Last year, with travel very much grounded, Aeroplan offered a couple of promotions to help members qualify for Elite Status without flying, through status extensions and an opportunity to spend your way to higher status.
For this year, Aeroplan has just announced that you can requalify for Elite Status by spending with your Aeroplan co-branded credit card.
Secure Your Elite Status by Earning 30,000 Aeroplan Points
The promotion is quite simple: earn 30,000 Aeroplan points from an Aeroplan co-branded credit card, and your 2022 Elite Status will be extended until the end of 2023.
Points must be earned from spending. Base earn rates and standard category accelerators count, but signup bonuses, limited-time category accelerators, and Membership Rewards transfers are excluded.
Here are a few examples of how much you’d have to spend to extend your status:
- Spend $10,000 on Air Canada with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card (3x points)
- Spend $15,000 on dining with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card (2x points)
- Spend $20,000 on groceries and gas with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card (1.5x points)
- Spend $24,000 on any purchases with any premium Aeroplan credit card (1.25x points)
- Spend $30,000 on any purchases with any core Aeroplan credit card (1x points)
- Spend $45,000 on any purchases with any entry-level Aeroplan credit card (0.66x points)
- Spend US$10,000 on groceries and dining with the Chase Aeroplan Card (3x points)
No enrolment is necessary. This promotion is available to new and existing Aeroplan cardholders.
All Aeroplan co-branded cards are eligible, including the US-issued Chase Aeroplan Card. Qualifying points will automatically be combined across all of your Aeroplan credit cards.
All credit card spending from January 1, 2022 until November 30, 2022 is eligible (presumably based on your statement date, not the transaction date). That means it’s quite possible that you’ve already met the requirements!
Status requalification is only available to primary cardholders, but all purchases on the credit card account (including those made by secondary cardholders) will contribute to the cumulative points total for the primary cardholder’s Aeroplan status.
What’s the Best Strategy to Requalify for Status?
At this point, there’s nothing you can do to optimize this promotion for higher status than what you currently have. Status achieved or received as a gift in 2022 will be valid until December 31, 2023 regardless.
Instead, this is a juicy opportunity for anyone who elevated their status in recent years, through non-flying means, to keep rolling it forward. All status levels are eligible for this promotion, from 25K to Super Elite, no matter how you earned that level of status.
For example, if you were gifted 50K status by a Super Elite friend in 2021, and bumped it up to 75K with last year’s promotion for credit card spending, you can now extend your 75K status, valid until the end of 2022, to the end of 2023.
Or, let’s say you qualified for Super Elite early in 2020 before your aviation lifestyle ground to a halt. Your status was naturally good through 2021, extended through 2022 no questions asked, and now you’ll be able to maintain Super Elite through the end of 2023 without any need to meet the lofty requirements for status qualification the old-fashioned way.
Or in my case, I held Aeroplan Silver status with the old program in 2020, got matched to 25K for 2021 when the new program launched, and levelled up to 35K. Now, as someone who rarely pays cash for flights, I’ll be able to easily extend my 35K status another year.
Aeroplan will begin processing these status extensions sometime in July, on a rolling basis. However, they’ve warned that extensions processed towards the end of the year may leave members in limbo for a few weeks in early 2023, as extensions may take up to eight weeks to process.
With last year’s status boost, some members didn’t receive the bump for several months into 2022, leaving them without access to their Elite Status benefits. Therefore, I’d recommend reaching the required threshold of 30,000 points as soon as possible, to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
The terms of the promotion do say that you need to keep your Aeroplan cards open at the time the offer’s qualifying threshold is fulfilled, and Aeroplan reserves the right to revoke your status extension if you cancel the card. I’m not sure how this would be enforced in practice, since qualifying points can be accumulated across multiple cards and past spending.
For good measure, I’d try to focus my qualifying purchases on keeper cards. Also, I’d make sure my status extension is secured before cancelling any cards on which I made qualifying purchases.
Other Ways to Qualify for Elite Status
You can always achieve 25K status without flying through Everyday Status Qualification. Simply accumulate 100,000 Aeroplan points in a calendar year from eligible sources.
Aside from purchases made through the Aeroplan eStore and the occasional paid flight, the bulk of your qualifying points would come from credit card spending. With this year’s promotion, the requirement has basically been cut to a third of its usual level – assuming you currently hold status.
Moreover, it’s typically not possible to achieve Elite Status above 25K without flying. With this promotion, you can extend your existing status, even at higher levels.
