Aeroplan points value
Based on our valuations, Aeroplan points are worth about 2 cents each when redeemed for award flights with Air Canada and their partners.
Here's our full valuations of Aeroplan points:
| Redemption Option | Average value in cents |
|---|---|
| Flights with Air Canada and partners | 2 |
| Using points to book hotels | 0.8 - 1.1 |
| Redeeming points for gift cards | 0.71 |
| Using points for car rentals | 0.6 - 0.7 |
| Redeeming points towards Aeroplan eStore purchases | 0.41 - 0.65 |
How to calculate the value of Aeroplan points
The value of Aeroplan points will vary depending on how they are redeemed. You can calculate Aeroplan points value by dividing the cash cost of a redemption by the amount of points required.
Aeroplan Points Value = Cost of Airfare ÷ Points Required To Book.
For example, using 50,000 Aeroplan points to book a flight that costs $900 would give your points a value of 1.8 cents per point ($900 ÷ 50,000 = $0.018).
You can use our Aeroplan Points or Pay Cash Calculator to easily calculate the value of your points based on the award cost and cash cost (plus any taxes).
Redeeming Aeroplan points for the best value
Aeroplan points will have the best value when redeemed for flights with Aeroplan and their partners. All other redemptions will give your points significantly lower value.
Flight redemptions
You'll get the best value out of your Aeroplan Points when you redeem them for award flights with Air Canada and their partners. This will give you about 2 cents per point on average meaning that 10,000 points is roughly equal to $200 in value.
Aeroplan doesn't have a "set" flight rewards chart, but they do have a chart that shows the estimated range of points it will cost you to fly based on distance for Air Canada and partner flights.
Aeroplan also has a point predictor tool which will give you an idea of how many points you'll need for an award flights between two points (one-way). You can double the points to calculate the estimated round-trip cost.
Even with both of these tools, there are times in which the cost of a flight may fall outside of the estimated range. This is because the price that you pay in Aeroplan Points is related to the cash price of the ticket.
So if it's peak season and tickets are expensive, there's a high chance that the award flight will go outside of the designated range listed on Aeroplan's own charts.
So in the end, you still will not know how much your points are worth until you start looking at bookings and comparing the cash price versus the price in Aeroplan Points.
When it comes to getting great value out of your Aeroplan Points, short-haul flights within North America as well as flights between Canadian cities are the easiest options for high value.
For example, I found one-way flights from Toronto to New York starting at 5,500 points plus CA$69 with the cash cost starting at $199. That's a value of 2.36 cents per point.
Another example is from Vancouver to Portland in which I found award flights for as low as 5,700 points plus $CA61. The cash cost for these flights start at $220 which is a value of 2.78 cents per point.
Flights between Canadian cities can also give your points high value. Most test flights that I found averaged around 1.9 to 2 cents each with one outlier.
The highest value flight I found was Vancouver to Quebec City which offered a value of 2.5 cents per point. The lowest I found on average was Calgary to Winnipeg which offered 1.6 cents per point.
In the 12 test flights I did, the only outlier was a flight between Edmonton and Toronto in which most of the available flights offered around 1 cent in value per point.
Hotel stays
Aeroplan points can be used to book hotel stays through the Air Canada portal. You'll obtain a value of about 0.8 to 1.1 cents per point when booking standard hotels, but you'll be able to squeeze slightly higher value booking hotels that falls under the Aeroplan HotelSavers program.
Aeroplan HotelSavers
The Aeroplan HotelSavers program allows you to save up to 30% in points when you book stays at select partner hotels. This includes most IHG brands, Shangri-La, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Lowes Hotels, and many more.
The HotelSavers program follows a simple redemption chart:
Here's some examples of hotels in downtown Atlanta that falls under the HotelSavers program:
When compared to the price for booking direct, the prices shown using the Compare at feature was almost dead on after taxes and fees were added.
After running the calculations, hotels in the HotelSavers program frequently offered point values of 0.9 to 1.1 cents while those not under the HotelSavers program ranged from as low as 0.7 cents per point to as high as 1.1 cents per point. So while the HotelSavers has a higher average value, you can still get about the same value with some hotels that do not participate in the program.
Car rentals
Aeroplan Points can be used to book car rentals through the Aeroplan loyalty portal. This will give you points around 0.6 to 0.7 cents per point in value.
