At a glance
- Best for: Air Canada travelers
- Annual Fee: $195
- APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 2X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent
Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card
Earn up to 115,000 points
Offer Details:
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 40,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months.
Why we like it
While it’s a must-have for regular Air Canada customers, the Aeroplan Card is an excellent card for anyone interested in the world of points and miles. It’s a shortcut to one of the most valuable loyalty programs on the planet and two years of elite status isn’t something you should ignore.
Reward details
-
Earn up to 5X total points for each dollar spent on Air Canada.
Earn 3X points on travel purchases.
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Earn 2X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and at gas stations.
Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Excellent introductory offer
Approachable annual fee
Free checked bags on Air Canada flights
Automatic elite status
High-earning rates
Super-valuable loyalty program with loads of partners
Cons
Value is limited by the inability to transfer points
Under Chase’s 5/24 rule
Some perks only useful for regular Air Canada customers
Terms Apply
Overview
Co-branded airline cards are fickle mistresses. There are a lot of promises and, frustratingly, a lot of disappointment.
The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card, the co-branded product for Air Canada’s loyalty program, is one of the few that truly delivers on its commitments. Boasting valuable, practical perks and an earning jump-start for one of the most valuable programs around, it’s a card more than worth your time.
Don’t be put off by its Canadian roots.
Who is the Chase Aeroplan Card best for:
This card is a must for casual Air Canada fliers, but points-and-miles-savvy travelers know how valuable Aeroplan is and, as such, this card can be for other travelers as well. Automatic elite status is always worth checking out anyway.
The Bottom Line:
This card is one of the best co-branded cards around, offering elite status, high-value perks, and some strong earning opportunities for one of the most valuable airline programs on the planet.
Intro Bonus
The card is currently offering up to 115,000 bonus points. You can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 40,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months.
Air Canada Aeroplan points are still super-valuable. It’s been a little while since we’ve seen any harsh devaluations. 100,000 points are comfortably worth over $1,250 when redeemed for one of Aeroplan’s high-value partner routes, including epic business class flights.
Pros & Cons
While the card is amazing, no product is perfect. Here are the good and the bad aspects of the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card.
Pros
- Excellent introductory offer
- Approachable annual fee
- Free checked bags on Air Canada flights
- Automatic elite status
- High-earning rates
- Super-valuable loyalty program with loads of partners
Cons
- Value is limited by the inability to transfer points
- Under Chase’s 5/24 rule
- Some perks only useful for regular Air Canada customers
Benefits & Perks
The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card comes with a number of strong perks that belie its relatively approachable $195 annual fee. Here’s everything the card offers.
First checked bag free
Cardholders are entitled to check their first bag for free when flying with Air Canada. The benefit applies to up to eight travelers booked on the same reservation. To ensure you get the benefit, you’ll need to ensure you pay for the flight with your card.
Regular Air Canada customers will find this benefit extremely valuable, saving hundreds per flight depending on the size of the group. The benefit applies to any flight originating with Air Canada, but won’t apply to any of its partners.
Enjoy automatic 25K Aeroplan status
The headline benefit is the complimentary Aeroplan 25K Club status. A perk like this is rare for a card costing $195 a year. Getting 25K status comes with a number of strong benefits, including:
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2nd checked bag free
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Priority bookings, boarding, and check-in
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Limited Maple Lounge access
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Discounts
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20 eUpgrade credits
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Elite earning rates
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Priority benefits with other partner airlines
It’s important to note that elite status runs until the end of the calendar year and the year after. In short, your time starts as soon as you open the card. For this reason, it’s beneficial to open the card in January to get the maximum amount of time.
To continue enjoying the benefits, cardholders will need to hit a spending threshold of $15,000. Spending $50,000 will boost the cardholder’s status to the 35K Club.
$120 Global Entry, TSAPrecheck, or NEXUS statement credit
Similarly to other cards, this card offers up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, TSAPrecheck, or Nexus. The credit is applied every four years after paying for the application on one of the services. It’s good to note that successfully applying for Global Entry can also grant you a TSAPrecheck membership.
Any of these services can expedite your travel days considerably by cutting down on the time you have to wait in security or customs. These statement credits are frequently found as perks on more premium cards, so it’s nice to see this on a mid-tier product.
Travel coverage and insurance
The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card comes with several travel coverage and insurance options. These include:
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
Baggage Delay Insurance
Zero Liability Protection
24/7 Fraud Monitoring
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Auto Rental Coverage
Roadside Assistance
Purchase Protection
World Elite Mastercard Benefits
The card is also privy to the benefits offered in the World Elite Mastercard program which include members-only discounts, Mastercard Priceless events access, and a 24/7 concierge to help with planning trips and events.
Earning rewards & redeeming points
While the perks are great, the real value comes in the form of its shortcut to earning points with one of the most useful loyalty programs around. Aeroplan’s numerous partners and generous distance-based award chart make it easy to score incredible redemptions around the world.
While the perks are great, the real value comes in the form of its shortcut to earning points with one of the most useful loyalty programs around. Aeroplan’s numerous partners and generous distance-based award chart make it easy to score incredible redemptions around the world.
Earning rewards
Earn up to 5X total points for each dollar spent on Air Canada.
Earn 3X points on travel purchases.
Earn 2X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and at gas stations.
Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
Redeeming points
Of course, the fun part is redeeming those hard-earned points. Aeroplan’s region and distance-based award chart has a ton of high-value sweet spots to take advantage of.
Here are just a few examples of the redemptions you could make:
Coast-to-coast with United for 12,500 points
Business class to Europe with Singapore Airlines for 60,000 points
Europe to Asia in Business class for 60,000 points
The US to South America for 40,000 points in business class
If you don’t feel like navigating the slightly more complicated world of redemptions, you can redeem your points for a generous 1.25 cents on purchases like flights, hotels, or even the annual fee. It’s potentially less value than you’d get for using Air Canada’s award chart, but it’s less of a headache for those uninterested.
Is this card right for you?
While it’s a must-have for regular Air Canada customers, the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card is an excellent card for anyone interested in the world of points and miles. It’s a shortcut to one of the most valuable loyalty programs on the planet and two years of elite status isn’t something you should ignore.
- Best for: Air Canada travelers
- Annual Fee: $195
- APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 2X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent
Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card
Earn up to 115,000 points
Offer Details:
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 40,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months.
Why we like it
While it’s a must-have for regular Air Canada customers, the Aeroplan Card is an excellent card for anyone interested in the world of points and miles. It’s a shortcut to one of the most valuable loyalty programs on the planet and two years of elite status isn’t something you should ignore.
Reward details
-
Earn up to 5X total points for each dollar spent on Air Canada.
Earn 3X points on travel purchases.
-
Earn 2X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and at gas stations.
Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Excellent introductory offer
Approachable annual fee
Free checked bags on Air Canada flights
Automatic elite status
High-earning rates
Super-valuable loyalty program with loads of partners
Cons
Value is limited by the inability to transfer points
Under Chase’s 5/24 rule
Some perks only useful for regular Air Canada customers
