Key Takeaway Box:
- Airmiles and Aeroplan are two popular travel rewards programs in Canada, but they have different ways of earning and redeeming points.
- Airmiles allows you to earn points at participating merchants and redeem them for cash, travel, merchandise, and more.
- Aeroplan allows you to earn points on Air Canada and partner flights, as well as on everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards and partners.
- You can boost your Airmiles and Aeroplan points by taking advantage of promotions, special offers, shopping portals, dining programs, and other strategies.
- You can also transfer points from other programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards, to Aeroplan.
If you love to travel, you probably know about Airmiles and Aeroplan, two of the most popular travel rewards programs in Canada. Both programs allow you to earn points that you can use for free or discounted flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. But did you know that you can earn Airmiles and Aeroplan points without flying? In fact, there are many innovative ways to boost your points balance through everyday activities and partner offers. In this article, we will compare Airmiles and Aeroplan, and show you how to optimize your spending and earning with both programs.
Airmiles vs Aeroplan: How they work
Before we dive into the tips and tricks, let’s review how Airmiles and Aeroplan work, and what are the main differences between them.
Airmiles
Airmiles is a general loyalty rewards program that has many retail partners throughout the country. You can earn Airmiles points by shopping at participating merchants, such as Sobeys, Shell, Staples, and LCBO. You can also earn points by using a co-branded credit card, such as the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard or the American Express AIR MILES Platinum Card.
Airmiles offers two ways to redeem your points: Cash Rewards and Dream Rewards. You can choose which one you want to earn by logging into your account and adjusting your preference. Cash Rewards allow you to redeem 95 Airmiles for a $10 instant credit towards online or in-store purchases at partner retailers, such as Metro, Rexall, and Rona. Dream Rewards allow you to use your points for travel, merchandise, and tickets to various attractions and events, all with different redemption values.
Aeroplan
Aeroplan is Air Canada’s loyalty program, and it has a focus on travel with Air Canada and its partner airlines. You can earn Aeroplan points by flying with Air Canada and its partners, which include Star Alliance carriers and some non-alliance partners, such as Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia, and Emirates. You can also earn points by using a co-branded credit card, such as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card or the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.
Aeroplan has a hybrid award chart, which means that the number of points you need to redeem for a flight depends on the distance you fly and the departure and arrival regions. You can use your points for any seat on any Air Canada flight, as well as for eligible seats on partner airlines. You can also use your points for hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, event tickets, and merchandise.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
- Unlocking Maximum Value: A Guide to Optimizing Your Spending and Earning with Aeroplan, Air Miles, and Avion
- How to Calculate Point Value: Aeroplan, Air Miles, and Avion
- How to Choose and Use the Best Travel Rewards Program in Canada: Aeroplan, Air Miles, or Avion?
How to earn more Airmiles and Aeroplan points
Now that you have a basic understanding of how Airmiles and Aeroplan work, let’s look at some of the best ways to earn more points with both programs.
Use a co-branded credit card
One of the easiest and fastest ways to earn more Airmiles and Aeroplan points is to use a co-branded credit card for your everyday purchases. These credit cards offer generous welcome bonuses, high earn rates, and other perks, such as travel insurance, lounge access, and companion vouchers.
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Earn Rate | Annual Fee |
| BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard | Up to 3,000 Airmiles | 1 Airmile per $10 spent | $120 |
| American Express AIR MILES Platinum Card | Up to 2,000 Airmiles | 1 Airmile per $5 spent at eligible grocery, gas, and transit purchases; 1 Airmile per $10 spent on everything else | $65 |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card | Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points | 1.5 points per $1 spent on eligible grocery, gas, drugstore, and aircanada.com purchases; 1 point per $1 spent on everything else | $139 |
| American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card | Up to 90,000 Aeroplan points | 3 points per $1 spent on Air Canada and aircanada.com purchases; 2 points per $1 spent on dining and food delivery purchases; 1 point per $1 spent on everything else | $599 |
Shop at participating merchants
Another simple way to earn more Airmiles and Aeroplan points is to shop at participating merchants. Both programs have a wide range of partners, from grocery stores to gas stations to online retailers. You can earn points by presenting your Airmiles or Aeroplan card at checkout, or by linking your card to your online account.
