Rewards Calculator Algorithm
You can estimate your rewards by inputting your monthly or yearly spending habits.
Finly factors in all the reward limits and fine prints of every single credit card so you can be sure your results are as accurate as possible.
Your Spending
Modify your spending numbers and click update to get the most accurate reward estimates.
$2,000
Restaurant, Fast Food & Coffee Shop
$
Grocery
$
Recurring Purchases (Bills, Subscriptions, Rent via Chexy)
$
Gas
$
Transportation
$
Entertainment (Movies, Concerts, etc.)
$
Foreign Purchases (Non $CAD)
$
Travel (Flights, Hotels, etc.)
$
Pharmacy
$
Online Shopping
$
Home Improvement (Renovation, Furniture)
$
Purchases at Canadian Tire, Sport Check, Lquipeur, Atmosphere, Party City, SportsRousseau, HockeyExperts, LentrepduHockey
$
Other Purchases Not Specified
$
Card Details
Based on $2,000 spending
First Year Value
$1,027
$397 in years after
Annual Rewards
$517
Air Canada Aeroplan®
First Year Bonus
$630
Air Canada Aeroplan®
Annual Fee
$120
First Year Value
$1,027
$397 in years after
Interest Rates
Cash Advance: 30% Annual*
Purchase: 30% Annual*
Annual Fee
$120
Annual Income
Personal: N/A
Household: N/A
Credit Score
Good
Welcome Bonus
Earn 30,000 Aeroplan® points after spending $3,000 in purchases on your Card within the first 3 months. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 Aeroplan® points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in month 13.
Card Type
Category: Charge
Loyalty Program: Air Canada Aeroplan®
Our Rating
3.4/5
Institution
American Express
Rewards†
- 2x Aeroplan® points on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada®* and Air Canada vacations®*
- 1.5x Aeroplan® points on eligible Dining and Food Delivery purchases in Canada
- 1x Aeroplan® point on everything else
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card Points Calculator
Based on $2,000 spending
Rewards Ranking
Rewards Breakdown
Air Canada
480 points
Food and drinks
6,300 points
All other purchases
17,839 points
Annual Fee
- $120
Net Annual Rewards
24,619 points
Valued at $397 (after fees)
Rewards Summary
Net Annual Rewards
24,619 points
Valued at $397 (after fees)
First Year Card Bonus
30,000 points
Valued at $630
First Year Card Value
54,619 points
Valued at $1,027
Point Redemptions
Redemptions Chart
Transfer to Airline Partners
$1,027
Travel
$330.61
Gift Cards
$284.18
Insurance & Benefits†
Insurance
Coverage
Flight Delay
$500 (Aggregated with Baggage Delay)Baggage Delay
$500 (Aggregated with Flight Delay)
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$500
Travel Accident
$500,000.svg)
Car Rental Damage & Theft
$85K, up to 48 days
Purchase Protection
90 days, $1,000 per occurrence
Extended Warranty
1 year
Benefits
Details
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Free first checked bag
Enjoy your first checked bag free (up to 23kg/50lb) for up to 9 people travelling on the same reservation on Air Canada®* flights.svg)
Status lift
Reach Aeroplan Elite™ Status sooner by earning Status Qualifying Miles and Status Qualifying Segments with purchases made on your account
Free Extra Night at Hotels
Receive an extra night free for every 3 hotel nights redeemed with Aeroplan points
Amex Experiences™
Amex Experiences™: From music and movies, to specially curated dining and online shopping opportunities, stay connected with all that we have to offer from the comfort of your own home
Extra points
Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free checked bag benefit: Every checked bag might cost you $60 - $100 per person on a round trip. The amount you can save in a year if you travel a few times or travel with a few companions can easily be much higher than the annual fee of the card.If you are interested in a higher Aeroplan Status, the card helps you get there faster.
Cons
- The main reward category is only for Air Canada purchases. Unless you are a frequent Air Canada traveler, this reward category is not useful to most people.
- The only other rewards category offered is for food, and it doesn't offer that high of a reward rate either.
- In terms of insurance benefits, the types and coverage amounts provided are lower compared to other cards with a similar annual fee.
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card Review
If you’re a frequent traveller looking to earn Aeroplan points on dining and food delivery purchases, plus Air Canada purchases, then the American Express Aeroplan Card could be the card for you.
There are a couple of notable perks that also make this card worthwhile. The biggest draw is its free first checked bag benefit – a cost many people dread paying, leading them to stuff everything they possibly can into a carry on. Thankfully, this card remedies that issue.
The card also expedites the process of earning Aeroplan Elite Status – a title that grants you tons of upgrades and booking advantages.
