Aeroplan’s 5,000 point stopover can transform your trip

Air Canada may be a tiny blip on your radar, but it certainly deserves a bit more attention. Not only are its points some of the most valuable out there, but the Aeroplan system also comes with a sneaky powerful benefit that can maximize your travel plans – 5,000 point stopovers.

Simply put, you can add a stopover in another city to your previously planned trip for only a few thousand extra points, saving you what could be hundreds of dollars in added travel expenses.

Example: Flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a week-long stay in Tokyo

1. Check the Aeroplan award chart for a rough estimate of award costs

2. Calculate the points required using the mileage; in this case, the distance between LAX and BKK is 8,269 miles which should cost between 50-90,000 points

3. Make sure you have enough to cover 90,000 points plus the 5,000 for the stopover

4. On the Aeroplan search portal, click multi-city/stop-over

5. Search for flights to Bangkok and add the stopover in Tokyo

6. Set the length of the stopover up to 45 days

7. Book the flight and save hundreds or even thousands compared to booking separately

There are restrictions, so make sure you scan through the T+Cs – the most important being that you can’t choose stopovers in the US or Canada. Still, this small perk offers the opportunity for an epic, continent-spanning trip at a fraction of the cost.