Last updated: August 2026. Sign-up bonuses and fees change often — confirm the current offer on the issuer's page before you apply.
The Chase Aeroplan® Card is the best $95 you can spend on Star Alliance access. Air Canada's Aeroplan program books more than 40 partner airlines on fixed, distance-based charts with no fuel surcharges, allows a cheap stopover on one-way awards, and reaches almost anywhere — and this card feeds it with 3x on groceries and dining, real elite status from spend, and a 1.25¢ escape-hatch redemption for the years you'd rather have simplicity. It suits award-travel optimizers and normal travelers alike, which is rare.
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At a glance
| Annual fee | $95 |
| Sign-up bonus | Recently boosted to 75,000 points after $4,000 spend in 3 months (limited-time; earlier standard offer was 60,000 after $3,000) — verify current offer |
| Best for | Star Alliance flyers; stopover lovers; grocery/dining spenders |
| Points earned | Air Canada Aeroplan |
| Floor value | 1.25¢/point via Pay Yourself Back (up to 200,000 points/year) |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Card network | World Elite Mastercard — issued by Chase |
Apply Now → see the current offer
What the points are worth
Aeroplan points have an unusually solid floor and a high ceiling. The floor: Pay Yourself Back, which erases travel purchases at 1.25¢ per point (capped at 200,000 points per calendar year; currently confirmed through the end of 2026). The ceiling: partner awards on distance-based charts, where a long-haul business seat can return 2–4¢+ per point. Air Canada's own flights price dynamically, but partner awards are fixed — and Aeroplan famously adds no carrier fuel surcharges, so a Lufthansa or EVA award costs points plus modest taxes and a CA$39 partner booking fee, not points plus $800 of fees. Note the chart moved on June 1, 2026: premium-cabin prices rose on many routes (economy was largely spared), so recheck numbers before you plan. See how we value each currency.
Where your points can go
The whole Star Alliance — United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish, EVA, ANA, Singapore, Air India and the rest — plus non-alliance partners, more than 40 airlines in total, booked on aircanada.com with one of the better partner search engines anywhere. Aeroplan divides the world into four zones (North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America) and prices by distance band within them. Current sample one-ways after the June 2026 changes: short North America hops from 6,000 points in economy, longer domestic from 22,500; New York–London around 42,500 economy / 75,000 business; West Coast–Singapore around 65,000 economy / 102,500 business. New to alliances? See our airline alliances guide.
Earning rates
| Rate | Category |
|---|---|
| 3x | Dining, including takeout and delivery |
| 3x | Grocery stores |
| 3x | Air Canada purchases |
| 1x | Everything else |
| +500 | Bonus points per $2,000 spent in a month (up to 1,500/month) |
3x groceries and dining on a $95 airline card is unmatched among US airline co-brands — an everyday-spend engine, not just a fly-with-us card. The monthly 500-point kickers effectively add up to 1.25x on your first $6,000 of monthly spend.
Benefits & credits
Credit amounts and perks change — verify each is current before you count on it.
- Aeroplan 25K elite status for your first year (through the following calendar year), kept with $15,000 of card spend per calendar year. Note the 2026 mechanics change: the old "Level Up" tier-bump at $50k spend is retired; card spend now grants Status Qualifying Credits (5,000 annually, plus spend-based grants up to 25,000 more — $75,000 spend reaches 35K status).
- Free first checked bag on Air Canada for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation.
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS credit once every four years.
- Pay Yourself Back at 1.25¢/point against travel purchases (200k points/year cap; request credits within 90 days of the purchase).
- 10% bonus on Ultimate Rewards transfers to Aeroplan for cardholders, per current terms — a quiet multiplier if you also hold a Sapphire or Ink card.
- No foreign transaction fees, plus World Elite Mastercard and Chase travel protections.
Best uses (sweet spots), with examples
1. The stopover trick. Add a stopover of more than 24 hours on an eligible international one-way partner award for just 5,000 extra points — Tokyo for four days en route to Bangkok, Istanbul on the way to Delhi. Almost no other program sells stopovers this cheaply; it turns one award into two trips.
2. Star Alliance business class without surcharges. Transatlantic business on partners for around 75,000 points + taxes and CA$39 — no four-figure fuel surcharges (worked example: 60k business to Europe booked pre-increase). Compare that with surcharge-heavy programs and the value is obvious.
3. India and Asia via the distance chart. Aeroplan is one of the strongest currencies for India — Star Alliance's breadth (Turkish via Istanbul, Lufthansa/Swiss via Europe, Air India nonstops) means multiple routings price off fixed bands.
4. Short-haul North America in economy. 6,000-point hops (and 500-mile flights across the border) are an efficient use of small balances — economy pricing mostly survived the June 2026 increases.
5. The lazy year: Pay Yourself Back. No award hunting? 75,000 points erase $937 of travel purchases at 1.25¢. That floor makes the sign-up bonus safe even if you never open an award chart.
Fine print worth knowing
- June 1, 2026 award-chart changes raised many premium-cabin prices (first class up as much as 25,000 points on some routes). Always price your specific route fresh.
- Air Canada's own flights price dynamically — the fixed charts apply to partners.
- The CA$39 partner booking fee applies per booking on partner awards; the 5,000-point stopover applies to eligible international one-ways.
- Aeroplan points expire after prolonged account inactivity — card earning keeps the account alive automatically.
- Chase's 5/24 rule applies: five or more new personal cards across issuers in 24 months generally means denial.
- The 25K-status retention threshold ($15,000/calendar year) is use-it-or-lose-it each year.
Who should get it
Get this card if you redeem (or want to redeem) on Star Alliance airlines, you value the stopover and no-surcharge math, or you simply want the strongest grocery+dining earner among airline cards with a 1.25¢ floor behind it. It's also the rare airline card worth holding purely for the 10% UR transfer bonus if you're a heavy Chase points user.
Consider the United Explorer instead if your loyalty is to United specifically — bags and upgrades on United metal come from its own card. Consider the Sapphire Preferred if you want transferable points first and Aeroplan as one option among many.
Bottom line
Distance-based charts, 40+ partners, 5,000-point stopovers, no fuel surcharges, 3x on the food you already buy, status from spend, and a 1.25¢ floor if life gets busy — the Chase Aeroplan Card is arguably the most complete $95 airline card in America. Just recheck the chart after the June 2026 increases before you promise yourself a first-class price. See how it fits your plan in Points Path and track it in your Rewards Wallet.
Apply Now → see the current offer
Related: Aeroplan business class for 60k · Fly to India with points · Airline alliances guide · Transfer partners chart
