Aeroplan Elite Status: How Do Milestone Benefits Work?

Air Canada has introduced Milestone Benefits as part of its revamped Aeroplan Elite status. Importantly, Milestones replace Select Benefits, Threshold Rewards, and automatically awarded Priority Rewards that members are accustomed to with the previous program.

In this guide, we’ll explore how Milestone Benefits work, with some general discussion of the best selections at each tier and how you might wish to approach them.

How Do Aeroplan Elite Status Milestone Benefits Work?

Under the current program, Aeroplan Elite members earn Milestone Benefits as they accumulate Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) throughout the qualification year.

As a reminder, Status Qualifying Credits are the metric by which you qualify for Aeroplan Elite status and earn Milestone Benefits. In total, there are five avenues by which you can collect SQC, and all count towards reaching Milestone Benefits:

• Paid flying with Air Canada
• Engaging with Aeroplan’s everyday and travel partners (5 Aeroplan points earned = 1 SQC (up to 25,000 SQC each year))
• Credit card spending (1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent on a premium Aeroplan card, 1,000 SQC per $20,000 on a core Aeroplan card, or by hitting spending thresholds on the Chase Aeroplan Card (up to 25,000 SQC each year total across all Aeroplan credit cards))
• 10% Head Start benefit on premium Aeroplan cards (to be introduced in 2027)
  • Any eligible rollover SQM from the prior program was converted to SQC at a 5:1 ratio, up to 200,000 SQM = 40,000 SQC
• Bonus SQC as a Milestone Benefit (see below)

You’ll earn Milestone Benefits for every threshold of 10,000 SQC collected (up to 200,000 SQC), and then at every threshold of 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 1 million SQC).

Depending on the SQC threshold you reach, you’ll get an automatic allotment of eUpgrades, a selection of one Milestone Benefit, or both.

The below table summarizes Air Canada’s Milestone Benefits, including what’s available at each SQC threshold. 

Here are some general notes about the Milestone Benefits in the above chart:

• At the 10,000-, 30,000-, and 50,000-SQC thresholds, you receive an automatic allotment of 10 eUpgrades
• At the 20,000-, 40,000-, and 60,000-SQC thresholds, as well as every increment of 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 180,000 SQC), you can make a selection of one Milestone Benefit
• At the 70,000-SQC threshold, and for increments of every 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 190,000 SQC), you receive an automatic allotment of eUpgrades and can make a selection of one Milestone Benefit
  • The automatic allotment of eUpgrades is 10 at the 70,000-, 90,000-, and 110,000-SQC thresholds, and 20 thereafter
• At the 200,000-SQC threshold and for every incremental 20,000 SQC collected thereafter (up to 1 million SQC), you receive an automatic allotment of 20 eUpgrades and can make a selection of one Milestone Benefit

As you can see, the Milestone Benefits available at each SQC threshold vary, and as you accumulate more SQC, the benefits become more robust. 

Breaking Down Aeroplan Elite Status Milestone Benefits

In this section, I’ll break down each of the available Milestone Benefits, and I’ll also offer my general thoughts about each one.

eUpgrades

eUpgrades are awarded both automatically and as a selection-based Milestone (at the 20,000- and 40,000-SQC thresholds only) in the revamped Aeroplan Elite status program.

Your eUpgrades will be valid for 12 months from the date on which they’re earned (either automatically or as a Milestone selection), or for 24 months if you have a premium Aeroplan credit card.

As a reminder, you can apply eUpgrades to Air Canada flights booked with cash or Aeroplan points and (potentially) travel in higher class of service (premium economy or business class). 

