If only travelling were a normal thing to do these days. Aeroplan has come out with two new summer miles offers. One gives you up to 150% bonus Aeroplan miles on purchased flights while the other gives you up to 40% of your miles back on a redemption booking.
Registration Required
Whether you’re paying for an Air Canada flight or redeeming Aeroplan miles, you need to register in order to take advantage of these offers.
Promo Details
Book a flight and earn:
- 100% bonus miles on Economy Standard, Economy Flex, Comfort, and Economy Latitude fares
- 150% bonus miles on Premium Economy and Business Class fares
Redeem Aeroplan miles and get:
- 30% miles back on Economy flight rewards
- 35% miles back on Premium Economy flight rewards
- 40% miles back on Business Class flight rewards
Check out the full terms and conditions to get the complete info on the promotion.
Book by August 4, Travel by September 30, 2020
To capitalize on one of these promos, you must book very soon and travel by the end of September. The previous promotion gave members a 50% rebate on redemptions in continental North America with a travel window of up to October 15, 2020. This one is even shorter although it includes all of Air Canada’s flight network.
If you’re already planning to purchase an Air Canada flight within the applicable timeframe, those extra miles are a nice bonus.
With an Aeroplan booking, you can cancel for free by August 31st, but the travel deadline of September 30, 2020 is awfully soon for many leisure travellers. There remains a lot of uncertainty around international travel and COVID-19. Currently, Canadians must self-quarantine for 14 days upon return. Similarly, countries around the world have their own requirements for visitors and those could change at any time.
The Surcharge Problem
Aside from the practical reality that very few Canadians are flying at the moment, the issue with this promo is that the most interesting offer – the rebate on Aeroplan redemptions for international travel – is limited to Air Canada. No Aeroplan partner flights will qualify. If you’re a relatively active collector of Aeroplan miles, you’re likely aware that flying Air Canada to Europe, for example, will involve hefty surcharges on reward flights. If flying in economy, the surcharges can approach the cost of a paid ticket. This is why many Aeroplan members use their miles to book flights on airlines like United, Swiss, Turkish etc. to avoid those extra charges on top of the miles.
Final Thoughts
I hope some Canadians can benefit from these offers. For me, it’s a non-starter. I don’t plan on travelling by plane anywhere in the next couple of months. This promotion could have been so much more appealing if the valid travel period were longer. As it is, it’s kind of like giving a steakhouse coupon to a vegetarian – a nice gesture but not very useful and slightly annoying.
I keep reading blogs praising the Aeroplan efforts. And « yes » it’s all good – but I fear it’s a precursor to devaluations in the Fall… You are in the right using a measured approach to these deals.
Here’s hoping this type of promo is an olive branch, not a ploy !