Air Canada Aeroplan selling points with a 100% bonus

Air Canada Aeroplan has launched a new sale, which offers up to a 100% bonus on points purchases made by 15 January 2025.

This reduces the cost per point to 1.67 SG cents each, creating some lucrative redemption opportunities, including Singapore to Australia in Business Class for just S$880!

Aeroplan is one of my favourite award programmes because of its sweet spots and generous rules. Unfortunately, Aeroplan points are very difficult to earn in Singapore, so buying them is really the only way to get accumulate a critical mass.

Aeroplan selling points with 100% bonus

Buy Aeroplan points

From now till 15 January 2025, 3.59 p.m SGT, Aeroplan members can buy points with up to a 100% bonus. Do note that the landing page initially says that the bonus is up to 85%, but once you login the bonus amount changes. You might be targeted for something else, though. 

Here’s how my bonus tiers:

• Buy 2,000-4,000 points: No bonus (3.5 CAD cents per mile)
• Buy 5,000-25,000 points: 55% bonus (2.26 CAD cents per mile)
• Buy 30,000-70,000 points: 75% bonus (2 CAD cents per mile)
• Buy 80,000+ points: 100% bonus (1.75 CAD cents per mile)

Buying points with a 100% bonus is equivalent to paying 1.75 CAD cents per mile, or 1.67 SG cents per mile. For context, this is one of the biggest bonuses we’ve seen; the past two offers were 80% and 85% respectively.

You can buy up to 500,000 Aeroplan points per transaction, and 1,000,000 Aeroplan points per calendar year. These figures are pre-bonus, so in other words, during this sale you could purchase up to 2,000,000 Aeroplan points.

How do Aeroplan awards price?

Aeroplan still uses traditional award charts to price its redemptions, with the world divided into North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America segments. Within each segment, award prices depend on the distance flown. 

Here’s a sampling of award prices for flights out of Singapore in Business Class, with KrisFlyer for comparison.

Now, I realise it’s not fair to compare the two programmes on a 1:1 basis, because it’s much easier to earn KrisFlyer miles in Singapore than Aeroplan points.

But if we leave aside the earning aspect and just think about outright buying miles, you could fly from Singapore to Melbourne in Business Class for just S$750 + S$131 in taxes and fees- quite sensational if you ask me.

You’ll find similar pricing between Singapore and Japan or South Korea as well, and keep in mind, Aeroplan sometimes sees more award seats on Singapore Airlines than even KrisFlyer members (more on that in the next section).

What do I love about Aeroplan?

Redemption rates aside, there’s plenty to love about Aeroplan.

First, there’s no fuel surcharges on any award ticket. This means you can redeem premium cabin awards on airlines like Lufthansa and Turkish and not get hit by hefty cash copayments. The only extra charge you’ll pay is a C$39 (~S$37) partner booking fee imposed by Aeroplan.

Second, you can add a stopover (of up to 45 days) to a one-way award for a flat 5,000 points. For example, you could fly from Singapore to the United States via Japan, stay a week in Japan, and only pay an extra 5,000 points for the privilege. Alternatively, you could make Singapore the stopover point and book an itinerary like Sydney to Singapore to Taipei, settling two holidays at one go (provided you’re able to start your second holiday within 45 days of the first one ending).

Third, adding an infant costs just 2,500 points or C$25 (~S$24) per segment, regardless of cabin class. That’s right, even if you’re in First Class, you’ll pay at most C$25, not 10% of the commercial fare!

Fourth, Aeroplan has a ton of award partners. Not only can you redeem awards for Star Alliance members, but many non-Star Alliance ones too, including Air Serbia, Azul, Etihad, Gulf Air, and Oman Air. And while many other loyalty programmes force you to call up customer service to check partner availability, virtually all Aeroplan partners can be searched and booked online.

Fifth, Aeroplan sometimes gets better access to Singapore Airlines award space than KrisFlyer members even. Yes, as unfair as that sounds, I’ve seen numerous cases of this happening. For instance, Aeroplan can see three Business Class seats on the SQ231 flight from SIN-SYD…

…but if you try to book three Business Class seats on the SQ231 flight from SIN-SYD via KrisFlyer, you’ll have to waitlist. 

So in short, Aeroplan points are awesome. They’re just very hard to earn via credit cards in Singapore, with HSBC and Heymax the only transfer partners. 

How long are Aeroplan points valid for?

Aeroplan points will expire after 18 months of inactivity.

Earning or redeeming at least 1 point will extend the entire balance’s validity by a further 18 months.

How much does it cost to change or cancel Aeroplan awards?

One drawback of Aeroplan is that it does have relatively strict policies regarding ticket changes and refunds.

It costs a flat $100 CAD to change an award ticket, and $150 CAD to cancel an award ticket. All changes must be made at least two hours before departure.

What card should I use?

Purchases of Aeroplan points are processed by Points.com in CAD as MCC 7399 (i.e. they won’t code as airline transactions).

Here’s the best cards to use to maximise miles on this purchase. 

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Card Apply	4 mpd	Cap of S$1K per s. month
UOB Visa Signature Apply	4 mpd	Min S$1K, max S$2K FCY spend per s. month
StanChart Beyond Card Apply	3-4 mpd	Regular: 3 mpd, PB: 3.5 mpd, PP: 4 mpd. No cap
Maybank World Mastercard Apply	3.2 mpd	Min. S$4K per c. month, no cap. 2.8 mpd with min. S$800 per c. month
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	3.2 mpd	Min. S$4K per c. month, no cap
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Apply	3.2 mpd (till 31 Jan 25)	Min S$800 per c. month, no cap
SCB Visa Infinite Apply	3 mpd	Min S$2K per s. month, no cap
UOB PRVI Miles Apply	2.4 mpd	No cap
S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month

Remember, you can pair the Citi Rewards Card with Amaze to earn 4 mpd on Points.com purchases, while paying lower FCY fees than banks.

I generally don’t advise using the DBS Woman’s World Card for Points.com purchases, as past data points have indicated issues with getting the bonus points credited. 

Conclusion

Aeroplan has launched a new points sale that offers up to a 100% bonus on purchases made by 15 January 2025.

You should never buy points speculatively, but if you’ve taken the time to browse the award options and spot something you like, this would be a great opportunity to lock it in. 

What other Aeroplan sweet spots are worth highlighting?