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An airline loyalty program that you may not be using to its full potential is Air Canada’s Aeroplan. They can be a convenient way to book Star Alliance award flights or fly across North America. The easiest way to accumulate points/miles for Aeroplan is either directly with the Aeroplan® Credit Card or to transfer credit card miles/points to Aeroplan.
What Miles Transfer to Aeroplan?
If you want to transfer miles to Aeroplan, you’ve got options. The three major travel credit card issuers—Chase, American Express, and Citi—all offer cards that are 1:1 transfer partners. Additionally, several hotels are also transfer partners with Aeroplan. However, the value of points decreases between hotels and Aeroplan, so we’ll focus on getting the most value with your travel credit card.
Or, if you want to earn miles directly with Aeroplan, consider the Aeroplan® Credit Card. It comes with the ability to earn 3x points for each dollar spent on grocery stores, dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. All other purchases earn 1x point. Other benefits include a free checked bag and 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month.
New Aeroplan® Credit Card cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
There is a $95 annual fee.
However, if you prefer more flexibility, here are the options you have to transfer points/miles to Aeroplan.
American Express Membership Rewards
The best partnership for most might be having a credit card that earns American Express Membership Rewards®. First, you can transfer Membership Rewards to your Aeroplan account at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments, all without a transfer fee. Most transfers are immediate (but can take up to 48 hours to complete).
Second, there are several personal and business American Express credit cards that earn Membership Rewards on purchases. These cards run the gambit in bonus rewards categories and annual fees.
Your best option can be The Platinum Card® from American Express. Read more in our guide to the best American Express cards.
Capital One Miles Transfer to Aeroplan
The personal and business Capital One travel credit cards let you transfer Capital One miles to Aeroplan. This ratio is 1 Capital One mile = 1 Aeroplan point with an eligible Capital One card.
The flagship travel rewards credit card is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. With this card, you can earn unlimited 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Trave. All other purchases earn unlimited 2x miles. The annual fee is $95.
With the Capital One Venture X Credit Card, you’ll earn unlimited 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and unlimited 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. And you’ll earn 2x miles on all other purchases. This is one of the best Capital One credit cards.
The only relevant Capital One no annual fee option is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. Purchases earn unlimited 1.25 miles per $1.
Both the Capital One Spark Miles for Business and Spark Miles Select from Capital One earn travel rewards on business purchases. However, none of the cash rewards cards (i.e., Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card) let you transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners.
Being able to earn and use your rewards for travel is one of the main differences between cash back vs travel rewards credit cards.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Air Canada Aeroplan became a Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel partner. Chase points transfer on a 1:1 basis. So, 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 1,000 Aeroplan points.
Most point transfer requests are processed by the next business day but may take up to 7 business days.
Here are the credit cards you’ll need if you want to transfer points to Aeroplan:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- (Business option) Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
All three cards come with the ability to transfer points to Chase partners. They are also some of the best Chase credit cards.
Diners Club
Diners Club credit cards can also transfer miles to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point minimums. However, it can take between 2 and 4 weeks for the transfer to be complete. If you’re trying to book a last-minute award flight, this isn’t your best option.
Barclays Arrival Premier
If you happen to own the Barclays Arrival Premier, you can transfer miles to Aeroplan. But note that 8,500 Barclays miles are only worth 5,000 Aeroplan miles. You may be better off redeeming your miles for a travel statement credit instead.
Note that the Arrival Premier is no longer accepting new applications.
Hotel Loyalty Programs
Many hotel loyalty programs let you transfer to Aeroplan. On average, 5 hotel points are worth 1 Aeroplan mile. Below are the participating loyalty programs and their respective transfer ratios. Only Coast Rewards and Golden Circle Awards offer a 1:1 transfer ratio.
Related: Best Hotel Credit Cards
IHG Rewards Club
Cardholders can transfer in 10,000-point increments. Also, 5 IHG points = 1 Aeroplan point. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Marriott Bonvoy
Must transfer at least 3,000 points per transfer at a 3:1 ratio. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Hilton Honors
Can transfer in increments of 10,000 Hilton Honors points. Each 10,000 Hilton points are worth 1,000 Aeroplan miles. Like the other hotels mentioned above, the transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Wyndham Rewards
Transfers start at 6,000 points for 1,200 miles at a 5:1 transfer ratio. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Best Western Rewards
Can transfer points at a 5:1 transfer ratio. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Choice Privileges
Can transfer points at a 5:1 transfer ratio. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Coast Rewards
Must transfer in 1,000-point increments but the transfer ratio is 1:1. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Radisson Rewards
Members can choose to auto-convert at a 10:1 ratio. A second option is transferring 2,000, 50,000, or 100,000 Radisson Rewards points at once. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
ALL – Accor Live Limitless
The transfer ratio is up to 2:1 in 4,000-point increments. The exact transfer ratio can depend on how many points you transfer at once. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Golden Circle Awards
The minimum transfer amount is 2,500 points with additional 500-point increments. All transfers are at a 1:1 ratio. The transfers happen within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours.
Points.com
Another transfer possibility is at Points.com. It’s possible to exchange your travel rewards points with participating airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Redeeming Aeroplan Miles After Transfer to Aeroplan
Your Aeroplan miles balance expires after 12 months of account inactivity. Thankfully, you can reset the timer by earning, redeeming, transferring miles to another Aeroplan member, or donating miles.
Long-Haul North America Flights
You will pay between 6,000 – 25,000 points, per flight, for an economy-class flight in the continental U.S. or Canada. Short-haul flights can cost as little as 6,000 miles.
Splurging for first-class can cost as much as 70,000 miles round-trip. This cost can be worth it when flying transcontinental like Newark to San Francisco on United.
North America to Europe
Aeroplan has some reasonable redemption options if you’re looking to get to Europe. Flights cost as low as 35,000 miles in economy and up to 250,000 for first class.
North America to Asia
Flying to Asia from North America isn’t exactly a bargain, but it can be worth the first-class experience on ANA or Singapore Airlines if you can find a seat. You can fly for as little as 35,000 points up to 350,000 points per flight.
Between North America and South America
If flying to South America, you can expect to travel for as low as 20,000 points, up to 100,000 points.
Summary of What Miles Transfer to Aeroplan
Your best option to transfer miles to Aeroplan is by having a credit card that earns American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Capital One Miles. You also have the option of converting hotel points. However, the points are worth significantly less and may be more useful for booking a hotel award night instead.
FAQs
Can you transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Aeroplan?
Yes, American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments. Some of the best American Express credit cards for travel rewards include:
Can you transfer Capital One Miles to Aeroplan?
The Capital One travel rewards cards currently let you transfer miles to Aeroplan. The card will either need to be from the Venture family or the Spark Miles business credit card family (not the Spark Cash). The normal transfer ratio is 1:1 meaning Capital One Miles becomes 1 Aeroplan mile.
Any Capital One credit card that earns cash rewards like the Capital One Quicksilver or Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card cannot transfer rewards points to Aeroplan.
Can you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan?
Yes, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan. You can also transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to United Airlines or Singapore Airlines and book Star Alliance flights. Aeroplan is currently part of the Star Alliance network.
Can you transfer Citi ThankYou points to Aeroplan?
Citi ThankYou currently isn’t an Aeroplan transfer partner. You can still book Star Alliance flights by first transferring your points to your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account.
Do Aeroplan miles expire?
Aeroplan miles expire after 12 months of account inactivity. You can renew your miles for another 12 months by earning or redeeming miles. Donating miles or transferring to another Aeroplan account also counts as a qualifying activity.
