Aeroplan member, offers a world of travel possibilities through Air Canada and its partners, but finding the most valuable redemptions and sweet spots can be challenging. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll show you how AwardFares simplifies this process, and share expert tips on how to search for and book award flights that offer the best value for your hard-earned miles.
In This Post
- What is Aeroplan?
- How To Find Aeroplan Award Flights (Step-by-step)
- Aeroplan Award Chart Sweet Spots
- AwardFares: A Secret Weapon for Aeroplan
- Bonus: Find Emirates Awards
- Aeroplan Award Chart (2024)
- Become an Aeroplan Expert
- Read More
What is Aeroplan?
Aeroplan is Air Canada’s frequent flyer program (Canada’s largest airline). Members can earn miles through various activities, such as flying with Air Canada or its Star Alliance partners, using Aeroplan-affiliated credit cards, booking hotels and car rentals, shopping at participating retailers, and more. Miles can be redeemed for a wide range of rewards, including flights, hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages, merchandise, and gift cards.
If you are curious like us, Aeroplan was originally launched in 1984 as a division of Air Canada and later became a separate company. In 2020, Air Canada reacquired Aeroplan and integrated it back into the airline’s operations.
How Much Are Aeroplan Miles Worth?
As with any other frequent flyer program, the value of Aeroplan miles varies greatly depending on how they are redeemed. As a general rule of thumb, Aeroplan miles are worth between 1.2 and 2.5 USD cents per mile when redeemed for flights, but this value is not fixed and can fluctuate based on various factors such as the route, cabin class, demand, and redemption type.
When redeeming miles for Business or First Class flights, you may get a higher value per mile compared to economy-class redemptions.
How To Find Aeroplan Award Flights (Step-by-step)
1. Visit AwardFares
While creating an account is optional, it’s completely free and gives you access to additional features. Consider signing up here.
2. Select the Frequent Flyer Program
In the Frequent Flyer Program picker, choose Aeroplan.
3. Add a Route
Enter your departure and arrival airports in the From and To fields. In the example below, we search for flights from Toronto to Paris.
4. Explore Travel Dates
If you have specific travel dates, add them by clicking the Calendar field.
AwardFares will then display available flights for that date in a list below.
Alternatively, use the Timeline View to check availability across multiple dates if your travel dates are flexible. Different colors represent different classes of service.
5. Sort by Price
One of the best features of AwardFares is the ability to quickly sort and filter search results. This makes it easy to find the cheapest or most convenient options for your reward flights.
Click on the column headers in the results list to sort by price. You can also use the Eco, Prem, Biz, and First class tags to discover affordable awards across multiple dates, routes, and airlines.
You can further refine your search by setting a maximum number of miles using the Max Price filter.
6. Apply Additional Filters (Optional)
You can also filter your results by cabin class (e.g., Business Class, First Class), number of stops (e.g., nonstop), number of passengers, aircraft type, or even flight number.
7. Book on Air Canada’s Website
Once you’ve selected your preferred flight, click the Book button.
AwardFares will redirect you to Air Canada’s website, where your search details will be pre-filled, allowing you to complete your booking without having to re-enter information.
Aeroplan Award Chart Sweet Spots
In 2021, Aeroplan has moved to a dynamic pricing model for its reward flights, which means that there isn’t a fixed award chart with set redemption rates. This makes it more difficult to find good redemptions. However, there are still some sweet spots where you can get great value from your Aeroplan miles.
Here are ten examples of such routes:
1. North America to Europe in Business Class
Look for flights with low taxes and fees, such as those operated by Swiss or Turkish Airlines. This can offer exceptional value for your miles, especially on longer routes.
2. North America to Deep South America
Redeeming miles for flights to countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Chile can provide good value, especially when flying in Business Class.
3. Intra-Asia flights
Redeeming miles for flights within Asia, particularly on carriers like EVA Air or ANA, can offer a great value for shorter routes in Business or First class.
4. North America to Australia or New Zealand
Finding availability can be challenging, but redeeming miles for Business or First-class flights to Australia or New Zealand can yield excellent value! Pro tip: Be specific in your searches and you might have a better chance of detecting awards. Remeber you can also set up alerts!
