These two perks get mixed up constantly, and they could not be more different. One is a credit card benefit that discounts a companion's cash fare. The other is a status milestone that slices the points cost of a redemption. Knowing which is which decides how you use each.
Start here, because the rest only makes sense once the difference is clear.
A companion pass comes with certain premium Aeroplan credit cards. It lets someone travel with you for a reduced fare on a cash booking. You buy your own ticket at the normal price, and the companion's base fare is discounted by the pass.
The catch that surprises people is the cash portion. Because a companion booking is a revenue ticket, the companion still pays the taxes and surcharges that come with any paid fare. On a long-haul trip those can be substantial, so the all-in cost is the discounted base fare plus the full surcharge, not a free seat.
Yes. A companion pass has a validity window, and an unused pass is typically lost when that window closes. The exact period depends on your card and your pass, so read the terms attached to yours. If your card issues one each year, the practical rule is to use this year's before next year's arrives.
The most common complaint is not that the pass is bad, but that it quietly does not work the way people expect at checkout. A few failure modes account for almost all of it.
The Priority Reward has nothing to do with a credit card. It is a status milestone benefit. When you pass the 80K Status Qualifying Credit milestone, you can select a Priority Reward from the milestone menu, and it cuts the points cost of one eligible redemption, usually by half up to a cap.
Because it discounts points rather than cash, it shines on expensive redemptions. Applied to a high-points business class award, half off the points is a large saving. Applied to a cheap economy hop, it is wasted. Save it for the priciest award you have planned.
A Priority Reward carries its own expiry, and the useful trick is that the deadline is about when you book, not when you fly. Book any eligible award before the reward expires and you lock it in. After that you can change the date, the departure city, the arrival city, even the continent, paying only the difference in points and taxes, and the reward stays applied.
A perk on certain premium Aeroplan cards that lets a companion travel with you for a reduced cash fare. You pay your own ticket, the companion's base fare is discounted, and the companion still pays the taxes and surcharges of a revenue ticket. It is a fare discount, not a points redemption.
Usually, yes. A companion pass carries an expiry and an unused one is typically lost once the window closes. The exact period depends on your card and pass, so check the terms. If you earn one yearly, use it before the next is issued.
Common reasons: the fare class is not eligible, the booking type is wrong, or the pass has not posted to your account yet. Sometimes the companion rate is simply higher than a normal fare on a cheap route, so it is not the better deal. Check the fare type, confirm the pass shows in your account, and compare the normal fare before assuming it is broken.
A status milestone benefit, separate from the companion pass. At the 80K SQC milestone you can select a Priority Reward that cuts the points cost of one eligible redemption, usually by half up to a cap. It applies to a points award.
No. It applies to Air Canada operated flights only. A Star Alliance partner segment in the booking stops the pass from attaching, often with a vague error. Build an all Air Canada itinerary for it to work.
Yes. Book an eligible award before the reward expires and you lock it in. You can then change the date, departure, arrival, or even the continent later, paying the points and tax difference, and the reward stays applied. Change the booking rather than cancelling it, since cancelling can release the reward.
No. The companion pass is a card perk that discounts a companion's cash fare. The Priority Reward is an 80K status milestone that discounts the points cost of an award. One saves cash, the other saves points.
Come in for a free conversation. We can work out whether your companion pass or Priority Reward is better spent on a particular trip, and how to time it before it expires.