Air Canada’s Aeroplan Revamp 2026: Earn Points For Dollars, Not Miles, With New Sqc System!

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Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Author: TTW News Desk

Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty programme is undergoing a important transformation, slated to return effect connected January 1, 2026. As nan aviation manufacture continues to evolve, Air Canada is embracing a awesome displacement successful really travelers accumulate points and suffice for elite status. Rather than rewarding predominant flyers based solely connected nan region traveled, nan revamped Aeroplan will attraction connected really overmuch passengers walk connected flights and related services. This alteration mirrors akin moves by U.S. airlines, ensuring that precocious spenders, not conscionable predominant flyers, are adequately rewarded.

This strategical overhaul includes respective cardinal updates designed to make nan programme much charismatic to some caller and existing customers. The preamble of a caller strategy called Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) will switch accepted metrics for illustration formation segments and dollars spent, offering a much streamlined attack to achieving elite status. In addition, Aeroplan members will use from caller milestone perks and a big of different changes that committedness to make nan programme much rewarding.

As title intensifies successful nan loyalty programme space, Air Canada’s revamped attack intends to amended align pinch existent manufacture trends while enhancing its worth proposition for premium travelers. This improvement not only impacts nan predominant flyers but besides targets a wider base, rewarding members who prosecute much pinch Air Canada’s extended ecosystem, which includes in installments cards, partner offerings, and various recreation services.

Key Changes to nan Aeroplan Loyalty Program:

1. Earn Points Based connected Spend, Not Miles

Starting successful 2026, Aeroplan members will accumulate points based connected nan dollars spent alternatively than nan miles flown. Under nan caller system:

  • Members will gain 1 constituent per dollar spent connected eligible Air Canada flights, including guidelines fare and surcharges, but excluding taxes and third-party fees.
  • Elite position members tin gain betwixt 2x to 6x points per dollar, depending connected their tier.

For example, if a rider spends $427 connected an Air Canada flight, they will gain 427 Aeroplan points — nary matter nan region of nan flight.

This alteration reflects a increasing inclination wrong nan recreation industry, arsenic galore airlines move distant from rewarding region traveled successful favour of rewarding customer spending.

2. Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for Elite Status

Another awesome update is nan preamble of Status Qualifying Credits (SQC), which will switch nan existent strategy of search segments and dollars for achieving elite status. SQC will connection a unified attack for earning elite status, allowing members to suffice done a assortment of activities, including:

  • Air Canada flights: Members will gain up to 4 SQC per $1 spent based connected nan fare type.
  • Aeroplan in installments paper spending: Members tin gain up to 25,000 SQC from purchases made pinch Aeroplan-affiliated in installments cards.
  • Partner activities: Additional SQC tin beryllium earned done stays astatine partner hotels, car rentals, and different related activities, providing up to 25,000 SQC successful total.

This displacement incentivizes members to prosecute pinch Air Canada’s broader web of services, not conscionable formation bookings, aligning pinch nan modern traveler’s penchant for a much broad loyalty program.

3. Enhanced Milestone Perks and Benefits

With nan preamble of SQC, Aeroplan members tin unlock caller Milestone Benefits each clip they scope a 10,000 SQC threshold. These benefits whitethorn include:

  • Bonus SQC: Members will person other credits arsenic they move done SQC milestones.
  • Status Passes: For members who execute precocious levels of engagement, these passes connection enhanced benefits for illustration upgrades and privilege services.
  • Core benefits: Existing perks, specified arsenic free checked bags, privilege check-in, and formation upgrades, stay tied to members’ position level.

These caller perks adhd greater worth to elite members and promote loyalty by rewarding continued spending wrong nan Aeroplan ecosystem.

4. SQC Boost for Premium Credit Card Holders

Beginning successful 2027, premium Aeroplan in installments cardholders will bask a 10% SQC caput start based connected their activities from nan erstwhile year. This boost will springiness them a limb up successful requalifying for elite status, ensuring that their ongoing information successful nan programme is much rewarding.

5. What Remains nan Same?

Despite nan awesome overhaul, definite elements of nan existent Aeroplan strategy will stay unchanged for now. Members will still suffice for 2026 position utilizing nan existing rules, based connected their activity successful 2025. The caller spend-based constituent strategy and SQC way will only use to flights and activities starting January 1, 2026.

Why These Changes Matter to Travelers:

The revamped Aeroplan loyalty programme is designed to prioritize value complete distance. For predominant travelers who book higher-value tickets, acquisition elastic fares, aliases prosecute much broadly pinch Air Canada’s partner network, nan programme will beryllium much rewarding. This is simply a nonstop consequence to nan expanding value of customer life worth successful nan modern hose industry.

By aligning points pinch spending, Air Canada acknowledges nan increasing inclination wherever higher-spending travelers often alert little often but lend much to nan airline’s revenue. The preamble of SQC besides reflects a broader displacement towards simplifying loyalty programs and making them easier for customers to navigate.

Moreover, nan caller building will apt entreaty to a wider scope of customers beyond accepted predominant flyers. Those who leverage Aeroplan in installments cards, book premium services, aliases participate successful partner offers will use from a much inclusive program. This alteration ensures that Air Canada’s astir engaged customers are rewarded, sloppy of whether they are predominant flyers aliases not.

Aeroplan’s Evolving Loyalty Strategy

This translator is besides suggestive of a larger inclination successful nan recreation and loyalty industries, wherever airlines and recreation providers are shifting from traditional, distance-based rewards to spend-based models. Major U.S. airlines person already adopted akin changes, pinch programs for illustration Delta SkyMiles and American Airlines’ AAdvantage focusing connected spending arsenic nan cardinal metric for accumulating miles and status.

The caller Aeroplan strategy is designed to align pinch this broader manufacture displacement while besides making nan programme much elastic for global travelers. It recognizes nan request to set to a quickly changing marketplace wherever loyalty is often tied not only to really acold personification flies but besides to really overmuch they are consenting to walk crossed aggregate work touchpoints.

What’s Next for Aeroplan Members?

Air Canada’s overhaul of nan Aeroplan programme represents an breathtaking opportunity for travelers to bask accrued rewards, enhanced flexibility, and greater nickname for their spending. With nan preamble of Status Qualifying Credits (SQC), prize milestones, and perks tied to customer engagement, nan loyalty programme is evolving into a much dynamic, customer-centric model.

Travelers who are looking to use from nan caller strategy should attraction connected maximizing their spend done eligible flights, in installments paper purchases, and interactions pinch Air Canada’s web of partners. By doing so, they will beryllium capable to gain much points, unlock elite position much easily, and bask further benefits crossed their recreation experience.

This improvement besides sets nan shape for a early wherever airlines proceed to innovate and find caller ways to reward customers, making loyalty programs much personalized and valuable to a wider scope of travelers. With Aeroplan’s breathtaking caller approach, Air Canada is positioned to stay a leader successful nan loyalty programme scenery for years to come.

Conclusion:

Air Canada’s Aeroplan programme overhaul offers breathtaking caller opportunities for predominant and occasional travelers alike. With nan displacement from miles to dollars and nan preamble of nan Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) system, Aeroplan is evolving to meet nan changing demands of modern travelers. This bold move towards a spend-focused loyalty programme is group to create a much engaging, rewarding acquisition for Air Canada’s astir loyal customers, encouraging further information and deeper engagement pinch nan airline’s expanding network.

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