5. North America to the Middle East or North Africa
Routes to destinations like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Morocco can offer good value. There are multiple Star Alliance partners that oprate these routes, so availability is often decent.
6. Domestic short-haul flights within Canada
Aeroplan can provide good value on shorter domestic routes within Canada, especially when cash fares are high.
7. Short-haul flights within Europe
We typically don’t recommend redeeming miles on short-haul flights, but during some weeks or seasons the cash fares can be incredibly high, and miles can helpy you save a ton of money. For short-haul flights on Star Alliance partners within Europe.
8. Flights within North America
The award chart for flights within North America is quite decent, and availability has been historically good if you need to get that last-minute seat!
Aeroplan Chart Within North America [Air Canada (Partners)]
Distance | Economy | Premium Eco | Business |
0 - 500 | 6k-10k (6k) | 10k-20k (NA) | 15k-25k (15k) |
501 - 1500 | 10k-15k (10k) | 15k-25k (NA) | 20k-35k (20k) |
1501 - 2750 | 12.5k-17.5k (12.5k) | 20k-25k (NA) | 25k-60k (25k) |
2751+ | 17.5k-25k (22.5k) | 30k-45k (NA) | 35k-70k (35k) |
9. North America to Asia
Redeeming Aeroplan miles for flights to Asia on carriers like ANA or EVA Air can offer exceptional value in both Business and First Class. Try filtering out by cabin type when searching on AwardFares.
When Does Aeroplan Release Award Seats?
Air Canada Aeroplan releases award seats a year in advance (365 days). Read more about when different programs open award space in our ultimate guide here.
AwardFares: A Secret Weapon for Aeroplan
Easily Identify Available Aeroplan Awards
AwardFares can help Aeroplan members quickly find available award flights by scanning partner airlines’ inventory, saving time and effort, instead of searching on Aeroplan’s website individually.
Alerts
Aeroplan users will find it very simple to set up alerts on AwardFares, for specific destinations, travel dates, and cabin classes. This way, members receive notifications when reward seats become available, increasing their chances of securing the perfect flight.
Advanced Search Options
Filtering down results with AwardFares is just a matter of clicks. Search for non-stop flights, preferred airlines, and specific layover cities. It’s easy to tailor searches for award flights according to preferences and travel needs.
With the recently introduced features, users can now search across all airports in a metropolitan area such as Toronto by just typing YTO.
Route Suggestions
AwardFares can suggest alternative routes or layover cities, helping you find more availability or better redemption rates. This feature is particularly helpful when searching for complex itineraries or during high-demand travel periods.
Timeline View
AwardFares provides an award calendar feature that displays availability for a range of dates, making it easier for Aeroplan members to plan their trips and identify periods with better award flight options.
Bonus: Find Emirates Awards
Emirates recently became a partner airline of Aeroplan (December 2022), and even though redemption rates can be all over the place, there are also some sweet spots in their award chart, such as Chicago to Dubai in Business or First Class, and other routes to Asia.
With AwardFares, it’s easy to identify available award flights on Emirates. Simply filter by program Aeroplan, airline Emirates, and then Cabin (e.g., Business and First). You will see all the available seats in a matter of seconds.
Aeroplan Awards on Emirates (one-way)
Distance (miles) | Economy | Business | First |
0 - 2000 | 15k - 35k | 30k - 77,5k | 65k - 175k |
2001 - 5000 | 21k - 65k | 45k - 140k | 110k - 325k |
5001 - 9000 | 40k - 85k | 80k - 185k | 225k - 475k |
9001 - 12000 | 60k - 110k | 120k - 225k | 300k - 600k |
12001 | 85k - 150k | 180k - 300k | 400k - 750k |
Aeroplan Award Chart (2024)
Check the complete and updated Aeroplan award chart on Air Canada’s website.
Become an Aeroplan Expert
You can try AwardFares for free. We are rolling out new features and improvements regularly, so sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay on top of the latest news, announcements, and pro tips.
With our Gold and Diamond tiers, you can access premium features such as unlimited daily searches, alerts, seat maps, flight schedules, and more!
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