Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification Begins for 2026

2026 is here, which means two things can be true at once: Air Canada’s “new era” of revenue-based earning is now kicking in, and Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification (EDQ) is still doing its quiet little thing in the background.

If you want the full rundown of what’s changing with points earning and Elite Status going forward, we’ve covered it in our dedicated news piece. For this guide, we’re staying focused on the fun part: earning Aeroplan 25K Status without even setting foot on a plane.

With the start of 2026, Everyday Status Qualification has been reset, and for us miles and points nerds, it’s time to start grinding toward 100,000 Everyday Qualifying Points again.

Since this status can be earned without flying, there’s no better time to start. And with Basic fares being much less friendly about carry-ons on many routes, Aeroplan 25K Status is still more useful than you’d expect for “entry-level” status.

Earn Aeroplan 25K Status Without Flying

Aeroplan members who earn 100,000 EDQ 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 EDQ between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026, you’ll have Aeroplan 25K Status until the end of 2027.

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 eligible 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
• Aeroplan 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.

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 honest – Aeroplan 25K Status is the entry-level tier, and it’s not going to revolutionize your travel experience.

You’ll be behind higher-tier elites who earn status through paid flights, and Air Canada will not roll out a red carpet because you earned status via grocery multipliers.

That said, 25K can absolutely be worth it, especially if you fly Air Canada even a handful of times per year.

You’ll get a bundle of practical perks like priority check-in, priority boarding, and priority standby. You’ll also get complimentary checked bags on Air Canada flights, and you’ll receive Star Alliance Silver recognition.

While many of these benefits overlap with premium Aeroplan credit cards, Everyday Status Qualification is a solid alternative for those who’d rather skip the hefty $599 annual fee.

And yes, the “quietly clutch” perk is still the same one many people care about most:

A carry-on even on Basic fares

Air Canada’s Basic fares have been aggressively stripped down, and carry-on restrictions are a big part of that. Aeroplan Elite members still get to bring a carry-on, even on Basic fare, which is great if you’d rather not play “will my backpack count as a personal item” at the gate.

It’s not glamorous, but neither is paying baggage fees out of pure spite.

The eUpgrade Reality Check for 2026

This is the part that changed meaningfully in 2026, and it’s where a lot of people will feel that 25K isn’t quite the same deal anymore.

25K now comes with fewer eUpgrades as a Core Benefit

Previously, Aeroplan 25K members received a meaningful allotment of eUpgrades each status year, with more available through Select Benefits and Threshold Rewards.

In 2026, Milestone Benefits replace Select Benefits and Threshold Rewards, and the number of eUpgrades issued as a Core Benefit now depends on your tier.

For Aeroplan 25K, the Core Benefit allotment is now only 5 eUpgrade credits.

That’s still useful, but it’s not exactly “Latitude Attitude season” right out of the gate.

Milestone Benefits are now the way to build a bigger eUpgrade balance

In 2026, Aeroplan Elite members can earn additional benefits as they accumulate SQC throughout the year.

For example, one of the big early Milestones is at 10,000 SQC, where you’ll automatically receive 10 eUpgrade credits.

One important nuance: Milestones only apply once you’re an Aeroplan Elite member. If you start the year with no status, the SQC you earn while “chasing” status doesn’t help you unlock Milestones until you’ve actually qualified. If you already have status (even 25K from last year), then your SQC progress can start unlocking Milestones earlier in the year.

SQC Threshold	Automatic/Selection	Milestone Benefit
10,000	Automatic	10 eUpgrade credits
20,000	Selection	Choose one: 1 Priority Reward, 2 Maple Leaf Lounge Passes, 10 eUpgrade credits, 5,000 Aeroplan points, 30% off Car/Hotel Redemption, 30% off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption
30,000	Automatic	10 eUpgrade credits
40,000	Selection	Choose one: 1 Priority Reward, 4 Maple Leaf Lounge Passes, 10 eUpgrade credits, 7,500 Aeroplan points, 2,500 bonus SQC, 30% off Car/Hotel Redemption, 30% off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption
50,000	Automatic	10 eUpgrade credits
60,000	Selection	Choose one: 1 Priority Reward, 2 Status Passes, 7,500 Aeroplan points, 2,500 bonus SQC, 30% off Car/Hotel Redemption, 30% off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption
70,000	Automatic & Selection	10 eUpgrade credits Choose one: 2 Status Passes, 5,000 Aeroplan points, $150 Air Canada gift card, Aeroplan 25K Status for a Friend
80,000	Selection	Choose one: 1 Priority Reward, 2 Status Passes, 7,500 Aeroplan points, 2,500 bonus SQC, 30% off Car/Hotel Redemption, 30% off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption
90,000	Automatic & Selection	10 eUpgrade credits Choose one: 2 Status Passes, 5,000 Aeroplan points, $150 Air Canada gift card, Aeroplan 35K Status for a Friend
100,000	Selection	Choose one: 1 Priority Reward, 2 Status Passes, 7,500 Aeroplan points, 2,500 bonus SQC, 30% off Car/Hotel Redemption, 30% off Gift Card/Merchandise Redemption
110,000	Automatic & Selection	10 eUpgrade credits Choose one: 2 Status Passes, 5,000 Aeroplan points, $150 Air Canada gift card