However, outside of the Chase Aeroplan Card, you still can’t elevate your status without flying – that was a rare opportunity last year. If that’s your goal, you’ll have to rack up some Status Qualifying Dollars on paid fares to qualify for Elite Status with your flight activity.
Conclusion
I’m excited to extend my Aeroplan Elite Status into 2023. It’s reasonably convenient to meet the requirements of earning 30,000 qualifying points across all of my Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, without changing my spending habits significantly, or my travel habits at all.
Travel is roaring back in 2022, but it’s not at full steam quite yet. As things continue to slowly ramp up, I’m glad to see that Aeroplan has recognized these challenges. They’ve created yet another opportunity to maintain status in challenging times, without diluting higher tiers, which I’d say is a fair trade-off.
Regardless of your tier, there are many reasons to maintain your eUpgrades and other benefits. Considering the advantages of having Aeroplan Elite Status and how easy it is to fulfil the requirements of this promotion, this is an opportunity that every Aeroplan member with Elite Status should be pursuing.
Make sure you’ve earned 30,000 points from purchases made between January 1 and November 30, 2022, and watch the eUpgrades roll in for yet another year!
Didn’t think right and just cancelled my Amex Aeroplan card but still have my TD Aeroplan Infinite. I was almost at 30000 spend points.
Did I screw up??
As a US citizen, I only have the Chase Aeroplan MC available to spend on. Is it certain that this promotion applies to US citizens with the Chase card as well? I attempted to confirm this with Aeroplan and they seem very confused.
I just signed up for a TD Aeroplan Infinite Privilege. I am about to cancel my Amex aeroplan reserve and TD Aeroplan Infinite. I was just wondering if my purchases on Amex aeroplan reserve and TD aeroplan infinite from Jan 2022 will be counted toward 30k spend on aeroplan credit cards. Thank you in advance!
no they wont
Correction: 30k points on Aeroplan credit cards not 30k spend.
I might have a weak understanding of how the points accrual works. I spent enough on my cards in calendar year 2021 to qualify for the everyday spending status, yet because the miles weren’t actually posted to my AP account until January, they didn’t count toward spending in 2021. So the T&C on the AC page says “between January 1, 2022 and Nov 30, 2022” – is that actual dates that the transactions happened on, or the date when the points post to your AP account? I should be able to hit this 30k easily, but if I’m stuck in some kind of situation where now they are counting spend in the actual calendar year, I’ll effectively lose out on the 12,000 points I earned in Dec 2022
Does the TD Aeroplan card for business count toward the total if it is held in my name
ie as a proprietorship?
If it’s linked to your Aeroplan account, it should work.
Hey Josh, can you confirm the following comment you made?
“Status achieved or received as a gift in 2022 will be valid until December 31, 2023 regardless.”
I called Aeroplan to confirm this because I was gifted 50K in March this year and wanted to know if I should try to hit these spend requirements on my card to retain 50K next year or if I would automatically get 50K until end of 2023 as you suggest.
I was told by the rep that a gift of 50K is indeed only for the calendar year it is given. So it seems it is different than earned statuses which start immediately when earned and last until the end of the following year.
Was this a typo on your part or do you think the customer service rep was mistaken?
Thanks!
My comment assumes that status is earned AND gifted in the same year, for the following benefit year. More accurately: as I understand, status gifts are valid for the benefit year of the gifter. Sounds like your gifter achieved Super Elite in 2021 but didn’t make the gift until 2022, as both status are valid for 2022. In any event, the best way to be sure, if you’ve already received the status gift, is to tap your Aeroplan membership card in the app – it’ll show the proper expiry date, if it shows 2022 then you’ll need to use this promo to extend. In short, the repo you spoke with was probably right.
Ok yes, this makes perfect sense now. Thanks for clearing this up for me. The Aeroplan customer service rep was not good at explaining this at all!
Does this mean if our statement date is beginning of Nov, we have to have the spending done prior to that statement date…?
Yes.
If I have more than 1 co-branded credit cards, can I combine the earnings on all of them to requalify? Also I wish we can have a progress bar, now I will need to dig out my old statement to see how much I am missing. Thanks!
That is an excellent question. I am in the same boat.
I should have read the other comments first.
The total of all cards seems to qualify.
