Air Canada has announced some upcoming changes to the Aeroplan program that will become effective on January 1, 2026, The airline will move to revenue based earning, introduce Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) as the only elite qualifying metric and introduce new Milestone Awards for elite members. These are probably the most significant changes to the program since it was relaunched in November 2020.
Let’s take a look at all these changes that are coming to Canada’s largest airline loyalty program:
Revenue based points earning on Air Canada flights
On January 1, 2026 Air Canada will move away from the current “Distance x Fare Class” points earning model for Air Canada flights to a revenue based accrual model. The airline is following in the footsteps of most airlines around the world who have adopted this earn model over the past decade or more.
When this model takes effect next year, Aeroplan members will earn at least 1 Aeroplan point per $1 spent on Air Canada fares (base fare + carrier surcharges, excluding taxes and third-party fees). Aeroplan Elite members will earn 2x to 6x points per dollar, based on their respective tier.
During our briefing with Air Canada the question was raised about earning points on flight extras like seats, baggage, upgrades etc. (a la WestJet Rewards) and the Aeroplan executives mentioned they are working on it.
Like many other airline programs that have moved to 100% revenue based models, the amount of points earned will vary significantly depending on flight ticket cost and the elite status held within the program. And in the past, with most of those other programs, the moves were mostly seen as devaluations as bigger proportion of flyer would earn less while the big spenders earned more. However, with Air Canada already operating on a hybrid model of “distance x percentage based on fare class” I would say the move to 100% revenue based earning can be seen as less of a broad based devaluation like we have seen in those other programs.
Examples of Points Earning
Let’s take a look at some points earning examples that were provided by Air Canada and several of our own which compare points earning with the current hybrid model and the 100% revenue model coming this January. As you’ll see from this small sampling, the 100% revenue based accrual provides both positive and negative results:
Base Member, Economy Standard, Toronto to St. John’s, NL
In this first example provided by Air Canada, we have a base Aeroplan member flying from YYZ to YYT on an Economy Standard fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 378 Aeroplan points and 756 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 331 Aeroplan points and 331 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
Aeroplan 75K Member, Economy Flex, Toronto to St. John’s, NL
In the second example provided by Air Canada, we have an Aeroplan 75K member flying from YYZ to YYT on an Economy Flex fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 2,290 Aeroplan points and 1,832 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 1,323 Aeroplan points and 1,323 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
Base Member, Economy Standard, Montreal to New York-LGA
In the third example provided by Air Canada, we have a base Aeroplan member flying from YUL to LGA on an Economy Standard fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 203 Aeroplan points and 406 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 162 Aeroplan points and 162 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
75K Member, Economy Flex, Montreal to New York-LGA
In the fourth example provided by Air Canada, we have an Aeroplan 75K member flying from YUL to LGA on an Economy Flex fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 1,290 Aeroplan points and 1,032 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 324 Aeroplan points and 324 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
Aeroplan 75K member, Economy Flex, Vancouver to Tokyo-NRT
In the fifth example provided by Air Canada, we have an Aeroplan 75K member flying from YVR to NRT on an Economy Flex fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 3,550 Aeroplan points and 2,840 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 4,660 Aeroplan points and 4,660 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the current (old) system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out ahead of the upcoming earn model.
Aeroplan Super Elite Member, Business Class, Vancouver to Tokyo-NRT
In the sixth example provided by Air Canada, we have an Aeroplan Super Elite member flying from YVR to NRT on a Business Class fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 56,202 Aeroplan points and 37,468 Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 6,990 Aeroplan points and 6,990 Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points and elite qualifying earn comes out WAY ahead of the current earn model.
and now for our examples!
Air Canada did not provide any examples of Economy Basic earning so we took the three routes shown above and looked at what Aeroplan base members booking Economy Basic fares would earn in the current versus new accrual models:
Base Aeroplan member, Economy Basic, Toronto to St. John’s
In our first example we have a base Aeroplan member flying from YYZ to YYT on an Economy Basic fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 353 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 264 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
Base Aeroplan member, Economy Basic, Montreal to New York-LGA
In our second example we have a base Aeroplan member flying from YUL to LGA on an Economy Basic fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 299 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 157 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the new system of points earn comes out ahead of the current earn model.
Base Aeroplan member, Economy Basic, Vancouver to Tokyo-NRT
In our third example we have a base Aeroplan member flying from YVR to NRT on an Economy Basic fare:
As of January 1st, 2026 this flight example would earn 872 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Credits (see the next section for all the details on the new SQC qualifier). Compare this to the current (2025) earn rate of 2,334 Aeroplan points and no Status Qualifying Miles. For this example the current (old) system of points earn comes out ahead of the upcoming earn model.