To learn more about the American Express Aeroplan Card and to see how it compares to similar credit cards on the Canadian market, read on.
How You Earn Rewards with the American Express Aeroplan Card
Here’s how you can expect to earn Aeroplan points with the American Express Aeroplan Card:
- 2x Aeroplan points on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada vacations
- 1.5x Aeroplan points on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada
- 1x Aeroplan point on everything else
As you can see, the reward rates for this card aren’t overly substantial, but it is nice that the specialized categories slightly optimize both Air Canada affiliated purchases and dining expenses, which can end up being pretty expensive.
Redeeming your Rewards with the American Express Aeroplan Card
There are a few redemption options for you to take advantage of with the American Express Aeroplan Card. Here’s how they rank from most valuable to least valuable:
- Transfers to Airline Partners: useful for when you want to transfer your points over to a partnered airline to buy plane tickets.
- Travel: when broken down, “travel” refers to travel bookings made through eligible platforms that allow you to use points towards eligible flights and vacation packages.
- Gift Cards: a great option for when you want to turn your points into the perfect present and purchase an eligible gift card.
Based on this list, the best way to redeem your Aeroplan points is through airline partners. Since you can also earn points through Air Canada purchases, this card allows you to basically pay for vacations by taking vacations – not to mention by eating in or dining out.
6 Benefits of the American Express Aeroplan Card
To help you decide whether the American Express Aeroplan Card is a good credit card contender for you, we’re also going to break down its benefits.
Here are the pros of owning this Aeroplan-optimizing credit card:
More Affordable than other Aeroplan Cards
Compared to other Aeroplan credit cards on the market (which we’ll cover later on in this review), the American Express Aeroplan Card has the lowest annual fee. That said, a lower annual fee typically means fewer coverage categories and benefits when compared to other competing credit cards, which is the case in this circumstance. Still, more coverage and benefits are only valuable if you plan to take advantage of them enough to offset the card’s annual cost.
The Welcome Bonus
For a sign-up incentive, the American Express Aeroplan Card offers extra Aeroplan points to cardholders in the first few months of membership if they meet minimum spending requirements. Members can also collect even more Aeroplan points when they meet an additional spending requirement in month 13.
A Free First Checked Bag
With the American Express Aeroplan Card, you can check your first bag of up to 23kg/50lb for free. This offer applies to both the cardholder and 8 travel companions booked on the same Air Canada flight.
A Speedy Status Lift
Through their American Express Aeroplan Card, basic cardmembers earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles, plus 1 Status Qualifying Segment for every $10,000 spent on eligible net purchases. These points can help you reach Aeroplan Elite Status much sooner.
This type of status comes with some amazing perks, such as:
- Free Checked Baggage
- Maple Leaf Lounge Access
- eUpgrades
- Priority Contacts for Customer Support
- Priority Rewards
Free Extra Night Hotel Stays
For every 3 nights you stay at a participating hotel, with the American Express Aeroplan Card, you’ll get a 4th night free when the entire initial stay is paid for by Aeroplan points. The amount of points you’ll need to cover your stay will depend on the hotel, the room-type, and sometimes the time of year.
Extra Points Through Aeroplan Partners
Collect twice the Aeroplan points when you make purchases with your American Express Aeroplan Card at over 150 participating Aeroplan partners.
Some partners include:
- Uber and Uber Eats
- Starbucks
- Sephora
- LCBO
- Apple
- Amazon
4 Downsides of the American Express Aeroplan Card
After outlining the American Express Aeroplan Card’s perks, it’s only fair that we also mention its drawbacks.
Here are some of this credit card’s shortcomings:
Amex Acceptance
Compared to other credit card networks like Mastercard and Visa, American Express has a lower acceptance rate across the globe, particularly in places within Europe. This is useful to note if you're a frequent traveller looking to avoid any transactional mishaps.
An Exclusive Top Reward Category
Compared to other Aeroplan-oriented cards, it’s a little disappointing that the top earning category for the American Express Aeroplan Card only accounts for Air Canada purchases without the addition of more high spend categories (like gas or groceries). Following this reward category, while you do get points for dining out and eating in, the points you collect aren’t very significant.
Say Goodbye to Carrying a Balance
Technically, the American Express Aeroplan Card is actually a charge card. The biggest distinction between a charge card and a credit card is that with a charge card, you can’t carry a balance from one billing cycle to the next (unlike a credit card), and you will need to pay your balance in full each month by the due date.
While it’s great to pay your balance in full each month regardless of whether or not your card allows you to carry a balance, some cardholders might not be able to keep up with this type of billing process.
