Buying Aeroplan Points: What You Need To Know

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Air Canada Aeroplan is the most popular frequent flyer program in Canada, and undoubtedly, members are always looking for ways to grow their points balance as they look to make their next flight redemption. Aeroplan offers its members the ability to purchase Aeroplan points directly from them, presenting a valuable opportunity with the right redemption in mind.

If you want to cut to the chase, click here to purchase Aeroplan points and see if there are any current bonus points promotions for which you are eligible. Otherwise, read on to learn more about this opportunity.

Buying Aeroplan Points

Aeroplan points can be purchased at a base cost of 3.75 cents per point CAD. Throughout the year, Aeroplan will often run promotions where bonus points are awarded on each purchase, up to 100% bonus points, which would get the price down to 1.88 cents per point CAD. With that in mind, it is often worth waiting for one of these promotions if you are interested in buying points.

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Aeroplan members can purchase up to 1,000,000 Aeroplan points per calendar year. If you are interested in purchasing, you can buy Aeroplan points here.

What Credit Card Should I Buy Aeroplan Points With?

If you are buying Aeroplan points, they are purchased through Points.com, which does not code as a travel or an Air Canada purchase, so don’t look to optimize your purchase from a spending category bonus.

As a Canadian, you will also be charged the relevant provincial and federal tax, depending on your billing address. This will add a high cost to your purchase, so it is worth looking to mitigate this additional cost as best as possible.

For example, if I were purchasing 250,000 Aeroplan points in Alberta, I would be charged $468.75 in GST. This value would be even higher if you were purchasing points in a province with higher taxes, such as British Columbia or Ontario.

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If you have a US credit card with a US billing address, that is the best option for purchasing Hilton Honors points. The reason why a US credit card is the best is that US billing addresses are not charged any taxes, meaning you will only pay the cost of the points. While it can be a bit of work to access these cards, we do have a guide on how you can get US credit cards as a Canadian.

When Should I Buy Aeroplan Points?

Buying Aeroplan points can make sense, but it is not a one-size-fits-all solution for every member and redemption goal.

There are four key things that you need to keep in mind before you pull the trigger on buying Aeroplan points:

  • The non-promotional price of 3.75 cents CAD per Aeroplan point is probably not worth it; it is recommended to wait for a promotion for bonus points
  • Points are not necessarily deposited instantly; if you purchase points when you find a desirable award seat, it most likely won’t be there when you go to redeem them once the points arrive
  • Aeroplan flight award dynamic pricing can be a pain and may result in flight prices going even higher than what you initially expected
  • Do not purchase points speculatively unless you are certain you will use them and receive a greater value than what you are spending

With those points in mind, the most common and recommended time for purchasing Aeroplan points is when you need a few more points to make your next redemption. Purchasing small amounts of points is far less risky than buying a big balance for obvious reasons.

If you can find award space, the Aeroplan program does offer some pretty amazing redemptions thanks to Air Canada’s inclusion in the Star Alliance network, including Air Canada Signature Business Class, ANA Business Class, and EVA AIR Business Class.

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Long-haul international business class flights on partner airlines typically offer the greatest cents per point value when looking to redeem Aeroplan points, but award seats can be hard to find. We recommend looking into several of the flight award search tools that are available to help you find the redemption you are looking for.

As an aside, if you are earning Aeroplan points as a household, make sure you take advantage of the Aeroplan Family Sharing program, which makes it easy to pool points together to make it a shorter road to your next flight redemption.

Other Ways To Earn Aeroplan Points

While buying Aeroplan points can make sense in certain situations, there is no shortage of ways to earn Aeroplan points. The most obvious one for many Canadians is through any of the co-branded Aeroplan credit cards that offer sizable welcome bonuses paired with excellent Air Canada benefits:

Credit Card Welcome Offer
Apply Now
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American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
85,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $1,785
Apply Now
Learn More
Apply Now
Learn More
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
85,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $1,785
Apply Now
Learn More
Apply Now
Learn More
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
85,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $1,785
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Learn More
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CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
45,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $945
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TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
45,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $945
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American Express® Aeroplan®* Card American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
40,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $840
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TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card
20,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $420
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CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card
10,000 Aeroplan points
Estimated value: $210
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American Express Canada cardholders who hold a card that earns Membership Rewards points can also transfer their points to Aeroplan at a rate of 1:1. Similarly, there is no shortage of cards to choose from, including the stellar American Express Cobalt Card:

Credit Card Welcome Offer
Apply Now
Learn More
American Express Business Platinum® Card American Express Business Platinum® Card
120,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $2,400
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Learn More
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American Express Platinum® Card American Express Platinum® Card
100,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $2,000
Apply Now
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Learn More
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
70,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $1,400
Apply Now
Learn More
Apply Now
Learn More
American Express® Gold Rewards Card American Express® Gold Rewards Card
60,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $1,200
Apply Now
Learn More
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Learn More
American Express Cobalt® Card American Express Cobalt® Card
15,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $300
Apply Now
Learn More
Apply Now
Learn More
American Express® Green Card American Express® Green Card
10,000 Membership Rewards points
Estimated value: $200
Apply Now
Learn More

While credit card welcome bonuses and bonus spending multipliers will be your most impactful way to earn a large amount of Aeroplan points as you look towards making your next flight redemption, there are a few other methods that are worth considering as well.

The Aeroplan eStore is a great option for earning points on retail purchases, especially when they are running promotions that offer an increased earning rate on popular retailers that offer high-cost products, such as electronics. Aeroplan retail partners, while a smaller earning avenue, are also an easy way to continue to build your points balances through regular purchases.

Conclusion

As with any time you are considering buying miles or points, it can make sense if you are getting good value for your money and have a plan in place to make a redemption. The worst thing you can do is speculatively purchase points to lock them into an ecosystem without a plan, so think before purchasing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Buying Aeroplan points does not earn status qualifying credits (SQC) and, as a result, will not allow you to work towards Aeroplan elite status.

It can be worth it, particularly when there is a bonus promotion running. Ensure you have a redemption plan in mind and are not purchasing points speculatively, as Aeroplan dynamically prices flight redemptions, which can make it hard to get good value from your points.

Josh Bandura

Josh Bandura

Co-Founder at Frugal Flyer
Josh has been involved in the miles and points game since 2015 but has scaled up his knowledge and points earning potential in recent years. With a consistent attitude of "min-maxing" in many aspects of his life, Josh has transferred this mindset over to the miles and points game. Always looking for the next big opportunity, he aims to share content on a variety of topics including his travels, miles and points, and most importantly, how to get the most out of your credit cards

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