—
In general I feel that with domestic flying making up the biggest proportion of flying and with what those flights within Canada cost these days, that the majority of Aeroplan members will earn more points with the new accrual model! And I have to say – it’s about time! As we all know it can be more expensive to fly within Canada than it is from Canada to the U.S., Europe or Asia. This will be especially great for those living up North or are traveling to the North frequently as those ticket prices tend to be high and to only earn 10% of the distance flown on an expensive basic fare hasn’t been fair!
But on the flip side, based on the few examples we do have, travellers flying on cheaper long haul flights will take the brunt of lower points earning, which is to be expected since points earning is no longer distance based.
Partner airline points accumulation
Earning points on Aeroplan partner airlines will continue to be based on partner’s earn chart (e.g. distance and fare class based)
Flight Pass Earning
Here are the details on how flight passes will work with earning points and SQC
Status Qualifying Credits – the only qualification metric!
For as long as I can remember (and that’s a very long time as I am one of the old guys now) Air Canada Aeroplan has always had multiple metrics for elite status qualifying. The airline has allowed members to achieve status based on qualifying miles or segments and then more recently, but not that recent, the additional requirement of status qualifying dollars over and above the miles or segments.. All those multiple options will go away on January 1st as Aeroplan will introduce Status Qualifying Credits and SQC will be the singular elite status qualification metric.
- The new SQC metric replaces distance and segment-based Elite qualification.
- Aeroplan members can accumulate 2x SQC per dollar spent on Standard fares and 4x SQC on Flex fares and above on Air Canada.
- Elite Status can also be boosted with SQC accumulated through credit card spend, travel, and everyday partners.
Earning Status Qualifying Credits (SQC)
- 2x per C$1 for Standard fares and eUpgrade Add-ons
- 4x per C$1 for Flex fares and up
- 1x per C$1 on Air Canada Vacations
- Unlimited accumulation potential
Note: Basic Economy fares will not get SQC (no different than the current earn model)
Aeroplan partner earning
- 1 SQC per 5 points earned with Star Alliance partners (applies to non-014 ticket only)
- 1 SQC per 5 points earned with Travel & Retail Partners
- Up to 25,000 SQC per year
Credit Card Spend
- 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent on Aeroplan Premium cards, plus annual 10% Head Start for Elite members (starting in 2027)
- 1,000 SQC per $20,000 spent on Aeroplan Core cards
- Up to 25,000 SQC per year
The premium credit cards that will earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent:
- American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
- American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card
- CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
- TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
The core credit cards that will earn 1,000 SQC per $20,000 spent:
- American Express® Aeroplan®* Card
- CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
- CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card
- TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
- TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card
Just as we see with the current elite status earn on Aeroplan entry level co-brand cards, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card and the no fee CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card will not earn SQC.
Qualifying for Air Canada Aeroplan Elite Status with SQC
The number of Status Qualifying Credits required to qualify for status with Air Canada will remain at the same value of the current SQM requirements except for Super Elite, which will require more SQC’s than the current SQM requirement:
As you can see from the graphic above, these are the new elite status requirements:
- Aeroplan 25K Elite Status: 25,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 35K Elite Status: 35,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 50K Elite Status: 50,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 75K Elite Status: 75,000 SQC
- Aeroplan Super Elite Status: 125,000 SQC
For current elite members or those chasing the next status level, much doesn’t change – in fact it may even be easier for some to get status since there will no longer be an SQD requirement.
For Super Elite qualifying, Air Canada did let us know that they don’t believe the increased requirement won’t affect the number of Super Elites they have. They must have run the numbers of what the new program earning will provide and seen that most will qualify or re-qualify at 125,000 SQC. If the flight earning examples above are any indication, for some it may become even easier to re-qualify for Super Elite status if you fly full fare business class long haul flights. The Super Elite YVR-NRT business class example has an earn of 37,468 SQC versus 6,990 in the current program – for a one way flight! Two full fare round trips like that and you re-qualify for Super Elite.
It’s interesting to note that we now have both Air Canada and WestJet who have increased the requirements for qualifying for their highest elite tier status levels. But with the additional changes from both airlines in terms of increasing elite qualifying earn those increased requirements actually make sense to keep the number of top tier members at the same and presumably, manageable levels.
All told with these changes, Air Canada has told us that 5/6 of elites will be the same or better with the changes to the elite program.
You can achieve 50K elite status without flying Air Canada
During our briefing of the new program last week I posed the question to Air Canada to see if you can stack the up to 25,000 SQC per year from both Aeroplan partners and Credit Card Spend and the answer is yes. Thus, in this updated version of Aeroplan which will no longer have an SQD requirement, you can achieve up to 50K status without setting foot on Air Canada metal.
Aeroplan Premium credit cards: 10% Head Start replacing Rollover SQM
The next change happening to the elite status program is for Aeroplan Premium co-brand cardholders. Those consumers who have cards like the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card. and the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card and have Air Canada Elite Status currently enjoy a rollover SQM benefit. That benefit will be replaced with a new benefit which is a 10% SQC Head Start at the start of each qualifying year.