No Lounge Passes or Access
While you can work your way up to lounge access through the Aeroplan Elite Status lift that’s easily accessible through the American Express Aeroplan Card, unlike other Aeroplan-optimizing cards, this card doesn’t automatically come with lounge passes or access.
Comparison to Other Aeroplan Credit Cards
Sometimes, the best way to decide whether a credit card is right for you is to compare it against similar cards. The following competitors also optimize Aeroplan points in various ways, you might even find that some of these contenders offer more in terms of rewards, coverage, and benefits – for an extra cost of course.
Here’s a quick look at the comparisons we’ll be making:
| American Express® Aeroplan®* Card | American Express Cobalt® Card | TD Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | American Express Gold Rewards Card® | American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Welcome Bonus | Up to 40,000 Aeroplan® Points (30,000 in 1st year) | Up to 15,000 points | Up to 40,000 Aeroplan® points | Up to 60,000 points | Up to 85,000 Aeroplan® points (60,000 in 1st year) |
Earn Rates |
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance Included | 7 types
| 10 types
| 13 types
| 11 types
| 11 types
|
Perks | 5 perks
| 2 perks
| 10 perks
| 8 perks
| 14 perks
|
Annual Fee | $120 | $155.8 | $139 | $250 | $599 |
Income Requirements | N/A | N/A | $60,000 personal or $100,000 household | N/A | N/A |
Apply Now | Apply Now | Apply Now | Apply Now | Apply Now | Apply Now |
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American Express Cobalt Card
Naturally, the first credit card included in this comparison is considered to be the best credit card in Canada. The American Express Cobalt Card earns this title on account of successfully balancing impressive rewards with solid perks and coverage.
When compared side-by-side with the American Express Aeroplan Card, you’ll immediately notice that the American Express Cobalt Card has a slightly higher annual fee and overall first year value. While its welcome bonus might not be as big as the American Express Aeroplan Card, it still wins for first year value (and overall yearly value) based on its substantial rewards program.
Like the American Express Aeroplan Card, the American Express Cobalt Card optimizes dining and food delivery purchases, plus it also includes groceries in this category and earns over double the points you’ll get with the American Express Aeroplan Card. The Cobalt Card also tacks on more everyday earning categories like streaming subscriptions, gas, and transit. While the Cobalt Card doesn’t have a specialized category for Air Canada purchases, and it doesn’t directly earn cardholders Aeroplan points, its American Express Membership Reward points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 point ratio.
As for coverage, the Cobalt Card adds some more valuable categories like lost or stolen baggage, mobile device insurance, and emergency out of province medical protections (all categories the American Express Aeroplan Card lacks).
The American Express Aeroplan Card wins for benefits though, since the Cobalt Card only offers the standard Amex Experiences and a hotel-oriented travel credit.
Overall, if you want to earn more Aeroplan points on dining, plus other everyday categories like groceries, gas, and transit – then the Cobalt Card is a great alternative to the American Express Aeroplan Card. Otherwise, if you prefer to earn your Aeroplan points directly through Air Canada purchases and take advantage of more travel benefits, then the American Express Aeroplan Card is still your top contender.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
Seeing as it’s a Visa card instead of an American Express card, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card could be a good option if you’re worried about Amex acceptance.
However, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card’s annual fee is slightly higher than the American Express Aeroplan Card, plus it comes with high annual income requirements, something the American Express Aeroplan Card doesn’t have. Still, you’ll find that the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card has a higher first year value and overall yearly value – thanks to both its bigger welcome bonus and better rewards program.
At first glance, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card’s rewards program might not look superior in terms of points earned per category, but the categories themselves accommodate more frequent spending categories, like gas and groceries, on top of Air Canada purchases.
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card also has more comprehensive and extensive insurance coverage. It optimizes categories like hotel burglary insurance and baggage delay, and adds valuable categories like trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance, plus emergency medical over 65 protection.
There are also more benefits with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. Like the American Express Aeroplan card, it offers an expedited path towards Aeroplan Elite Status through Status Qualifying Miles, a free first checked bag, and extra points for purchase made through partnered brands. Additionally, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card includes perks like a car rental discount, a NEXUS program rebate, and Troon Rewards Golf benefits.
Ultimately, if you meet the application requirements, want to avoid low Amex acceptance rates, and don’t mind chipping in a bit more annually for extra coverage and benefits, then you may want to swap the American Express Aeroplan Card for a TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. You'll also earn more Aeroplan points on everyday expenses. However, earning Aeroplan points on dining could also be beneficial due to how expensive going out to eat can be. If that's a concern for you, then stick with the American Express Aeroplan Card.
American Express Gold Rewards Card
For over double the annual fee of the American Express Aeroplan Card, you can opt for the American Express Gold Rewards Card where the perks are just that, golden.
