The program allows you to build highly flexible itineraries and optimize the places you can visit within the same trip, with stopovers and the 5,000-point Aeroplan stopover option.
Here is a list of what is possible or impossible to do and the rules for layovers (less than 24 hours) and stopovers (more than 24 hours) at Aeroplan.
What is possible with an Aeroplan stopover:
What is impossible with an Aeroplan stopover:
The fact that pricing is done on one-way segments, the number of opportunities explodes! Indeed, you now have the possibility to choose how you are going to get to your destination and thus, where you want to make your Aeroplan stopover.
For example, here are the results of a search for a flight to Lisbon from Montreal.
First, if your itinerary includes a segment with Air Canada, you will be subject to partially dynamic pricing. On the partner side, there are no surprises.
However, finding availability on all flights can be problematic on partner flights, especially if you are planning to travel in business class. It will be necessary to take it in advance and at the right time.
To book an Aeroplan itinerary with a stopover, you can do so online as of September 1, 2022. Read the process here.
If you prefer to call Aeroplan, please note that it costs $30 + tax to make the reservation by phone.
Not all agents are comfortable with this type of booking; some will fare under two one-way segments instead of adding the Aeroplan stopover at 5,000 points. If so, ask to speak to a supervisor or try again with another person on another call.
To begin, you need to determine the two locations you are targeting with the help of the Aeroplan stopover option. In addition, you can add several stopovers of less than 24 hours on this itinerary.
The Flight Connections website allows you to view connections from any airport and you can filter the results to show only Star Alliance flights.
To calculate the amount of an award ticket, the best tool to help you is GCmap which we have presented here.
For example, to get to the Maldives you could take the following route with partners (for a fixed price):
The total distance traveled will be 8,540 miles and the fare schedule used will be as follows (North America to Atlantic):
So the cost will be 70,000 Aeroplan points in economy class or 110,000 Aeroplan points in business class. Then you have the opportunity to add an Aeroplan stopover for an additional 5,000 points in Vienna or Abu Dhabi.
In addition, you can arrange your flights, according to the available schedules, to benefit from a layover of up to 24 hours in the other city for free.
If we take the previous example for a trip where the destination is the Maldives, your fare will be calculated according to the North America – Atlantic chart.
Since the distance flown is over 8,000 miles, you’re in the highest points bracket, i.e. 70,000 points in economy class and 110,000 points in business class.
However, if you add a segment between Male and Singapore, the latter becomes your destination.
Sure, you’re extending the distance travelled to 10,653 miles, but the destination of your new route falls in the Pacific zone. Therefore, to book this route, you will need fewer points!
Using an Aeroplan stopover in Malé for your vacation, you’ll pay 65,000 points (60,000 + 5,000) in economy class and 92,500 points (87,500 + 5,000) in business class.
Obviously, if the purpose of the Aeroplan stopover was to go to Europe and the Maldives, changing your destination to Singapore will not help. So it’s up to you to decide whether the 17,500-point difference is significant or not.
Calculating the distance travelled is crucial to optimizing the pricing of award tickets.
For a budget vacation to India, for example, choosing Mumbai as your gateway to the country compared to New Delhi can save you 15,000 points.
Indeed, when building your trip, going through one city versus another can quickly change your cost. So, if your itinerary exceeds a price bracket by a minimal amount, try substituting the location of your Aeroplan stopover or destination!
The following examples are shown without flights on partner airlines to simplify pricing. Depending on fluctuations, it is also possible to find cheaper award tickets with Air Canada!
These two countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean are located in the lower bracket of the North American-Atlantic chart.
Moreover, Morocco and Portugal complement each other well to have a bit of diversity on a two weeks trip! These are also two places with a low cost of living, so they are perfect for a budget trip.
Since we can build routes using one-way tickets, we can make open tours!
This kind of itinerary can bring back feelings of nostalgia for the program’s veterans. Indeed, there was a time when community members could see the Mini Round-The-World they had unearthed!
It is still possible with the new rules! With an Aeroplan stopover on each outbound and return segments, and 24-hour layovers here and there… you’ve built a round-the-world itinerary!
24-hour connections can be made in Singapore, Vienna and Zurich on this itinerary.
In Japan, a train pass costs about $300 to travel on the archipelago’s rail network for 7 days. Is it realistic to explore Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka or Kyoto and then return to Tokyo in 7 days? Yes, but these will be short visits.
With Aeroplan stops, a trip encompassing these three regional cities plus South Korea is possible, and at your own pace!
Indeed, you could make an Aeroplan stopover in Fukuoka and Osaka; discovering southern Japan and the Kansai region deserves much more than a few days in my opinion.
Moreover, since your destination is the beautiful South Korea, there is no time limit to visiting this country!
These same flights would have cut $600 off your budget compared to 26,000 Aeroplan points. A simple credit card like the TDMD AeroplanMD Visa Infinite* Card could give you enough points for two tickets!
This is a great way to save on expensive transportation in Japan.
The zoning of the new program allows us to make Aeroplan stopovers in a large number of locations, including several continents!
A good strategy to save money can be to use travel points to travel to Europe since deals are common when paying in cash.
Then, we buy a separate ticket with Aeroplan stopover pricing for our regional flights.
So for 35,000 Aeroplan points, you can visit 5 different destinations on two continents! In fact, since Aeroplan stopovers can be spread over 45 days, you could make a very big trip:
To replicate an equivalent flight ticket, the four segments total a cost of $920. Although flights are not very expensive in Europe, there are no low-cost flights on all routes.
However, the same route can be achieved with 35,000 points. These are valued at approximately $700 (2¢ per point).
The number of Membership Rewards Points required to bring your credit card balance to zero after a $900 purchase is 90,000 Privilege Points if you have a card like the American Express CobaltMD Card, for example.
However, you can transfer only 35,000 of these points to Aeroplan and purchase the same journey by using the Aeroplan stopover rules. This will leave you with 55,000 Membership Rewards points to cover other costs… like absorbing $550 for a flight to Barcelona!
Finally, one of the best uses of the Aeroplan stopover is for flights within South America, as all flights are priced at the fixed price of 10,000 or 20,000 points in economy class.
The most important airports to build your itinerary are those served by Avianca and its subsidiaries.
So you can travel from one end of the continent to the other for as little as 25,000 points; for example, visit the Galapagos Islands, colonial Colombia and then end up in Rio de Janeiro to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World and explore Brazil.
The cost of a similar flight can be quite high.
The easiest way to earn Aeroplan points is to apply for a credit card with a generous welcome bonus. The list of the best offers is updated regularly here.
Then, to collect a large number of Aeroplan points on a daily basis, the American Express CobaltMD Card is undeniably unrivalled for this purpose.
The latter allows you to earn 5 Membership-Rewards points per dollar for all grocery and restaurant purchases. When you add the gift card strategy into the equation, the earning rate skyrockets.
The opportunity to make an Aeroplan stopover for only 5,000 points allows you to optimize itineraries to visit multiple locations for a small premium.
The possibilities are enormous when you add layovers and maximize the number of segments allowed.
What are the stopover routes you have managed to build? Come and share them with us in the Facebook community!
Savings are here:
