Deal: Convert AMEX MR points to Aeroplan via Marriott Bonvoy and avoid fuel surcharges

Under normal circumstances, converting credit card points into hotel points is a bad idea in Singapore.

That’s because banks here usually offer the same conversion ratios for hotel points as they do airline miles. Since 1 airline mile is worth more than 1 hotel point — in most cases — you’re usually better off going for airline miles instead. 

However, American Express is a notable exception, offering differentiated transfer ratios for Hilton and Marriott. And now that Air Canada Aeroplan is offering an uncapped 15% bonus for Marriott Bonvoy points transfers, there’s an interesting opportunity for cardholders to score some sweet spot redemptions — in a roundabout way.

Aeroplan’s sweet spots

Aeroplan offers several sweet spot redemptions with lower mileage requirements than KrisFlyer. For example, it costs only 52,500 Aeroplan points to fly to Sydney or Melbourne, compared to 72,000 KrisFlyer miles. 

The gap widens even more if you need to get to a destination that Singapore Airlines doesn’t fly to, because the relatively more expensive Star Alliance prices come into play. For example, Singapore to Boston costs 102,500 Aeroplan points, compared to 131,000 KrisFlyer miles.

However, it’s much harder earning 1 Aeroplan point in Singapore than it is 1 KrisFlyer mile. The only bank which offers direct transfers to Aeroplan is HSBC, and these are at a relatively poor ratio of 35,000 HSBC points = 10,000 Aeroplan points. 

So how can we go about getting more Aeroplan points?

Aeroplan offering 15% transfer bonus for Marriott Bonvoy transfers

From 1-31 October 2026, Air Canada Aeroplan is offering a 15% transfer bonus on points transfers from Marriott Bonvoy.

No registration is required, and there is no cap on the maximum bonus you can receive. However, bonus Aeroplan points will not be credited until 8-10 weeks after the end of the promotion period.

Marriott Bonvoy points can normally be converted into Aeroplan points at a 3:1 ratio, with a bonus of 5,000 airline miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points converted. Therefore, with the 15% bonus, a conversion of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points will receive 28,750 Aeroplan points. 

Marriott Bonvoy	Aeroplan
60,000 points	25,000 points 28,750 points

Do note that Marriott Bonvoy imposes a daily transfer cap of 240,000 Bonvoy points to frequent flyer miles, so if you’re booking for multiple people, you may need to spread the conversions out over a few days.

Converting AMEX Membership Rewards points into Aeroplan

Aeroplan is not a transfer partner for American Express in Singapore. However, Marriott Bonvoy is, which creates a roundabout way of getting Membership Rewards (MR) points into Aeroplan.

AMEX MR points can be converted into Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1 ratio.

AMEX Membership Rewards	Marriott Bonvoy
1,000 points	1,000 points

Therefore, 1 Aeroplan point costs:

• 2.087 MR points, assuming a full 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy conversion block
• 2.61 MR points, otherwise

By comparison, 1 KrisFlyer mile costs:

• 2 MR points, if you have an AMEX Centurion or Platinum Charge
• 2.2 MR points, if you have any other MR points-earning AMEX card

AMEX Membership Rewards	KrisFlyer
500 points (Centurion, Platinum Charge)	250 miles
550 points (All other cards)	250 miles

I’ll spare you the math, suffice it to say that when you put the two together, we get this:

Centurion & Platinum Charge

All other cards

As you can see, it requires significantly fewer MR points to redeem Business Class from Singapore to Australia and Europe with Aeroplan than KrisFlyer. Depending on which card you have, the USA might also be worth a look via Aeroplan.

What’s more, Aeroplan has several qualitative advantages that can make it the better choice even where the quantitative difference is not as large.

No fuel surcharges

Aeroplan does not impose fuel surcharges on any award ticket. This means you can redeem premium cabin awards on airlines with high fuel surcharges, such as Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, and not get hit by hefty cash copayments.

For example, if I wanted to fly in Business Class from Singapore to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, KrisFlyer would charge 114,000 miles + S$445.20. 

The same award, booked through Aeroplan, would cost 92,500 points and S$101. Aeroplan eats the fuel surcharges!

Stopovers for 5,000 points

Aeroplan allows you to add a stopover (of up to 45 days) to a one-way award for a flat 5,000 points.

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).

Cheaper infant tickets

With Aeroplan, adding an infant costs just 2,500 points or C$25 (~S$22) each way, regardless of cabin class.

Yes, even if you’re in First Class, you’ll pay at most C$25, not 10% of the commercial fare!

Better access to Singapore Airlines awards (sometimes)

Aeroplan members can sometimes book Singapore Airlines awards that are unavailable through KrisFlyer, or only available at Access/Advantage prices.

Here’s a great example: Singapore to London Gatwick on 21 October 2026 is Access-only for KrisFlyer members: 219,000 miles.

But book it through Aeroplan, and the same flight is 92,500 points!

What should you know about Aeroplan?

Here are a few important things to know about Aeroplan, before you dive in:

• Aeroplan points expire after 18 months of inactivity
• Aeroplan charges a flat non-refundable fee of C$39 (~S$35) for partner bookings
• It costs C$100 (~S$90) to change an award ticket
• It costs C$150 (~S$135) to cancel an award ticket
• All changes must be made at least two hours before departure

What about EVA Infinity MileageLands?

If you have AMEX MR points, you could also convert them to Infinity MileageLands instead and redeem Business Class awards to Europe and the USA for 75,000 to 80,000 miles (150,000 to 160,000 MR points, for AMEX Centurion/Platinum Charge customers).

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: An underrated programme with great sweet spots

That kind of pricing is hard to beat, and if you can find the award space, by all means go ahead and do that. 

However, keep in mind the following:

• Infinity MileageLands passes on fuel surcharges
• Booking awards for more than one person via Infinity MileageLands is a very convoluted process
• Infant tickets will be more expensive with Infinity MileageLands, as it charges the standard 10% of the adult fare

Conclusion

From now until the end of October, American Express cardholders have an opportunity to transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan, via Marriott Bonvoy, and redeem some great value Business Class awards from Singapore.

The ones to focus on are Australia, Europe, and any Star Alliance destination that is unserved by Singapore Airlines. Aeroplan’s lack of fuel surcharges, 5,000-point stopovers and cheap infant fares sweeten the deal further, and if you don’t have an AMEX Centurion or Platinum Charge, the case is even stronger since the weaker KrisFlyer conversion ratio tilts the math further in Aeroplan’s favour.

Just remember that bonus points will not post until late December or early January, and Aeroplan points expire after 18 months of inactivity. You’ll also want to try to transfer in blocks of 60,000 Bonvoy points, as far as possible, to maximise your Aeroplan haul.