Like the annual fee, the American Express Gold Rewards Card’s first year bonus is also double the value of the American Express Aeroplan Card, contributing to a nice first year value, but not quite as big of an overall annual value.
Nevertheless, the American Express Gold Rewards Card offers points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and drugstore purchases – optimizing many more everyday expenses than the American Express Aeroplan Card. While the Gold Rewards Card doesn’t offer points on Air Canada purchases specifically, and it doesn’t earn you Aeroplan points directly, it earns you points per dollar spent on travel (including eligible flights, hotels, tours and more), plus its American Express Membership Reward points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 point ratio.
The American Express Gold Rewards Card also has a longer insurance list than the American Express Aeroplan Card, adding coverage categories like trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance, plus emergency out of province medical and lost or stolen baggage insurance.
While the American Express Gold Rewards Card has some similar benefits categories as the American Express Aeroplan Card, including status lifts and extra point perks, it’s benefits list also includes a travel credit, a NEXUS program rebate, complimentary hotel benefits, an airport lounge Priority Pass, and 4 complimentary visits to Plaza Premium lounges (a luxurious travel perk the Amex Aeroplan Card was missing).
All in all, if you don’t mind doubling your annual credit card expense for extra coverage, exclusive perks like airport lounge passes and access, and the ability to collect Aeroplan points through more popular everyday purchases, then the American Express Gold Rewards Card could be the better choice for you over the American Express Aeroplan Card. However, if you prefer to save some money, earn Aeroplan points directly through Air Canada and expensive dining bills, plus you're content with travel perks like a free first checked bag, then the American Express Aeroplan Card is all you need.
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
Last but certainly not least, we need to compare the American Express Aeroplan Card to the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.
For a hefty annual fee that’s nearly five times the annual cost of our featured card, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card is basically an upgraded version of the Amex Aeroplan Card. To receive its substantial first year bonus, you’ll need to meet the minimum spending requirements (which are anything but minimal), but when you do, you’re in for an impressive first year bonus.
Regarding rewards, you can earn slightly more points per dollar spent on eligible Air Canada purchases, plus slightly more points per dollar spent on eligible dining and food delivery purchases. Even the points base rate on all other purchases is higher than the standard rate offered by the American Express Aeroplan Card.
As for insurance, many of the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card’s coverage categories (including baggage delay, hotel burglary, and flight delay insurance) double the value of the same categories offered by the American Express Aeroplan Card. The American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card also adds lost or stolen baggage, emergency out of province medical, and trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance to its coverage list.
As expected, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card offers more benefits than the American Express Aeroplan Card, including more status lifts, a companion voucher, a NEXUS program rebate, priority travel perks, plus unlimited airport lounge access at Maple Leaf and Air Canada Cafes, and the airport lounge Priority Pass.
In conclusion, you’ll only want to trade up your American Express Aeroplan Card for the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card if you want to pay significantly more money for more coverage, perks, and points on the same categories.
How to apply for the American Express Aeroplan Card
After exploring all of your options, if you’re still confident that the American Express Aeroplan Card is the right choice for you, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to apply for this Aeroplan Card:
- First, you’ll want to visit the official American Express Canadian website.
- From there, hit the “travel” filter featured on the home page.
- Scroll until you find the American Express Aeroplan Card, then select the offer.
- Review all the information about the card directly from the source. Once you’ve thoroughly done so, press “apply now.”
- The first part of the application process will ask you to go over the card’s product information, requirements, and privacy policies. After you’ve properly read these through, select “agree & continue.”
- This is where you’ll need to input some personal information like your name, birthdate, and email address.
- The next section asks for financial information such as your income and employment details.
- Finally, you’ll want to agree to any terms and conditions before submitting your application.
To skip to the application process, you can always hit the “apply now” button featured below the American Express Aeroplan Card at the top of this page.
Final Verdict
Therefore, if you want to spend the least amount of money annually for a credit card that earns you Aeroplan points on Air Canada purchases and dining and food delivery purchases, then the American Express Aeroplan Card is for you.
If you’re looking for an Aeroplan-optimizing card that comes with better rewards, more insurance coverage, and more benefits, then you might want to consider one of the alternatives featured in this review’s comparison section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the income requirements for the American Express Aeroplan Card?
Conveniently, there are no personal or household income requirements for the American Express Aeroplan Card.
How much is the American Express Aeroplan Card?
Holding the lowest annual fee out of all the other Aeroplan credit cards mentioned in this review, the American Express Aeroplan Card currently has an annual fee of $120 per year.
Legal
†American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment. Check here for full details and current product information.
* As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full. Payments must be received and processed by the date of the next monthly statement to avoid interest charges.