Aeroplan’s Best-Ever Redemption Offer: 50% Miles Back in Canada & US!

 

Can you keep up? After Travel at Home and the 115% Buy Miles sale, Aeroplan’s next major promotion is here – and it’s a stunner.

On all new bookings made between June 17 and July 1, 2020, for travel from July 1 to October 15, 2020, when you make a new Aeroplan booking on Air Canada flights for travel within Canada or to the US, you’ll receive 50% Miles Back after travel is complete.

Get 50% Miles Back on Canada & US Flights

For new bookings made prior to July 1 for travel on Air Canada flights within Canada and the US between July 1 and October 15, 2020, you’ll receive 50% of the miles credited back in your account after you’ve completed your journey.

Effectively, it’s a 50% discount on Aeroplan bookings within North America, bringing the reward prices back to a level not seen since 1984.

The Aeroplan Reward Chart currently levies the following round-trip pricing for flights within Canada and the US:

We’re accustomed to redeeming 15,000 or 30,000 Aeroplan miles for a round-trip short-haul North America award in economy class and business class, respectively. Similarly, the pricing for a long-haul North America award has long been 25,000 or 50,000 Aeroplan miles round-trip. 

With the 50% mileage rebate offer, these prices are now slashed to some staggeringly low levels:

  • 3,750 miles for a one-way short-haul North America award in economy class

  • 7,500 miles for a one-way short-haul North America award in business class

  • 7,500 miles for a round-trip short-haul North America award (with a stopover) in economy class

  • 15,000 miles for a round-trip short-haul North America award (with a stopover) in business class

  • 6,250 miles for a one-way long-haul North America award in economy class

  • 12,500 miles for a one-way long-haul North America award in business class

  • 12,500 miles for a round-trip long-haul North America award in (with a stopover) economy class

  • 25,000 miles for a round-trip long-haul North America award in (with a stopover) business class

Needless to say, this is a fantastic opportunity to redeem Aeroplan miles at a time when domestic travel is a greater priority than international travel for most Canadians.

3,750 miles for a one-way flight from, say, Toronto to New York or Montreal to St. John’s, is a simply jaw-dropping price point. Similarly, 6,250 miles for a one-way flight between two ends of the continent – say, from St. John’s to Los Angeles, or from Vancouver to Miami – is a beautiful sight to behold.

Fly from coast to coast for only 6,250 Aeroplan miles!

Fly from coast to coast for only 6,250 Aeroplan miles!

Don’t forget that there are a handful of premium experiences within North America that you can unlock with Aeroplan miles as well. If the Air Canada Jetz planes remain in service on the Rapidair triangle, for example, you could try it for only 5,000 miles one-way at the short-haul premium economy rate. 

Meanwhile, you could experience the Air Canada Boeing 787 business class product for yourself for only 12,500 Aeroplan miles on a one-way between Toronto and Vancouver. The premium cabin experience is severely curtailed at the moment, but it could certainly be on its way back by mid-October.

The promotion covers all Air Canada flights across Canada and the US, so it extends to Hawaii as well. Therefore, a round-trip flight to Hawaii in economy class is reduced from 45,000 miles to 22,500 miles, while a round-trip flight in business class (perhaps on the direct Dreamliner service between Toronto and Honolulu) is reduced from 80,000 miles to 40,000 miles. 

And not only does the promotion apply to Fixed Mileage Rewards, it also applies to Aeroplan Market Fares as well – so when the latter is more favourably priced, there’s room for even more significant savings.

Fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Hawaii for only 40,000 miles round-trip!

Fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Hawaii for only 40,000 miles round-trip!

Moreover, if you recently qualified for Air Canada Prestige 25K status via the Travel at Home promotion, then you wouldn’t pay any fuel surcharges on these Air Canada-operated flights within North America either, only the government-imposed taxes and airport improvement fees. 

While there’s lots to be excited about, there are a few caveats worth noting about this promotion:

  • It’s valid on Air Canada flights only, so you wouldn’t receive any miles back if your itinerary includes flights on United or any of the domestic Canadian partner airlines (Calm Air, Canadian North, Air Creebec, etc.)

  • You’ll still need to have the full number of miles in your account at the time of booking, and you’ll only receive the 50% rebate within three weeks after travel has been completed. This means that you wouldn’t be able to use your full Aeroplan balance to load up on simultaneous bookings at the 50% discounted rate. 

  • While Canadians can indeed cross the US border by air, there remains a government-imposed travel advisory against non-essential travel for the time being; similarly, anyone intending to use this promotion to visit Hawaii should take note of any quarantine measures that the islands have in place.

