If you’re not signed up with Aeroplan, now’s a pretty good time to do it. When you join during the current promotion, you’ll receive bonus miles (soon to be called “points” under the new program) if you earn at least one mile by September 30, 2020.
2500 Aeroplan Miles/Points for New Members
Sign up and earn at least one mile before September 30, 2020 to receive a 2500 mile bonus.
Aeroplan is getting a major makeover on November 8, 2020. Having split off from Air Canada many years ago, the loyalty arm will soon be back with the airline and the rules for earning and redeeming will be quite different.
There are few ways to earn miles, as explained on the Aeroplan website, but the easiest is probably to make an online shopping purchase through the Aeroplan eStore. If you’re going to be buying something at Home Hardware, you can use your card there as well.
Family Sharing
The new Aeroplan will include an interesting feature – the ability to share points among a group of up to 8 people. This makes these 2500 points a bit more attractive. When family members can pool their points, it can put a redemption within closer reach. Points will be deducted from all accounts in proportion to the respective balances.
Expiry Policy
Until recently, your miles would expire if you didn’t have any activity in your account in the last 12 months. It has been updated to extend the period to 18 months. If you happen to miss the expiry date, you’ll now have six months to have them re-instated by getting an Aeroplan credit card or flying on an eligible Air Canada ticket.
Non-Member Perspective?
I’ll try to put myself in the shoes of someone who has not yet joined Aeroplan.
Back when I was such an individual, my view was that it was a chore and would take an eternity to accumulate enough miles for a free flight. I had other more pressing things to worry about than earning a few points I might not ever be able to use. I only joined Aeroplan after I had become interested in other loyalty programs and the incentive was a promotion called the Star Challenge in 2012 where one could earn 16,500 miles fairly easily through multiple purchases. While this 2500 bonus is not as large, it’s very simple to achieve.
An obstacle I see with Aeroplan today is the dearth of retail partners. You can no longer collect at Esso. Aside from the Aeroplan eStore for online shopping, the only convenient bricks and mortar option is Home Hardware. Compare that to Air Miles where you easily earn miles at numerous local grocery, gas and drugstore partners, especially during good promotions.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in earning Aeroplan points via credit card spending, either with an Aeroplan branded credit card from Amex, TD, or CIBC or through converting Amex Membership Rewards, accumulating enough for a free flight becomes a lot more attainable.
There is no downside to signing up and if your travel plans involve distant destinations, it pays to learn how you can make the program work for you.
Bottom Line
I think every loyalty program should have some sort of bonus for signing up. This one is not too bad, and with the official launch of the new Aeroplan in November, hopefully we’ll see a good promotion for all members to earn a nice bunch of points.
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