In my opinion, eUpgrades can be extremely powerful and valuable if you approach using them strategically. In some cases, you’re able to confirm an upgrade in advance (which is more often the case with cash bookings), while in others, you can up your odds of clearing the eUpgrade waitlist by balancing your status with the right fare.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing eUpgrades over other Milestone Benefit options:

• You can accumulate eUpgrades automatically as a Core Benefit and by hitting SQC thresholds, so you may want to consider other options if you find that you have a sufficient eUpgrade balance for your needs
• Elite members at lower tiers may want to bolster their eUpgrade balance with selection-based Milestones, as the Core Benefit eUpgrade allotment is reduced for 25K, 35K, and 50K members under the current program
• Elite members at higher tiers (namely 75K and Super Elite) may want to forego selection-based eUpgrades in favour of other Milestones, as they’ll accumulate more as they reach the higher SQC thresholds (and have an equal (75K) or greater (Super Elite) eUpgrade allotment as a Core Benefit)

Priority Rewards

Priority Rewards are available as selection-based Milestones beginning at the 20,000-SQC threshold, and in increments of 20,000 SQC thereafter (all the way up to 1 million SQC).

If selected, they’re valid for 12 months from the date on which they’re chosen. While you must use them by the expiry date, they can be redeemed for travel that occurs after their expiry date.

As a reminder, each Priority Reward will reduce the cost of an Aeroplan redemption with Air Canada or any partner airlines for one passenger by 50%.

Importantly, the application of Priority Rewards depends on your tier of status, outlined as follows:

• Aeroplan 25K: Economy flights in Canada and the US
• Aeroplan 35K: Economy and premium economy flights in North America
• Aeroplan 50K: Economy and premium economy flights in North America
• Aeroplan 75K: Economy and premium economy flights worldwide
• Aeroplan Super Elite: Economy, premium economy, and business class flights worldwide

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing Priority Rewards over other Milestone Benefit options:

• In my opinion, Priority Rewards are a strong contender for a choice at most SQC Milestone selections, especially since Aeroplan points are relatively easy to earn through credit cards
• Priority Rewards valid for economy and premium economy flights are great to use in conjunction with eUpgrades (especially on Economy (Latitude) and Premium Economy fares)
• Super Elite Priority Rewards are extremely valuable, especially when used with Aeroplan’s many partner airlines (or to reduce the effects of dynamic pricing with Air Canada and Select Partners)
• Consider leveraging the Aeroplan stopover feature (if available) to boost the value of your Priority Reward even more

It’s worth noting that while the application of Priority Rewards isn’t changing, you now have to forego other Milestones to acquire them, which I’d see as a negative development.

Plus, the effective spending thresholds to earn Priority Rewards are also increasing compared to the previous program, though it’s also worth noting that you can earn SQC without flying under the current program, which also counts toward Milestone Benefits.

Maple Leaf Lounge Passes

At the 20,000- and 40,000-SQC thresholds, you can choose 2 or 4 one-time Maple Leaf Lounge passes as a Milestone Benefit, respectively. 

Each pass is valid for one guest to access any Maple Leaf Lounge worldwide, and must be used on a same-day Air Canada departing flight before their expiry date (12 months from the date on which they’re chosen).

It’s worth noting that Maple Leaf Lounge passes are no longer offered as a Core Benefit under the current program, as they were previously. They’re also valid for any Maple Leaf Lounge in the world, whereas they were previously only valid for Maple Leaf Lounges in Canada and the US.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing Maple Leaf Lounge passes over other Milestone Benefit options:

• It’s always nice to share lounge access with family or friends; however, lounge access is fairly easy to obtain by way of credit cards (both for Maple Leaf Lounges and third-party lounge operators)
• If you fly on a business class ticket booked with cash or points, lounge access will be included in the vast majority of cases
• Aeroplan 50K members and up enjoy complimentary lounge access and Star Alliance Gold recognition
• Other options available at the 20,000- and 40,000-SQC thresholds should result in greater value (namely Priority Rewards and/or eUpgrades)

Aeroplan Points

At any of the selection-based Milestones, you can choose to receive a bonus allotment of Aeroplan points. Depending on the SQC threshold, you’ll receive 5,000, 7,500, 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 Aeroplan points. 

