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Looking to visit Canada? You don’t have to break the bank or drain your points balance. Instead, transfer your credit card travel rewards to Air Canada Aeroplan.
This airline loyalty program is offers some of the best award prices from the US to Canada on both its own flights and on flights operated by its partner, United Airlines. And even better, you can transfer the American Express Membership Rewards®, Capital One miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards points you already have to Aeroplan at a 1:1 transfer rate.
But just how good are these awards? Think one-way flights in economy for under 6,000 points one-way. So, let’s run through booking award tickets to Canada with Aeroplan and how to earn the points you need to book them.
Booking cheap award flights to Canada with Aeroplan
Flights from the US to Canada — and vice-versa — often start at under 6,000 points one-way on Air Canada-operated short-haul flights. Flights operated by Air Canada are priced dynamically, so you will find flights below and above this price depending on the day and route you fly. All awards have moderate taxes and fees.
Meanwhile, flights operated by its partner, United Airlines, start at 6,000 points for short-haul trips.
Longer flights can be a good deal too. For example, this flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Toronto (YYZ) costs 11,900 miles on this random date.
And if you’re planning a multi-city trip in Canada, you can find short-haul intra-Canada flights at extremely low prices. This one-way flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Edmonton (YEG) costs 6,500 on this example date.
You can book all of these tickets right on the Air Canada website. Just create an Aeroplan account and search for award tickets on the home page. Then, transfer your Amex, Chase or Capital One rewards to Aeroplan after you find a flight you want to book.
Again, all Aeroplan award tickets have taxes and fees that are charged in Canadian Dollars. Make sure to pay them with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
How to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points
You can quickly earn Air Canada Aeroplan points with a travel credit card, even if you live in the US. As mentioned, you can transfer Amex, Capital One and Chase points to the program at a 1:1 transfer ratio.
You can earn these points quickly by opening a new card and earning its welcome bonus. Here’s a few of our favorites:
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months. $325 annual fee (see rates and fees).
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 within the first three months from account opening. $95 annual fee.
You can also earn Aeroplan points directly with the Aeroplan® Credit Card. This card has a $95 annual fee and earns up to 100,000 points — 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open, plus 25,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.
Additionally, the card includes complimentary Aeroplan 25K elite status for the first year you have the card, and you can maintain it by spending $15,000 on the card during a calendar year.
Other perks include free checked bags on Air Canada flights and the ability to earn 500 bonus points every time you spend $2,000 per month on the card, up to 1,500 bonus points per month.
Bottom line
Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is one of the best out there for booking award tickets from the US to Canada, and for flights around Canada.
As mentioned, awards sometimes start at under 6,000 points, and you can easily transfer points from Amex, Capital One and Chase credit cards to book these tickets. Keep this in mind the next time you’re planning a trip up north.
Click here for rates and fees of the Amex Gold card.
Looking for a new travel credit card? Check out CNN Underscored’s list of the best credit cards currently available.