Air Canada’s Aeroplan program has been one of the more generous when dealing with the impact of the COVID pandemic on travel. Even though travel is gradually returning to normal, that hasn’t stopped Aeroplan from making a very customer-friendly announcement today.
Elite Status
Automatic extension of 2021 Aeroplan Elite Status
All Aeroplan Elite Status for 2021 will automatically be extended through to the end of 2022.
Priority Reward Vouchers also extended
Air Canada is also extending the validity of all unused Priority Reward vouchers issued in 2020 by one full year, making them valid for use until October 2022.
Elite Status Qualification Jumpstart for 2022
For Aeroplan members who earn any Elite Status through their 2021 flight activity, the Status Qualifying Miles, Segments, and Dollars earned in 2021 will be honoured the next year, jumpstarting their status qualification in the years to come.
Other Enhancements
Change or cancel Flight Rewards, free of charge
Aeroplan flight rewards booked through April 30, 2021 (for travel through April 2022) can be changed or cancelled free of charge, at any time. Members who opt to cancel will receive all of their Aeroplan points back in their account, plus a full refund of any associated taxes, fees and surcharges on the unused value of their travel.
Temporary pause to expiration of Aeroplan points
We have further paused expiry of Aeroplan points until January 31, 2022. This means that between now and January 30, 2022, any points which would have expired will not. Effective January 31, 2022, our recently improved expiration policy will apply, meaning that points will expire if an eligible transaction has not been completed prior to this date.
You can read the full announcement by clicking here.
The Bottom Line
Extending elite status for another year is a very welcome move.
The jumpstart, however, is less generous than it appears. Aeroplan does make it clear that:
for certainty, over the course of 2021, members would need to earn at least 25,000 SQM or 25 SQS, and at least 3,000 SQD (1,500 SQD for non-Canadian residents), in order to be eligible for this jumpstart in 2022.
And any time I can change or cancel award tickets for free, I’m happy… 🙂
Of course, I recently wrote about a free little trick to keep your Aeroplan points from expiring, so you might not be terribly concerned about the pause on expiration…
