Earn rates
The Aeroplan Card earns at three rates. Air Canada purchases earn 2x Aeroplan points. Restaurants and food delivery services in Canada earn 1.5x. All other spending earns 1x. There is no published annual cap on bonus category earning.
| Spending category | Earn rate | Points per $100 spent |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada purchases | 2x Aeroplan | 200 pts |
| Dining and food delivery (Canada) | 1.5x Aeroplan | 150 pts |
| Everything else | 1x Aeroplan | 100 pts |
1 Aeroplan point ≈ 1.5¢ in travel at typical fixed-chart redemptions, and more on premium-cabin partner awards. Actual value varies by route and partner.
The card earn on Air Canada stacks on top of the Aeroplan flight miles you earn from the booking itself. At 2x, the Aeroplan Card earns more on Air Canada than any TD or CIBC mid-tier Aeroplan card, which top out at 1.5x. The dining rate is also stronger than the TD and CIBC Visa Infinite cards, which do not give a bonus rate on restaurants.
Key benefits
Travel insurance on the American Express Aeroplan Card
The American Express Aeroplan Card scores 11 of 100 on the figures its certificate publishes, joint 45th of the 59 Canadian cards compared. The certificate carries no emergency medical benefit, so a hospital bill abroad is yours. That is the gap to close before you travel, whatever else the card covers. Trip cancellation is excluded, so a trip called off before departure is not covered.
| Emergency medical | Not included |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | Not included |
| Trip interruption | Not included |
| Flight or trip delay | $500 per person · after 4 hours · $500 per trip |
| Baggage delay | $500 per person · after 6 hours |
| Rental car collision or damage | Pays first · rentals to 48 days · vehicles to $85,000 |
You must charge 100% of the trip cost to the card for the coverage to apply. A booking made with points still qualifies. You have 90 days from the incident to report a claim. Dependent children are covered to age 21.
Every figure from the certificate, with its own wording
| Emergency medical | Not included |
|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | Not included |
| Trip interruption | Not included |
| Flight or trip delay | per person: $500 (aggregate maximum per occurrence for all insured persons combined, shared across missed connection, delayed departure or denied boarding, and baggage delay) trigger hours: 4 hours (also the trigger for denied boarding when no alternative transportation is made available, and for a missed onward connection) per trip cap: $500 (aggregate cap per occurrence for all insured persons combined, covering missed connection, flight delay or denied boarding, and baggage delay together) |
| Baggage delay | per person: $500 (aggregate maximum per occurrence for all insured persons combined, shared with missed connection and flight delay) trigger hours: 6 hours (expenses must be incurred within four (4) days of arrival at the outbound scheduled destination point; no coverage on a flight returning to the place of residence) |
| Lost, stolen or damaged baggage | per person: $500 (per occurrence for all insured persons combined) per item sublimit: $300 (jewellery sublimit per occurrence; golf clubs including golf bags are capped at $250 per occurrence, both inside the $500 maximum) |
| Travel accident | limit: $500,000 (payable for loss of life, both hands or both feet, one hand and one foot, or the entire sight of both eyes; $250,000 for one hand, one foot or the sight of one eye) common carrier only: Yes (Common Carrier Benefit and Alternate Transportation Benefit only; injury received in a rental vehicle is excluded) covers 24h: No (cover runs only for the ticketed trip whose fare was charged to the Card, not around the clock) |
| Hotel or motel burglary | $500 (per burglary occurrence; requires visible signs of forced entry and the accommodation charged to the Card) |
| Emergency travel assistance | offered: Yes (Travel Emergency Assistance is a referral service and not insurance; Global Excel is the assistance and claims service provider named in the certificate) |
| Rental car collision or damage | is primary: Yes (except for losses waived or assumed by the rental agency or its insurer, and where local government insurance legislation states otherwise. No deductible applies) limit basis: the actual cash value of the rental auto and valid rental agency loss of use charges (the Cardmember must decline the rental agency’s CDW on the rental contract) vehicle value cap: $85,000 (MSRP in the vehicle’s model year, excluding all taxes, at the place the rental agreement is signed or the rental auto is picked up) max rental days: 48 days (if the rental runs past 48 consecutive days no coverage applies at all, including the first 48 days; a full calendar day between rentals breaks the cycle) excluded classes: Automobiles or other vehicles which are not rental autos (truncated at 40 words; the certificate also excludes vehicles over $85,000 MSRP, vans, cargo vans, mini cargo vans, trucks, pick-up trucks, limousines, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, motor bikes, trailers, campers, recreational vehicles, mini-buses, buses, handmade or hand-finished vehicles, vehicles with production under 2,000 per year, antique vehicles and tax-free cars) territory: The rental auto may be driven across provincial and state boundaries in Canada and the U.S. and between Canada and the U.S. (coverage is available only while you are a resident of Canada) |
| Purchase protection | days: 90 days (runs from the date of purchase and covers direct physical damage or theft anywhere in the world; items given as gifts are covered) limit per item: $1,000 (stated per Cardmember per occurrence, even where the occurrence involves more than one insured item, rather than as a per-item cap) |
| Extended warranty | cap: $10,000 (per insured item, and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all occurrences and insured items combined) |
| Mobile device | Not included |
Figures above are from the Certificates of Insurance, American Express Aeroplan Card, effective 2025-07-01, underwritten by Belair Insurance Company Inc.; Travel Accident underwritten by Chubb Life Insurance Company of Canada. Checked against the certificate for 13 coverage types. Terms change without notice; verify with the issuer before relying on any figure.
What the earn math looks like
A cardholder spending $2,500 per month, split across typical categories:
| Category | Monthly spend | Rate | Monthly points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining and food delivery | $500 | 1.5x | 750 pts |
| Air Canada | $200 | 2x | 400 pts |
| All other spending | $1,800 | 1x | 1,800 pts |
| Total | $2,500 | 2,950 pts / mo |
35,400 Aeroplan points per year from everyday spending at this mix. At a conservative 1.5 cents per point, that is approximately $531 in Aeroplan value annually against a $120 annual fee. Higher dining spend shifts the balance further in the card’s favour.
Amex acceptance
American Express is accepted at fewer merchants than Visa or Mastercard in Canada. Most major grocery chains, airlines, hotels, and online retailers accept Amex, but some independent businesses and certain categories do not. If you spend heavily at merchants that do not accept Amex, the 1x fallback earn is effectively lost. Carrying a no-fee Visa or Mastercard alongside this card covers the gaps without added annual cost.
Good fit if
- You dine out or order food delivery regularly and want a meaningful bonus rate on that spend.
- You fly Air Canada occasionally and value the free checked bag and preferred Aeroplan pricing without paying $599 for the Reserve.
- You want to earn Aeroplan without meeting the income thresholds required for TD and CIBC Visa Infinite cards.
If that describes you, apply for the American Express Aeroplan Card. Not sure yet? Book a free conversation and we will walk through it together.
Less useful if
- You fly Air Canada frequently and want lounge access and a companion pass, both of which require the Aeroplan Reserve.
- You spend heavily on groceries or gas: the TD and CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite cards earn 1.5x on those categories, which Amex does not match.
- Many of your regular merchants do not accept Amex, which eliminates the bonus category advantage.
See it in action
A flat bed across the Atlantic on Aeroplan's fixed chart, with no fuel surcharges. The redemption that makes points worth learning.
See the math →