Aeroplan recently amended its terms and conditions to discourage the purchase of multiple Aeroplan credit cards of the same type. In order to meet these conditions (and avoid having welcome bonuses withdrawn, as has been the case for several members), a good strategy is to opt for credit cards whose points can be transferred to Aeroplan.
Let’s take a look at Aeroplan’s co-branded credit cards and other options available on the market from American Express.
It is no longer recommended to apply for the same level of Aeroplan credit cards from different issuers (American Express, CIBC or TD). For example, you will have to choose between these Aeroplan “Premium” credit cards:
And between these Aeroplan “Core” credit cards:
And between these Aeroplan “Base” credit cards:
While it will be more complicated to earn multiple welcome bonuses on Aeroplan co-branded credit cards, there are many other opportunities to earn Aeroplan Points with credit cards. Both via welcome bonuses and organic spending:
American Express Membership Rewards is a transfer partner with Aeroplan. This means you can convert your Membership Rewards Points to Aeroplan points at a rate of 1:1. 10,000 Membership Rewards Points = 10,000 Aeroplan Points.
American Express Canada issues 6 Membership Rewards credit cards.
You can convert your Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan points from any of these American Express Membership Rewards credit cards for consumers:
You can convert your Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan points from any of these American Express Membership Rewards Business credit cards:
With the welcome bonuses currently offered by these cards, you could earn up to 150,000 Aeroplan Points.
The Marriott Bonvoy program is a transfer partner with Aeroplan. You can convert your Marriott Bonvoy Points to Aeroplan Points at a rate of 3 to 1. 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points = 10,000 Aeroplan Points. And for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points you convert, you earn 5,000 Aeroplan Bonus Points.
This means that 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Aeroplan points. And at specific times of the year, you may even get an additional bonus.
Here are the two American Express credit cards earning Marriott Bonvoy points in Canada:
Under Aeroplan’s new rules, you cannot transfer points from Aeroplan to an account that you do not own. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points may not be transferred from Ms.’s account to Mr.’s Aeroplan account.
However, it is of course still possible to use the Aeroplan Family Sharing feature. One family member could transfer their American Express Membership Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points to their own Aeroplan account. And the whole family will be able to benefit from these Aeroplan points under the Aeroplan Family Share rules.
Thus, all American Express Membership Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points earned by said family member via welcome bonuses or through spending with credit cards will ultimately benefit the whole family.
The creation of new joint family sharing accounts is currently paused, but those who already use this feature can continue to benefit from it. Sign up here to be notified when this feature becomes available again.
Now that you have an overview of all the American Express cards available to earn Aeroplan Points (and the welcome bonuses available), let’s look at earning Aeroplan Points with your purchases throughout the year.
And in particular in these purchasing categories:
Here are the top five American Express credit cards to earn the most Aeroplan points with grocery purchases:
The best credit card for earning Aeroplan points on groceries is the American Express Cobalt® Card. With this credit card, you can earn 5 Aeroplan points for every dollar spent at the grocery store.
Many grocery stores accept American Express credit cards, such as Métro, Super C, IGA, Sobeys, Les Marchés Tradition, etc.
Here are the top five American Express credit cards to earn the most Aeroplan points with gas purchases:
The best credit cards for earning Aeroplan points with gas purchases are the American Express Cobalt® Card and the American Express® Gold Rewards Card. With these credit cards, you can earn 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 in gas purchases.
However, you can earn 5 points per dollar by using your American Express Cobalt® Card to buy a gas gift card at the grocery store! So you can also get 5 points per dollar for gas in another way.
Here are the top five American Express credit cards to earn the most Aeroplan points for dining purchases and food deliveries:
The best credit card for earning Aeroplan points on groceries is the American Express Cobalt® Card.
With this credit card, you can earn 5 Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend on dining or food delivery purchases.
So this is a card to use if you subscribe to services like Good Food or can’t live without Uber Eats!
Here are the top five American Express credit cards for earning the most Aeroplan points with travel purchases (excluding Air Canada):
The best credit cards for earning Aeroplan points on travel purchases are the American Express® Gold Rewards Card and the American Express Platinum Card®. With these credit cards, you can earn 2 Aeroplan points for every $1 in travel purchases.
So, you have a lot to choose from if you have a lot of travel expenses during the year like:
Here are the top five American Express credit cards to earn the most Aeroplan points with Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations purchases:
The best credit card for earning Aeroplan Points with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases is the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card. With this credit card, you can earn 3 Aeroplan points for every dollar spent on Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations.
If you travel regularly with Air Canada, you’ll want to have an Aeroplan credit card that allows you to earn more points on your Air Canada purchases. But also to benefit from the advantages of travelling with the airline such as:
Here are the top five American Express credit cards to earn the most Aeroplan points for all other purchases:
The best credit card for earning Aeroplan Points for all your other purchases is the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card. With this credit card, you can earn 1.25 Aeroplan points for every dollar in non-category purchases.
As you can see, for all your organic spending, there are many credit cards that can earn Aeroplan Points directly or indirectly.
If you had to choose just one, it might be the American Express Cobalt® Card. With the American Express Cobalt® Card you can get :
You could combine the American Express Cobalt® Card with the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card for those few shops that won’t accept your American Express card.
And to benefit from the advantages offered by the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, such as:
And if you’re having trouble deciding between several credit cards that earn Aeroplan Points, check out our comparisons:
Savings are here:
