Aeroplan is the most well-known frequent flyer program in Canada. With it being easy to travel the world through Aeroplan points on both Air Canada and Star Alliance partner airlines, it is no coincidence that any serious travel hacker will look to accrue Aeroplan points to make their next vacation a reality.
Many credit card issuers in Canada, including TD Canada Trust, CIBC, and American Express all offer Aeroplan co-branded credit cards. These Aeroplan credit cards have varying welcome bonuses, benefits, and annual fees resulting in there being a card for every Aeroplan member’s needs. Today, we will be specifically looking at the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card, which is the top-tier Aeroplan credit card offered by American Express.
Let’s dive into our Amex Aeroplan Reserve review.
Aeroplan Reserve Overview
Welcome Bonus
As of May 2023, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card offers a welcome bonus of 115,000 Aeroplan points. The bonus is structured as follows:
- Earn 45,000 Aeroplan points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn 7,500 Aeroplan points after spending $2,000 in each of the first 6 monthly billing periods (up to 45,000 Aeroplan points).
- Earn 25,000 Aeroplan points when you make a purchase between 14 and 17 months of card membership
To earn the full bonus, you would need to do a total spend of $12,000. If you aren’t able to reach this with your organic spending, consider doing some research on easier ways to meet your minimum spending requirements.
The Amex Aeroplan Reserve card earns Aeroplan points and offers cardholders various Air Canada benefits including priority boarding, free checked baggage, and Maple Leaf lounge access.
Check out our American Express Aeroplan Reserve review for more details about this card.
115,000 Aeroplan
$12,000
$1,816+
$599
Yes
If we value Aeroplan points at 2 cents per point, this bonus would be worth $2,300. While the card has a larger spend requirement, the fact that it is spread out over a year makes this bonus worth the effort.
Bonus Spending Categories
The Amex Aeroplan Reserve card earns bonus Aeroplan points in the following categories:
- 3 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on eligible Air Canada purchases and Air Canada Vacations purchases.
- 2 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada.
- 1.25 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
$599 Annual Fee
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way early on; as the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card is a premium metal credit card, it comes with a premium annual fee.
A $599 annual fee is on par with other premium Aeroplan cards, such as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege and CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege. With that in mind, it would be worth comparing against these other options before applying to ensure you are getting the best welcome bonus and benefits for yourself.
High annual fees, while initially daunting for those newer to the travel hacking scene, can be worth it depending on what the card offers. I always recommend looking at the total value proposition of the card (welcome bonus + benefits + insurance coverages) to determine if you can extract significant value from the card above what you would be paying for an annual fee.
Now that we have touched on the value of the Aeroplan points welcome bonus and the annual fee, let’s take a look at the benefits to see what other value you can get out of the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card.
Air Canada & Aeroplan Benefits
The American Express Aeroplan Reserve card offers many Aeroplan and Air Canada Travel benefits.
Free Checked Bag
Cardholders, in addition to up to eight guests on the same reservation, are eligible to receive their first checked bag for free when the travel originates on an Air Canada flight. This is a saving of $30 per bag which can add up if you are traveling with friends or family on any Air Canada flights, and is the easiest way to save on Air Canada baggage fees.
Priority Perks
Cardholders can expect to receive priority check-in, zone 2 priority boarding, and priority baggage handling when flying on an Air Canada flight. They will also have access to priority airport standby and a higher priority when it comes to eUpgrade requests for premium cabins (available when flying on a same-day ticket that allows for airport standby and upgrades).
These priority perks can be applied to up to eight other passengers traveling on the same reservation as the cardholder.
Complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge Access & Air Canada Cafe Access
American Express Aeroplan Reserve cardholders are eligible to receive complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge access and Air Canada Cafe access in Canada and the United States for themselves and a guest.
Access will be granted as long as the cardholder and their guest are flying on a same-day itinerary operated by Air Canada or any Star Alliance member airline. Your flight ticket will denote lounge access as your credit card is tied to your Aeroplan account, which will be tied to your booking.
This benefit does not include access to the Air Canada Signature Suites.
eUpgrade Credit Rollover
Depending on your flying habits, it can be difficult to use all of your eUpgrade credits that you earned through Aeroplan elite status during a calendar year. If you requalify the following year for status, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card will automatically roll over up to 50 unused eUpgrade credits.
If you want to learn more about eUpgrade credits, check out our Introduction to eUpgrades and Comprehensive eUpgrade FAQ articles.
Earn Aeroplan Elite Status Quickly
American Express Aeroplan Reserve cardholders will earn 1,000 status qualifying miles (SQM) and 1 status qualifying segment (SQS) for every $5,000 in eligible net purchases charged to your card. If you are looking to achieve a status higher than Aeroplan 25k, this benefit might help you along on your journey.
Cardholders are also eligible to roll over up to 200,000 unused SQMs to apply towards elite status in the following year.
Annual Worldwide Companion Pass
Upon spending $25,000 during a cardholder year, the cardholder will receive one annual worldwide companion pass for use on Air Canada flights. This companion pass entitles the cardholder to buy an accompanying economy class ticket at a fixed base fare rate for a round-trip itinerary.
The base fare can range from $99 to $599, depending on where you are flying in the world.
