Aeroplan Launches a 90-Day Status Challenge for World of Hyatt Elites

When Aeroplan and World of Hyatt joined forces in July, one piece of the partnership was still under wraps. It's live now, and World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can register for an Aeroplan Elite Status Challenge that earns Aeroplan status on roughly a third of the usual Status Qualifying Credits (SQC).

The challenge lasts 90 days from your registration date, and you can take one each calendar year. Explorists can earn Aeroplan 25K, while Globalists can go as high as Aeroplan 75K.

Honestly, the thresholds are more generous than I expected. Let me walk through what you'll need, what counts, and why the timing of your registration matters more than usual.

Roughly a Third of the Usual SQC

Your World of Hyatt tier at registration decides which Aeroplan tiers are open to you. Explorists have one target, while Globalists can aim for any of four.

World of Hyatt tier	SQC needed in 90 days	Aeroplan status earned	SQC normally required
Explorist	8,000	Aeroplan 25K	25,000
Globalist	8,000	Aeroplan 25K	25,000
Globalist	12,000	Aeroplan 35K	35,000
Globalist	17,000	Aeroplan 50K	50,000
Globalist	25,000	Aeroplan 75K	75,000

Every tier works out to about a third of the regular requirement. On Air Canada flights, Economy Standard fares earn 2 SQC per dollar spent on the base fare and carrier surcharges, while Flex, Comfort, Latitude, Premium Economy, and Business Class earn 4 SQC per dollar.

In dollars, this is roughly what each tier takes in base fares and carrier surcharges within the 90 days, compared with what the same status normally takes over a full year of flying.

Aeroplan status	SQC needed	Economy Standard (2 SQC per $1)	Flex or higher (4 SQC per $1)	Normally, full year (4 SQC per $1)
Aeroplan 25K	8,000	$4,000	$2,000	$6,250
Aeroplan 35K	12,000	$6,000	$3,000	$8,750
Aeroplan 50K	17,000	$8,500	$4,250	$12,500
Aeroplan 75K	25,000	$12,500	$6,250	$18,750

"Flex or higher" covers Flex, Comfort, Latitude, Premium Economy, and Business Class fares. You can mix fares to get there. For example, $2,000 in Economy Standard (4,000 SQC) plus $1,000 in Flex (4,000 SQC) reaches the 8,000 SQC for Aeroplan 25K.

Keep in mind that these figures exclude taxes and fees, so the total you pay will be higher. Explorists can only aim for 25K, while Globalists can go for any of the four tiers.

What Counts Toward the Challenge

Only SQC from eligible flights and Air Canada Vacations packages count, and your flights must depart within the 90-day window.

• Air Canada flights: flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express, or Air Canada Rouge in Economy Standard fares or higher
• Star Alliance and partner flights: flights on Star Alliance and select partner airlines ticketed by Air Canada (ticket numbers starting with 014) in Economy Standard fares or higher
• Air Canada Vacations: SQC on the full value of a package per member

Economy Basic fares and Aeroplan flight rewards, including Points + Cash bookings, don't earn SQC for the challenge. Neither do SQC from credit card spending, other non-flight activity, or flight promotions, so you can't lean on your Aeroplan card or a double SQC offer to get there.

There's some breathing room on crediting, though. Air Canada allows a 120-day crediting period after the challenge ends, so a flight taken near the end of your 90 days still counts once its SQC posts.

How to Register

Your Aeroplan and World of Hyatt accounts must be linked first. Once they are, you register by logging into your World of Hyatt account and clicking the Register button on the challenge offer page. Air Canada's Aeroplan Elite Status Challenge page has the full terms.

Registration can take up to 48 hours to process, and Air Canada sends a confirmation email once you're enrolled. Your Hyatt status at the time you register determines your eligibility, so a member without Explorist or Globalist status can't sign up.

You also can't register if you already hold Aeroplan status at or above your target tier, valid through the following year, that you earned outside the challenge. If you reach equal or higher status some other way during the 90 days, you'll be removed from the challenge and can't re-enter that year.

Why Your Registration Date Matters

Status earned through the challenge is valid until January 31 of the second calendar year after the year you register. Air Canada's own example is a registration on September 1, 2026, with status valid until January 31, 2028.

That makes a late-year registration especially valuable. Register in the final months of 2026, complete the challenge over the winter, and you'd hold status for well over a year after your last qualifying flight.

Since the limit is one challenge per calendar year, a 2026 attempt also doesn't use up your 2027 one. A registration in mid-October gives you a window that runs through mid-January, which covers holiday travel and a winter sun trip.

The Challenge Now Runs Both Ways

This completes the status loop between the two programs. Aeroplan Elite members and holders of premium Aeroplan cards can already take a 90-day World of Hyatt challenge, earning Discoverist after 4 nights, Explorist after 10 nights, or Globalist after 20 nights.

I took the Hyatt challenge myself this summer and completed it with Globalist status, which also makes me eligible for the new Aeroplan challenge.

Premium cardholders get two attempts at the Hyatt challenge each year. The eligible cards are the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card, the CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, and the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card.

That means the two challenges can feed each other. A premium Aeroplan cardholder who reaches Explorist through 10 Hyatt nights, or Globalist through 20, would then hold the Hyatt status needed to register for the Aeroplan challenge.

Is This Worth Chasing?

For Globalists who already fly Air Canada regularly, absolutely. The 17,000 SQC needed for Aeroplan 50K is the target I'd focus on, since 50K brings Star Alliance Gold and lounge access, which 25K and 35K don't.

Explorists only have the 25K option, which brings priority services, five eUpgrade credits, and a free first checked bag on eligible flights, but no lounge access. It's still a solid result for $2,000 in Flex fares, especially if you'd be flying anyway.

Where it falls short is for anyone who mostly books Economy Basic or redeems points for flights. Neither earns SQC here, so the challenge only rewards cash travel on Air Canada.

Conclusion

If I were a Globalist with a few Air Canada trips coming up this winter, I'd link my accounts now and register as close to my first flight as I could. A late-2026 registration stretches the status to January 31, 2028, and 17,000 SQC for Star Alliance Gold is a strong return on travel you'd book anyway.

With both challenges now live, Air Canada and Hyatt have built one of the more generous status loops of any airline and hotel partnership. I'd expect the thresholds to get more attention once members start completing it, so I wouldn't wait years to try.