Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification Begins for 2024

With 2024 now upon us, Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification has now been reset for another year, and it’s again time for those of us who prefer to earn status without flying to begin the grind towards 100,000 qualifying points.

Earn Aeroplan 25K Status Without Flying

Aeroplan members who earn 100,000 Aeroplan points in a calendar year from eligible transactions will automatically qualify for Aeroplan 25K Status.

Once you qualify, you’ll have status for the rest of the current calendar year, and through the end of the following year.

Thus, if you earn 100,000 points between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, you’ll have Aeroplan 25K Status until the end of 2025.

Throughout the year, you’ll be able to track your progress towards Everyday Status Qualification on your Aeroplan dashboard. However, it’s only visible to members who don’t currently have status.

Hopefully this will change in the future, as current status members might also wish to secure at least Aeroplan 25K status the following year through this channel. 

Not every Aeroplan point you earn counts toward Everyday Status Qualification. The following transactions are eligible:

• Flight activity: cash tickets on Air Canada, or on partner airlines with mileage credited to Aeroplan
• Spending with Aeroplan co-branded credit cards
• Earning points through the Starbucks, LCBO, Journie Rewards, and Uber partnerships
• eStore base points, including limited-time bonuses of up to 10x points, specific to each retailer

And these activities are excluded:

• Credit card welcome bonuses
• Points converted from other programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards
• Buying, gifting, or transferring points between members
• eStore bonus points awarded on the basis of Aeroplan Elite Status
• Points + Cash tickets
• Contests and other promotional bonuses

Eligible transactions will be flagged with “EDQ” in your Aeroplan activity log:

If you plan on maintaining Aeroplan 25K Status through everyday spending, it would be best to use an Aeroplan credit card and earn everyday-qualifying points directly.

Aeroplan Credit Cards

Credit Card	Best Offer	Value
American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card Up to 95,000 Aeroplan points $599 annual fee	Up to 95,000 Aeroplan points	$1,147	Apply Now
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card Up to 85,000 Aeroplan points† $599 annual fee	Up to 85,000 Aeroplan points†	$924	Apply Now
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card 85,000 Aeroplan points $599 annual fee	85,000 Aeroplan points	$858	Apply Now
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card 80,000 Aeroplan points $599 annual fee	80,000 Aeroplan points	$845	Apply Now
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points† $139 annual fee	Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points†	$756	Apply Now
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card Up to 60,000 Aeroplan points† First Year Free	Up to 60,000 Aeroplan points†	$714	Apply Now
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points† $139 annual fee	Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points†	$617	Apply Now
American Express Aeroplan Card American Express Aeroplan Card 50,000 Aeroplan points $120 annual fee	50,000 Aeroplan points	$573	Apply Now
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points† $89 annual fee	Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points†	$434	Apply Now
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card 10,000 Aeroplan points† $0 annual fee	10,000 Aeroplan points†	$210	Apply Now

As your primary method to earn Aeroplan points, it would take $100,000 spent on a core Aeroplan card (TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, or the American Express Aeroplan Card), $80,000 spent on a premium Aeroplan card (TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, or Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card), or less if you take advantage of bonuses on some spending categories.

(If you use an American Express MR-earning card instead, you wouldn’t earn everyday-qualifying activity when you transfer those rewards to Aeroplan.)

Benefits of Aeroplan 25K Status

Let’s be real – Aeroplan 25K Status is the lowest tier, and it’s not going to blow your mind.

You’ll be at the back of the priority line, always behind members at higher tiers (which can only be reached by accruing Status Qualifying Miles, Segments, and Dollars via paid flights).

However, I’d say it’s well worth it just for eUpgrades. With Aeroplan 25K Status, you’ll earn 20 credits each year (with the option of an additional five eUpgrade credits as a Select Benefit).

Aeroplan status is the only way to earn eUpgrades, and Everyday Status Qualification is a great way to get your foot in the door. eUpgrades can be extremely valuable with the “Latitude Attitude” – a way to book Air Canada business class seats at reasonable rates when cash fares or dynamic points pricing are outrageously high.

Aeroplan 25K Status also offers some useful perks to elevate your travel experience. For one, it duplicates many of the benefits of holding a premium Aeroplan credit card, such as priority check-in, standby, and boarding, as well as some enhanced baggage handling options.

If you’d prefer to avoid paying a $599 annual fee every year, you can maintain these benefits through Everyday Status Qualification instead.

You’ll also get two Maple Leaf Lounge passes each year, free checked bags on Air Canada flights, and preferred pricing on dynamic award tickets.

Although, you can easily find those benefits on mid-tier credit cards, with much lower annual fees which are often waived for the first year. It’s an alternative worth considering if Everyday Status Qualification is out of reach.

Furthermore, all Aeroplan elites earn an extra 2 points per dollar spent on all eStore purchases.

Taking a look south of the border, the US-issued Chase Aeroplan Card gives new cardholders an instant boost to Aeroplan 25K Status through the following year, along with the ability to retain 25K Status by spending $15,000 (USD) in subsequent years. 

For Canadians who are able to apply for US credit cards, spending on the Chase Aeroplan Card could prove to be a much easier pathway towards Aeroplan 25K Status than through Everyday Status Qualification.

For anyone who has already taken advantage of any one of these opportunities to earn 25K Status, there’s not necessarily any rush to get started on Everyday Status Qualification this year, unless you want a head start on your status for 2025.

Conclusion

Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification is a good entry point for newcomers who have just begun engaging with the Aeroplan program. It’s a useful way to maintain a base level of Air Canada benefits without having to earn status by buying cash fares or flying relentless mileage runs.

The tally has now been reset for 2024, giving members the opportunity to achieve or retain Aeroplan 25K status through 2025 by earning 100,000 Aeroplan points through eligible sources this calendar year.

With travel demand having now recovered to pre-pandemic levels, it’s perhaps unlikely that we’ll see any similar elite status promotions to the last few years, which is why it’s important to take advantage of opportunities like Everyday Status Qualification if you’d like to earn status without flying.