Aeroplan points are most valuable when redeemed for Air Canada flights (up to 2 cents per point), and least valuable when redeemed for merchandise via the Aeroplan eStore (up to 0.74 cents per point).
Aeroplan Rewards is among the top reward programs in Canada, mainly due to its wide range of redemption options. Points can be used to save money on flights, car rentals, vacations, and more, with varying value depending on the category.
Below, you'll find comprehensive research on the many redemption possibilities and what the points are worth for each option.
Key Takeaways
- Aeroplan points have the most value when redeemed for Air Canada flights.
- You can earn up to 2 cents per point when redeeming points for flights.
- Earn up to 0.9 cents per point when redeeming for car rentals from a list of partner agencies.
- If you redeem points for vacation packages with Air Canada vacations, you'll get up to 0.83 cents per point in value.
- Using the Aeroplan eStore to get merchandise and gift cards means getting between 0.63 and 0.74 cents per point in value.
Redemption value overview
| Redemption option | Average point value (cents per point) |
|---|---|
| Flights | 2 CPP |
| Car rentals | 0.9 CPP |
| Vacation packages | 0.83 CPP |
| Merchandise and gift cards | 0.63 – 0.74 CPP |
Redeem for flights
The average Aeroplan points value for Canadian flights is 2 CPP.
But for the best point value, book an Economy flight to a less busy airport two to three months in advance, ideally during your destination’s off-season.
In general, though, point values for flights vary quite a bit. Your travel dates, destination, and fare option/class contribute to the cost.
Air Canada separates its routes into four travel zones: North America, South America, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.
Here's a look at flight redemption values for these zones:
| Flight zones | Miles flown | Points cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific | 0 - 7,001+ | * 7,500 - 50,000 (Economy) * 15,000 - 80,000 (Premium Economy) * 25,000 – 130,000 (Business) | * About 2.6 CPP * Up to 0.19 MPP |
| Atlantic | 0 - 6,001+ | * 7,500 – 50,000 (Economy) * 15,000 – 80,000 (Premium Economy) * 25,000 – 130,000 (Business) | * About 2.1 CPP * Up to 0.17 MPP |
| South America | 0 - 1,601+ | * 10,000 – 20,000 (Economy) * 20,000 – 35,000 (Premium Economy) * 30,000 – 50,000 (Business) | * About 1.8 CPP * Up to 0.16 MPP |
| North America | 0 - 2,751+ | * 6,000 – 25,000 (Economy) * 10,000 – 45,000 (Premium Economy) * 15,000 – 70,000 (Business) | * About 1.6 CPP * Up to 0.15 MPP |
| Between North America and Pacific | 0 - 1,001+ | * 35,000 – 110,000 (Economy) * 45,000 – 180,000 (Premium Economy) * 55,000 – 250,000 (Business) * 90,000 – 350,000 (First) | * About 1.3 CPP * Up to 0.12 MPP |
| Between North America and Atlantic | 0 - 8,001+ | * 35,000 – 100,000 (Economy) * 50,000 – 160,000 (Premium Economy) * 60,000 – 220,000 (Business) * 90,000 – 250,000 (First) | * About 1.2 CPP * Up to 0.1 MPP |
| Between North America and South America | 0 - 4,501+ | * 20,000 – 70,000 (Economy) * 35,000 – 150,000 (Premium Economy) * 40,000 – 200,000 (Business) * 60,000 – 250,000 (First) | * About 0.7 CPP * Up to 0.07 MPP |
| Between Pacific and South America | 0 - 11,001+ | * 60,000 – 80,000 (Economy) * 90,000 – 140,000 (Business) * 130,000 – 200,000 (First) | * About 2.6 CPP * Up to 0.18 MPP |
| Between Atlantic and South America | 0 - 7,001+ | * 45,000 – 60,000 (Economy) * 80,000 – 100,000 (Premium Economy) * 100,000 – 130,000 (Business) | * About 2 CPP * Up to 0.15 MPP |
| Between Atlantic and Pacific | 0 - 7,001+ | * 25,500 – 70,000 (Economy) * 30,000 – 110,000 (Premium Economy) * 40,000 – 200,000 (Business) * 50,000 – 250,000 (First) | * About 1 CPP * Up to 0.1 MPP |
| Anywhere (via Emirates/Fly Dubai airlines) | 0 - 12,001+ | * 15,000 – 150,000 (Economy) * 30,000 – 300,000 (Business) * 65,000 – 750,000 (First) | * About 0.85 CPP * Up to 0.1 MPP |
Given the nature of dynamic pricing, though, it's important that you do your own research and calculations before redeeming any Aeroplan points for flights.
