Aeroplan and Chase Ultimate Rewards: 3 Ways to Take Advantage

When Chase added Air Canada Aeroplan as an Ultimate Rewards® point transfer option, this new partnership opened up some valuable redemption opportunities for cardholders. Chase Ultimate Rewards® can be redeemed for travel though the Chase portal at a rate of 1.25 cents  per point for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or 1.5 cents per point for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but in some cases, cardholders might be able to get even more value than that if they transfer their points to Air Canada.

We examine three ways to take advantage of some Aeroplan sweet spots so you can maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Air Canada is part of the Star Alliance, so you can use your Aeroplan points to book on Star Alliance partners like Swiss Air Lines, United, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines. Additionally, Air Canada points can be used on redemptions with partner airlines outside of the Star Alliance, like Etihad, Eurowings and GOL.

Below are three ways that you can take advantage of your newly-acquired Aeroplan points.

You can travel from the U.S. to South Africa for as little as 100,000 Aeroplan points in business class each way on partner airlines like Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines or Lufthansa.

Comparatively, if you opted to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® to book instead, you’d need at least 155,000 points for the same flight.

Note that on top of the Aeroplan points, you will need to pay additional money on taxes and fees. On the bright side, Aeroplan typically keeps these fees low. For example, you’d end up paying just over $42 in taxes and fees for the Turkish Airlines flight from the U.S. to South Africa.

Another way to take advantage of transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Aeroplan is by booking flights from the U.S. to South America. Although the amount of points needed for flights changes based on availability and dates, below are examples of flights you can book for only 30,000 Aeroplan points in economy and 50,000 Aeroplan points each way in business class:

• Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Avianca.

Here are some examples of flights you can book for 40,000 Aeroplan points in economy and 60,000 Aeroplan points each way in business class:

• Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile, on Avianca.

• Houston to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Avianca, GOL and United.

Aeroplan’s partnership with Etihad, along with its other Star Alliance partners, creates some valuable redemption opportunities for flights to the Middle East. For only 55,000 Aeroplan points in economy or 85,000 Aeroplan points in business class each way, you could book the following flights:

• Chicago to Muscat, Oman, on Etihad or Turkish Airlines.

• New York City to Dubai on Egyptair.

• Dallas to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Turkish Airlines.

First, check how many Chase Ultimate Rewards® points it will take to book the flight. Then check how much an Aeroplan redemption would cost. Once you confirm that Aeroplan requires less points, you can initiate the transfer.

To transfer your points, you’ll need to first set up an Aeroplan account. Once this step is completed, simply login to your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account and click “Transfer to Travel Partners.”

From there, you’ll see a list of Chase Ultimate Rewards® airline transfer partners, including Aeroplan. Click the “Transfer Points” option.

Points transfer on a 1:1 basis (meaning you’ll get 1 Aeroplan point for every 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards® point transferred), and you must transfer in 1,000-point increments. Your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points should transfer to Aeroplan instantly and you’ll also receive an email confirming the transfer.

If you’re booking a reward flight using your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, consider taking advantage of Chase’s partnership with Aeroplan. Destinations like South Africa, South America and the Middle East may require fewer Aeroplan than Ultimate Rewards® points to book.

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