Why Aeroplan Is Worth Knowing
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most useful loyalty programs an American traveler can hold — and most never think to use it because it belongs to a Canadian airline. That's a mistake. Aeroplan has three structural advantages almost no other program combines: it's a transfer partner of all five major U.S. bank currencies, it charges no carrier-imposed fuel surcharges, and it prices most partner awards on a fixed distance-based chart instead of unpredictable dynamic pricing.
It's also a Star Alliance member with close to 50 airline partners — more than any other frequent-flyer program — which means an Aeroplan balance can book United, Lufthansa, Swiss, ANA, EVA Air, Turkish, Avianca, and dozens of others, plus non-alliance partners like Etihad. For a lot of trips, the cheapest and cleanest way to book a Star Alliance seat isn't the airline's own program — it's Aeroplan.
The one-line version: Aeroplan is the program you transfer to after you've found a Star Alliance award seat — because it usually prices that seat fairly by distance and won't bury you in fuel surcharges.
How the Distance-Based Chart Works
For partner airlines, Aeroplan charges based on the flown distance between your origin and destination and which two regions you're connecting, not on the cash fare. That's a big deal: it means a last-minute or peak-season partner award costs the same number of points as an off-peak one, as long as a saver seat is available. (Air Canada's own flights are priced dynamically and can cost more — the fixed chart is a partner-award benefit.)
Here's the current North America ↔ Europe (the "Atlantic" region pairing) partner chart for one-way saver awards, in effect for bookings made on or after June 1, 2026:
| Distance (one-way) | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 4,000 miles | 32,500 | 60,000 |
| 4,001 – 6,000 miles | 42,500 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 – 8,000 miles | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| 8,001+ miles | 75,000 | 110,000 |
Most U.S. East Coast cities to Western Europe fall inside that first 0–4,000-mile band — New York to London is about 3,450 miles, Boston to Lisbon about 3,400. That puts a one-way business-class seat to Europe at 60,000 points, and economy at just 32,500. Add a stopover for only 5,000 points and you can build a multi-city trip on a single award.
The No-Surcharge Advantage
This is the part that quietly saves the most money. Air Canada eliminated carrier-imposed fuel surcharges (the "YQ" line item) on award tickets back in 2020, and the June 2026 changes left that policy untouched. You'll pay only genuine government taxes and a CA$39 partner booking fee (roughly US$29) when your itinerary includes a partner airline.
Why does that matter? Because the exact same Lufthansa, Swiss, or Austrian business-class seat to Europe can carry $400–$1,000 in fuel surcharges when booked through a program that passes them along — and essentially $0 in surcharges through Aeroplan. The flight is identical; only the program's surcharge policy differs. Booking surcharge-heavy metal through Aeroplan is one of the highest-value moves in the hobby.
Related reading: We break down exactly which programs add surcharges and which don't in How to Avoid Fuel Surcharges on Award Flights. Aeroplan is one of the best tools for the job.
Sweet Spots Worth Targeting
A few Aeroplan redemptions stand out as consistently strong value in 2026:
- U.S. East Coast to Europe in business — 60,000 points one-way. On a surcharge-free partner like Brussels Airlines, Swiss, or Lufthansa (saver space permitting), this is a flat 60k with only taxes on top. That's a premium-cabin transatlantic seat for the points cost many programs charge in economy.
- Short-haul North America — from 12,500 points one-way. Aeroplan's intra–North America pricing was left alone in the June 2026 update, and short domestic or transborder hops start low. It's a clean option for routes where cash fares spike.
- The 5,000-point stopover. Adding a stopover on a one-way partner award costs just 5,000 points, letting you turn a single redemption into two destinations — for example, a few days in Reykjavík or Zurich on the way to a final European city.
- Star Alliance breadth. Because Aeroplan partners with nearly the entire alliance, it's frequently the program that can see and book a saver seat when the operating airline's own program prices it higher or can't combine the routing.
As always, the points cost only matters if the seat exists. Aeroplan can't conjure award space that isn't there — it just prices the space that is.
The June 2026 Devaluation
It's worth being honest about the downside. On June 1, 2026, Aeroplan updated its partner chart, and the changes were mostly increases, concentrated in long-haul premium cabins. Several business- and first-class bands rose, with some awards climbing by up to 20,000 points. Longer transatlantic routes (the 4,001–6,000-mile band) saw business class tick up to 75,000 points one-way.
But the picture isn't all bad. Short-haul transatlantic economy actually dropped (from 35,000 to 32,500 points one-way), intra–North America pricing was untouched, and a handful of short-haul business awards improved. The headline 60,000-point East Coast-to-Europe business sweet spot survived intact. The program is still a strong value — just a slightly more expensive one for the longest premium-cabin hauls than it was a year ago.
How to Get Aeroplan Points
You almost certainly already earn points that can become Aeroplan miles. Aeroplan is a 1:1 transfer partner of every major U.S. flexible currency, usually with near-instant transfers:
- Amex Membership Rewards → Aeroplan, 1:1
- Chase Ultimate Rewards → Aeroplan, 1:1
- Capital One miles → Aeroplan, 1:1
- Citi ThankYou → Aeroplan, 1:1
- Bilt Rewards → Aeroplan, 1:1
That five-for-five coverage is genuinely rare — most airline programs partner with one or two banks at most. It means almost any points-earning setup can feed an Aeroplan booking, and it makes Aeroplan an excellent "destination" program to keep in mind whenever a transfer bonus runs. The cardinal rule still applies, though: don't transfer until you've confirmed the award seat. Transfers are one-way and non-refundable.
Before you transfer: Run the redemption through our cents-per-point calculator to confirm the value beats simply paying cash, and read When Should You Actually Take a Transfer Bonus? if a bonus is tempting you to move points early.
How to Search and Book
The workflow that avoids stranded points looks like this:
- Find the seat first. Confirm there's saver-level Star Alliance award space on your route and dates before moving a single point — Aeroplan's own search at aircanada.com shows partner space, and our award search tool helps you compare what's bookable across programs.
- Check the distance band. Estimate the flown miles to see which row of the chart you land in, so you know the exact points cost before you commit.
- Transfer only what you need. Move the precise number of points for the booking (plus a tiny buffer), from whichever bank gives you the best position or an active bonus.
- Book and watch the fees. Expect government taxes plus the ~CA$39 partner fee — and essentially no fuel surcharges. If a quote shows hundreds of dollars in surcharges, something's off with the routing.
For currently running transfer promotions that can stretch an Aeroplan booking further, keep an eye on our live transfer bonus tracker.
Is Aeroplan Right for You?
If you value Star Alliance access, hate fuel surcharges, and want predictable distance-based pricing, Aeroplan deserves a spot in your toolkit — especially because your existing bank points already transfer there. Find the seat, check the band, then transfer.