Other Benefits
$100 NEXUS Credit
The Aeroplan Reserve card offers a $100 NEXUS credit. This credit renews every four years.
This credit can be used towards a new membership or renewal fees and is the best way to get a NEXUS membership for free. This credit does not need to be used for the cardholder’s NEXUS membership; it can be used to apply for or renew any NEXUS membership.
While the NEXUS program is slowly ramping back up when it comes to interviews in Canada, I expect we will continue to see increased capacity in the near future.
Priority Pass Membership
The Aeroplan Reserve card comes with a complimentary membership to the Priority Pass airport lounge program. However, this membership does not grant complimentary access to airport lounges; both the cardholder and any guests will have to pay the access fee for any lounge that is entered.
In my eyes, this makes this benefit completely pointless. Any true travel hacking aficionado should not be paying for lounge access when we look at the variety of credit cards, in both Canada and the US, that offer complimentary lounge access.
If you are serious about gaining access to airport lounges, look into other credit cards that offer truly complimentary lounge access.
YYZ Expedited Security Lane
If you have been following the news as of late, Toronto Pearson International Airport is an absolute gong-show when trying to get through security in a reasonable amount of time.
As an American Express Aeroplan Reserve card holder, you are able to access expedited security lanes at both terminals 1 and 3. Simply present your card at the priority security lanes to gain access for yourself and anyone else who is on your itinerary.
Insurance Coverages
The Amex Aeroplan Reserve comes with a comprehensive suite of insurance coverages that you would expect from a premium credit card for both travel and consumer purchases.
The travel-related insurance coverage includes emergency medical insurance, trip cancellation insurance, trip interruption insurance, flight delay insurance, baggage delay insurance, hotel burglary insurance, lost baggage insurance, travel accident insurance, and rental car theft and damage insurance.
On the other hand, the card offers the following coverages when it comes to consumer purchases: buyer’s assurance protection plan and purchase protection plan.
If you want to dig into the weeds to fully understand the insurance coverages that are offered on the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card, you can access the insurance certificate here.
Earning Aeroplan Points
The most efficient way to earn large amounts of Aeroplan points is to take advantage of credit card welcome bonuses. While the Aeroplan co-branded credit cards are a great option, also consider credit cards that have a rewards currency that is transferable to Aeroplan, such as Membership Rewards from both Canadian Amex and US Amex cards.
The Aeroplan eStore is another great option to earn Aeroplan points for your everyday online shopping purchases. This online shopping portal has over 225 partner retailers. To earn, all you need to do is log into your Aeroplan account and click through the eStore before making a purchase at a partnered retailer.
Finally, Aeroplan points can be earned by flying with Air Canada on cash fares. This is the least efficient way to seriously earn Aeroplan points. Points are awarded based on the fare class that is being flown.
Redeeming Aeroplan Points
Aeroplan points can be redeemed for flights around the world on Air Canada and any of the Star Alliance partnership airlines. This is the best way to redeem Aeroplan points.
Related: Two Card Trip to Japan
Aeroplan points can also be redeemed for hotels, car rentals, and merchandise. The redemption value, or cent per point, is very poor for these types of redemptions and should be avoided.
Alternatives to the Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card
American Express is not the only credit card issuer when it comes to co-branded Aeroplan cards in Canada. Before applying, I recommend looking to other co-branded Aeroplan cards and American Express cards that award Membership Rewards points to find the best value proposition for your specific situation.
Below are two cards that we recommend considering if you are interested in the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card. If you are interested in seeing what other credit cards are out there, check out our card comparison tool.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card is a strong contender to the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card, offering similar Air Canada perks and a strong welcome bonus. This card also has one of the highest annual fees in Canada at $599, so ensure you will get enough value out of the welcome bonus and perks when considering if you want to apply for this credit card.
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card earns Aeroplan points and offers cardholders a variety of Air Canada benefits including priority boarding, free checked baggage, and Maple Leaf lounge access.
115,000 Aeroplan
$12,000
$1,816+
$599
Yes
American Express Business Platinum
The American Express Business Platinum card is one of the best contenders against the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card, since you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan points at a 1:1 ratio. The card has a lower annual fee and an equally impressive welcome bonus, but you will need to ensure that you are eligible to apply for business credit cards as a sole proprietor.
The Amex Business Platinum card also offers access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes complimentary access to Centurion, Plaza Premium, and more lounges for the cardholder and one guest.
The Amex Business Platinum card earns Membership Rewards points and offers cardholders benefits including complimentary access to four airport lounge programs and instant Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
90,000 Membership Rewards
$10,000
$1,481+
$499
Yes
Conclusion
As one of the eleven co-branded Aeroplan credit cards in Canada, the Amex Reserve card definitely makes a strong value proposition in what it offers to cardholders. Based on the welcome bonus versus the annual fee alone, this might be a great card to pick up if you can support the monthly spending requirements. Additionally, if you fly Air Canada a fair bit, you might find value in keeping this card as part of your Amex strategy.
If the annual fee is a bit daunting or if you are unsure if you could meet the spending requirement, consider looking at other co-branded Aeroplan or Membership Rewards awarding cards to see if you can find one that fits your budget.
Josh Bandura
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