Me, too. Now I have a new question posted, and I did check if it had been asked. lol
My wife currently has Super Elite (100K) status. If I refer her to get the referral bonus (I’m an Aeroplan reserve member), and she signs up and spends $30K on her card before November, will her status extend into 2023? Or is this only good for existing cardholders?
With the Amex Aeroplan Reserve card, is there any benefit of having 25k status over the perks offered on the card itself?
Chris H. the main benefit to 25k(or higher) status that wouldn’t come with the Aeroplan Reserve is e-Upgrades. You need Aeroplan status to get e-upgrades.
Your plan should work fine; her status would be extended if she earns 30,000 points on the Aeroplan-affiliated card through regular spending (not including bonuses such as the signup bonus or targeted time-limited bonuses).
This response was intended for Ian regarding whether his wife could maintain Super Elite status if she spends $30k on a new Aeroplan affiliated card.
Hi Josh. Does ALL EDQs add towards this promotion? I checked my Aeroplan account and see Uber, LCBO, Starbucks all giving me EDQs apart from my Aeroplan credit card. Just checking in the easiest way to add and get to 30,000.
No, EDQ includes other sources. This promo only includes credit card spending (which is also included in EDQ).
I have Aeroplan Premium cards (AMEX Reserve Card and TD Infinite Privilege). I’m cancelling the TD in June and keeping the AMEX. By keeping the AMEX, wouldn’t this give me Aeroplan 25K status regardless as long as I keep the card? Thanks!
Not just by having the card; you would need to also meet the spending and/or flying requirements.
Does spending to meet MSR count towards both MSR and this promotion?
Yes.
Yes
oh dear – was planning on cancelling my aeroplan reserve august 1. I really hope my transactions and status is processed in July!
If I signed up for say, a TD Aeroplan visa in July, and cancelled my AMEX in August – would I still qualify theoretically or would all my spending in 2022 on my Reserve card be reset?
The terms are ambiguous but I suspect you could lose your status if based solely on previous earnings from the canceled card.
Didn’t think right and just cancelled my Amex Aeroplan card but still have my TD Aeroplan Infinite. I was almost at 30000 spend points.
Did I screw up??
I wonder if we can contact AP or Amex to ask if the 30k threshold has been met. Pretty sure I should have it be August but I wouldn’t want to miss is by some points…
Josh, does this impact the “accelerate your way to status” promotion where you earn double sqm and sqd for flights to europe to end of sept.?
So here’s a question. Say as a US person I was status matched to Aeroplan 75K for 2022 (applied in 2021).
I have the Chase card. Can I spend $50K on it and earn both the (I) status rollover for spending 30K, and (II) get the status bump for spending $50K, and get Super Elite next year?
The Chase status bump is only for your earned status. If you matched to 75K, you won’t be lifted to Super Elite. However, this promotion will extend your matched 75K into next year.
Josh that’s contradicted by Scott O’Leary from AC on this chat at 1:44:30. Chase 50K spend for status bump will stack on status extension promo.
https://www.facebook.com/pointsmilesandbling/videos/375350287820452
Peter’s question was about status matches (i.e. if you have top-tier status with a Oneworld airline), which was specifically excluded from the Chase bump when the card was launched, as per my understanding. Scott seems to have clarified this via several sources, but I’m still unclear whether the Chase card bumps matched status, or whether the extension promo (valid for all status for the 2022 benefit year) “converts” it into bumpable status for 2023. In the latter case, Peter’s gambit would require US$30K spent before November 30, 2022, plus US$50K spent in 2023.
Hi is there any further clarification on this? I think there’s a fair portion of people looking at this given the launch of the card in US this year and the match opportunity.
If you spend $30K this year, you earn 75K for next year through this extension. Spending another $20K should bump you to SE.
Just curious and couldn’t find it in the T&C’s. If we’ve flown enough to earn status already this year (I’ll be hitting SE within about a month) will this extend status any further than what we would have already earned?
No, this promo is useful for people who had status last year. It won’t do anything for you that you haven’t achieved already.
Same boat as you exactly . I’ve hustled to get to super elite . What do I get out of this?
BigG, yeah I’m like you: worked my butt off to hit SE, still good til end of 2023. So mehhhh. I’ll buy you a coffee if/when you’re in Vancouver. There’s a gift. I’ll get Matt one too.
Good news but damn. Becoming too easy to get status. I think this is why the line-ups are becoming so long to get into the ML lounges!!
