American Express Aeroplan Card

As a mid-range Aeroplan co-branded credit card, the American Express Aeroplan Card typically offers a decent signup bonus with strong earning rates, making this a worthwhile proposition for many points collectors.

Bonuses & Fees

The American Express Aeroplan Card currently offers up to 40,000 Aeroplan points as its welcome bonus.

The signup bonus is distributed as follows:

• 30,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $3,000 in the first three months
• 10,000 Aeroplan points upon spending $1,000 in month 13

Cardholders can earn 5,000 Aeroplan points for each successful referral when friends or family sign up for an American Express Aeroplan Card, Aeroplan Reserve Card, or Aeroplan Business Reserve Card. Referral bonuses are capped at 75,000 Aeroplan points per calendar year.

The card has an annual fee of $120. You’re allowed to add supplementary cardholders for $50 apiece; alternatively, you can add a lower-tier Aeroplan No Fee Card for free.

How Much Is This Offer Worth?

Here’s a breakdown of what the welcome bonus for the American Express Aeroplan Card is worth. Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into consideration the potential value of other card benefits, which we’ll outline in detail below.

We value Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point, and using that value, we’d peg a value of $840 on the total amount (40,000 Aeroplan points) of the welcome bonus alone.

Plus, assuming the card’s baseline earning rate of 1 Aeroplan points per dollar spent, you’d earn an additional 3,000 Aeroplan points for meeting the $3,000 minimum spending requirement over the first three months. We’d value these points at an additional $63.

Therefore, in the first year as a cardholder, the minimum amount of net value you can expect to get from this card’s welcome offer is $573: $630 from the 30,000 points from the portion of the welcome bonus in the first year, $63 by spending the bare minimum ($3,000) to earn the welcome bonus (and assuming the card’s baseline earning rate), and then minus the card’s annual fee of $120 in the first year.

In the second year, we’d value the second part of the welcome bonus (10,000 Aeroplan points) at $210, plus an additional $21 of value from the points you’d earn by spending $1,000 (1,000 points, assuming the card’s baseline earning rate).

When you factor in the card’s $120 annual fee, you’re still coming out ahead in year two ($121 net value) without factoring in any other benefits.

Of course, you can certainly squeeze more value out of the card by leveraging the category earning rates and the card’s other benefits; however, this is unique to each cardholder, and our valuation assumes a minimum amount of value rather than a maximum amount of value.

Plus, you can redeem the Aeroplan points you earn for even higher value by using them for travel in premium cabins.

Earning Rewards

In terms of the returns on everyday spending, the American Express Aeroplan Card has a unique structure, offering cardholders:

• 2 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations
• 1.5 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on dining and food delivery
• 1 Aeroplan point per dollar spent on everything else

The earn rate on Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations, dining, and food delivery outshines both TD’s and CIBC’s Aeroplan Visa Infinite cards in the same market, so if you spend a significant amount in these categories, then the Amex Aeroplan Card can make a good addition to your wallet.

Redeeming Rewards

Aeroplan remains the loyalty program of choice for the majority of Canadians, as well as the staff here at Prince of Travel.

Whether you’re looking to fly in economy across the country to visit family or friends, or aiming to redeem your points for high-value international business and First Class redemptions with some of the world’s best airlines, Aeroplan can take you there.

You can redeem your Aeroplan points for any seat available for purchase with Air Canada. In other words, if you can pay for it with your credit card, you can book it with Aeroplan points. Just be mindful that Air Canada flights are subject to dynamic pricing, which means that the price fluctuates based on demand.

You can also redeem Aeroplan points for flights with Star Alliance-member airlines, such as All Nippon Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and more, as well as a number of other partner airlines, such as Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia, and more.

Indeed, what makes Aeroplan points so powerful is the sheer number of airlines for which you can redeem your points.

Plus, you can take advantage of adding a stopover on your booking for 5,000 points, pooling points with others through the Family Sharing feature, and building complex itineraries that span the globe.

We’ve covered everything in our Essential Guide to Aeroplan, so be sure to head there to learn everything there is to know about earning and redeeming Aeroplan points.

Perks & Benefits

The Amex Aeroplan Card offers a competitive set of Air Canada travel benefits for its price range. As a cardholder, you’ll receive:

• Free first checked bag on Air Canada flights, for the primary and supplementary cardholders, and up to eight companions travelling on the same reservation
• Preferred pricing when redeeming Aeroplan points for Air Canada flights
• The ability to earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and 1 Status Qualifying Segment (SQS) for every $10,000 you spend on the card
• Your Aeroplan points won’t expire for as long as you’re a cardholder

Insurance Coverage

The Amex Aeroplan Card’s insurance proposition is decent, but not outstanding. Some of the provisions that it does cover include:

• Flight delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Baggage Delay insurance), for food, accommodation and items purchased within 48 hours when your flight is delayed 4+ hours.
• Baggage delay insurance: Up to $500 (aggregate maximum with Flight Delay insurance), for items purchased within 4 days of arrival when your baggage is delayed 6+ hours. (Note: this is different from lost and stolen baggage insurance, which doesn’t cover delays)
• Hotel burglary insurance: Up to $500 coverage for stolen items (excluding cash).
• Travel accident insurance: Up to $500,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance.
• Car rental theft and damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for up to 48 consecutive days for cars with an MSRP of up to $85,000.

It’s important to note that these benefits would also apply on Aeroplan reward tickets, as long as you charge the taxes and fees of your booking to your Aeroplan Card.

However, the card does not offer emergency medical insurance or trip cancellation & trip interruption insurance, which are a couple of very significant benefits that you’ll find on many of the higher-end products out there.

Lastly, the card offers Purchase Protection Plan and Buyer’s Assurance Protection Plan, covering most eligible items you’ve purchased with your card up to $1,000 should they be stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, as well as an extended one-year warranty period on the manufacturer’s warranty.

Historical Offers