Aeroplan points can be redeemed many different ways, including flights, hotel stays, car rentals, gift cards, merchandise, live events, and more. While it’s good to have so many options for redeeming your points, you tend to get the best value for your points by using them for flights, which is what we recommend over all other options.

We value Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point (all figures in CAD), and using this, we’d estimate the following value at each tier of points:

• 5,000 Aeroplan points = $105
• 7,500 Aeroplan points = $157.50
• 10,000 Aeroplan points = $210 
• 15,000 Aeroplan points = $315
• 20,000 Aeroplan points = $420

Of course, you might value Aeroplan points differently, and it’s certainly possible to get more value (especially if you redeem them for travel in premium cabins) or less value (if you redeem them for gift cards, merchandise, etc). 

If you need a quick top-up to your account to bring you over the line for a flight redemption, it could be worth considering bonus points at some thresholds. 

However, Aeroplan points are relatively easy to come across by other means, so I’d probably look to other Milestone Benefit options and pad my Aeroplan balance with any of the following instead:

• 1:1 transfers from American Express Membership Rewards
• Aeroplan co-branded credit cards
• Online shopping through the Aeroplan eStore

30% Off Car/Hotel Redemption

One of the new benefits that hasn’t been offered to Elite members in the past is 30% off a car/hotel redemption. This option is available as a selection-based milestone beginning at 20,000 SQC, and at every increment of 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 1 million SQC).

If chosen, you’ll receive one promotion code that will give you 30% off the total cost in points for a single redemption for a car rental or hotel booked via the Aeroplan platform.

The promo code is valid through to December 31 of the year following the year it’s awarded. In other words, if you choose this Milestone Benefit in July of a given year, the 30% off promo code would be valid through to December 31 of the following year.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing 30% off a car rental or hotel redemption over other Milestone Benefit options:

• If you choose this option, you’ll get the best value if you redeem your points in conjunction with a HotelSavers hotel and the Fourth Night Free benefit
• With that said, you’ll likely still get greater value (from a cents-per-point perspective) by redeeming your points for flights instead
• For the most part, I’d say that the other Milestone Benefits are better choices (though it’s worth noting that not everyone redeems their points for flights)

Based on our previous analyses, the best value for redemptions other than flights comes whenever there’s an Aeroplan promotion that offers points back for eligible hotel redemptions, especially if you can stack it with the Fourth Night Free benefit for Aeroplan cardholders (and also a 30% off promo code).

In these cases, it’s not unusual to get value of over our target redemption value of 2.1 cents per point (though you can also get less, so it’s always good to do the math before you redeem).

Aeroplan has put a lot of effort into expanding the ways in which you can redeem points, and unlike many other programs, there are still ways to get outsized value for redemptions other than flights.

30% Off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption

Similar to the 30% off car rental/hotel redemptions above, there’s another Milestone Benefit that offers 30% off a gift card/merchandise redemption. This option is also available as a selection-based milestone beginning at 20,000 SQC, and at every increment of 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 1 million SQC).

If chosen, you’ll receive one promotion code that will give you 30% off the total cost in points for a single redemption for gift cards or merchandise via the Aeroplan eStore. Importantly, you must have a Canadian residence address to be eligible for this Milestone Benefit.

The promo code is valid through to December 31 of the year following the year it’s awarded. In other words, if you choose this Milestone Benefit in July of a given year, the 30% off promo code would be valid through to December 31 of the following year.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing 30% off a car rental or hotel redemption over other Milestone Benefit options:

• By and large, the redemption value for gift cards and merchandise is much lower than what you’d get for flights, and even lower than what you’d get for car rentals/merchandise
• In almost every case, I’d say that the other Milestone Benefits are better choices, since they’re more valuable

If you redeem Aeroplan points for gift cards or merchandise on the Aeroplan eStore, you can expect to get a redemption value of 1 cent per point at most, and usually less.

Sometimes, the eStore launches promotions that offer greater value for your redemptions; however, you’re still likely to get less value from your points than what you get by redeeming them for flights.

