Chase and Air Canada just rolled out a big welcome bonus offer on the Aeroplan® Credit Card for U.S.-based travelers. For a limited time, new cardmembers can earn 70,000 Aeroplan points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.
That's up from the rather unusual welcome bonus previously offered, where you got two certificates worth up to 50,000 points each. While that previous bonus could be more lucrative in the end, this latest welcome offer is far more flexible and should be easier to take advantage of for many travelers.
Air Canada is deadset on making its Aeroplan mileage program a go-to for U.S.-based travelers – and they've done it. The airline overhauled that program with a lot of upsides in 2020 and became the latest Chase transfer partner earlier this year. Even with a devaluation looming at the end of the month , earning Aeroplan points is a safe bet even for flyers who plan to never set foot on an Air Canada jet.
Let's walk through everything the Aeroplan credit card offers.
Read more on how to maximize Aeroplan points – and why you may want to earn them!
Click Here to learn more about the Chase Aeroplan® Credit Card
A Big Bonus of 70K Points
For a limited time, you'll earn a welcome offer bonus of 70,000 points after you spend $3,000 in your first three months of card membership.
We don't know how long this bonus will last, but as with all limited-time welcome bonus offers, it is usually a good idea to grab them right away if you are thinking about it, and have the financial responsibility to do so.
Keep Earning with Bonus Categories
The earning potential goes beyond that initial welcome bonus. In fact, the bonus earning categories on the Chase Aeroplan card are better than almost any card on the market. You'll earn:
3x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide
3x points per dollar at grocery stores (excluding wholesalers like Costco as well as big-box stores like Target or Walmart)
3x points per dollar on all Air Canada purchases
1x points per dollar on all other purchases
The 3x return on groceries and restaurants is incredibly compelling if you want to keep piling up Aeroplan points. In fact, that's better than what you'll get on most other airline cards.
Beyond that, there's some incentive to continue swiping your Aeroplan card each month. You'll earn 500 additional bonus points for every $2,000 you spend each calendar month – capped at 1,500 bonus points a month on $6,000 in monthly spend.
$95 Annual Fee
The Aeroplan® Credit Card from Chase comes with just a $95 annual fee. Just keep in mind that's not waived for the first year.
Free Status, Then Level Up
Just for opening the card, you'll get Air Canada's entry-level 25K status for the year you open it and the entire following year.
The airline said those who get the Chase Aeroplan Card now will have status through December 2023. You can continue re-upping that status by spending $15,000 a year on the card.
On its face, Air Canada 25K Status isn't worth a ton: You get priority check-in and boarding, eUgrades to use on Air Canada flights, free baggage, two annual lounge passes, and a few other perks. Still, this is a potentially easy path to airline status if flying Air Canada is in your future.
But Air Canada makes it even more lucrative for heavy spenders. By spending $50,000 a year on the card, you can level up to the next tier of status. For cardholders who get their status automatically, that would vault you from Air Canada 25K to 35K status. If you're flying Air Canada frequently and already have status, it could push you even higher like to Air Canada 50K status, which unlocks Star Alliance Gold perks like lounge access and a host of other worthwhile benefits.
There are even better benefits to unlock if you can spend a small fortune on your Air Canada card each year, like earning a “Global +1” Pass to get 100% of your points back when booking any and all award tickets for a companion for up to two year … after spending $1 million a year on your card.
Yes, that's not for everyone. I'm certainly not spending $1 million a year on a credit card – or anywhere, for that matter. But Air Canada and Chase have designed this card in a creative way to incentivize cardholders to keep swiping their cards, with rewards that build the more you spend.
Free PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS
There's a growing list of travel credit cards that will cover the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck . The Aeroplan card will do that too – with a sweetener.
The Aeroplan® Credit Card's $100 credit for trusted traveler programs will also work towards NEXUS, which is essentially the Canadian version of Global Entry. It's the first travel rewards credit card to offer a credit towards NEXUS enrollment.
Read more: Global Entry vs Nexus, Which is Better For You?
Either way, the credit will cover up to $100 once every four years.
Other Perks
Beyond these headline items, the Aeroplan Credit Card carries a host of other benefits that add up.
First free checked bag for you and up to eight additional companions booked on the same reservation for any Air Canada flight.
Travel insurance policies like trip delay, baggage delay reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and more.
It's a World Elite Mastercard product, which opens up even more benefits like cell phone insurance, earning free Lyft credits, discounts on Postmates deliveries, and more. See all the World Elite Mastercard benefits.
No foreign transaction fees
What to Make of The Aeroplan Credit Card
We have to give Air Canada some credit here. They've managed to put together a truly unique travel credit card – and one that should appeal even to U.S. travelers who have no plans to fly Air Canada. The new 70,000 point bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months of card membership doesn't hurt either.
Aeroplan points are incredibly valuable whether you're booking Air Canada or one of its 40-plus airline partners in the Star Alliance. Whether you're looking to fly United short-haul in the U.S. from just 12,000 points roundtrip, short hops from the West Coast to Hawaii for 25,000 points roundtrip, or business class to Europe or Asia for 75,000 points or less each way, there are some great sweet spots.
That said, Aeroplan will raise award rates for some long-haul flights soon , which is something to be aware of.
Aeroplan no longer passes on exorbitant award surcharges, keeping cash costs when redeeming points low. Plus, Aeroplan has some unique features like the ability to pool points with family members or add a stopover to any award ticket for just 5,000 additional points.
The array of additional perks on this card beyond the usual free baggage benefit is impressive. But there's a lot here to love for travelers who can rack up a lot of spending on their credit cards, too. In short, it's a solid card that could appeal to almost anyone who loves Aeroplan points – whether they're flying a few times a year or a true road warrior with a hefty budget.
One thing to keep in mind is that this card certainly falls under the Chase 5/24 rule. If you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months from any bank ( not just Chase cards ), it's unlikely you could get approved for the Chase Aeroplan credit card.
Bottom Line
The Aeroplan Chase credit card is out with a new 70,000 point offer after spending $3,000 in the first three months of card membership.
Don't let the Air Canada branding fool you. Thanks to the value and versatility of Aeroplan points, there's a lot to like about this card even if you never set foot on an Air Canada plane.
Click Here to learn more about the Chase Aeroplan® Credit Card.
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