the usual suite of options you\u2019d see in an airline loyalty rewards program. That means flights, upgrades, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, merchandise, and as we see often, wildly-overpriced Apple products.<\/p>\n But per usual, 9 times out of 10 your best redemption option is going to be for flights.<\/p>\n Aeroplan keeps things relatively simple by publishing Flight Reward Charts<\/a> for each of its zones of operation. Here, for example, are the redemption rates for flights that stay within North America, ordered by distance. Note that short flights under 500 miles (e.g. LA to San Francisco) start at just 6,000 points one-way on both Air Canada and its partner airlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n Air Canada<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On the international side of things, a one-way flight from North America to Europe starts around 35,000 points one way. That\u2019s also a pretty solid deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Air Canada<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Air Canada states that these rates are \u201cfor informational purposes only,\u201d but they do give us some idea of how far your Aeroplan points can take you (quite literally).\u00a0<\/p>\n So is it worth transferring points from your credit card to Aeroplan?\u00a0<\/p>\n Air Canada\u2019s redemption charts seem to imply that there\u2019s a \u201csweet spot\u201d where you can get cheap domestic flights on Air Canada or United for as little as 6,000 points one way. 35,000 for international long-haul flights isn\u2019t bad, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n But in order to take advantage, you\u2019ll need to move some points over first. So which cards support transfers to Aeroplan \u2013 and is the ratio good enough to justify it?\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a list of cards and card issuers that play ball (hockey?) with Air Canada. In each case the transfer ratios are all 1:1.\u00a0<\/p>\n American Express<\/strong><\/p>\n See Rates and Fees<\/a><\/p>\n
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To view rates and fees of the American Express\u00ae Gold Card, see\u202fthis page<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Bilt Rewards<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat is Air Canada Aeroplan?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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How does Air Canada\u2019s Aeroplan program work?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nIs it worth transferring your credit card reward points to Aeroplan?<\/h2>\n
Which credit cards transfer to Aeroplan?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
American Express\u00ae Gold Card<\/h4>\n
Intro bonus<\/h5>\n
\nEarn 60,000 Membership Rewards\u00ae points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership
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<\/p>\n Annual Fee<\/td>\n $250<\/td>\n
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<\/p>\n Purchase APR<\/td>\n See Pay Over Time APR<\/td>\n
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<\/p>\n Foreign Transaction Fee<\/td>\n None<\/td>\n
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