Bonus SQC

You can select various amounts of bonus SQC as a Milestone Benefit at specific thresholds. Note that these aren’t automatically awarded, but they’re available as a selection.

Specifically, you have the option of choosing the following amounts of SQC once you hit each listed SQC threshold as a selection-based benefit:

• 40,000 SQC = 2,500 bonus SQC
• 80,000 SQC = 2,500 bonus SQC
• 100,000 SQC = 2,500 bonus SQC
• 120,000 SQC = 2,500 bonus SQC
• 130,000 SQC = 5,000 bonus SQC
• 140,000 SQC = 5,000 bonus SQC
• 160,000 SQC = 5,000 bonus SQC
• 180,000 SQC = 5,000 bonus SQC

If chosen, you’ll get the respective amount of SQC deposited in your account, which can help you reach the next tier of status. You have until December 31 of the year in which the Milestone is reached to choose bonus SQC, and they’ll apply towards your status qualification for that same year. 

In other words, if you choose 2,500 bonus SQC partway through a year, it’ll count toward your status pursuit in that same year (and not the following year).

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing bonus SQC over other Milestone Benefit options:

• Since you can collect SQC with credit card spending and/or via engaging with Aeroplan partners (in addition to paid flights), I’d say that the other Milestone Benefits should take priority over bonus SQC
• At the same time, choosing bonus SQC would offer the most streamlined route towards 50K status and above, especially when collected in conjunction with credit card spending, engaging with Aeroplan partners, the Head Start benefit, and paid flying
• If you don’t have an Aeroplan premium credit card, a moderate volume of spend, or other means of collecting SQC, bonus SQC could be worth considering if it will help you reach a higher tier of status or a meaningful Milestone Benefit
• In my opinion, Priority Rewards are still more valuable than bonus SQC

As I mentioned above, you can get SQC via credit cards and Aeroplan partners, so you may want to shift your strategy to those rather than choosing bonus SQC over other Milestone Benefits.

When it comes to getting SQC from credit cards, the Chase Aeroplan Card (available in the US) offers the most streamlined route to 25,000 SQC, as you’ll get 5,000 at the beginning of the year, 10,000 upon spending $25,000 (USD), and 10,000 upon spending $50,000 (USD).

On Canadian premium cards, you’ll get 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent, which means that you’d have to spend $125,000 (CAD) to max it out. 

If pursuing Aeroplan Elite status is important to you, then having the Chase Aeroplan Card or a premium Aeroplan card in your portfolio will be very helpful.

Status Passes

Status Passes are available as a selection-based Milestone Benefit beginning at 60,000 SQC and at every increment of 10,000 SQC thereafter (up to 190,000 SQC). They’re also available as a selection at the 220,000-SQC threshold, and every increment of 20,000 SQC thereafter (up to 1 million SQC).

Note that Super Elites continue to be granted with two Status Passes as a Core Benefit at the beginning of each year.

If chosen, you’ll get 2 Status Passes (up to and including 120,000 SQC), and 4 Status Passes for every available option following that. The Status Passes will be valid for 12 months following the date on which they’re chosen, though they can be applied for travel beyond that date.

As a reminder, Status Passes grant up to eight passengers travelling on the same booking with premium travel services prior to and on Air Canada flights. In other words, the benefits don’t apply to partner airlines.

Each passenger on the reservation to which the Status Pass is applied will enjoy the following benefits:

• Priority airport check-in
• Priority security
• Priority baggage
• 3 complimentary checked bags at 32kg each
• Maple Leaf Lounge and Air Canada Café access
• Priority boarding (Zone 2)

At the thresholds that offer a choice between Priority Rewards and Status Passes, I’d likely recommend choosing a Priority Reward for the reasons covered above.

At the thresholds that offer a choice between Aeroplan points, Status Passes, an Air Canada gift card, and/or a Status Gift, there’s a bit more nuance.

Personally, I’d likely choose either Aeroplan points or the Status Gift (especially 50K) over Status Passes; however, you may also find great value in using a Status Pass for large group bookings.

