How to use your Aeroplan points for an all-inclusive vacation

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Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève Leclerc

Marie-Ève Leclerc

Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève, Web Director at Milesopedia, is an expert in budget travel and a slow travel enthusiast. Specializing in Aeroplan, Scene+, and Marriott Bonvoy programs, she spends nearly six months a year abroad, making travel her way of life. Constantly seeking the best waves to surf, excellent coffee, and strategies to extend her travels, she is often found in coworking spaces with fellow digital nomads or by the sea, watching the sunset.
All posts by Marie-Ève Leclerc
Aeroplan-Points-Voyage-Tout-inclus-2400×1260
To the point Dive into our guide to find out how your Aeroplan points can be easily used for a wonderful and affordable all-inclusive trip.

How does the Aeroplan program work?

The Aeroplan program allows you to use your points in exchange of a multitude of rewards:

  • Airline rewards on Air Canada flights and with over fifty airline partners;
  • Car rental ;
  • Airline ticket upgrade to Economy Privilege or Business/Signature class;
  • In-flight Wi-Fi ;
  • Gift cards and merchandise ;
  • Hotel nights with HotelSavers ;
  • And… for all-inclusive packages with Air Canada Vacations!

Read our Aeroplan beginner’s guide to learn everything about the program.

All-inclusive benefits with Air Canada Vacations

Every Air Canada Vacations all-inclusive package comes with the following benefits:

  • The 1st free checked bag per person, for all destinations;
  • Full refund or no change fee in the event of cancellation;
  • Price alignment (equalizes the total package price up to $50 per person for an eligible package, if a similar package costs less elsewhere) ;
  • It’s the one and only travel agency that lets you earn and redeem Aeroplan points.

How Can I Earn Aeroplan Points Faster for a Trip?

Major banks offer a range of credit cards in partnership with Aeroplan, allowing you to earn Aeroplan points on your everyday spending. These credit cards also offer a variety of travel benefits, including:

Please note that these advantages do not apply to all cards. When you’re looking for the card that best suits your needs, you can refer to this comparison article to help you make your choice.

People authorized to use the card as additional cardholders can also enjoy certain benefits with Air Canada. However, it is essential that they verify that their Aeroplan membership number is correctly linked to their credit card by consulting this page.

What’s more, when you sign up for one of these credit cards, you can take advantage of a generous welcome bonus. Here is an overview of the most attractive Aeroplan credit card welcome offers available today:

How do I redeem Aeroplan points for a discount on an all-inclusive trip under the sun?

How many Aeroplan points are required for an affordable all-inclusive trip?

Here is the fixed exchange ratio when redeeming Aeroplan points with Air Canada Vacations, starting as low as 5,000 Aeroplan points:

  • 5,000 Aeroplan points = $50
  • 10,000 Aeroplan points = $100
  • 25,000 Aeroplan points = $250
  • 50,000 Aeroplan points = $500
  • 100,000 Aeroplan points = $1,000
  • 150,000 Aeroplan points = $1,500
  • 200,000 Aeroplan points = $2,000
  • 250,000 Aeroplan points = $2,500, etc.

The maximum redemption is 500,000 Aeroplan points per booking, for a $5,000 discount.

For example, if you have 145,000 Aeroplan points, you can redeem a maximum of 100,000 points ($1,000). To obtain a $1,500 redemption, you would need to earn an additional 5,000 points to reach the top redemption level (150,000 points).

Step by step: How to book an all-inclusive trip with Aeroplan points

On the home page of the Air Canada Vacations website, log in with your Aeroplan account information using the Sign In section in the top right-hand corner.

Aeroplan point prices may vary depending on the date and time of search. The prices presented in this article represent the prices found at the time of writing.

page bienvenue vacances air canada

Then enter the desired destination and dates and launch the search by clicking on the Search button.

Recherche forfait VAC

In the search results, you’ll be able to clearly see all-inclusive packages that offer Aeroplan Bonus Points. Then select the desired package by clicking on the Select button.

resultat recherche VAC

At this point, you choose from the drop-down menu in the right-hand column the number of Aeroplan points you wish to use to reduce the cost of your all-inclusive trip.

Deduction points FR VAC

For this example, 100,000 Aeroplan points will be applied to reduce the cost of this all-inclusive package by $1,000.

tout inclus moins points aeroplan

Then all you have to do is continue your transaction. At checkout, you can pay for your Air Canada Vacations all-inclusive package with Visa, Mastercard, American Express or an Air Canada gift card.

Earning Aeroplan points with an Air Canada Vacations all-inclusive package

First of all, when booking with Air Canada Vacations, it is very important to add the Aeroplan membership number for each person on the trip. If you’ve forgotten, you can do so up to 31 days before departure.

An Aeroplan Member can redeem Aeroplan Points to pay for your Air Canada Vacations package AND earn Aeroplan Points at the same time.

In fact, Aeroplan point redemption is considered a payment method. This increases the value of your Aeroplan point, because with all those bonuses, you earn more in return!

