Plans change, and what happens to your points and your money depends on the kind of ticket and your status. Here is how cancellations and changes actually work, where the refund goes, and when a change beats starting over.
When you cancel an Aeroplan award, the points go back to your account and the taxes and fees are refunded, minus a cancellation fee. The fee depends on your status: higher elite tiers pay a reduced fee or none, while a member with no status pays the standard amount.
Sign in to your Aeroplan or Air Canada account and open the trip under your bookings. Most award cancellations can be done online without calling.
Before you confirm, read the summary: the points to be redeposited, the taxes and fees refunded, and the cancellation fee for your tier. The net is what you actually get back.
Confirm, then note whether the cash portion returns to your card or to an Air Canada eWallet. The two are not the same, and which one you get depends on the fare and the reason.
Confirm the points are back in your account and the refund processed. If something is missing after a few days, contact the Aeroplan Contact Centre with your booking reference.
If only the date, time, or routing is moving, a change is often cheaper than cancelling and rebooking. Change rules and fees depend on your status and how close to departure you are. The closer to the flight, the stricter and pricier it gets.
If you booked a partner routing with a stopover or open-jaw, getting it right the first time matters even more, because rebuilding it later is harder. The stopover guide covers planning the routing up front.
Cancelling a cash ticket follows the fare type, not your points. The most flexible fares refund to your original payment method. The most restrictive fares are non-refundable and may hold no value at all once cancelled. In between, many cancellations return value as an Air Canada eWallet credit rather than cash.
Most award changes and cancellations can be done online, which is faster than waiting on hold. When you do need a person, Air Canada routes calls by status, and higher tiers reach dedicated lines with shorter waits. Have your booking reference and Aeroplan number ready before you call.
There is a cancellation fee that depends on your status, with higher tiers paying less or nothing. The points are redeposited and the taxes refunded, minus the fee. Confirm the current fee for your tier before cancelling.
Fees generally apply per passenger, so cancelling two travellers usually costs two fees. Check the breakdown before confirming.
An Air Canada travel credit. For some cancellations the cash portion returns to your eWallet rather than your card, to spend on a future booking. Whether you get cash or credit depends on the fare and the reason.
Often, and it can be cheaper than rebooking. Change rules depend on your status and timing, and partner awards are stricter because the partner controls the seat. If only the date is moving, price a change first.
No. If you do not show up for the first flight, the rest of the itinerary is cancelled and you can be denied boarding on the later legs. To drop a leg, change the ticket properly and pay any fee and fare difference.
You cannot buy standby. You end up on a standby list only through a cancelled flight rebooking, a missed connection, or the same-day earlier-flight change that some fares and status tiers allow.
Not automatically. Points you spent on a hotel, car, or merchandise are booked through a separate provider and follow that booking's own cancellation policy, not Air Canada's. When the airline cancels your flight, it refunds the flight points, but a non-refundable hotel booked with points can stay non-refundable even though the trip fell apart. Book non-refundable stays separately from the award flight, and check the refund terms before you redeem points on anything other than the flight. If the booking was refundable, cancel it through the same channel you used to book it.
Come in for a free conversation. We can read your fare rules and status, work out what you get back, and tell you whether to change or cancel.