Air Canada Gift Card

Air Canada gift cards of different amounts are available as a selection-based Milestone Benefit at the following SQC thresholds:

• 70,000 SQC = $150 gift card
• 90,000 SQC = $150 gift card
• 110,000 SQC = $150 gift card
• 150,000 SQC = $250 gift card
• 170,000 SQC = $250 gift card
• 190,000 SQC = $250 gift card

The gift cards can pretty much be redeemed for any time you need to pay for something Air Canada-related: flights, the taxes/fees on an Aeroplan redemption, seat selection, etc.

Given the other options available at the SQC thresholds at which gift cards are also offered, I’d be more inclined to opt for a Status Gift, Status Passes, or bonus Aeroplan points, since it’d be very possible to squeeze out more value from those than the value offered on the gift card.

However, if you’re looking for something with clear, tangible value, then the gift card offers a straightforward option.

I think it’s worth noting that the gift card amounts available through Threshold Rewards were for up to $4,000. While this required accumulating a lot of SQM, it’s also a much higher figure than the $250 available through Milestone Benefits.

Status Gift

Upon reaching 70,000-, 90,000-, 130,000-, and 200,000-SQC thresholds, you’re able to choose a 25K, 35K, 50K, or 75K Status Gift, respectively.

Once the status gift is bestowed upon a person of your choosing, they’ll enjoy status for the remainder of the year and through to December 31 of the following year.

For example, if you gift someone 35K status partway through a year, it’ll be valid through to December 31 of the following year.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering choosing a Status Gift over other Milestone Benefit options:

• If the recipient can make good use of the benefits offered at 25K and 35K status, I’d say the Status Gift is a very compelling choice
• In my opinion, 50K status is by far the strongest Milestone Benefit offered at the 130,000-SQC threshold
• If you’re considering the 75K Status Gift at 200,000 SQC, bear in mind that you’d be leaving a banked year of Super Elite status on the table, which I’d argue is a stronger benefit (unless you’re a Lifetime Super Elite already)

It’s nice to see that the recipient will enjoy status for the rest of the year that they’re awarded with status, and through to the end of the following year. Status Gifts could be particularly compelling choices if they’re available in the first half of the year.

Banked Year of Super Elite Status

Once you’ve hit the 200,000-SQC threshold, you’ll have access to one of the most valuable Milestone Benefits available: a banked year of top-tier Super Elite status.

If chosen, you’ll automatically be granted with a one-year extension of your Super Elite status if you don’t requalify as a Super Elite. This is how the benefit is applied today when earned as a Threshold Reward.

In other words, if you reach Super Elite in 2026 but qualify as a 75K Elite in 2027, the banked year of Super Elite status would grant you with Super Elite status for 2027 instead.

If you hit the 200,000-SQC threshold, this is by far the most valuable benefit, and I’d strongly recommend it above all other options.

The only exception is if you already enjoy Lifetime Super Elite status as a 3 Million Miler, at which point you can take your pick from whatever other Milestones pique your interest.

Let Us Take Care of You

If you’re an Air Canada frequent flyer looking to maximize the benefits of the new Aeroplan Elite status program, Aeroplan points, eUpgrades, and more without putting in all of the work yourself, head over to the Prince of Travel Concierge website to learn more about our white-glove service.

Our expert Concierge account managers will look after everything on your behalf: crafting a comprehensive credit card strategy, ensuring you’re earning elite status and leveraging all of the benefits, redeeming points for maximum value, and saving you time and money on booking travel.

Conclusion

Aeroplan Elite members now earn Milestone Benefits instead of Threshold Rewards, Select Benefits, and automatically awarded Priority Rewards from the previous program.

As you collect SQC, you’ll unlock Milestone Benefits which are awarded automatically, as a selection, or a combination of the two.

Depending on your priorities, some benefits will offer more value or impact than others, and in this guide, I’ve shared my opinions on how you might approach them.