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Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of our favorite flexible rewards currencies, and today’s news adds a much needed boost for Ultimate Rewards. Effective immediately, Air Canada Aeroplan is a new transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, which you can transfer to the program at a 1:1 ratio.
Air Canada is one of the Star Alliance partners, the largest airline alliance in the world, so this is fantastic news for travelers.
More choices are always better for the consumers and we now have even more redemption options on Star Alliance, as well as Aeroplan’s non-alliance partners, Etihad Airways, Air Serbia and others.
Chase’s transfer partners now include airlines from each one of the airline alliances as well as non-alliance partners:
- Star Alliance – Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines
- Oneworld – British Airways, Iberia
- SkyTeam – Air France, KLM
- Non-alliance – Aer Lingus, Emirates, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
Why We Love Air Canada Aeroplan Points
It’s relatively easy already to earn Aeroplan points since they are a transfer partner of both American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One Venture Miles. The points transfer instantly so you can now more easily accumulate enough Aeroplan points to take the whole family on a trip.
The addition of a third transfer partner in Ultimate Rewards is excellent news as it’ll open up even more earning opportunities.
In its recent overhaul of the program, Aeroplan eliminated surcharges on award tickets and also added the ability to combine flights on various partner airlines, including Star Alliance airlines and non-alliance partners, on the same award itinerary.
One strength of Aeroplan? You might need fewer Ultimate Rewards points to book business-class partner awards on Star Alliance operated flights. For example, a one-way business class to Europe can be booked with 60,000 to 70,000 points through Aeroplan. If you were to transfer Ultimate Rewards to United instead, you’d need more miles to book the same Star Alliance-operated flights.
Moreover, Aeroplan is now pricing its own flights dynamically, and you might be able to score award tickets on Air Canada-operated flights priced lower than the award chart rates suggest.
Etihad is Aeroplan’s non-alliance partner and offers excellent options for award travel to India, the Maldives and even Australia.
Aeroplan’s program is unique as it allows family pooling of points and you can share points with other family members.
Card to Help You Earn Aeroplan Points
You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points with a number of great cards that have excellent welcome bonuses and generous spending categories. If you are also a business owner, you have even more options. The following are some of the best cards to use to earn Ultimate Rewards points, and each offers generous bonus spending categories:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card*
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®*
- Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card*
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
*You’ll need to have at least one of these three cards that earn transferable Ultimate Rewards Points to be able to convert them to Aeroplan points.
In addition to the above Ultimate Rewards-earning cards, Aeroplan and Chase recently came outwith a cobranded card in the United States, the Aeroplan® Credit Card, offering even more options to earn valuable Aeroplan points.
Best Ways to Use Aeroplan Points
There are so many great redemptions for Aeroplan points, but here are a couple of our favorites:
- Business class to Europe for 60,000 to 70,000 Aeroplan points one way
- Star Alliance U.S. to India for 85,000 Aeroplan points in business class one way
- Star Alliance U.S. to Australia and New Zealand for 85,000 Aeroplan points in business class one way
- U.S. to the Middle East for 85,000 Aeroplan points in business Class or 120,000 Aeroplan points in first class one way on Etihad
Final Thoughts
Air Canada Aeroplan is now a transfer partner of Chase, and Ultimate Rewards points can now be converted to Aeroplan points. This is great news as Aeroplan is an excellent program that offers access to all the Star Alliance partner airlines as well as some non-alliance partner airlines.
Additionally, this gives Chase Ultimate Rewards a long-awaited boost because they haven’t added any transfer partners since the addition of Emirates Skywards in 2019.
With Chase in the mix, Aeroplan is now a transfer partner of three major flexible currencies: American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Venture Miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards. You now have multiple ways to earn Aeroplan points, and with the family pooling possible, it’s now easier than ever to earn Aeroplan points.
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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