Most airline credit cards make you earn your way to perks. Chase's Aeroplan card flips that: pay the $195 annual fee and you hold Aeroplan 25K status from day one, no spending threshold required, for as long as the account stays open. For anyone who flies Air Canada or its Star Alliance partners even a few times a year, that alone changes the airport experience — priority check-in and boarding, five eUpgrade credits for cabin upgrades, and Star Alliance Silver recognition on partner carriers.
The status trickles into other parts of your travel life too. Cardholders get a complimentary Avis Preferred Plus membership (you have to enrol), and the 25K tier means you earn double Aeroplan points on Air Canada cash fares on top of what the card pays. If you're chasing higher Aeroplan tiers, the card contributes up to 25,000 Status Qualifying Credits a year: a 5,000 SQC annual bonus, plus 10,000 each at $25,000 and $50,000 of annual spend. That's a genuine head start, though the review is clear that it works best alongside actual flying rather than as a standalone route to top-tier status.
The redemptions side is where Aeroplan has long punched above its weight. Points work across more than 50 partner airlines, with fixed partner award charts, generous stopover rules and — a rarity among major programs — no fuel surcharges on award tickets. The card sweetens this with a 15% discount on eligible Air Canada award bookings (at least one segment of each one-way must be Air Canada-operated), which stacks with the 50% off Priority Rewards milestone benefit. There's also up to $100 a year in Air Canada statement credits, split into two $50 instalments covering fares, award taxes and even inflight purchases, plus a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation.
Earning rates are solid if unspectacular: 3x on travel, 2x on dining, groceries and gas, and up to 5x total on Air Canada flights once the status bonus is factored in. The welcome offer runs to 115,000 points — 75,000 after $4,000 of spend in three months, with another 40,000 after hitting $20,000 in the first year. The boosted 3x rate on dining and groceries, meanwhile, is only locked in through the end of 2026.
Two caveats worth knowing before you apply. First, a pair of long-standing perks disappear after 31 December 2026: the monthly spending bonus and the 10% transfer bonus when moving 50,000 or more Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan. If you've been sitting on Ultimate Rewards points, this is the final window to transfer with a bonus attached. Second, your points are locked to one program, and the statement credits only offset about half the annual fee — so the maths works best if Air Canada genuinely features in your travel plans. Frequent transborder and transatlantic flyers will find plenty of value here; occasional travellers might do better with a flexible-points card.