If someone earns 25K purely through EDQ (100,000 qualifying points), the path you take matters a lot for how many SQC you’ll rack up, which then affects how quickly you can earn Milestones and stack more eUpgrades.

If you earn 25K via EDQ using a premium Aeroplan credit card, you might spend roughly $80,000, and premium cards earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent. That’s 16,000 SQC along the way, which is enough to cross the 10,000 SQC Milestone and earn 10 additional eUpgrades.

If you earn 25K via EDQ using a core Aeroplan credit card, you might spend roughly $100,000, and core cards earn 1,000 SQC per $20,000 spent. That’s only 5,000 SQC, which won’t get you to the 10,000 SQC Milestone.

Bottom line: 25K earned through EDQ can be less exciting for eUpgrades than it used to be, unless you’re earning meaningful SQC along the way, and the premium card route is the easiest way to do that.

Two more eUpgrade changes worth knowing

• Shareability improves: In 2026, you can share eUpgrades with up to four travel companions on the same reservation (up from two), plus up to four additional companions on the day of travel on the same flight.
• Standard fare add-on fees increase: eUpgrade add-on fees for Economy (Standard) increase by $100 within North America and Sun destinations, and by $150 for international destinations (effective for travel on or after January 1, 2026).

Should You Still Chase EDQ in 2026?

If your main goal is snagging 25K for eUpgrades alone, EDQ is no longer the slam-dunk it once was, because your base eUpgrade allotment at 25K is smaller.

But if you fly Air Canada even occasionally, 25K still delivers real value through priority services, baggage perks, and carry-on flexibility on stripped-down fares.

And if you’re earning EDQ through a premium Aeroplan card anyway, the added SQC you accumulate can make Milestones (and extra eUpgrades) a lot more achievable, which helps close the gap.

Furthermore, all Aeroplan elites earn an extra 2 points per dollar spent on all eStore purchases. For frequent shoppers—whether for leisure or business—this bonus can be a quiet workhorse, making it easier to rack up points and get a head start on re-qualifying for 25K Status the following year. Every little bit counts when you’re grinding towards elite perks.

If the 100,000 qualifying points feels out of reach, consider taking a look at the US-issued Aeroplan® Credit Card by Chase.

It gives eligible new cardholders an instant boost to Aeroplan 25K Status for the remainder of the calendar year, plus the following calendar 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 Aeroplan® Credit Card could prove to be a much easier pathway towards Aeroplan 25K Status than through Everyday Status Qualification.

If you’ve already secured 25K Status for this year, there’s no urgent need to start racking up Everyday Qualifying Points right away. That said, the loyalty program landscape is constantly evolving, so it’s always wise to work on these goals sooner rather than later—you never know when the rules might change.

Conclusion

Aeroplan’s Everyday Status Qualification is an excellent entry point for newcomers diving into the Aeroplan program. It’s a useful way to maintain a base level of Air Canada benefits without relying on cash fares or endless mileage runs to earn status.

As the tally resets for 2026, members have another opportunity to achieve or retain Aeroplan 25K Status through 2027 by earning 100,000 Aeroplan points from eligible sources this calendar year.

With airlines increasingly finding ways to tack on miscellaneous fees—like the new basic fare carry-on restrictions—having elite status is one of the best ways to shield yourself from these added costs.

As travel demand continues to surge and airlines tighten their policies, achieving Aeroplan status through Everyday Status Qualification is more relevant than ever for those looking to maximize their travel experience.