Your guide to unlocking more flights with Air Canada’s Aeroplan

When you have PayRewards Points to spend, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program mightn’t be an obvious choice. But take it from us – it’s well worth a look. With Aeroplan, you hold the key to booking reward flights on almost 50 airlines worldwide, including 16 airlines flying directly from Australia.

Offering a competitive transfer rate from PayRewards and some great-value flight redemptions, here’s how to make the most of Aeroplan.

Converting your PayRewards Points into Aeroplan points

For every 2.5 PayRewards Points transferred, you’ll receive 1 Aeroplan point in your personal Aeroplan account. For instance, 500,000 PayRewards Points equals 200,000 Aeroplan points.

PayRewards is one of the very few flexible programs in Australia with Aeroplan as a transfer option. So, if you’re going to learn about any new frequent flyer program in 2025, make it Aeroplan!

Already this year, I’ve personally converted PayRewards Points to Aeroplan and used those to book international business class flights at very competitive rates. Just 15,000 Aeroplan points (converted from 37,500 PayRewards Points) got me a flatbed flight on Turkish Airlines. Read on and I’ll tell you how!

Spending your Aeroplan points

Aeroplan is the world’s most powerful frequent flyer program for reward flights. That’s because Aeroplan allows its members to redeem on more airlines than any other frequent flyer program, bar none.

For starters, Air Canada belongs to Star Alliance – the world’s largest airline alliance. Including Air Canada, that’s already 25 global airlines on which you can spend your miles. Almost half of these airlines fly to Australia. You can leave our shores aboard Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines – and we’re just warming up.

Aeroplan’s broader network of airline partners makes it excel even further. You can redeem Aeroplan points with Etihad Airways, Air Mauritius (from Perth) and Virgin Australia, too. In fact, you can even use Aeroplan points to fly with Emirates – including in business class and First Class, without paying Emirates’ sky-high carrier charges! Now we’re talking…

Fly to Canada using Aeroplan points

When spending Aeroplan points on Air Canada, Aeroplan uses dynamic pricing. This means the number of points you’ll need can change drastically from one flight to the next, even in the same cabin on the same route.

For instance, on dates in May 2025, flying Air Canada from Sydney or Brisbane to Vancouver ranges from 390,600 to 533,500 Aeroplan points in business class, one-way. Meanwhile, Premium Economy varies from 197,000 to 422,200 Aeroplan points. Yes, at times, it is more expensive than business class!

On the same routes, we’ve seen economy flights range from 68,300 to 135,800 Aeroplan points. But reward rates on partner airlines are usually lower. That’s because Aeroplan members can book practically any seat on Air Canada – effectively using points to ‘buy’ a ticket. Whereas on partners, bookings are solely for capacity-controlled reward seats. You may not always find a seat available, but when you do, the reward rates are typically more competitive.

Aeroplan’s sweet spots on partner airline flights

With partner reward flights presenting the greatest value, we’ve crunched the numbers to find some of the very best ways to spend your Aeroplan points.

Short Virgin Australia domestic flights

On quick domestic hops of ~2 hours (e.g. Melbourne to Brisbane), Virgin Australia Business Class costs 20,000 Aeroplan points, one-way. Through Virgin Australia’s own Velocity program, the same flights require up to 23,500 Velocity Points. (The conversion rate from PayRewards to Aeroplan is the same as to Velocity, ahem…)

Even economy reward bookings can be good value here. You could travel on the same Brisbane-Melbourne route for just 8,000 Aeroplan points, one-way – versus up to 18,900 Velocity Points.

Turkish Airlines to Asia or Istanbul

Turkish Airlines’ flights from Melbourne to Istanbul dart via Singapore. But you can book just the Melbourne-Singapore leg without travelling onward to Turkey. In business class, it’s just 45,000 Aeroplan points, one-way. Sometimes, up to four Business Class reward seats are available per flight.

You can also fly Turkish from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, although reward seats there are scarcer. If flying to Istanbul, business class is just 110,000 Aeroplan points. And because Aeroplan doesn’t pass on any carrier charges, you’ll only pay around $170 CAD in taxes and fees.

Singapore Airlines to Singapore

For just 45,000 Aeroplan points (plus $140 CAD in fees), you could fly from Brisbane to Singapore in Business Class on Singapore Airlines. Sometimes, on specific dates that aren’t bookable via Singapore Airlines’ other partners like Velocity.

