Air Canada Accelerates Elite Status Earning With 3 New Offers

by Gary Leff

I receive compensation for content and many links on this blog. Citibank is an advertising partner of this site, as is American Express, Chase, Barclays and Capital One. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners. I do not write about all credit cards that are available -- instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Terms apply to the offers and benefits listed on this page.

When Air Canada and Chase launched the Aeroplan Credit Card in the fall, Mark Nasr, the Senior Vice President of Air Canada who oversees Aeroplan suggested that the airline would need to take steps to make status easier to earn in 2022. What is at least the first set of these steps is now available.

  1. Bonus elite qualifying credit for 3 engagement actions

    New ways to get closer to Status with everyday purchases for Elite Status members only – Members can get a one-time bonus of 5,000 SQM, 5 SQS, and $500 SQD when they do any three of the following by April 30, 2022:

    • Link their Aeroplan and Starbucks Rewards;
    • Link their Uber or Uber Eats with your Aeroplan account;
    • Earn points with the Aeroplan eStore, LCBO, Starbucks, Uber, Uber Eats or a car or hotel booking;
    • Redeem points for any merchandise or gift card at the Aeroplan eStore or for a car or hotel booking;
    • Hold a Core or Premium Aeroplan Co-brand credit card through at least April 30, 2022. While this means the entry credit cards from TD and CIBC are ineligible, the new Chase cobrand credit card would qualify

    A U.S. member can earn points through Aeroplan eStore shopping, redeem points through the eStore, and hold a co-brand Aeroplan credit card to earn these points.

  2. 100% bonus qualifying credit for Air Canada travel through April 30 (including Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge) on economy standard fares and higher (no basic economy). No registration required.

  3. Air Canada Vacations credit 5,000 bonus qualifying miles and 50% bonus qualifying dollars for Air Canada Vacations packages for travel by April 30, 2022. Take a quick hop up to Canada, for instance.

Stacking these three, along with the benefits of the Aeroplan Credit Card (review), goes a long way since the card:

  • Comes with the first tier of elite status (25K level) through end of the year after when you get the card (so for current approvals, through December 2023). You can keep that status with $15,000 in annual spend after that.

  • Lets you earn the next level of status on top of what you qualify for when you spend $50,000 in a calendar year on the card bumps you up an elite level (starting the beginning of the next calendar year).

Earn 75K status and spend $50,000 on the card to become Super Elite in the next calendar year, one of the most valuable top tiers in air travel. And Air Canada’s opening gambit on accelerating status helps you get there.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Editorial note: any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Comments made in response to this post are not provided or commissioned nor have they been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of advertisers Citibank, Chase, American Express, Barclays, Capital One or any other advertiser to ensure that questions are answered, either. Terms and limitations apply to all offers.

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Comments

  1. So I live in Canada and have the chase Aeroplan. I linked my Uber and lcbo with Aeroplan and earned miles with lcbo spend. I obviously hold the card. So have I already qualified for the addl SQS, SQD AND SQM? If so, when will they show up?

  2. With OPM flying down in Canada with no sign of ever returning, they gotta do this.

    The stupid quarantine on arrival (via a 10 day wait for test results) is preventing many people from going on vacation.

    Air Canada is hurting. Their on time performance is <50%. Their phone hold times are never ending. They've taken the ability for airport agents to do anything ticketing/reservations related.

    Their on board product is subpar at best.

    I

  3. If one is a Canadian living in Canada, is that person allowed to apply for either of the new Aeroplan Credit Card (Chase) and the Aeroplan Credit Card (MasterCard)?

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