Air Canada Priority Benefits on Aeroplan Credit Cards Explained

Who doesn’t like being treated like a priority customer? Whether you’re going out for a night on the town, or boarding a flight to somewhere near or far, there’s nothing quite like being treated like your business and happiness are both important.

Of course, this is a perk that can be enjoyed when flying on Air Canada thanks to certain priority airport services. These benefits, while available through Aeroplan status, are also attached to premium Aeroplan credit cards. These cards often boast hefty annual fees, so today we’re going to explain the Air Canada priority benefits that are available and see if they’re a good enough reason to add an expensive Aeroplan credit card to your wallet.

What Credit Cards Offer Air Canada Priority Benefits?

Air Canada Priority benefits are a suite of options to enhance your airport experience. These priority benefits are offered only on Premium tier Aeroplan credit cards, which aside from coming in slick metal card form, also happen to boast annual fees of $599.

This annual fee is the same whether the product you’re applying for is the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card, or the American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve card (this is the only small business premium Aeroplan credit card available).

Credit Card		Welcome Bonus
Apply Now	American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card	American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card 90,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,890	Apply Now
Apply Now	American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card	American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card 85,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,785	Apply Now
Apply Now	CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card	CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card 85,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,785	Apply Now
Apply Now	TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card	TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card 85,000 Aeroplan Estimated value: $1,785	Apply Now

It should be noted that while the annual fee for all of these cards is high, the Air Canada Priority Benefits are only a small portion of the benefits that cardholders can expect when holding some of these credit cards.

We’ll take a look at whether the benefits on these cards are worth the higher annual fee, but until then, let’s look at how holding some of these products can make your next Air Canada flight that much smoother – as the name would suggest, these benefits only work on that carrier!

Aeroplan Credit Cards – Air Canada Priority Benefits Explained

In a moment, we’ll dissect the three priority benefits that are available on the premium Aeroplan credit cards, but broadly speaking they encompass priority in-person check-in, priority baggage handling for your checked luggage (and your first piece of checked luggage is going to be free as a result of a separate benefit), and (best of all) priority Zone 2 boarding.

I have some good news about these benefits: they all apply to up to eight guests on the same itinerary. This means your family can stay together and go through priority check-in, expect to receive checked bags at a similar time, and board early as one group.

Note that that does necessitate that all passengers who are looking to benefit must be booked on a single itinerary, so you’ll either want to book all passengers under the same cardholder, ie have the person with the Air Canada co-branded credit card make the booking for eight people.

If you have companions who’ve already booked separate itineraries but are on the same flight, you can connect the itineraries so all passengers can use the priority benefits of one Air Canada co-branded credit card. To do this, you’ll need to call Air Canada. I’d also recommend being there in person when everyone is at check-in to ensure free luggage benefits and the like are bestowed.

Calling in to link itineraries only works for fare holders of the same class, so if you upgraded Grandma to Air Canada Premium Economy class, she won’t be able to use all these priority benefits (though they should be included on her higher-end ticket anyway).

Priority Check-In

The first priority benefit is that at the check-in line. Picture this: you’re on the way to the airport to go somewhere warm. You get out of your early morning Uber, and the sight that greets you looks like this:

That would not be fun. With this benefit, you don’t have to worry about that. Instead, you get a priority queue for check-in at the airport where you can quickly check-in, drop your checked bags, and carry on through security and perhaps to a lounge in the terminal without delay. 

Your dedicated priority check-in line will have signage that looks something like this:

Is this worth it? If you’re flying in premium cabins, this is generally included. However, if you’re flying in economy with baggage to check, or especially with travel companions, then this priority check-in experience can be an enormous time and headache saver at the start of your journey.

Priority Baggage Handling

The next benefit that is available is priority baggage handling. This means that if you avail yourself of the dedicated check-in above, and choose to check a bag, then your checked luggage will be marked with the following priority bag tag:

This indicates to the luggage handling crew that, in theory, your baggage is to be loaded and unloaded as rapidly as possible.

I said “in theory” because in practice, for both myself and the other staff members of Frugal Flyer, priority-marked checked luggage has been a bit of a voodoo ritual. Sometimes it comes out very fast at the end of a voyage, sometimes not.

I’d rather have the sticker than not, but a lot can depend on the baggage handlers, how luggage was reallocated mid-flight by turbulence, etc. This is a nice perk to have courtesy of your premium Aeroplan credit card either way, but it may or not be actually valuable depending on your luck.

Priority Zone 2 Boarding

The last benefit provided by Premium Aeroplan co-branded credit cards is probably the most important: Zone 2 priority boarding.

Again, if you’re flying in a premium cabin, such as Air Canada business class or Air Canada Signature class, or have Air Canada Aeroplan status, this may not be worth much to you. If you’re flying long-haul economy and below 50k Aeroplan Elite status, though, this perk can be the difference between snagging an overhead carry-on bin or not.

Because you and your companions will be upgraded to Zone 2 boarding, this means you get to get on as soon as that zone is called which is typically ahead of the majority of passengers. The real perk here is, as I mentioned, being able to secure a carry-on bin close to where you’re seated. 

Some folks may not care as much about this if they don’t like sitting on the tarmac waiting for everyone to board, so weigh if it’s right for how you travel.

Is It Worth Holding a Premium Air Canada Credit Card Just For Priority Benefits?

Priority benefits are just that: a way to enhance your airport experience and get you onto your Air Canada flight sooner. They make the process of getting through the airport experience easier and less painful. But is it worth applying for an Aeroplan Premium co-branded credit card simply for these benefits?

I would argue no, but only in isolation. Fortunately, these priority benefits don’t come alone but are bundled with multiple complementary benefits as well.

For example, these credit cards have one free checked bag for the primary cardholder and up to eight companions on the same itinerary. With many airlines charging north of $50 for a first checked bag, this can save families hundreds of dollars. It also pairs excellently with both the priority check-in and the the priority luggage handling, as this can mean putting your bags on the plane free from a dedicated line, and receiving them off it first!

Second, there is the ability to enjoy Maple Leaf Lounge access for the primary cardholder and one supplementary cardholder when flying Air Canada. This makes the experience much more relaxed once all the check-ins have been completed.

Third, I mentioned Aeroplan elite status earlier. These cards can be a fantastic way to supercharge your Aeroplan elite status by allowing you to earn 1000 status-qualifying miles and 1 status-qualifying segment for every $5,000 you spend on your co-branded credit card.

When combined with the high Aeroplan point welcome bonuses each of these credit cards offer, the $599 annual fee starts to seem a lot more reasonable.

Conclusion

We hope our review of the Air Canada priority benefits available from their Premium line of co-branded credit cards has been helpful to you today. These perks can help you from the moment you enter the airport to the time you step off the plane at your destination.

As with anything, you should use the credit cards that best suit your travel needs and we want you to get maximum value out of any of these products should you wish to hold them.

May you board amongst the first on your next adventure!