Traveling with Aeroplan once felt like unlocking hidden doorways to business-class comfort and elite perks. Now it increasingly feels like those doors have shrunk—and the key costs a lot more points or cash. Over the past year, Air Canada’s loyalty program has devalued award redemptions and rewritten elite qualification rules in ways that hit our Wheel & Anchor community especially hard.
Once upon a time, a Toronto to Amsterdam business-class seat demanded 60,000 Aeroplan points one-way. Today, that same seat lists for 117,000 points, a 67 percent increase in what feels like overnight. This wasn’t a gentle nudge; it was a sharp re-pricing that felt less like a market correction and more like a coordinated strategy influenced by partner airlines (Spoiler alert: It is). Points we’d saved for years now stretch half as far, and redemption availability has thinned even as rates rose.
Just when we thought status qualification would remain tethered to distance flown or segments logged, Air Canada tore up that rulebook. Starting in January 2026, elite status requires points qualifying credits based on spending instead of miles. Leisure travellers, which most of our members are, who book early, hunt sales, or fly economy for value now earn far fewer credits than before. Fewer miles mean fewer e-upgrade credits, higher ancillary fees, and longer waits for lounge access. Those who once relied on mileage runs or cheap long-haul savings find themselves shut out, while high spenders and business travelers skim the perks.
For members who travel for leisure rather than work, this change is more than an inconvenience. It forces many to scavenge award space with partners at odd hours or to pay premium cash fares just to secure comparable seats. The barrier to recouping points grows higher, and those long-held balances seem less like savings and more like tokens of nostalgia.
So this raises the question we never imagined asking: after investing years in collecting Aeroplan points, is it still worth it? As the program pivots toward spend-heavy loyalty, leisure travellers may find greater value in other ecosystems—WestJet Rewards, hotel programs like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors that remain distance-agnostic, or transferable bank points that grant flexibility across multiple airlines. You won’t be surprised to hear that many of our members have long since ditched Aeroplan.
No loyalty program is immune to change, and Aeroplan still offers access to Star Alliance partners and occasional sweet-spot redemptions. But for many Canadian adventurers, the math has shifted. It’s time to reassess where each dollar or point delivers the most reliable return, whether that means diversifying into multiple programs, prioritizing flexible travel credits, or simply focusing on cash-fare deals when they emerge.
Travel loyalty should reward curiosity and exploration, not frustrate it. As we navigate these new rules, our advice is to stay informed, compare redemption options, and keep an open mind to alternatives. After all, the world is still full of possibilities and the best program is the one that helps you seize them. (And if you know what that is, let us know !)