Chase Aeroplan Card Review: Up to 100,000 Bonus Points & Big Travel Benefits

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Aeroplan® Credit Card

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• Our Rating 4.0/5 How our ratings work
• APR21.24% - 28.24% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95
• Sign-Up Bonus 100,000Air Canada Aeroplan Points More Info

  Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 25,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.

New credit card offers come out regularly, but this one stands out thanks to the welcome bonus’s huge value, points for dining and groceries, Air Canada status and more. Even with an annual fee, it’s easy to see how you can come out ahead with this offer. And if you don’t fly Air Canada regularly, you can use reward points with United Airlines and many other partners.

A Solid Travel Rewards Card That Can Take You Anywhere in the World

If you’re on the hunt for a travel rewards card that can take you nearly anywhere in the world, you should know about the Chase Aeroplan^® Credit Card. This is a co-branded rewards credit card from Air Canada for those residing in the United States.

Even if you’re not a regular traveler to our northern neighbor, the airline can act as a gateway to major U.S. cities, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. As a member of the Star Alliance, Aeroplan points are also redeemable for flights with 25 partners, including United. Plus, you can use your rewards for any other travel purchases.

The combination of rewards, benefits, and a lucrative signup bonus make this card one any savvy travelers should know about. Keep reading for the scoop on the new Chase Aeroplan credit card.

Up to 100,000 Points Sign-Up Bonus

Slickdeals readers know better than to sign up for a credit card without a good bonus, and this card certainly meets the “good bonus” requirements we look for. New cardholders have a chance to earn up to 100,000 bonus points:

• Earn 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Plus, 25,000 points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.

What Is Aeroplan?

Aeroplan, the rewards program for Air Canada, has a longtime relationship with Chase. But in December 2021, the two teamed up to launch a brand new Chase Aeroplan credit card. Highlights include 3x points per dollar spent on dining, grocery stores, and Air Canada, 500 bonus points per $2,000 spent up to 1,500 points per month, travel benefits and status with the airline, a credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS, and a great list of protection benefits.

All cardmembers get instant Aeroplan status, which gives you access to airport priority lines and upgrades on Air Canada-operated flights, preferred pricing on reward flights, a free checked bag for you and others on the same reservation, and more.

While regular travelers to Canada will find this credit card a no-brainer, other frequent travelers may enjoy it even if they don’t have Canada on any upcoming itineraries. We’ll dig into the fine details below.

Chase Aeroplan Card Rewards

This credit card rewards you with up to 3x points per dollar in some of the most popular spending categories.

• 3x Aeroplan points per dollar
  • Grocery Stores
  • Dining (includes takeout and eligible delivery services)
  • Air Canada Flights
• 1x Aeroplan points per dollar
  • Everything Else

Everybody has to eat, so odds are groceries and dining make up a sizeable portion of your budget. If you regularly fly on this airline anyway, you’ll also appreciate the boost to 3x rewards per dollar. Everywhere else, you get 1x, which isn’t the best deal around. But there’s a big however to consider.

A Bump in Rewards: For every $2,000 you spend on the credit card, you’ll get another 500 bonus points. That’s good for up to 1,500 per month. Someone who spends exactly $6,000 on the card in a month using only “everywhere else” categories would earn 7,500 points, an average of 1.25 points per dollar. The card gives you a good incentive to keep using it regularly long after reaching the bonus.

Over a full calendar year, you can earn a total of 18,000 bonus points with the $2,000 spending rewards. If you use the card regularly for groceries, restaurants, and meal delivery, you should see yourself regularly earning enough points for a free flight reward.

Chase Aeroplan Card Benefits

In addition to Aeroplan-branded points, the credit card comes with a list of travel and insurance protections and other benefits helpful to frequent travelers.

General Card Benefits

• No Foreign Transaction Fees: If you use the credit card in Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else in the world Mastercard is accepted, you won’t be charged any additional foreign transaction or currency conversion fees. These charges often come with an added expense of around 3% with other cards.
• Zero Liability Protection: Like all credit cards, you won’t have to pay for any unauthorized charges on this account. Just contact Chase, and they’ll remove fraudulent transactions from your statement.
• Contactless Payments: New Aeroplan credit cards include the tap-to-pay feature, so you don’t have to swipe or dip at checkout.

