***The Buddy Pass is no longer available through Aeroplan welcome offers. However, we leave this article as an archive.
Updated: December 1, 2021
Most Aeroplan credit card offers were accompanied by an Aeroplan Companion Pass. This pass provides one free flight ticket (plus taxes and fees) for one ticket purchased on an Air Canada flight within North America.
As of December 1, 2021, it is no longer possible to convert a companion pass into 30,000 Aeroplan points for new Aeroplan credit card holders (with one exception for “old timers”, see below). The content of this article is kept for information purposes.
However, with travel restrictions due to COVID-19 – and a Buddy Pass one year from the date of issue – Aeroplan now allows you to convert the Companion Pass into 30,000 Aeroplan points ! Points that do not expire as long as the Aeroplan account remains active.
While no end date for this initiative has been mentioned to date, as of August 26, 2021, Air Canada has confirmed that the deadline for converting a Buddy Pass will be November 30, 2021.
However, it will be necessary to have obtained this companion pass before this date (and not to have subscribed to a card before this date).
Air Canada has informed us that beyond November 30, 2021, on an exceptional basis and for a limited time, it will be possible for some credit cardholders to convert their Buddy Pass. Here are the conditions required:
The Air Canada Buddy Pass has been included in many credit card offers at American Express, CIBC and TD.
For example, with the AeroplanMD* American ExpressMD Card, you could earn Aeroplan points and an Air Canada Buddy Pass. This Companion Pass is obtained after a minimum of purchases in a few months.
With the conversion of the Companion Pass to Aeroplan points, it was a welcome offer that increased the initial bonus by 30,000 Aeroplan points!
You can get only one Buddy Pass per type of card (core, premium, business):
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card
CIBC® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
American Express®* Aeroplan® Reserve Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card
American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card
In valuing these credit card offers, we estimate the value of the Buddy Pass at $350. But that’s when we can travel!
Knowing that travel remains uncertain, it would be more reassuring to convert this Buddy pass into Aeroplan points.
Once the Air Canada Buddy Pass is posted to your Aeroplan account, you can call Aeroplan to convert it to 30,000 Aeroplan points! This rule is not posted anywhere at this time but has been confirmed with Aeroplan.
If you want to take advantage of this offer to convert the Air Canada Buddy Pass into 30,000 Aeroplan points, I suggest you don’t wait to get one of the credit cards that currently offer this Air Canada Buddy Pass.
Savings are here:
