One of the many perks that come with earning Aeroplan Elite Status is being able to choose a suite of Select Benefits.
Each year, you’ll get to choose one or two extra benefits to enjoy, including bonus eUpgrades, extra Aeroplan points, an Air Canada Wi-Fi subscription, and more, depending on your level of status.
In this guide, we’ll examine the Select Benefits available for Aeroplan Elite Status members, as well as some considerations to make as to when and why you make your selections.
Core Benefits and Select Benefits
As a reminder, Aeroplan Elite Status benefits are divided into Core Benefits and Select Benefits.
All members receive the Core Benefits associated with their status levels automatically as of the turn of the year.
Included with your Core Benefits are 20 eUpgrade credits, priority services, extra perks when buying an eligible Flight Pass, and more. Some Core Benefits are common to everyone with Aeroplan Elite Status, while others are tied to various tiers of status.
Each year, you also have the option to choose from a separate bundle of Select Benefits, based on which enhancements to the travel experience might matter to you the most.
As an Aeroplan Elite Status member, you can choose your Select Benefits via the “Choose benefits” option under the “Benefits” tab of your dashboard.
The Select Benefits bundles available to each Aeroplan Elite Status level are summarized as below:
- Bonus Aeroplan points when flying with Air Canada and select airline partners
- Bonus eUpgrade credits
- Maple Leaf Lounge passes (25K only)
- One-time SQM and SQS bonus (35K and up)
- 35K or 50K status gift (for 75K and Super Elites, respectively)
- Air Canada annual Wi-Fi plan (for 75K and Super Elites only)
- Status Pass (50K and up)
As you can see, Aeroplan 25K, 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members get to choose two Select Benefits from the available options, while 35K members can choose one of two options.
Once you make your selection, you can’t go back and make any changes, so be sure to consider the various options and choose the ones that will matter most to you. Later on in this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the factors you’ll want to keep in mind, as well as some strategy around timing your selections.
If you’re working your way up the status ladder for the first time, you’ll get to choose Select Benefits at each new step along the way. However, if you don’t make choices for Select Benefits at one level and move into the next tier, you’ll lose out on the ability to choose.
For example, if you’re progressing from no status through to Aeroplan 75K status, you’ll have the option of choosing Select Benefits at each of the Aeroplan 25K, 35K, 50K, and 75K levels.
Therefore, if you find yourself in this situation, be sure to make your selection before you reach a new tier, as you can enjoy more perks that way.
In subsequent years, if you’re requalifying for a status that you already have, you won’t get to choose Select Benefits at each step along the way.
It’s worth noting that Air Canada has done away with Bundle 2 of the Select Benefits for 2024, which previously offered extra perks to members for qualifying Flight Pass activity. However, both options are now part of the Core Benefits, so if you’ve made use of them before, you’ll continue to do so.
Which Aeroplan Elite Status Select Benefits Should You Choose?
It’s worth noting that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every traveller.
What’s important to one person may not be a factor for another; however, there are some packages of benefits that we believe warrant the most attention for many Air Canada frequent flyers.
Choosing eUpgrades as a Select Benefit
Among the Select Benefit choices, it’s almost always wise to consider the allotment of extra eUpgrade credits as one of your benefits (or your only benefit as an Aeroplan 35K member).
It’s very valuable to collect more eUpgrades, since the “Latitude Attitude” strategy allows you to redeem Aeroplan points or pay cash for an Economy (Latitude) ticket and upgrade instantly into Air Canada business class, as long as you’ve met the various requirements.
With direct bookings in Air Canada business class often pricing out at dynamically high levels with Aeroplan or with a lofty cost in cash, the “Latitude Attitude” can be an invaluable strategy to score Air Canada business class at a significant discount.
This is especially true if you travel with family members or friends, since you can use eUpgrades with up to two additional passengers travelling on the same booking. It’s also one of the best ways to use an Air Canada Annual Worldwide Companion Pass.
One important factor to keep in mind is that eUpgrades now expire 12 months after they’re earned, or 24 months after they’re earned if you have a premium Aeroplan co-branded credit card.
