How to keep your Aeroplan points from expiring

Amin Benzaza

Air Canada app and Aeroplan card

Earning and keeping points across multiple programs can be challenging. However, Aeroplan has clear rules and I’ll present them to you and I will give you tips on how not forget about them and lose them.

The 18-Month Inactivity Golden Rule

This is your worst case scenario. The rule simply states that if you have been inactive with your Aeroplan account – earning or redeeming – your points will expire within 18 months.

Therefore, if you haven’t had a single transaction in or out of your account for 18 months straight, you’ll lose your points. Since this is Canada’s largest travel coalition program, I doubt that you will neglect your Aeroplan balance for more then a year and a half.

Easy Ways to Keep Your Aeroplan Points Alive

Earn with Aeroplan and its partners

You can start with points Air Canada, its subsidiaries, its Star Alliance partners, even if you don’t often or on a regular base. Just don’t forget to add your Aeroplan member number. Don’t forget to earn with Aeroplan’s hotel, car rental partners and Aeroplan eStore. For a detailed review of earning technics, refer to how to earn Aeroplan points quickly post.

Redeem Aeroplan points

Burning your points on reward flights, hotel stays, car rentals or stuff is considered a transaction. You have so many ways to redeem your points, all it takes is one transaction. Aeroplan has hundred of non flight reward partners.

Log in to your account and discover them.

Aeroplan non flight partners
Aeroplan non flight partners

Buy, Gift, Transfer, Donate or Convert Aeroplan points

Now and then Aeroplan will launch a sale wth a significant bonus offer or a discount. You can also gift points to a family member or a friend. Transferring points to another person comes with a fee. You may want to rethink that option. But nothing stops you from redeeming a reward ticket to a dear one.

If you have hotel points and have no use for them, then transfer them to Aeroplan. That’s considered activity and counts as a transaction.

What Happens When Your Aeroplan Points Expire

The points are gone!

You lost a big chunk of points and you are sad and disapointed. That being said, Aeroplan has a few ways for you to get them back. You have 6 months from the date of expiry.

One of the three options to reinstate your points is by flying with Air Canada whithin 6 month of expiry. I’m not sure if this is a stiff rule and whether it extends to Star Alliance and other partners. But you just lost a good chunk of points, stay on the safe side and book Air Canada direct. If you fogot to book by logging in to your Aeroplan account don’t forget to add your Aeroplan number.

Aeroplan will reinstate your expired points if you sign-up to an Aeroplan credit card. All of TD, American Express and CIBC Aeroplan branded credit cards are eligible. If it show the Aeroplan logo on the card it’s good. it works for both personal and business credit cards.

There you go.

The rules are clear and simple. If you need to put alerts on your smartphone or email calendar to check on your account do it. Best way to go about it is to check your Air Canada app now and then if you’re not going to travel anytime soon. Don’t forget to use the Aeroplan eStore link when you shop.

2 thoughts on “How to keep your Aeroplan points from expiring”

  1. I eventually lost my minimum 16k points due to unawareness they were about to expire few years ago. when I noticed that, I contacted your organization
    by phone… I was told they could not reverse the matter… as I think it was 1 week or 1 month after thd fact.
    NOW, I noticed you allow more months to people to reconnect with aeroplan, etc.
    Q. MY question NOW is WHAT DOES YOUR organization DO , DID with ALL OF OUR LOST … & UNUSED POINTS???
    Thanks!

    Reply

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