When searching for car rentals, you'll have the option to rent cars using all Aeroplan Points or you can pay cash and earn points on the booking itself.
Similar to booking hotels, the cost to book cars through Aeroplan is significantly higher than booking direct. For example, the cash cost of booking a Compact Car over a 2-day weekend through Aeroplan costs $234 with Budget and $243 with Avis.
You can book the same days and same vehicle type directly through Avis for $169.20 and through Budget for $160.20. That's a very, very noticeable price difference.
When testing other vehicle types and destinations, the results were similar.
Gift cards
Aeroplan Points can be redeemed for gift cards starting at 3,500 points for a $25 gift card which gives your points a value of 0.71 cents each. This will apply to most standard gift cards.
| Gift Card Denomination | Cost in Aeroplan points |
|---|---|
| $25 | 3,500 |
| $50 | 7,000 |
| $100 | 14,000 |
| $200 | 28,000 |
| $250 | 35,000 |
| $500 | 70,000 |
| $1,000 | 140,000 |
When browsing the gift card selection, some cards will be labeled with "Great Value" which means that it is listed at a discount price meaning you'll get slightly more value than normal out of the redemption.
Along with gift cards, you'll also find subscriptions, event related, and other special redemptions. This includes things like 3 months of Uber Pass, Park'N Fly Airport Passes, Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Passes, and more.
Merchandise
Aeroplan Points can be redeemed in the Aeroplan eStore for a large range of merchandise. This includes electronics, kitchen, home & garden, fashion, and many other categories.
The value you get out of the Aeroplan eStore will depend on the average retail value of the item you're buying versus the cost in points. I found items that gave values as low as 0.41 and as high as 0.65.
Calculator: Convert Aeroplan points to dollars
Use the Aeroplan Points Value Calculator to determine the dollar value of your points when redeemed for flights, car rentals, gift cards, and more. This will give you an idea of how much your points are worth on average.
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Award flights | $0 |
| Booking hotels | $0 - $0 |
| Gift cards | $0 |
| Car rentals | $0 - $0 |
| Merchandise via Aeroplan eStore | $0 - $0 |
Calculator: Use Aeroplan points or pay cash?
Use our Aeroplan Points or Cash calculator to calculate the dollar value of a redemption based on the cost in cash and the cost in Aeroplan Points.
This tool is useful when trying to decide whether to use cash or Aeroplan Points to book a flight.
Finding the best cards for earning Aeroplan points
The best travel cards for earning Aeroplan points will be a Membership Rewards credit card or a co-branded Aeroplan credit card.
American Express Membership Rewards credit cards
Aeroplan is a direct 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards meaning that you can convert 1,000 AMEX Points into 1,000 Aeroplan Points. This opens up a handful of additional top-notch credit cards that you can use to rapidly build up your balance of Aeroplan points.
Here are the travel credit cards American Express offers in Canada:
| Credit Card | Card Benefits |
|---|---|
Best For Luxury Travel & Lounge Access
|
|
|
|
Best Overall Travel Rewards Card
|
|
Best For No Annual Fee
|
|
Best For Luxury Business Travel & Lounge Access
|
|
|
|
Best For Business Purchases
|
|
Aeroplan credit cards
The best way to quickly build up Aeroplan points is through intro bonuses and everyday spending across Aeroplan credit cards. Aeroplan offers a large amount of credit cards through American Express, CIBC, and TD Bank.
If you're looking for additional benefits when flying Air Canada along with the ability to earn a solid amount of points on your spend, I recommend picking up an Aeroplan credit card.
These are the credit cards you can use to earn Aeroplan points:
| Credit Card | Benefits |
|---|---|
American Express® Aeroplan® Reserve Card
Best For Aeroplan Benefits
|
|
American Express® Aeroplan® Card
|
|
American Express® Aeroplan® Business Reserve Card
|
|
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege Card
|
|
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card
Best For Aeroplan Travelers
|
|
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Card
Best For No Annual Fee
|
|
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege Card
|
|
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card
|
|
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum Credit Card
|
|
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card
Best For Business Travelers
|
|
FAQ
How much are Aeroplan Points worth?
The Point Calculator values Aeroplan Points at 2 cents each meaning that 10,000 points is roughly equal to $200 in cash value.
What can you use Aeroplan Points for?
Aeroplan Points can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, car rentals, gift cards, and merchandise.