Using Air Canada's Points Finder to determine how far your points can take you. Or, you can try the Points Predictor page to estimate the points required to fly between two airports.
Redeem for car rentals
The average Aeroplan points value for car rentals is 0.9 CPP.
Car rental prices are also dynamic, and there are a few factors that affect your points value:
- Type of vehicle
- Pick-up location
- Booking time
As an example, renting a premium SUV in mid-July for your week-long trip to Toronto, ON, will cost significantly more than the same amount of time with an economy rental in Spokane, WA, in mid-April.
There are several car rental agencies that partner with Aeroplan, including Avis, Budget, and Hertz. You can choose from 11,000 rental locations across the globe.
Aeroplan Elite Status members are automatically eligible for Avis' membership programs, Avis Preferred Plus and/or the President's Club. These programs offer some rather impressive perks, which can certainly make your choice to redeem points for a rental car that much sweeter:
- Expedited service
- Free car class upgrade
- Exclusive email offers
- Dedicated phone support line
- Guaranteed availability (with minimum 24-hour advance reservation)
Redeem for hotel stays
The average Aeroplan points value for merchandise is 0.82 CPP.
Thanks to a partnership with HotelSavers, Aeroplan members get access to discounted rates at more than 40 hotel and resort chains. You don't have to work about extra taxes or fees either – the full purchase price is included within your points redemption.
As an added bonus, Aeroplan credit card holders are eligible for a fourth night free when booking hotel stays.
Unsurprisingly, there are several factors that affect the value of your points when booking hotel stays:
- Hotel/resort location
- Hotel status/rating
- Number of guests included
- Room availability
- Dates/season of booking
This means that booking a room at the Shangri-La Paris in August will require more points than the Alt Hotel in Halifax in the middle of January.
The following table shows how HotelSavers categorizes its hotels by the number of points required to book:
| Points per night | Category |
|---|---|
| 10,000 - 15,000 | 1 |
| 15,000 - 22,500 | 2 |
| 20,000 - 30,000 | 3 |
| 25,000 - 40,000 | 4 |
| 35,000 - 50,000 | 5 |
| 45,000 - 70,000 | 6 |
| 55,000 - 80,000 | 7 |
| 75,000 - 105,000 | 8 |
Redeem for vacation packages
The average Aeroplan points value for merchandise is 0.83 CPP.
Your choices for vacation packages are offered through Air Canada Vacations or Disney Vacations and include the following:
- All-inclusive resorts
- Disney vacations
- Tour packages
- Flight and hotel packages
- Cruises
Booking with Air Canada vacations also includes a variety of perks, like these:
- One free carry-on item
- One free checked bag
- Full refund or free changes for flight cancellations/delays
- Guaranteed return flights for cruises arriving late
- Free cruise rebooking after delayed flights
Of course, if you prefer to plan your own vacation itinerary, you can still use your points to book flights, hotels, and more.
Redeem for merchandise and gift cards
The average Aeroplan points value for merchandise is between 0.63–0.74 CPP.
You can use the Aeroplan eStore to redeem your points on a huge variety of gift cards and merchandise. You can choose to pay for the entire purchase with your Aeroplan points or split the cost between points and cash.
Along with the "What's New" and relevant holiday categories, the eStore has 16 categories of products and services available:
Here are a few examples of the points required for various items and gift cards:
| Item | Points | Points + $ (before tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Kors Kensington Pebbled Leather Tote | 42,500 | 21,250 + $199.50 |
| Bose SoundLink Flex Portable Speaker (2nd Gen) | 26,000 | 13,000 + $94.50 |
| Peg Perego Prima Pappa Zero-3 High Chair | 48,300 | 48,300 + $175 |
| Bissell Featherweight Bagless Lightweight Vacuum | 8,200 | 4,100 + $30 |
| Carson Optical Stara Telescope | 18,200 | 9,100 + $75 |
| Starbucks $50 gift card | 6,400 | 3,200 + $25 |
| Robolox $100 gift card | 14,000 | 7,000 + $50 |
| TJX (Winners, Homesense & Marshalls) $250 eGift Card | 35,000 | 17,500 + $125 |
| Cineplex $25 e-gift card | 3,500 | 1,750 + $12.50 |
| Chevron $50 gift card | 6,400 | 3,200 + $25 |
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$25 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.How to calculate your Aeroplan points
To calculate CPP, divide the reward's cash value by the number of Aeroplan points needed to redeem it. Then, multiply that result by 100 to get cents per point instead of dollars per point.