Basic Aeroplan Points

Earn Aeroplan points on the flight portion of your trip, when you fly Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or Air Canada Jetz,

The number of points earned for your travel package depends on the fare option chosen and the distance travelled.

Price Aeroplan Points earned as a % of miles traveled

Basic between Canada and the United States

Basic between Canada and internationnally

25% of points
Standard between Canada and the U.S. or internationally 50 %
Flex 100 %
Comfort 115 %
Latitude and Economy Privilege 125 %
Business 150 %

Example: If your vacation package includes a round-trip Flex class flight with Air Canada from Montreal to Cancun airport in Mexico, the miles flown will be 3,684. You’ll earn 3,684 Aeroplan points (100% of 3,684 miles).

yul cun great circle mapper

Bonus Aeroplan Points

Air Canada Vacations offers points back on several packages of at least 7 days. For example, on selected packages, you earn in your Aeroplan account :

  • Up to 12,000 additional Aeroplan points per member for Caribbean and U.S. vacation packages;
  • Up to 4,000 additional Aeroplan points per member for Las Vegas packages;
  • Up to 4,000 additional Aeroplan points per member for tours to Spain, Ireland and Venice.

This is even available for children aged 13 and over. Litlle Aeroplan members between the ages of 2 and 12 will receive 50% more points than older members.

Aeroplan Points will then be awarded 6 to 8 weeks after the vacation is completed.

Example: At the time of writing, this Riviera Maya hotel is offering an additional 8,000 Aeroplan points for each eligible Aeroplan member aged 13 and over!

8000 points extra FR

Aeroplan Points earned with an Aeroplan credit card

On top of all this, if you pay for your Air Canada Vacations all-inclusive package with an Aeroplan credit card, you’ll earn even more Aeroplan points!

A TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card earns 1.5 points per dollar of eligible purchases with Air Canada Vacations.

Example: If your $5,000 all-inclusive package to Cancun with Air Canada Vacations is paid for with this card, you’ll earn 7,500 Aeroplan points ($5,000 x 1.5)!

While with a high-end card like the American Express®* Aeroplan® Reserve Card, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent with Air Canada Vacations.

All-inclusive travel with Air Canada Vacations and Aeroplan Elite status

Air Canada Vacations offers :

  • Status Qualification Dollars (SQD);
  • Status Qualification Miles (SQM);
  • and Status Qualification Segments (SQS) on vacation packages.

Status Qualification Dollars (SQD) earns a rate of 25% of the total cost per Aeroplan Member of the eligible vacation package, including all taxes and fees. An eligible vacation package includes a flight or a flight and cruise, where the trip is taken by the Aeroplan Member.

Status Qualification Miles (SQM) are collected according to the following table:

Price Earned SQM
Basic None
Standard, Flex, Comfort and Latitude 50 %
Premium Economy 125 %
Business 150 %

Whereas with your Air Canada Vacations all-inclusive package, Status Qualification Segments (SQS) will be calculated based on the number of flights taken aboard Air Canada flights, where applicable.

To take the example of a $5,000 all-inclusive vacation package to Cancun in Flex class with Air Canada Vacations, you’ll get :

  Points
Aeroplan points deducted for $1,000 rebate – 100 000

 

  Points
Basic Aeroplan points earned with Flex class 3 684
Bonus Aeroplan Points for 2 adult Aeroplan members 16 000
Aeroplan Points earned when paying with an Aeroplan credit card TD® Visa Infinite* Aeroplan® Card 7 500
Total 27 184

And specific to the quest for Aeroplan Elite status, in this example you also get the following:

Status Qualification Dollars (SQD) at 25%. 1 250
50% SQM (Status Qualification Miles) 1 842
Status Qualification Segments (SQS) for 2 direct flights 2

In conclusion, you will have saved $1,000 on this trip in net exchange for 72,816 points (100,000 points exchanged – 27,184 points earned). You’ll also have earned SQDs, SQMs, SQSs and a ton of beautiful, soothing memories on your return.

Congratulations!

Bottom Line

Air Canada Vacations offers a wide selection of all-inclusive packages in the South, and fortunately, you can save by redeeming your Aeroplan points.

By combining your redemption with the Air Canada Vacations points back offer available on many packages, and using an Aeroplan credit card as your method of payment, you’ll earn plenty of Aeroplan points to redeem for your next trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I redeem Aeroplan points for a cruise discount?

To book a cruise, call Air Canada Vacations directly: 1-866-529-2079.

How do I contact Aeroplan?

If you have any questions about the use of your Aeroplan Points, your Aeroplan Points balance, a reservation made with Aeroplan Points or any other Aeroplan account issue, please contact Aeroplan directly at 1-800-361-5373.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Caroline Tremblay

Caroline Tremblay

Caroline Tremblay
Caroline, a loyalty program specialist, helps families maximize their points to travel more frequently and affordably. With expertise in Disney, AIR MILES, and Costco, she travels the world with her partner and two children through rewards. Passionate about the latest in loyalty programs, Caroline shares tips to help you earn more points and turn your travel dreams into reality.
All posts by Caroline Tremblay
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