Flexible Cancellation Policy Extended to August 31

Concurrently, Aeroplan’s flexible cancellation policy has now been extended for a further two months from June 30 to August 31, 2020.

Until that date, any itineraries booked with Aeroplan miles may be cancelled free of charge, with the miles instantly redeposited in your account and the taxes and fees refunded to the original method of payment.

This means that you’re free to make as many speculative bookings using your Aeroplan miles as you’d like, especially when taking advantage of the 50% Miles Back promotion. If you change your mind or would like to make alternative plans, you have the peace of mind of cancelling and rebooking without paying any penalties.

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Also: Travel at Home Infographic

With today’s news, Aeroplan has also shared an infographic relating to the recent Travel at Home promotion of April and May 2020, and I thought I’d pass it along.

The most interesting part to me? 5.5 billion miles earned, bought, or converted during this time. That’s a lot of Mini-RTWs, escapades in the Etihad Apartments, or half-priced North American trips for Aeroplan members to enjoy!

Meanwhile, some members might have a healthy skepticism about the sheer number of miles distributed, and may take it as an indicator of a harsh upcoming devaluation. If you’re in this camp, now’s the time to burn your miles for maximal value – and the 50% Miles Back promotion should make that easier for you.

Conclusion

Air Canada and Aeroplan are hitting us with promotions and special offers faster than we can say “golden age”, as our national airline looks to drum up the fanfare and incentivize Canadians to travel again in advance of the new loyalty program’s launch in Quarter 4 of 2020. 

The 50% Miles Back promotion on North America flights is Aeroplan’s best-ever mileage redemption offer, allowing members to book flights for a little as 3,750 Aeroplan miles one-way.

In fact, this might indeed be a last hurrah for Aeroplan members in terms of booking domestic and transborder travel at a compelling rate, since the new Air Canada loyalty program is all-but confirmed to move towards a dynamic pricing method for flights within North America. 

If you’ve been harbouring hopes of travelling domestically this summer or fall, now’s the time to take action and lock down your flight itineraries at a never-before-seen 50% discount.

 
48 Comments
  1. John

    I’ve booked tickets (Vancouver to Victoria) under the 50% miles back promotion, completed travel July 7th, and still haven’t received the miles back in my account. The miles should be credited back within 2-3 weeks. I cannot claim the miles on the website. Can you advise what to do?

    1. Richard

      I haven’t received the 50% credit back either and I flew one way on July 1st, the first possible day of the new promotion. I appreciate knowing I’m not alone.

      1. Derek

        We’re in the same boat for a Toronto to Vancouver 2-Aug AC flight. The 50 percent miles back points have not been posted to our aeroplan accts.
        Rick, have you any information from aeroplan for the delay?

        1. Richard

          Bottom Line: no progress.
          Aeroplan employees have to do the work to verify all conditions have been met and they are progressing through a backlog. I’ve had at least 6 eligible bookings and no credits applied.

  2. Kathy Trenholme

    My travel companion just spoke to Aeroplan again and they say we have until Aug 31 to cancel and get a full refund of everything.

    Thank you!

    1. Ricky YVR

      As you deal with Aeroplan more and more, you’ll find that their agents are often less reliable than the community at large 🙂

  3. Kathy Trenholme

    You mention that "Flexible Cancellation Policy Extended to August 31. Concurrently, Aeroplan’s flexible cancellation policy has now been extended for a further two months from June 30 to August 31, 2020."

    Would like to know where you got this information. Booked airfare today for travel in September. Aeroplan is telling us that if we cancel 24 hours after booking there will be a cancellation fee of $100 each.

  4. John

    I don’t see too many people taking advantage of this offer. Air Canada fuel surcharge is still too high to make this lucrative unless you’re tier Prestige, which most of us are not.

  5. YYCFlier

    I don’t think that Hawaii is included in this deal by the way – Continental USA only.

    1. Ricky YVR

      Hawaii is included, as confirmed by Aeroplan themselves.

  6. Bobbie

    Using the multi-city option to book YYZ-YVR and home SFO-YYZ – should work for the 50%?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes, as long as it’s all on AC.

  7. Ralph

    @Alex It looks like you are right. I checked my status again today and am now Altitude Prestige 25K. My final qualifying transaction was on June 5th. I’m still seeing some YQ on reward flights, such as $15 on YHZ-YYC. It’s less than the normal $42, but I thought it would be $0 with Prestige 25K.