Protections and Insurance

• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance: One of the best credit card benefits to have, Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance, covers you if a trip is cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other situations. Benefits are worth up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip. This is like free travel insurance for every trip you book, and it’s a no-fee benefit.
• Baggage Delay Insurance: If you make it to your destination, but your bags are running late, this insurance gives you up to $100 per day for three days.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement: If your flight, bus, or train is delayed by more than 12 hours and requires an overnight stay, the card will cover up to $500 per ticket for meals, lodging, and other reimbursed expenses.
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: You can skip the expensive rental company collision insurance with this rental car coverage. The card provides secondary coverage in the U.S. and primary coverage abroad.
• Roadside Assistance: The card has a feature like AAA, where you can call for help with a tow, tire change, jump start, lockout, and other common auto situations. Your card is charged for any paid services rendered.
• Purchase Protection: If you buy anything new with the card, covered card purchases are protected against damage or theft for up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account. Don’t buy a new cell phone or fancy electronic without it! It’s like a no-cost money-back guarantee for your purchase.
• Free first checked bag on flights booked with the card.

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Air Canada and Travel-Related Benefits

• 24/7 Concierge: Call in for a 24/7 concierge service that helps you with reservations, tickets, and other purchases. The concierge can help you research and book the best hotel, lowest-cost flight or last-minute flower delivery on your anniversary that you forgot about, among other help. They may even be able to get you a table at a hard-to-book restaurant or tickets for an in-demand concert.
• TSA or NEXUS Fee Credit: Get up to $100 back as a statement credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS. Remember that Global Entry includes PreCheck, and it’s an incredibly useful program for frequent travelers, domestic and international.
• First Bag Checked Free: When flying on Air Canada, cardmembers get their first bag free along with up to eight traveling companions on the same reservation. That’s worth $30 every time you use it.
• No Restriction Rewards: Aeroplan reward tickets are unrestricted. You can book any available seat on any flight. If it’s available for cash, it’s available for points.
• Preferred Pricing: Anytime you book a reward flight through the airline directly, cardmembers get access to lower preferred pricing not available to the general public. Whether you’re traveling to Canada or changing in Canada on the way to an international destination, those savings can add up.

Aeroplan Status Levels

Here’s that infomercial moment where we say: BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! The card includes automatic elite status at the 25K Status level for the remainder of the calendar year and the entire following calendar year. If you sign up in February, you would get status for the rest of the year (10 months) plus the whole next year, for example.

To maintain 25K Status, you’ll need to spend $15,000 on the card per calendar year. That’s an average of $1,250 per month, so it’s easy to achieve if you use the credit card frequently for purchases like gas, groceries, and other shopping. Spend $50,000 on the card in a year, and you’ll get moved up to 35K status or upgraded to the next level if you already hold any other class of Air Canada elite status.

25K Status Benefits

Normally, you would need to fly 25 qualifying segments or earn 25,000 qualifying miles, plus $3,000 in qualifying spend, to get 25K status. This card gives it to you instantly for at least the remainder of the year and the following year.

You get priority seat selection, waitlist, discounts on preferred seats, and priority customer service at this tier. At the airport, 25K members get priority check-in and standby, two complimentary checked bags, complimentary sports equipment handling (bikes, surfboards, etc.), and priority boarding.

You also get two Maple Leaf lounge passes per year, credits toward upgrades, discounts on reward flights, and additional benefits. At this level, you get Star Alliance Silver with alliance partners.

35K Status Benefits

To get 35K Status, most people need to spend $4,000 on qualifying flights in addition to flying 35 qualifying segments or 35,000 qualifying miles. Spend $50,000 with the card, and you’ll get this status automatically.

35K includes everything from 25K plus more. For example, at this tier, you get three complimentary checked bags on flights operated by the airline up to 32kg each – that’s 70 pounds each. You and your traveling party also get expedited security screening through dedicated priority lines. 35K Status gives you complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge access (includes a specific list of lounges, not all locations) and two one-time guest passes.

Select benefits, which are additional rewards you pick among a menu of options, are more valuable at this tier than 25K. You get Star Alliance Silver tier status usable across all alliance partners at this level.

50K, 75K, and Super Elite

High spenders may qualify for an upgrade to 50K, 75K, or Super Elite Aeroplan status. If you spend $50,000 per year or more on the card and regularly travel to Canada, you are likely to qualify. There’s also a $100,000+ annual spend tier with even more benefits and perks for the limited few with that spending level.