| Airmiles Partners | Aeroplan Partners |
| Sobeys | Costco |
| Shell | Esso |
| Staples | Home Hardware |
| LCBO | Indigo |
| Metro | Sephora |
| Rexall | The Brick |
| Rona | Uber Eats |
| Amazon.ca | Well.ca |
Use shopping portals
If you prefer to shop online, you can use shopping portals to earn more Airmiles and Aeroplan points. Shopping portals are websites that offer you points or cash back when you shop through their links. Airmiles and Aeroplan both have their own shopping portals, where you can find hundreds of online retailers that offer bonus points for your purchases.
| Airmiles Shopping Portal | Aeroplan eStore |
| Apple | Apple |
| Best Buy | Best Buy |
| eBay | eBay |
| Gap | Gap |
| Hudson’s Bay | Hudson’s Bay |
| Nike | Nike |
| Old Navy | Old Navy |
| Walmart | Walmart |
Join dining programs
If you love to eat out, you can join dining programs to earn more Airmiles and Aeroplan points. Dining programs are loyalty programs that reward you with points or cash back when you dine at participating restaurants. Airmiles and Aeroplan both have their own dining programs, where you can find thousands of restaurants across Canada that offer bonus points for your meals. You just need to register your credit or debit card with the program, and use it to pay for your bill.
| Airmiles Restaurants | Aeroplan Restaurants |
| Boston Pizza | Boston Pizza |
| Cactus Club Cafe | Cactus Club Cafe |
| Earls | Earls |
| Harvey’s | Harvey’s |
| Milestones | Milestones |
| Montana’s | Montana’s |
| Swiss Chalet | Swiss Chalet |
| The Keg | The Keg |
Take advantage of promotions and special offers
One of the best ways to boost your Airmiles and Aeroplan points is to take advantage of promotions and special offers from both programs and their partners. These promotions and offers can give you bonus points, discounts, or other benefits when you shop, travel, or use your credit card. You can find the latest promotions and offers on the Airmiles and Aeroplan websites, or sign up for their newsletters to get notified by email. Some examples of promotions and offers are:
- Earn up to 1,000 bonus Airmiles when you shop at 3 or more participating partners
- Earn up to 10x the points when you shop at the Aeroplan eStore
- Earn 5x the points when you book a flight with Air Canada
- Earn 250 bonus Airmiles when you spend $100 or more at Staples
- Earn 500 bonus Aeroplan points when you order from Uber Eats
Transfer points from other programs
Another way to increase your Airmiles and Aeroplan points is to transfer points from other programs. This can be useful if you have points in different programs that you don’t use, or if you want to top up your balance for a specific redemption. You can transfer points from various programs, such as hotel loyalty programs, bank rewards programs, and other travel rewards programs.
| Program | Transfer Ratio to Airmiles | Transfer Ratio to Aeroplan |
| American Express Membership Rewards | N/A | 1:1 |
| Best Western Rewards | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Choice Privileges | N/A | 5:1 |
| Hilton Honors | 10:1 | N/A |
| IHG Rewards Club | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 | 3:1 |
| Radisson Rewards | 10:1 | N/A |
| Scotia Rewards | N/A | 2:5:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 6:1 | 6:1 |
To transfer points from these programs, you need to log into your account and follow the instructions. Note that some programs may charge a fee or have a minimum or maximum amount of points that you can transfer. Also, the transfer may take a few days to complete, so plan ahead if you need the points for a specific redemption.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to earn Airmiles and Aeroplan points beyond flying. By using a co-branded credit card, shopping at participating merchants, using shopping portals, joining dining programs, taking advantage of promotions and offers, and transferring points from other programs, you can boost your points balance and get closer to your travel goals. Whether you prefer Airmiles or Aeroplan, or both, you can use these strategies to optimize your spending and earning with both programs.
If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your fellow Hustlers and subscribe to our newsletter for more tips and tricks on how to earn more travel rewards. You can also check out our website, HustleHub, for more resources and tools to help you achieve your travel dreams. Thank you for reading, and happy travels!
Source: (1) Aeroplan vs. Air Miles: Differences and Alternatives – NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/ca/credit-cards/aeroplan-vs-air-miles. (2) AIR MILES vs. Aeroplan: Which should you choose? – Young & Thrifty. https://money.ca/credit-cards/reviews/aeroplan-vs-airmiles-comparison. (3) Comparing Air Miles Vs. Aeroplan: Which Is Better? – moneyGenius. https://moneygenius.ca/blog/air-miles-vs-aeroplan-rewards. (4) Air Miles vs Aeroplan: Choosing the Right Loyalty Program. https://piggybank.ca/credit-cards/air-miles-vs-aeroplan. (5) How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/how-to-maximize-aeroplan-miles/.