Aeroplan: How Aeroplan Family Sharing works
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Aeroplan Family Sharing lets you pool the points of up to 8 verified members of the same family, for free. Everyone keeps their own Aeroplan account, everyone earns into a single balance, and the family lead decides who can redeem. For a family that travels together, it's the simplest way to reach a reward faster.
Since February 2025, one condition applies: every participant must hold a verified Aeroplan account. Don't worry, it's a one-time step, and we walk you through it below.
In practice, you gain on three fronts:
- Rewards sooner: every member's points, existing balances included, add up in a single balance.
- No transfer fees: a member with redemption privileges books for themselves, for another member or even for someone outside the pool.
- Preferred pricing for everyone: all it takes is one primary Aeroplan credit cardholder or one Aeroplan Elite member in the pool.
In this video (in French), I introduced Family Sharing when Air Canada announced its new Aeroplan program. The principle hasn't changed; the eligibility rules have since evolved, and you'll find them up to date below.
Aeroplan Family Sharing: earn and redeem together
The principle fits in one sentence: each member keeps their points in their own Aeroplan account, but all the points, existing balances included, are added to the group's shared balance. You can't pick part of your points: when you accept the invitation, your whole balance goes in.
With every redemption, Aeroplan then deducts the points proportionally from each member's account, no matter who is travelling.
Here's an example. Your family of 4 members has 250,000 Aeroplan points in total, and you book 4 tickets at 25,000 points each, or 100,000 points.
This trip represents 40% of the shared balance (100,000 points out of 250,000).
So Aeroplan deducts 40% of each member's balance for this booking:
| Family Sharing Member | Individual balance | Proportion | Points deducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member 1 | 150 000 | 40 % | 60 000 |
| Member 2 | 75 000 | 40 % | 30 000 |
| Member 3 | 15 000 | 40 % | 6 000 |
| Member 4 | 10 000 | 40 % | 4 000 |
| Family Sharing | 250 000 | 40 % | 100 000 |
Preferred pricing for the whole family
Family Sharing gives you a second benefit: preferred pricing on Aeroplan flight rewards extends to every member of the pool.
All it takes is one member who is a primary Aeroplan credit cardholder or holds Aeroplan Elite Status. The family lead and every member with redemption privileges then see these prices when they search for a reward from their own account.
Nobody in your family has an Aeroplan card yet? The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card is the one we recommend most often to unlock this pricing for the whole pool.
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For a family that travels together, both benefits add up: a bigger shared balance and a better price on every ticket.
Aeroplan Family Sharing eligibility rules
Before you create your pool, check that each of your relatives meets these conditions, all taken from Air Canada's official Aeroplan Family Sharing page:
- Pool size: 2 to 8 members, and only one pool at a time per person.
- Eligibility for every participant: be an Aeroplan member for at least 6 months, not have been in another pool for the past 6 months and hold a verified Aeroplan account, required since February 2025.
- Family lead: 18 or older. They create the pool from their dashboard (My Aeroplan, then Family Sharing).
- Other members: no minimum age, as long as they belong to the same family (spouse or partner, children, siblings, parents, in-laws, grandparents).
- Invitations: the family lead invites up to 7 people; an invitation that isn't accepted expires after 45 days.
- Redemption privileges: the lead decides who can redeem points and who can only contribute them, and can change these roles at any time.
- Commitment: 3 months minimum in the pool, then a 6-month wait before joining or creating another one. To leave, you call the Aeroplan Contact Centre.
- Inactivity: every redemption deducts points from all accounts, which keeps them all active; without a redemption, the 18-month rule applies to each individual account.
To transfer Aeroplan points to someone outside your family, or to compare with other programs, see our guide on transferring and combining points between people.
How to get your Aeroplan account verified
Verification is a one-time step, and you may already be verified without knowing it: open My Aeroplan, then the Family Sharing icon, to check your status. Otherwise, Air Canada describes it on its account verification page in two steps:
- Confirm your mobile number and turn on two-factor authentication in your Aeroplan account.
- Validate your identity with one of the four options below.
- Two Air Canada flights: if you've taken two flights operated by Air Canada, on two separate bookings, in the past five years, your identity is verified automatically, usually within a week of the second flight.
- An Aeroplan credit card: if you're the primary cardholder of an Aeroplan co-branded card linked to your own account, verification is automatic, usually within a week of linking it.
- Instant verification: online, with a photo of a valid government-issued ID (driver's licence, passport, NEXUS card or Canadian permanent resident card) and a selfie; it usually takes a few minutes.
- In person at the airport: at the check-in counter in Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) or Chicago O'Hare (ORD), daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., except holidays and the busy periods of March, July and December; allow up to four weeks of processing.
For children under 18, you, as parent or legal guardian, take care of it: online with your child's ID (members who live in Canada or the United States, except Illinois), or in person at the airport. And if a relative prefers not to verify their account, they can still earn and redeem points as usual; only Family Sharing stays closed to them.
Should you set up Aeroplan Family Sharing?
Yes, as soon as two people in your family earn Aeroplan points. Family Sharing is free, it gets you to a reward faster and it extends preferred pricing to the whole pool. Before you send the invitations, get everyone's account verified and give the family lead role to the person who will handle bookings: if they leave, the pool is dissolved.
Each of you keeps earning on your own, when you fly, shop with partners or use an Aeroplan credit card. Your Aeroplan Elite Status and your card benefits also stay individual. The only difference: all those points now work toward the same trip.
To choose the card that will feed your family balance, see our Aeroplan credit card comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aeroplan Family Sharing free?
Yes. Creating a pool, joining one and redeeming points from the shared balance costs nothing. Only transferring points to an Aeroplan member outside the pool comes with a fee, and those points are then taken from every member's account.
Can my children be part of my pool?
Yes, there is no minimum age to join a pool. Your child still needs their own verified Aeroplan account, open for at least 6 months. You can give them a contributor-only role: their points go into the balance, but they can't redeem them.
Can I contribute only part of my points?
No. When you accept the invitation, your whole Aeroplan balance joins the shared balance, and every point you earn afterwards is added too. Your points still stay recorded in your own account.
Can I book a reward for someone outside the pool?
Yes, if the family lead has given you redemption privileges. You can then book a flight reward for anyone with the shared balance, even if you're not travelling with that person.
What can the shared points be used for?
You can redeem them for any Aeroplan reward: flights, upgrades, hotels, car rentals, and merchandise and experiences from the Aeroplan eStore. They can't be redeemed for cash or transferred to another loyalty program.
What happens to my points if I leave the pool?
You leave with your accumulated points, minus those used for redemptions while you were in the pool. You request your departure by calling the Aeroplan Contact Centre, after at least 3 months in the pool, and you'll have to wait 6 months before joining another one.
What happens if a reward booked with the shared balance is cancelled?
Aeroplan returns the points to each member who contributed to the redemption, in their original account. The proportional split works in both directions.
Does Family Sharing affect my Elite Status or my card benefits?
No. Your progress toward Aeroplan Elite Status and the benefits of your Aeroplan credit card stay individual, whether or not you're part of a pool.
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