Air Canada Aeroplan points expire 18 months after account inactivity. Earning, redeeming, donating, transferring, or converting points within that 18-month period will reset your points expiration.
Additionally, Aeroplan paused the expiration of points until September 30, 2024.
How to Prevent Your Aeroplan Points from Expiring
Resetting the clock on your Aeroplan points typically involves two types of qualifying activities: earning points or redeeming points. Here are some examples below:
1. Flying on Air Canada or a Partner Airline
Earn points whenever you fly with Air Canada, airline partners, and the Star Alliance network.
Star Alliance Airlines
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Aegean
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Air Canada
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Air China
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Air India
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Air New Zealand
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ANA
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Asiana Airlines
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Austrian Airlines
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Avianca
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Brussels Airlines
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Copa Airlines
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Croatia Airlines
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EgyptAir
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Ethiopian
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EVA Air
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LOT Polish
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Lufthansa
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SAS
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Shenzhen
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Singapore Airlines
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South African
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SWISS
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TAP Portugal
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Thai Airways
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Turkish Airlines
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United Airlines
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Just type in your Aeroplan frequent flyer number when booking your reservation.
Redeeming Aeroplan points for flights, extras, and upgrades, can also reset the expiration clock (Points + Cash bookings count).
Aeroplan offers sweet spots for short-haul flights within North America.
2. Stay at a Partner Hotel
You can extend the validity of your Aeroplan points whenever you earn points at a partner hotel or redeem points towards a partner hotel.
3. Book a Car Rental
Earn points when you book a car rental or use your points to book a car rental on the Air Canada portal.
4. Transferring Points to Your Aeroplan Account
American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy are all transfer partners of Air Canada.
So, transferring points from any of these loyalty programs to your Air Canada Aeroplan account will reset your points’ expiration clock.
5. Shop at Partner Stores (online or in-store)
Earn points when you make online purchases on the Aeroplan shopping portal or in-store purchases at partner retailers.
For example, Amazon lets you earn 2 points per dollar at checkout.
Meanwhile, Starbucks lets you earn 25 Aeroplan points for every $50-$74.99 in-store purchase, or 100 points for every $75+ in-store purchase.
Linking your Aeroplan account and partner-retailer account might be needed for your points to reflect.
6. Buy Gift Cards
Use your points to buy gift cards from popular brands like Sephora, Walmart, Costco, and more. Prices may vary depending on the merchant.
7. Events and Experiences
Aeroplan members can book different types of events and experiences on the Aeroplan portal such as circus shows from Cirque du Soleil or rail tours from Rocky Mountaineer.
8. Use Your Aeroplan Credit Card
Earn points whenever you use your Aeroplan® Credit Card (review) on eligible purchases.
9. Buy, Donate or Gift Points
Reset your points’ expiration clock by buying, donating, or gifting points.
Comparing Aeroplan Against other Program's Expiration Policies
Here are some of the expiration policies of other programs. We’ll keep this table updated if there are any changes.
| Airline | Expiration |
|---|---|
AeroMexico
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Never |
Aer Lingus
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36 Months after inactivity |
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Air Canada (Aeroplan)
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18 months after inactivity |
Air France (Flying Blue)
|
24 months after inactivity |
Alaska Airlines
|
24 months after inactivity |
American Airlines
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24 months after inactivity |
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ANA
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36 months |
|
Asiana Airlines
|
10 years |
British Airways
|
36 months after inactivity |
Delta Air Lines
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Never |
Emirates
|
3 years |
Etihad
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18 months from inactivity |
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EVA Air
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36 months |
Iberia
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36 months after inactivity |
Korean Air
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10 years |
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Lufthansa
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36 months |
Qantas
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18 months after inactivity |
Qatar Airways
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36 months after inactivity |
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Singapore Airlines
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36 months |
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Turkish Airlines
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3 years |
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United Airlines
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Never |
Virgin Atlantic
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Never |
The Verdict
Historically, Aeroplan points expired after 12 months from account inactivity, so it’s great that the program increased it to 18 months.
Frequent flyers shouldn’t have any problems with their points expiring because Aeroplan offers lots of ways to reset them.
However, getting an Aeroplan card is the easiest way to keep your points from expiring. Just keep your card active, make a single purchase within 18 months, and you’re all set.