For example, if you choose eUpgrades as your Select Benefit on July 15, 2024, they’ll be valid until July 15, 2025, or July 15, 2026 if you have a premium co-branded credit card.
Previously, eUpgrades earned between January 1 and June 30 would expire in mid-January of the next year, and eUpgrades earned between July 1 and December 31 would expire in mid-January of the following year. This is no longer the case, and the eUpgrade validity period is much more straightforward.
Therefore, if you plan to choose eUpgrades as a Select Benefit, it’s in your best interest to wait as long as possible if you don’t have a premium co-branded credit card, since you’ll then have eUpgrades with the longest validity period.
Keep in mind that if you have a premium Aeroplan co-branded credit card, you’re eligible to roll over up to 50 eUpgrades for one more year. If you have any remaining eUpgrades that are due to expire at the end of the benefit year, those should reappear in your account a few weeks after they initially expire, as long as you had a premium credit card by December 15 of each year.
Choosing Other Select Benefits
Meanwhile, picking the second Select Benefit for Aeroplan 25K, 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members will very much depend on your own preferences as a traveller.
In many cases, and especially with higher statuses, choosing the bonus Aeroplan points will help to pad your Aeroplan balance with all of your paid flying.
If you’re worried about losing out on bonus Aeroplan points for flights you’ve taken before you choose your Select Benefits, don’t fret.
The bonus will be applied retroactively to all flights taken since reaching that status level, so you’ll still get rewarded for any paid flights if you choose bonus Aeroplan points as a Select Benefit later on in the year.
Alternatively, if you have a 35K or 50K status gift available as a 75K or Super Elite, it can be an excellent way to share your elite perks with someone else whom you’re close with. This is especially the case if you don’t often travel together.
Others may find value with Status Passes, which bestows elite benefits to up to eight passengers on an Air Canada flight.
In our opinion, the One Time SQM and SQS Bonus (previously Lower Requalification Level) for Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members typically doesn’t make sense, since you can easily earn the same 5,000 SQM and 5 SQS through spending on an Aeroplan co-branded credit card over the course of a year.
In almost every circumstance, you stand to benefit more from the other options; however, it’s something to consider if you find yourself just shy of an SQM or SQS threshold for the next tier of status, and can’t otherwise make up for it through flying or credit card spending.
With the above in mind, let’s take a look at some of the considerations to make at each status level, bearing in mind that your choices should be made on your individual travel goals and needs:
- As a 25K member, choose 5 eUpgrades and the 25% bonus if you tend to earn status through paid flights instead of Everyday Status Qualification. Otherwise, choose the 5 eUpgrades and the two Maple Leaf Lounge passes.
- As a 35K member, you’ll usually benefit more from 15 eUpgrades rather than 35% bonus Aeroplan points.
- As a 50K member, choose 20 eUpgrades and the 50% bonus if you tend to earn status organically by flying with Air Canada. Otherwise, choose 20 eUpgrades and two Status Passes.
- As a 75K member, choose 35 eUpgrades and the 75% bonus in most cases. Consider the 35K status gift if you know someone who could benefit from the status, perhaps to increase the number of eUpgrades available for your household. Otherwise, the three Status Passes or 12-month Wi-Fi plan could work for you, depending on how much you value the other benefits.
- As a top-tier Super Elite member, choose the 50 eUpgrade credits and the 100% bonus to pad your Aeroplan balance, which you can use in conjunction with the powerful Priority Rewards. Consider gifting Aeroplan 50K status, which comes with Star Alliance Gold status, if the extra eUpgrades could be beneficial to someone in your household or a lucky friend. Otherwise, opt for the Wi-Fi plan over the four Status Passes, since you get two anyway just for being a Super Elite.
Conclusion
Each year, if you’ve achieved Aeroplan Elite Status, you’ll get to choose your Select Benefit bundles.
Depending on the choices that you make, you can pad your Aeroplan balance for future redemptions, boost your eUpgrade balance to save on premium cabins, or share some of your elite perks with others.
It’s important to consider all of the options available to you, since once you make a selection, it can’t be amended retroactively.