Chase Aeroplan Mastercard: New credit card launched in the U.S.

Late last year, Air Canada and Chase announced a partnership coming in 2021. This partnership has gone into effect with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, and the ability to transfer points to Aeroplan.

Now it is the turn of the Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^® launch in the United States, which took place in New York at an exclusive event.

With the Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^®, you can get:

• 3 Aeroplan points per dollar at grocery stores, on dining including eligible delivery services
• 3 Aeroplan points per dollar for Air Canada purchases
• 1 Aeroplan point per dollar everywhere else

Plus, you earn 500 bonus Aeroplan points for every US$2,000 in monthly purchases on your Card (up to 1,500 bonus Aeroplan points per month).

As a welcome bonus, you can earn Two Welcome Flight Rewards Certificates worth up to 50,000 points each. To earn this, you will need to spend US$4,000 in the first three months.

You will be able to use these certificates for the purchase of any flight reward:

• if your itinerary costs 65,000 points, you can top up with 15,000 points from your Aeroplan account
• if your itinerary costs 45,000 points, the full certificate would be considered used

It is therefore worth using these certificates only to book a flight reward worth 50,000 points or more.

Note: Waitlist registrants will earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan points and ten eUpgrade credits.

As a Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^® credit cardholder, you will enjoy Aeroplan 25K Elite status until the end of 2023. Starting in 2024, you can maintain this status after spending US$15,000 in a calendar year.

If you are a status holder, you can earn a one-level status boost to 35K Status or higher for the next year after spending $50,000 in a calendar year.

Depending on your spending on the Card, you can receive benefits such as 50% off Priority Rewards at $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 and $750,000 in annual spending.

Those who reach $1,000,000 in annual spending will get a benefit called unlimited Global+1. This means they will be able to earn 100% points back on all redemptions in all cabins for a designated companion.

Like Aeroplan credit cards in Canada, as a Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^® credit cardholder, you get the first free checked bag if your travel begins with Air Canada.

And up to 8 travel companions on the same booking can get the same benefit.

Also, as a Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^® credit cardholder, you receive a $100 credit toward Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus every four years.

Great news!

Aeroplan will purchase carbon offsets to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions associated with cardmember travel when they fly Air Canada using an Aeroplan flight reward.

Applies to Chase Aeroplan primary cardmembers and travel companions on the same reservation for flight segments with Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge.

Pay Yourself Back is a Chase feature that allows points to be applied on expenses incurred directly when the statement is issued.

Chase Aeroplan Cardmembers will be able to apply their Aeroplan points toward travel purchases on any airline, including hotel, car rental, and more at a rate of USD 1.25 cents per point up to 50,000 points per year (US$625 of value).

This card has no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions and comes with many World Elite Mastercard level insurances and benefits:

•  Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
• Baggage Delay Insurance
• Trip Delay Reimbursement
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• Roadside Assistance
• Complimentary 24/7 concierge service
• Access to Mastercard Priceless^® Experiences
• Exclusive offers from popular brands for services like ride-sharing, food delivery and online shopping

The annual fee for the Chase Aeroplan^® World Elite Mastercard^® is US$95. This is particularly competitive with credit cards in the US market.

For several years, Air Canada has been building its network to better connect Canada and the United States to the rest of the world through its hubs in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver to offer a solid alternative to American, Delta Airlines, and United.

Air Canada is striking back by partnering with Chase – and Mastercard – to (re)conquer the American market.

So it makes sense that this card has different and even better features than the ones we have in Canada, offered by American Express, CIBC and TD. It’s a question of market and currency (at the time of writing, 1 US $ = 1.28 CA $).

However, let’s hope that this will give some Canadian issuers ideas to take over some of the features of this Card (such as no foreign transaction fees).

Anyway, if you have a credit history in the United States, this is an exciting card to have in your wallet (I’m thinking in particular of snowbirds to continue to earn Aeroplan points on expenses made in the United States, without paying conversion fees)!

As part of this event reserved for selected media, I had the opportunity to speak – in French – with Mark Nasr (SVP Marketing, Products and E-commerce for Air Canada) and Scott O’Leary (VP Aeroplan for Air Canada).

Air Canada put on a particular show, offering a menu with different flavours representing the regions of the world served by the Canadian airline: Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Some reactions:

Air Canada :

We set out to create something special for our U.S. based Aeroplan members—a card that offers immediate benefits after signing-up, and more value the more it’s used for purchases. The Chase Aeroplan Card, when paired with the newly transformed Aeroplan and our growing list of 45 airline partners, gives our U.S. members everything they need to travel more and travel better.

Scott O’Leary, vice-président – Aéroplan, d’Air Canada

Chase:

We designed the new Aeroplan Credit Card to provide cardmembers with incredible opportunities to earn points on everyday purchases that they can use toward travel all across the world. We are excited about the rich value the Aeroplan program and new card offers as more Americans return to travel and plan for future international trips.

Greg Stranz, directeur général - Cartes Air Canada comarquées de Chase

All the details on this card are available here.