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Air Canada’s Aeroplan program and World of Hyatt announced on July 15, 2026, a partnership that reshapes the options available to Canadian travellers. By linking your Aeroplan and World of Hyatt accounts, you get access to a combined network of more than 1,300 destinations and 1,500 hotels, with new ways to earn, convert and redeem points across both programs.
The most interesting part for us: Hyatt has never offered a credit card in Canada. From now on, Aeroplan credit cards become the gateway to World of Hyatt, with earning in both programs on your stays, complimentary Discoverist status and faster status challenges. Here are all the details of the announcement, effective today.
Our contributor Jean-François Léveillé attended the launch for Milesopedia, held in Toronto under the “Better in Both Worlds” banner. Scott O’Leary, Vice President of Loyalty and Product at Air Canada, and TJ Abrams, Vice President of Global Partnerships and Wellbeing at Hyatt, presented the highlights of the agreement. Air Canada also displayed the mockup of its new Signature Class seat planned for its A321XLR aircraft.
Bringing together two of the travel industry’s most appreciated loyalty programs, the agreement covers more than 10 million Aeroplan members and 66 million World of Hyatt members. Most benefits require linking your Aeroplan and World of Hyatt accounts, a free process available now on both programs’ websites.
Scott O’Leary, Air Canada’s Vice President of Loyalty and Product, said the collaboration adds real value throughout the journey, with new ways to earn and use points in both programs. According to him, the double earning on Hyatt purchases for eligible Aeroplan credit cardholders is a feature unique in the industry.
First concrete change: Aeroplan members can now earn points on eligible stays at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts. Members of both programs can choose to receive 500 Aeroplan points per stay, instead of World of Hyatt points.
This is where the announcement delivers the most value for Canadian cardholders. Once your accounts are linked, your Canadian-issued Aeroplan credit card earns accelerated Aeroplan points AND World of Hyatt Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible spending at participating Hyatt hotels. Here is the exact chart for the 10 eligible cards:
The biggest jump goes to the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, which moves from 1.25 to 2 Aeroplan points per dollar at Hyatt, on top of 2 World of Hyatt Bonus Points. Meanwhile, the American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card offers the highest combined rate: 2.5 Aeroplan points and 2 World of Hyatt Bonus Points per dollar, for a total of 4.5 points per dollar on your Hyatt stays.
Before talking about conversions, let’s establish the values. At Milesopedia, we estimate that one Aeroplan point is worth between 1.5 and 3 Canadian cents, depending on whether you redeem it for an economy or a business class flight. One World of Hyatt point is worth between 2 and 3 Canadian cents.
Scarcity explains part of this gap. In Canada, Aeroplan points are easy to earn: a lineup of 10 co-branded credit cards from TD, CIBC and American Express, plus 1:1 transfers from American Express Membership Rewards points. In contrast, it was nearly impossible to earn World of Hyatt points in Canada outside of hotel stays, other than by buying points. For a Canadian traveller, a World of Hyatt point is therefore worth even more because it is hard to get.
Keep this in mind when reading about the 2:1 conversions below: losing half the number of points does not mean losing half the value, depending on the direction of the conversion.
All members can convert World of Hyatt points into Aeroplan points at a 2:1 ratio, starting at 5,000 points. Additional conversions are then processed in increments of 1,000 points. Worth noting: this conversion does not require linking your accounts.
Aeroplan Elite Status members who have linked their accounts get an exclusive option: converting Aeroplan points into World of Hyatt Bonus Points at a 2:1 ratio. The minimum is 500 Aeroplan points per conversion, with a cap of 100,000 Aeroplan points per day and 250,000 Aeroplan points per week.
Beyond conversions, the two programs are launching direct redemptions at fixed rates. Aeroplan members can now redeem their points for World of Hyatt free nights, while World of Hyatt members can get an Aeroplan Flight Reward certificate.
Keep in mind that World of Hyatt reworked its award chart in May 2026, moving from three to five price levels per category. Before redeeming 25,000 or 75,000 Aeroplan points, check the category of the hotel you want and the equivalent World of Hyatt points rate: the value varies a lot from one property to another.
Starting today, Aeroplan Elite Status members and eligible premium cardholders can earn World of Hyatt status faster through an annual 90-day challenge:
According to the documentation provided to media, status earned through the challenge remains valid for the current year plus 14 months. For comparison, Globalist normally requires 60 nights per year: this is a major shortcut for frequent travellers.
Holders of a premium Aeroplan credit card, namely the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, the American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card and the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card, also receive:
World of Hyatt Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist members receive a CA$20 Air Canada flight credit every year after linking their accounts. Later in 2026, Explorist and Globalist members will also be able to register for annual challenges to fast-track Aeroplan Elite Status, from the 25K level up to 75K, based on Air Canada qualification thresholds.
The full terms and conditions for each of these offers are available on the dedicated World of Hyatt page.
Until now, Marriott Bonvoy was the only major hotel program with credit cards in Canada, through the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and its Business version. Hilton Honors does not offer any card in the country, and Best Western Rewards no longer does. To earn hotel points with a Canadian credit card, the options were limited.
This partnership changes the equation. Without launching a co-branded card, World of Hyatt relies on the 10 existing Aeroplan cards from TD, CIBC and American Express to offer hotel earning, entry-level status and status challenges. For a traveller who already holds a premium Aeroplan card, the math becomes interesting: effortless Discoverist status, 5 qualifying nights offered every year and up to 4.5 points per dollar on Hyatt stays.
Check out our page of the best credit cards for hotels and our page of the best credit cards to compare all the options.
This Aeroplan and World of Hyatt partnership benefits premium Aeroplan cardholders first: complimentary Discoverist status, 5 Tier-Qualifying Night credits per year, two status challenges and double earning at Hyatt. Frequent travellers also gain a shortcut to Globalist in 20 nights, one of the most generous hotel statuses in the industry.
For conversions, follow the value: transferring Aeroplan points to World of Hyatt can make sense as a top-up for Elite members, since Hyatt points are rare and valuable in Canada. On the other hand, we advise against the reverse direction, from World of Hyatt to Aeroplan. For free night redemptions, always compare the cost in Aeroplan points with the World of Hyatt rate of the hotel before confirming. To follow the next developments of this partnership, including the Aeroplan Elite Status challenges expected later in 2026, sign up for our newsletter.
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