Chase adds Air Canada as Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner
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Chase announced on Tuesday that Aeroplan, the loyalty program of Air Canada, is now available as a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.
This means if you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards with cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you will be able to add one more loyalty program to your list of travel booking options.
Select analyzed the news, what this means for Chase cardholders, and how you can earn more Ultimate Rewards.
What to know about transferring Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan
Aeroplan, the loyalty program of Air Canada, gives members the ability to book flights on Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners such as Lufthansa and United Airlines. With over 40 partner airlines, this move continues to open up more opportunities for Chase cardholders to maximize the value of their points.
Cardholders will be able to transfer their Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio.
While the Star Alliance partners include ones that already have existing relationships with Chase, such as Singapore Airlines and United Airlines, it gives more opportunities to stretch the value of your points.
For example, if you have an ideal flight in mind on Singapore Airlines, you can weigh the difference between booking through the Chase travel portal, sending the points to Singapore Airlines’ Krisflyer loyalty program or sending the points to Aeroplan. By doing this, you can find the redemption that costs the fewest amount of points and charges the least amount of taxes and fees.
While a bit time consuming, this strategy can help you stretch the value of your points, as each program offers flights at different prices.
Air Canada recently revamped it’s loyalty program, and there are quite a few sweet spots in its award chart and benefits that make it worthwhile for travelers to consider.
One sweet spot to consider is domestic U.S. short-haul flights. Economy flights under 500 miles on United cost 6,000 Aeroplan points each way.
Another great redemption is flying from the U.S. West Coast to Hawaii. For the 100,000 points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card welcome offer, you can book two round-trip business class flights on United.
In addition, the fuel surcharges are minimal when redeeming through Aeroplan, especially compared to some other airline’s loyalty programs.
Once you find the redemption that works best for you, simply log into the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and follow the prompts to transfer your points to Aeroplan. In most cases, the points transfer instantly to travel partners.
Why this addition is valuable
The addition of Aeroplan is worth caring about because it builds onto the value of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Having more transfer partners allows your points to be even more flexible and valuable, which is key when booking award travel, since you can take advantage of different loyalty programs’ sweet spots.
While Aeroplan is the loyalty program of Air Canada, Aeroplan gives members access to a long list of airlines, including: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
Because Air Canada is part of the Star Alliance, there are nearly endless opportunities to utilize your Chase Ultimate Rewards to fly all over the world, adding additional value to an already compelling rewards program.
How to earn Ultimate Rewards points
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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Rewards
5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022, 2X points on travel and dining worldwide, 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
15.99% to 22.99% variable on purchases and balance transfers
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Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an outstanding welcome offer, 2X points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, travel insurance, flexible spending categories, no foreign transaction fees and perks for DoorDash and Peloton. All the benefits and features of the card, along with the low annual fee of $95, makes it one of the best travel credit cards available to consumers.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a step-up in annual fee from the Sapphire Preferred, but the benefits can quickly help compensate for it. The card comes with a 60,000 welcome bonus offer, 3X points per dollar spent on travel and dining, up to $300 annual travel voucher, Priority Pass airport lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit, travel insurance and more. The annual fee is $550, and $75 for each authorized user.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
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Rewards
10X points on Lyft rides through March 2022, 3X points on travel worldwide (immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit), 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
-
Annual fee
-
Intro APR
-
Regular APR
16.99% to 23.99% variable
-
Balance transfer fee
-
Foreign transaction fee
-
Credit needed
However, keep in mind that Chase has the dreaded 5/24 rule, which may restrict some potential applicants for its cards.
Chase also will be launching a co-branded Aeroplan credit card in the U.S. later this year, and if you sign-up for the card’s waitlist now, you’ll be eligible to earn 10,000 Aeroplan points in addition to the launch offer, upon card approval.
Bottom line
Chase adding Aeroplan continues to expand the value of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. It is still extremely competitive with the likes of American Express Membership® Rewards and the Citi ThankYou rewards program. For flyers that fly with Air Canada or its Star Alliance partners, this announcement should be considered when evaluating the best credit card loyalty program for your travel strategy.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