Maybe I missed it…
Does the spend have to be on one Aeroplan card, or can it spread across multiple Aeroplan branded cards?
Multiple is fine, they’ll take the cumulative total across all of your Aeroplan cards.
Omar – according to Air Canada’s promotional page, across multiple Aeroplan branded cards as long as you are the primary cardholder.
“The cumulative points earned across all Aeroplan credit cards for which you are the Primary Cardholder”
taken from https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan/promotions/status-requalification-cc.html#/
Frustrate. I just spent $1000 on a hard to find thing from a store that didn’t accept AMEX, so I used the Aeroplan Visa. Today I ended up finding the thing at a store that does accept AMEX. So now I have to spend $32 on gas to drive 7 KM, return the thing, go to the other store, and buy the thing with my AMEX. …….Unless Aeroplan would consider the total points between 2 AP cards?
> I have to spend $32 on gas to drive 7 KM
Lol. You driving a 16-cylinder turbocharged Hummer with afterburner? Think I found the cause of climate change right here.
the points are cumulative as long as you the are the primary cardholder on the AP cards, no need to waste the gas
Or time. Even if it weren’t cumulative, surely there are more convenient ways to rack up $1,000 in qualifying spend.
As long as you are the primary card holder on the AP cards, the points are cumulative.
Taken from the promotional site at: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan/promotions/status-requalification-cc.html#/
“The cumulative points earned across all Aeroplan credit cards for which you are the Primary Cardholder”
Doesn’t look like you’ll have to return it. Also, what the heck are you driving that 7KM is costing you $32 in gas?
Josh does the spending requirements apply to estore spending as well? i just bought 2 imacs at 9x points for ~5k. Theoretically that would put me over the threshold with 45000 points earned, or is the promotion just aeroplan points earned on my card by spending alone?
Just credit card spending.
Josh – As a current 75k member (P1), I have yet to gift 35k status as a select benefit to my P2 as they already have 25k (was waiting for later in the year to gift it to extend the expiry of their e-upgrades as per a previous article!). If I were to gift P2 35k now, would P2 then requalify for 35k if they satisfy the 30k spend on their Aeroplan CC?
Gifted status now will be good for 2023 anyway, so there’d be no need to requalify with this promotion.
Thanks for this timely post Josh, very useful. Just wondering where did you see that 2022 gifted status will be automatically extended until December 2023. I have a 50K status was given by a super elite member in early Jan 2022, does that mean my status will be good until Dec 2023 automatically? Thanks in advance. Cheers.
The gifted status year is the same as the benefit year of the gifter. For example, if the SE earned status in 2021, the 50K gift is valid for 2022, and can be extended with this promotion for 2023. If the SE earned and gifted status in 2022, it would be good for 2023 anyway. The best way to know if your status needs to be extended is by checking its expiry date (tap on your membership card in the Aeroplan app).
If I have cancelled my credit card earlier but the spend was satisfied on the same card earlier this year, does that mean I got disqualified because my card was cancelled…
Aeroplan reserves the right to disqualify any spending on a cancelled card. You never know … but the only way to be sure is to put all qualifying spending on cards you’ll keep.
I am in the same boat. Got Amex Reserve last summer, and earned about 10k on it in 2022, but I don’t think I will keep it unless I can get the annual fee waived(justified). If I do cancel it in July, I am not sure if I need to earn another 20k on my TD Aeroplan Infinite Visa, or have to hit 30k there.
Smart on their end. Give us all another reason to keep the credit cards (and spend on them!). I probably already qualified for my 25k, I will make sure hubby qualifies with his 75k!
Is there an easy way to look up how much you’ve already accrued?
Josh- I’m a bit confused. I’m a super elite member. I won’t meet the SQD or miles needed to qualify for 2023. Are you saying that all I need to do is spend $30,000 on my Aeroplan Amex and I will get super elite status extended again? I don’t need to sign up or anything?
Yes, it’s that simple.
Not that I’m aware of. Best to add up all of your 2022 credit card statements.
Also, if i had a referral bonus where i got 3x additional points for referring someone to the card, i dont think those count as well, right?
That would fall under limited-time spending promotions, so likely not unfortunately.
Hey Josh – If i spent $10k in December but got the statement on January 7th, does that spending count? How would Aeroplan know that the spending was not done in the calendar year 2022?
What id we didn’t qualify last year but do this year? Is it only an extension?
They wouldn’t, therefore I’m inclined to assume it’ll count.