Tip: Air Canada uses “premium” for the card tier that most of us refer to as “Ultra Premium”
With this benefit, Aeroplan Elite Status Members will have 10% of their cumulative total of SQM earned during a qualifying year added to their next year’s qualification level. Unlike the current maximum rollover of 200,000 SQM, the amount of SQC issued via Head Start is unlimited.
Here are some examples provided by Air Canada of what members would earn with rollover vs. Head Start:
What you can extrapolate from this chart is those members who clear an elite status level by a few thousand SQM or less will do better with the new Head Start Benefit while those who are just shy of an elite level and have a higher rollover amount will fair worse with the new 10% Head Start benefit. For example, take someone who is at 95K SQM or 95K SQC (And isn’t given an automatic upgrade to Super Elite) they would get 9,500 SQC from the 10% head start versus 20,000 SQM with the current rollover program.
To facilitate the change to from SQM to SQC, in 2026 the Rollover SQM will be converted to SQC at a rate of 5 Rollover SQM to 1 SQC. And just as is seen now, the Elite Member must be an active Premium cardholder by December 15th of the preceding year and at the time of benefit processing.
New Milestone Benefits
The final change to the updated Aeroplan elite status program launching in January are new Milestone benefits. The program will issue more Milestone Awards along the Elite Member’s journey with the first now being awarded at 10,000 SQC. Members will then unlock a Milestone every 10,000 SQC up to 200K, and every 20,000 SQC thereafter.
Depending on which Milestone level you achieve, the benefit will be automatic or the member will have a selection of benefits to choose from:
And here’s a few examples of higher level Milestone awards (You can find all of these on the Aeroplan site)
The elite status program will no longer have Select Benefits, Priority Rewards, and Threshold eUpgrades/Gifts as these are replaced with the multitude of expanded Milestone Benefits.s
Some negative change that tie in with these updated Milestone Benefits is that 25K, 35K and 50K members will get less Core eUpgrade credits with their respective tier level but they do have the ability to earn more via Milestones. Also, Maple Leaf Lounge passes are no longer awarded as Core benefits.
Unlike Milestone Awards from Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and WestJet Rewards, Air Canada’s Milestone Awards are only awarded to those who already have elite status so that first award at 10,000 SQC will not be awarded to base members who hit the mark during their initial qualification period.
Selecting Milestone Benefits
Air Canada will also be upgrading the digital experience when it comes to selecting benefits making it more intuitive. The updated experience will also include Milestone history, for current and past year.
Additional notes!
Here are some additional important details to are good to know about the program come January 1:
Everyday Qualification
Everyday Qualification (EDQ) for 25K status remains—still 100K base points through flying and everyday activities
Million Mile Recognition
Lifetime Qualifying Miles will continue to be calculated based solely on the distance flown on eligible Air Canada-operated flights, however, fare type bonuses will no longer apply
eUpgrades
- 25K, 35K and 50K members will get less Core credits with their tier, but more can be earned via Milestones
- Add-ons on Standard fares will increase
- Travel Companions will be expanded to four (4)
Banked Super Elite
Banked Super Elite will be one of the choices available at the 200,000 SQC Milestone
More promotions!
Air Canada Aeroplan told Rewards Canada they are planning to run more frequent promotions for earning Aeroplan points. So stay tuned for those and as always, you’ll be able to find Aeroplan bonus offers summarized on Rewards Canada’s Aeroplan offers page, in our Saturday Bonus Bulletin email newsletter and our This Week in RWRDS weekly YouTube newscast!
Wrapping it up
There you have it! A complete summary of the next update to Canada’s top rated airline frequent flyer program Aeroplan. The program from Air Canada which has doubled in size since 2020 and now counts over 9.5 millions members (With well over 8MM of those in Canada) continues to evolve from it’s re-birth nearly 5 years ago. Today’s announcement from the program sees them moving to 100% revenue based earning for Air Canada flights, consolidating elite status qualifying with a single metric and expanding the Milestone benefits provided to Elite members.
Whether these changes can be seen as good or bad will come down to the individual as these aren’t sweeping changes that positively or negatively affect all members. For some, namely those that fly with Air Canada frequently and/or spend a lot with the airline, they will be handsomely rewarded and the same goes for those flying within Canada on Economy Basic fares – they will most likely be earning more Aeroplan points now! On the opposite end, those flying on cheaper long haul flights will most likely fair worse with the new earning scheme and some elite members may find the program less rewarding with the shift of some perks into Milestone Benefits.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the changes! Let us know in the comments below as to what you think!
Click here to learn more about the upcoming changes to Aeroplan point earning and click here to learn more about the elite program changes.
All images via Air Canada unless otherwise noted
