A complete guide to Aeroplan’s stopover and routing rules

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program brings a lot of value.

Points are easy to earn when Transfer counterpart of certain credit card currencies. While the current Air Canada flight redemption rate Flexible pricingThe program has kept the reward chart for partner-operated flights with very reasonable redemption rates at a time when other programs have not announced increases in partner redemption rates.

A little-known but compelling benefit of the Aeroplan program involves its routing and stopover rules. You can add one stop on a one-way trip for just 5,000 Aeroplan points and another stop on the way back with a round-trip booking, for an additional 5,000 points.

Let’s take a detailed look at Aeroplan’s current routing and stopover rules, which will help you maximize your points for longer trips to more cities. Plus, check out the sample itineraries below to see how to add great destinations as you plan your next trip.

Maximize Aeroplan routing rules

Routing rules dictate how you get from your origin to your destination. This is not so important for direct flights, but it helps you understand the possibilities when booking connecting itineraries.

More often than not, you’ll want to book the shortest itinerary possible. So if you’re flying from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Václav Havel Prague Airport (PRG) using your Aeroplan points, you’ll most likely book a ticket like ORD to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) ) to PRG on Lufthansa. This is quick and easy.

So what is the purpose of learning about these rules? Simple: You can use them to book trips to destinations with limited awards and maximize them by adding long layovers (up to 24 hours) so you have a day in the city new street.

Aeroplan’s routing rules are powerful and surprisingly simple. This starts with the show’s loosely defined prize chart: The four regions are shown in the image below. Awards are priced (more on that soon) based on the zone you’re traveling in and the total flight distance, including layovers and stops.

Aeroplan allows you to transit through another area — whether for a stopover or a transit. This means you can fly from New York City to New Delhi via Australia if you want. That means you’ll pay the required number of points for the total distance of your flights because Aeroplan uses a combination of zone-based and distance-based pricing.

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Related: How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value

Aeroplan allows you to add one stopover point for one-way and two round-trip flights for 5,000 points each. All awards are priced as one-way tickets, so you can add an open leg (arriving in one city and then departing from another) to your itinerary with a return ticket.

For example, if you want to fly from New York City to Norway, you can add a stop in Frankfurt for up to 45 days for just 5,000 additional points.

Another way to think about this is that if you plan to visit two destinations in an area like the Atlantic on one trip, you can add a short-haul flight to the second destination for just 5,000 points, a great deal.

Aeroplan allows up to six sectors on a one-way ticket operated by a partner airline. According to the airline, tickets operated by Air Canada will be subject to the airline’s internal routing rules.

Unfortunately, you cannot add an open function between breakpoints or other connections. This means you can’t stopover in Tokyo and fly out of Osaka, Japan to your final destination. The opening jaw must take place after you have reached your final destination.

There is no limit to the number of carriers you can fly with. Likewise, alliance airlines such as Etihad Airways and Emirates could be combined.

Limitations to note

You can’t add stops in the US or Canada. Likewise, you’re limited to a 12-hour layover in these countries, so tours of the US won’t result in Aeroplan rewards.

Additionally, you cannot return to the same airport after passing through. This means you cannot fly from New York City to Frankfurt to Prague and back to Frankfurt. In most cases, this is not a big problem.

Additionally, your routing needs to be reasonable. You cannot book a journey with a connection that is 100% longer than the direct distance between two cities. This means routes such as New York to Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt cannot be booked on a one-way ticket.

This is because the distance is more than twice as long as the direct flight between New York and Frankfurt. On the other hand, routes like New York to Abu Dhabi to New Delhi can be booked in advance as it is considered a reasonable route.

If you book tickets in a single zone, they must stay in that zone. This means you can’t fly from London to Tokyo to Madrid. However, you can book a trip from London to Frankfurt to Madrid.

Note that Air Canada’s system decides what can and cannot be booked. This means you may still encounter problems on more complicated journeys. If this happens, you can try politely ending the call and calling another representative again. However, in some cases you may need to change your booking.

How much does it cost to return to Aeroplan?

Pricing an Aeroplan trip is quite simple. The awards rankings are divided into four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America. Each region has an award chart based on distance for flights to and from North America and other regions. You can view these award rankings above Airplane website.

Below are the awards rankings from North America to the Atlantic. Remember, the Atlantic region includes Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East, everywhere from Greenland to South Africa.

You’ll notice that Air Canada flights come in a wide range of prices. This is because Air Canada now allows Aeroplan members to book all seats on flights, so if you book a busy flight at the last minute, you’re more likely to pay at a higher rate. Flights with standard “Economy” award space will be priced at the lowest end of the price list.

To value a prize, use a tool like Great Circle Mapper to find the total distance of the flight and compare the total miles flown with the award chart. For example, a partner flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), with a stop at Zurich Airport (ZRH), is 9,157 miles. According to the North American to Atlantic award chart, this would cost 115,000 points in business class when you factor in the 5,000 point surcharge for adding a stop.

Below are some examples of bookable itineraries to illustrate how effective Aeroplan’s routing rules are. These itineraries can be booked according to what we know about Aeroplan’s routing rules:

• A trip to Europe: You can fly from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD), stop at Lisbon Airport (LIS) in Portugal, then fly back from Prague to New York via a stopover in Frankfurt. This will allow you to visit Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic and Germany in one trip on partner airlines. This can be booked for 85,000 points in economy class, including the cost of 10,000 points for two stops.
• An Asia trip: You can fly economy class from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), with stops in Seoul, South Korea’s Seoul International Airport (ICN) on the way there, and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) is on its way there again, with 130,000 Aeroplan points.
• Visit to India through Asia, return to Europe: Since India is considered part of the Atlantic region and has lower rates than the Pacific award chart, you can book travel from LAX to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) , stopover at ICN and then back to LAX, with a stopover at Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) in Poland, for just 150,000 Aeroplan points per person.

You can book stops online using the multi-city tool by entering the stopover airport you want to visit.

If you have problems with this, especially if your itinerary is complex, you should search for individual flights for each sector and then try to aggregate them later. You can do this on the Air Canada website or by Favorite Star Alliance search engine.

Once you find your desired flight, if you can’t get what you want online, you can call Air Canada to book your ticket. A representative will be able to put it together for you.

How to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points

If you want to increase your Aeroplan balance, consider signing up Aeroplan® Credit Card. Subscribers can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Additionally, new cardholders will earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months of account opening. You can read our full review of the Aeroplan card This to learn more about its benefits.

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Mile, Chasing the ultimate reward And Marriott Bonvoy. In addition to Marriott, transfers from these other programs occur at a 1:1 ratio and will be immediate.

The move from Marriott Bonvoy to Aeroplan has a 3:1 ratio. Plus, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus points for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.

Here are some of the best welcome offers on credit cards that you can transfer to Aeroplan points:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening, plus a $300 travel statement credit
• Chase Sapphire Sanctuary®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on qualifying purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. Plus, get 20% back in statement credits on qualifying restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
• American Express Platinum® Card: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Bottom line

Aeroplan’s routing and stopover rules are unique and lucrative. Using the information presented here, you can create complex itineraries that allow you to stretch your Aeroplan points to see more of the world.

Bookmark this article and refer to it when booking upcoming trips with Aeroplan. Now you can even book stops online, resulting in incredible savings without having to spend precious time waiting on hold with an Air Canada representative.