Such as they are, Canadians don't brag about much. But more Canadians should be bragging about Air Canada's Aeroplan frequent flyer program – and Americans should be paying attention.
Air Canada Aeroplan is the best airline mileage program for using points and miles to book flights on Star Alliance airlines (i.e. United, Lufthansa, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Singapore, and more) and also other top airlines like Emirates and Etihad. And, you don't have to fly from Canada or even fly Air Canada to make the program work for you. For U.S. travelers, it's one of the best-kept secrets in award travel.
Not only can you find low award rates, but Air Canada points are also incredibly easy to earn because it's a transfer partner with most major banks. So if you've been earning credit card points with American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt Rewards, you can turn them into Aeroplan points to book these flights.
Better yet, banks frequently offer transfer bonuses to Air Canada, allowing you to book for even fewer points. Right now, Chase and Aeroplan have a 20% points transfer bonus, meaning you automatically get extra miles when transferring your Chase points into your Aeroplan account. Typically, you only get a 1:1 transfer between the two partners, so these extra savings can be enormous if you're looking to book a Star Alliance flight right now.
Aeroplan points are easier to earn than ever right now. Now, if only there were some good ways to use them…
The Best Way to Use Aeroplan Points: International Business Class
Here at Thrifty Traveler, we have a flight deal alert service called Thrifty Traveler Premium. We find the cheapest airfare from around the world, but we're also running thousands of daily searches for points and miles award availability and we find Air Canada Aeroplan deals all the time. If you want to fly Air Canada's partners like United, TAP Air Portugal, Lufthansa, SWISS, Singapore, and many more, especially in business class, Aeroplan should be where you start your search.
Or, you can skip the searching and leave that to us.
United Polaris Business Class from 60K Points Each Way
We'll start with United Airlines and its swanky United Polaris Business Class. If you have 60,000 points, you can transfer them to Air Canada Aeroplan you can fly one of these seats to Europe!
Polaris business class is a phenomenally comfy way to get to Europe, and when United releases award space to its partners like Aeroplan, it leads to some sizzling fares for one-way business class flights from all of United's hubs.
Lufthansa Business Class from 70K Points Each Way
Another Star Alliance stalwart, Lufthansa has some aging, less-than-ideal business class seats flying across the Atlantic every day. But the seats on its fancy 787 Dreamliners aren't among them. These seats are lovely, and Thrifty Traveler co-founders Nick and Jared just flew these seats (booked with this exact deal) a few weeks ago.
Their verdict? It's amazing.
For just 70,000 Aeroplan points (or 59,000 with a 20% transfer bonus), you can make one of these seats yours for the ride to Frankfurt (FRA).
SWISS Business Class from 60K Points Each Way
There's nothing like that Swiss hospitality, and SWISS Business Class is one of the best ways to fly across the pond, in my opinion. I had one of the best flights of my life on SWISS Business Class on the 777, and your Aeroplan points can get you one of these, too.
60,000 Aeroplan points are usually enough to secure these seats when they're made available – less if you can take advantage of a transfer bonus! Each SWISS Business Class flight starts with champagne and ends with a chocolate: What's better?
Turkish Business Class from 55K Points Each Way
To fly to Istanbul (IST), there's no better seat than the one on Turkish Airlines' newest planes.
Sadly, Aeroplan isn't the very best way to book these seats, however. Booking Turkish through Turkish remains the best way to do it, but Aeroplan isn't close behind if you have points stacked up or want to take advantage of the transfer bonus.
Just 70,000 Aeroplan miles can secure these Turkish Business Class seats for you if you want to fly to Turkey or beyond this year or next.
TAP Air Portugal Business Class from 50K Points Each Way
TAP Business Class – flying nonstop to Lisbon (LIS) – is another awesome value flying across the Atlantic. Aeroplan points remain the best way to book these comfy seats.
Just 60,000 points (or as few as 50,000 with a 20% transfer bonus!) can put you in one of these lie-flats. Just make sure you save room a glass of port after dinner and before bed!
Singapore Airlines to Southeast Asia (& Europe!) From 60K Points Each Way
Singapore Airlines, of course, flies to Singapore and beyond to Southeast Asia, and thanks to a partnership between Singapore and Air Canada, using your Aeroplan points to book Singapore business class is still the best way.
Business class flights when booking with Singapore can cost as much as 112,000 points one-way, but you save big when you book with Aeroplan points instead.
Singapore also flies to Germany from the U.S. I know…weird, right? But it's a route Singapore operates, including its fancy Singapore business class seats.
Best yet: You can snag these seats for 60,000 Aeroplan points!
Air Canada Business Class to Europe from 59K Points Each Way
You can also use Air Canada points to book…Air Canada!
Air Canada has a huge route network out of its Canadian hubs, and every once and a while they release business class seats to points and miles people to book with their Aeroplan program.
64,000 Aeroplan points are enough to secure some of these routes, which can be as few as 54,000 Chase points during the transfer bonus.
And just look at these routes you can fly under 70,000 points each way.
Other Ways to Use Aeroplan Points: Domestic United Flights (Even to Hawaii!)
The best bang for your buck might be up front when using Aeroplan points, but there's some outsized value for domestic travel within the U.S., too.
Short-Haul Domestic Economy Flights
Short-haul flights under 500 miles will cost 6,000 Aeroplan points each way on a partner airline and up to 10,000 points if you're actually flying with Air Canada itself. That's a small but lucrative sweet spot.
This can be a great way to book short United Airlines flights as they will cost just 12,000 round trip – or just 10,000 Chase points if you take advantage of a 20% transfer bonus.
Roundtrip Flights to Hawaii for 21K Points
Most airline award charts treat Hawaii separately from the mainland. Not Aeroplan. And that opens a massive sweet spot.
Still, due to Aeroplan's distance-based pricing model, you'll want to start from the West Coast where flights are shorter. So your best bet is looking for flights from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) flying United Airlines where you can book a one-way flight for just 12,500 miles in economy – roughly half of what United itself would normally charge. Factor in this transfer bonus, and you can book roundtrip flights to Hawaii using just 21,000 Chase points.
Bottom Line
Air Canada's Aeroplan is one of the best points and miles award programs on earth – and it's not just for Canadians. There are tons of incredible options for U.S.-based flyers who want to fly the likes of United, SWISS, Lufthansa, Singapore, and more.
And right now, you can get 20% more bonus Aeroplan points when you transfer from Chase thanks to a transfer bonus, making now the best time to book.