At these elite levels, you get access to benefits such as complimentary preferred seat upgrades, guaranteed reservations (they will bump someone else off for you to get a seat), additional priority line options with partners, priority luggage handling, access to all Maple Leaf lounges, more guest passes for lounges, elite status for a friend, free Wi-Fi, and more goodies.

Most of us won’t ever get the benefits of these top elite tiers. But if you qualify, the benefits are incredible.

Air Canada Award Flights and Redemptions

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The best way to redeem Aeroplan miles is for flights on Air Canada or its partners. Booking at Air Canada’s website gives you access to flights with 40+ partners, including Star Alliance airlines starting at 6,000 points. The Aeroplan network covers 1,300 global destinations.

The website offers a points predictor tool that helps you estimate the number of points needed for an award.

Take note that these routes include domestic routes within the United States, domestic routes within Canada, and international routes to Europe and Asia. The Star Alliance membership truly opens up nearly any destination you can reach on a major airline.

If you’re short on points for a flight redemption, Aeroplan supports points + cash redemptions too. There are no cash surcharges when using points for flights.

Where You Can Fly With Air Canada

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*Note that routes can change anytime. Check directly with Air Canada to ensure your favorite airports are still served by the airline.

Air Canada is one of the 20 biggest airlines globally, with 51 destinations in Canada and 136 international destinations, including many major U.S. cities. United States destinations include Anchorage, Boston, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Houston, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Jose and West Palm Beach.

Air Canada Rouge, the low-cost subsidiary, and Air Canada Express, which covers smaller cities, add to the route map in the United States. Plus, you can get to other U.S. destinations through the partnership with United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the U.S.

The Star Alliance consists of 26 member airlines flying 19,000 flights to more than 1,200 airports in 195 countries. Air Canada uses a flexible award chart for reward flights booked on flights operated by Air Canada and a fixed redemption chart for partner flights.

Other Aeroplan Card Redemption Options

Aeroplan points are unique among airline-specific reward points. Unlike most competitors, you can use Aeroplana miles beyond Air Canada and its alliance partners. The credit card includes a “Pay Yourself Back” benefit where you can redeem points for travel purchases made on the card with any major airline, hotel, or car rental company.

That makes the points redeemable similar to points from the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and American Express family of travel rewards cards. Points are worth a minimum of 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel on other airlines. You can reimburse yourself for up to $1,250 in annual travel, the equivalent of 100,000 points. If you love to travel, that’s worth a lot more than cash back.

For travel, you can also redeem for flight upgrades or in-flight Wi-Fi. The rewards program works with travel partners to offer direct hotel, car rental, and vacation package bookings. Aeroplan also includes redemptions for its eStore with merchandise, gift cards, and activities. However, the best way to redeem is for flights booked through Air Canada or the Pay Yourself Back feature for most people.

Is the Air Canada Card Worth the Annual Fee?

While you can use the credit card without paying any interest if you pay it off in full every month, there’s one fee you can’t avoid. That’s the $95 annual fee. However, if you do the math, you’ll quickly find that the card more than pays for itself when you use it regularly. Chase values the welcome bonus at up to $625 in travel value with Pay Yourself Back®.

Once you factor in other rewards and benefits, it’s clear that this card is a winner. Another easy method to earn back your annual fee is the free checked bag feature. Using that for two one-way trips yourself per year is a $120 value, also worth more than the cost of the card. Also, remember the credits worth $100 every four years for TSA trusted traveler programs, worth an average of $25 per year.

There’s no charge for adding an additional cardholder. You can add your spouse or kids to earn rewards from their card purchases without paying additional fees.

If you don’t travel regularly, you may want to skip this credit card. Anyone who likes to travel should find a way to get their money’s worth.

Bottom Line

New credit card offers come out regularly, but this one stands out thanks to the welcome bonus’s huge value, 3x points for dining and groceries, Air Canada status, and much more. Even with a $95 annual fee, it’s easy to see how you can come out ahead with this big offer.

Even if you don’t fly on Air Canada regularly, you can use reward points with United Airlines and many other partners. You can also feel good about flying with the card on Air Canada, thanks to a commitment by the Aeroplan program to purchase carbon offsets to reduce the greenhouse impact of its flight rewards.

The full package of the new Chase Aeroplan card is compelling. If you have good credit and came here hunting for a slick credit card deal, this one could be perfect for you.

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