Securing the same flight through SIA’s own KrisFlyer program costs 68,500 KrisFlyer miles (plus $111 AUD in fees), but the transfer rate from PayRewards to KrisFlyer is the same as for Aeroplan. That’s 58,750 fewer PayRewards Points to secure the same flight. That’s just smart business.

Air India to Delhi

With direct flights to Delhi from both Sydney and Melbourne, Air India can be a compelling option for your Aeroplan points. Just 80,000 Aeroplan points can take you there in business class (plus $149 CAD in taxes and fees).

When economy reward seats cost 50,000 Aeroplan points on the same route, paying only 30,000 more points for a flatbed – on a 13-hour flight – is a real steal. That’s only an extra 2,308 points per hour of flight to have your feet up, rather than sitting down in the back.

Emirates to Dubai

Emirates is highly regarded for its excellent premium cabin experiences. But reward seats at the pointy end on Emirates usually come with hefty carrier charges. That’s on top of the six-figure points balance you need just to secure the seat.

But when you spend Aeroplan points on Emirates flights, Aeroplan doesn’t levy Emirates’ usual carrier charges. Rather than paying almost $4,000 return to Europe – like when spending Emirates’ own Skywards miles – through Aeroplan, it’s only around $400.

Even just to the Middle East, Emirates Business Class from Melbourne to Dubai requires 230,400 Aeroplan points, while paying only $146 CAD on the side. Through Qantas Frequent Flyer, you’d spend fewer points for the same flight (119,200 Qantas Points), but you’d be stung with $1,281 AUD in taxes, fees and carrier charges, one-way. When you multiply those cash savings across multiple flights and multiple passengers, it really starts to add up.

Air Mauritius to Mauritius

Here’s one for our clients based in WA. Through Aeroplan, you can fly direct from Perth to Mauritius for just 60,000 Aeroplan points (plus $127 CAD in taxes and fees). We’ve also seen as many as four business class reward seats available per flight.

Air Mauritius flies from Mauritius to Europe too, on which you can also spend Aeroplan points.

Short flights in Europe and the US

Domestic flights in the United States can be expensive – especially given the unfavourable USD: AUD exchange rates. But you could save your coin and use Aeroplan points to book flights on United Airlines. A short hop from LA to San Francisco, for instance, costs just 15,000 Aeroplan points in ‘first class’ or 6,000 Aeroplan points in economy.

In the USA, checked baggage fees usually apply in domestic economy, but there are ways to avoid them. Point Hacks has more.

Short flights in Europe can also present value. For just 15,000 Aeroplan points, I recently flew from Athens to Istanbul in Turkish Airlines business class – with a flatbed to boot.

Tips when booking flights through Aeroplan

Follow these final tips to get the most out of Aeroplan:

• Search for reward flights online
  Just tick the ‘Book with Aeroplan points’ box and enter your desired route. You don’t even need an Aeroplan account to see what’s available or what the rates are in points and cash.
• Search before you transfer points
  Because Aeroplan has most partner airlines bookable online, you can check what’s possible at any time. We recommend doing this before converting your PayRewards Points to confirm there’s something to suit.
• Most transactions charge in CAD
  As an Australian resident, the costs you’ll see on Aeroplan reward bookings are in CAD, not AUD. Thus, your credit card issuer may charge a small currency conversion fee (usually around 3%) on the amounts paid in cash.
• Redemption rates vary between airlines
  Rates can vary drastically between airlines, even on the same route – and are sometimes dynamic. For instance, from Melbourne to Singapore, business class on Singapore Airlines or Turkish Airlines requires 45,000 Aeroplan points, one-way. But booking Emirates demands nearly three times as many Aeroplan points for the same direct flight. (Note, Emirates’ direct Melbourne-Singapore flights end on 30 March 2025.)
• If you’re flexible, you’ll probably find something
  Aeroplan’s systems ‘think outside the box’ – even if the suggestions can seem illogical. For instance, when searching from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur (usually 8.5 hours non-stop), Aeroplan might suggest business class via Delhi: a journey of over 27.5 hours. That’s quite convoluted, even for us – but if you’re open-minded, there’s a good chance Aeroplan can get you there.

Written by Chris Chamberlin

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About the author

Chris enjoys making the most of frequent flyer points, which have taken him around the world – usually, at the front of the plane. He’s travelled over 1.5 million miles sampling the best in Business Class and First Class. That’s further than three return trips to the moon! Chris is based at Point Hacks' Melbourne office as News Editor, and shares his experiences via @chris_chamberlin on Instagram. When he’s not travelling, he enjoys tennis, keeping fit, and discovering new gins.