    1. Ricky YVR

      The $15 one-way / $30 round-trip in remaining "Carrier Surcharge" is really a miscoded Nav Canada fee.

  8. Ralph

    Has anyone seen their status updated through the travel at home promo? The the terms say status upgrade will be processed by July 31, 2020.

    1. Alex YWG

      Yes I just got it. From the DPs that I have seen I think you get your AC status/upgrade 10 business days from when you met the criterias.

  9. Teddy

    Priority Rewards are included too I presume?

  10. Usama M.

    Does this promo apply to family bookings from your aeroplan account? IE will I get 50% back for each ticket that I book from my aeroplan even if it includes multiple family members?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes and yes.

  11. Sunset

    Can I book a trip that departs on Oct 9th and return is on Oct 18th, or does the entire trip need to be before Oct 15th?

    1. Craig Westcott

      If you’re married to these dates, book them as two one-ways and at least you’ll get the 50% back on the outbound leg.

    2. Ricky

      Travel needs to be completed by Oct 15.

  12. Stu

    It’s a great offer- thanks for the post!

    I see the offer at the link you gave, but I don’t see it when I go the aeroplan page. I’m not missing any small print about needing to opt in or a requirement to use the link on the page you gave us?

    1. Alice

      I was able to see the offer after logging into Aeroplan, it was the first thing that popped up (like the Travel at Home promotion).

    2. Ricky YVR

      The link should be live on Aeroplan.com tomorrow morning. Members will have received an email as well.

      No need to opt-in or register. The only requirement is to be an Aeroplan member! 🙂

      1. Stu

        Cool. Thanks!

  13. CR

    Ticket 1
    YVR-YYZ (stop) – YUL (dest)
    Ticket 2
    YUL-YHZ (stop) – YYT (dest)
    YYT-YUL
    Back to Ticket 1
    YUL-YVR

    Will this work? 12.5k long haul + 7.5k short haul = 20k per person

    1. Alex

      @CR, @Ricky – can you have a stopover (not a layover) on one-way tickets in Canada?

      1. Jay

        You can’t have a stopover on one-way tickets with AP period.

    2. Ricky YVR

      That’s a YES from me.

      1. CR

        Ricky, Is it possible to confirm if one would receive the 50% miles back on multi-city?

        T&C says "Applies to one-way or two-way fixed mileage and market fare flight rewards. Not applicable to Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, AC Bid upgrades or when members use their miles to pay for the taxes, fees and surcharges associated with their flight reward."

        1. Ricky YVR

          Confirmed that "multi-city" (which is a two-way trip with a stopover) are eligible.

  14. Justin

    My understanding is that flights originating in the US to Canada are also eligible. Could anyone confirm this?

    1. Ricky YVR

      Yes.

      1. Gustav

        But good for flights on Air Canada metal only right? Code share and United flights would not qualify for the 50% rebate even if tickets were Aeroplan redemptions if I am interpreting the offer correctly.

        1. Ricky YVR

          Yes, this is mentioned in the article.

  15. Darnston

    Great promotion. Does this mean the free 25000 companion ticket from Amex Reserve will work for Hawaii??

    1. Ricky YVR

      I don’t think so unfortunately, as you‚Äôll still need to have the full number of miles (45,000 miles in Hawaii’s case) in your account at the time of booking, and you‚Äôll only receive the 50% rebate within three weeks after travel has been completed.

  16. Alice

    By the way, this offer will go really well with the Fairmont Stay Close to Home promotion.

    1. Craig Westcott

      Read my mind, Alice. My family’s flying to DC for the (Canadian) Thanksgiving long weekend to double-dip on these
      unintentional yet greatly complimentary promotions!

    2. Ricky YVR

      Great shout Alice. It’s an exciting time for (responsible) domestic travel, that’s for sure.

  17. h

    With the almost criminal amount of YQ they charge on international awards, all awards should be included.

    1. Jules

      Exactly. Even with a 50% discount on miles, I’m seeing several routes where it still makes more sense to pay cash due to low pricing right now.

    1. Ricky YVR

      Oh yesss! Long-haul or short-haul doesn’t matter, it’s a stopover and a destination on round-trips either way.

  18. Alice

    Amex and Air Canada, you guys rock!

  19. Kevin

    I’ve only got 50,000 points at the moment, so enough to get my family of 4 from Saskatoon to Vancouver and back after the 50% off is applied. But I need 100,000 now to book. I’ll have to research, see if there is a way to get 50,000 more points from just sign up bonuses, and have them in the account before July 1…

  20. Abubakar

    Sweeeeet!

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