Link: Apply now for the Aeroplan® Credit Card
The Aeroplan® Credit Card currently has a huge welcome bonus, which is seriously worth considering. Not only can you redeem Aeroplan points toward some amazing first & business class flights on partner airlines, but you can also redeem them for 1.25 cents each toward virtually any travel purchase, giving you an incredible amount of flexibility.
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Current Aeroplan Credit Card welcome bonus
The Aeroplan Credit Card is offering a two-part welcome bonus of up to 100,000 Aeroplan points:
- Receive 60,000 Aeroplan points after spending $4,000 within the first three months
- Receive 40,000 Aeroplan points after spending $20,000 within the first 12 months
Admittedly the spending requirement is significant, though I think the math checks out favorably if you’re in a position to spend this much:
- It’s obviously worth spending $4K to earn 60K Aeroplan points
- You then need to spend an incremental $16K to earn 40K Aeroplan points, which is like 2.5x bonus Aeroplan points per dollar spent (not factoring in the rewards you usually earn, and there are already some great bonus categories)
Personally I value Aeroplan points at 1.5 cents each, so to me this bonus is worth $1,500, which is one of the best bonuses out there.
Chase’s standard application rules apply, including the 5/24 rule. This card isn’t available to those who currently have the card or who have had the card in the past, but eligibility is otherwise independent of whether or not you have any other Chase cards.
This is a really top notch offer on a couple of levels:
- There are so many great uses of Aeroplan points, as you can redeem them on dozens of partner airlines, and can add stopovers for just 5,000 extra points one-way
- Chase Aeroplan Card members get access to the “Pay Yourself Back” feature, whereby you can redeem points for 1.25 cents each toward virtually any travel purchase; you can make the purchase directly with your card, and then reimburse yourself
This offer should have widespread appeal, given that 100,000 Aeroplan points will get you $1,250 worth of travel of your choice, whether it’s a flight on JetBlue, or a hotel stay at a Four Seasons.
Why the Aeroplan Credit Card is worth getting
The $95 annual fee Aeroplan Credit Card is one of the most well thought out co-branded airline credit cards we’ve seen. There are significant incentives for holding onto the card, and also significant incentives for spending money on the card.
Among other things, the Aeroplan Credit Card offers the following:
- The card offers 3x Aeroplan points on dining, grocery stores, and on Air Canada spending, which are some lucrative bonus categories
- The card offers 500 bonus Aeroplan points for every $2,000 spent in a calendar month, up to 1,500 bonus Aeroplan points per month
- The card offers priority reward vouchers for reaching certain spending thresholds; for example, if you spend a million dollars on the card in a calendar year, you’ll get a companion voucher that lets you take a companion with you on award tickets at no extra cost (the points redeemed for them will be reimbursed, and this even works on partner airlines)
- The card offers Aeroplan Elite 25K status for the remainder of the first calendar year in which you get the card, plus the following calendar year; you can maintain that status by spending $15,000 on the card per year in subsequent years
- If you spend $50,000 on the card in a calendar year you’ll get a one-tier Aeroplan status upgrade, which could even be used to earn top-tier status with Air Canada
- If you have the card, you can redeem your points for 1.25 cents each toward virtually any travel purchase using the Pay Yourself Back feature; you can even transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards and use them that way
- The card offers a free first checked bag on Air Canada flights for the primary cardmember and up to eight other travelers on the same itinerary
- The card offers a $100 credit toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS, once every four years
- The card offers World Elite Mastercard benefits, plus travel protection for flight delays, baggage, and more
This really is an incredibly valuable card, especially given that it has such a reasonable annual fee. The card is worth considering even if you don’t fly Air Canada often.
Not only does Air Canada belong to the Star Alliance, but Aeroplan has more airline partners than any other frequent flyer program, so there are so many options for redeeming Aeroplan points. Furthermore, the unique Pay Yourself Back feature on this card makes this lucrative even for those who don’t want to redeem points on Aeroplan partners.
Read a full review of the Aeroplan Credit Card.
Bottom line
The Aeroplan Credit Card has a great welcome bonus of 100,000 Aeroplan points upon completing (a significant) minimum spending. This is an excellent bonus for anyone who is eligible for the card but hasn’t yet applied. Those points can be redeemed on partner airlines for amazing first & business class redemptions, or 100,000 points can be used to pay for $1,250 worth of travel.
This is probably the single credit card that I most want (that I don’t already have), so I plan on applying in the near future.
Do you plan on picking up the Aeroplan Credit Card, if you don’t have it already?
I feel like any references to Aeroplan need a disclaimer warning about their very high change / cancellation fees and difficulty to reach customer service. It’s really a shame as otherwise it is a good program.
Great if you live in the US. Insulting if you live in Canada.
Typical of AC to have better offers outside of Canada than for Canadians. If only US airlines would make more of an effort to attract Canadians I’d jump.
You can have "better" credit card offers, or your merchants can pay lower swipe/interchange fees, but not both.
It is annoying. Way better than TD Canada's aeroplan card. Not sure about CIBC.
Don't complain. It's really easy for Canadians to become US bank customers(and get US credit cards).
As "Never In Doubt" already pointed out, this is due to credit card regulations in Canada that force them to operate on thinner margins. It's why credit card offers in Canada are universally less attractive than the ones in the U.S. and it has very little to do with Air Canada's decisions (or those of the affiliated bank issuing the credit card).
If you're insulted, you might take it up with your elected representatives, but...
As "Never In Doubt" already pointed out, this is due to credit card regulations in Canada that force them to operate on thinner margins. It's why credit card offers in Canada are universally less attractive than the ones in the U.S. and it has very little to do with Air Canada's decisions (or those of the affiliated bank issuing the credit card).
If you're insulted, you might take it up with your elected representatives, but as with most regulations this one is a tradeoff and mostly works in favor of a broader number of people (everyone who pays swipe fees to accept credit cards, and everyone who pays interest/finance charges on a balance) than the fatter offers used to attract business in the U.S. (which only benefit the small slice of consumers who can sign up for credit cards they don't need and not carry a balance).
So interesting to see Chase have 1.25 CPP for PYB on this card and not on their Sapphire cards
Simple. That’s because you can redeem directly through their travel portal at the same rate, or higher for CSR. They wouldn’t cannibalize their own business.