On paper, it looks like this:
Cost of reward in dollars/cost of reward in Aeroplan points x 100 = CPP value
FAQ
What is an Aeroplan point worth when redeemed for flights?
There are a lot of factors to consider, but the average point value when redeemed for flights is 2 CPP. For the best value, book an Economy flight to a quiet airport a few months ahead, preferably during the off-season.
What else can I redeem Aeroplan points for?
The most valuable and popular choice is to redeem Aeroplan points for flights with Air Canada or partner airlines. The other redemptions include redeeming for car rentals, hotel stays, vacation packages, merchandise, and gift cards.
What's the best way to earn Aeroplan points?
The best way to earn points is by purchasing flights – you'll earn up to 1.5x the number of miles flown. Aeroplan Elite Status members' points are doubled, and all flights count for a minimum of 25 miles.
Exactly what is the Aeroplan eStore?
This is where members can shop to earn points or redeem points for merchandise/gift cards. With 16 merchandise categories, 14 gift card categories (including prepaid credit cards), and a dedicated Apple Reward Store, there's plenty to choose from.
How much is 1,000 Aeroplan points worth?
1,000 Aeroplan points are worth $20 towards flights, $8.30 towards vacation packages, $8.30 towards merchandise, $7.30 towards hotels, $7.10 towards gift cards, and $6.40 towards car rentals.
How do you convert Aeroplan points to cash?
While you can't directly convert Aeroplan points to cash, you can use them to purchase flights, merchandise, and more as if they were cash. You can also convert them to another rewards program that may offer cash redemption.
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Comments
Hello!
Unfortunately, using Aeroplan points for flights to Europe gives you pretty terrible redemption value. One of the only ways to get cheap flights is to find a partner that doesn't have fuel surcharges – but those are hard to find too. Maybe keep an eye out for United and Swiss flights.
You're better off redeeming your points for an Air Canada gift card and using that towards your flight purchase.
You have to jump through a few hoops to up the value for sure. Market fare is terrible value, but occasionally they have amazing deals where market fare is actually less than or close to a classic flight. They're rare, but I've seen them. This would be more common for people with Aeroplan Distinction status because they get market fare discounts.
Sure, take a look at my new credit card comparison website, creditcardGenius. You should be able to find something you need there.
https://creditcardgenius.ca
If you want something that offers more flexible rewards card leave the middle Cash Back <--> Travel Rewards slider untouched in the middle.
The CIBC Aventura, RBC Avion, or the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card are all good choices for flexible travel rewards cards.
Aeroplan has always had its issues for sure. I talk about them plenty. My stance has always been, all things considered, they provide some of the best travel rewards value you can get as a Canadian.
Availability, Aeroplan's biggest issue, seemed to be getting much better over the past 2-3 years. Every time I went to book long haul flights within North America there was always at least some half-decent availability.
Now that there is a rush to redeem before 2020 that will likely no longer be the case.
I couldn't agree more Linda, but I am concerned about the upcoming 2020 changes. I hope they work hard to keep me as a loyal user.
I assure you there is more than one in my posts. I do review them several times but something usually slips through. I will correct it :)
Last minute availability was a thing if you were a little bit flexible until recently.
The 2020 change announcement has more people redeeming and we're also in the middle of summer when everyone is travelling for vacation. I expect it will get better in the fall and winter.
You're missing nothing on the fact that Aeroplan transfers are completely bogus and you should never ever do one.
That said, Aeorplan miles are extremely flexible on who you can redeem them for. There are absolutely on restrictions. Don't transfer them, just have the person with the miles book the flight for whatever person needs it. The only downside is if you are trying to pool miles from multiple accounts to make one large redemption.
I'd probably buy a big gift card to a store I shop at regularly on an Aeroplan credit card to push me over instead of buying the miles outright.
However, if you're only a few miles short then it can be worth it.
First I've heard of a good deal on hotels with Aeroplan! I might have to look into it a bit more. I always thought the value was terrible. It's pretty hard to beat Priceline Name Your Own Price though.
Saving miles for an emergency flight is never a good idea because you may end up with no availability. Save yourself the time and hassle of finding that awesome deal on one of your trips and just use your miles for it instead.