Earn rates
The Business Reserve earns at three rates. The bonus categories are structured for business travel: Air Canada at the top rate, hotels and car rentals at the middle rate, and a broad 1.25x base on all other spending. The 2x hotel and car rental category is a key difference from the personal Aeroplan Reserve, which earns 2x on dining instead.
| Spending category | Earn rate |
|---|---|
| Air Canada flights and Air Canada Vacations | 3x Aeroplan |
| Hotels | 2x Aeroplan |
| Car rentals | 2x Aeroplan |
| Everything else | 1.25x Aeroplan |
The 1.25x base rate on all other spending is higher than the 1x base on the TD and CIBC Aeroplan cards. For high-volume business spending that falls outside the bonus categories, the Business Reserve earns 25% more Aeroplan on every dollar.
Benefits
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Maple Leaf Lounge access | Cardholder and one guest can access Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges in North America by presenting a valid same-day departure ticket on Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner. |
| Priority Pass | Membership to Priority Pass, covering 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide outside Air Canada’s network. Access is included with the card. |
| Annual companion pass | One companion ticket in economy class on Air Canada after $25,000 in net card purchases in a membership year. The companion pays a fixed $99 base fare plus applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges. Domestic and international routes. |
| Avis President’s Club | Complimentary upgrade to Avis President’s Club status, providing preferred car upgrades, expedited service, and member-only rates. |
| Travel insurance | Comprehensive package including emergency medical, trip cancellation, trip interruption, flight delay, baggage delay, and rental car damage coverage. |
Maple Leaf Lounge and companion access
The Maple Leaf Lounge benefit covers the cardholder and one guest on any departure day where the cardholder holds a same-day boarding pass on Air Canada or a Star Alliance-operated flight. For frequent Air Canada business travellers, lounge access with a client or colleague is the benefit that most directly justifies the $599 annual fee. The Priority Pass membership extends lounge access to 1,200+ lounges globally on non-Air Canada itineraries.
The annual companion pass
After $25,000 in card purchases in a membership year, Amex issues one companion pass. The companion flies economy on any Air Canada cash fare and pays a flat $99 base fare plus taxes, fees, and surcharges. The fixed $99 rate applies to both domestic and international routes, making it most valuable on longer itineraries where economy fares run well above the companion fare. The pass is issued annually and expires 12 months from issue.
The companion pass on the Business Reserve differs from the personal Aeroplan Reserve in fare structure: the personal card’s companion fare scales with route length ($99 to $599), while the business card’s is a flat $99 regardless of destination.
What the earn math looks like
A business cardholder spending $5,000 per month:
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada flights | $1,500 | 3x | 4,500 |
| Hotels and car rentals | $1,000 | 2x | 2,000 |
| All other spending | $2,500 | 1.25x | 3,125 |
| Total | $5,000 | 9,625 pts / mo |
115,500 Aeroplan points per year at this spend level, before the welcome bonus. At ~2¢ per Aeroplan point on business class redemptions, that’s ~$2,310 in travel value from card spending alone. The $599 annual fee represents a ~26% cost against that return, still a net positive before accounting for lounge access and the companion pass.
Good fit if
- You fly Air Canada frequently and can use Maple Leaf Lounge access on most trips, with or without a guest.
- Business spending is concentrated in hotels, car rentals, and Air Canada, where the top two earn tiers apply to a large share of total spending.
- The flat $99 companion pass provides clear value on at least one international Air Canada booking per year.
Less useful if
- Most business travel is on carriers other than Air Canada or Star Alliance partners, reducing the lounge benefit to Priority Pass only.
- The $599 annual fee is not recoverable from lounge visits or the companion pass given your travel frequency.
- You prefer the personal Aeroplan Reserve, which earns 2x on dining instead of hotels and car rentals and may better match non-travel spending patterns.