Air Canada's Aeroplan has quietly become one of the most useful loyalty programs in the Star Alliance, and you don't need a Toronto trip on the calendar to benefit from it. The program still publishes award charts for most partner flights — increasingly rare when so many airlines have gone fully dynamic — and it doesn't tack on carrier-imposed surcharges, which can make the same business-class seat cost tens of thousands more in other programs.

The standout perk is the stopover policy. Add a stopover to a one-way award ticket for just 5,000 extra points, meaning one redemption can cover two cities. Fancy a few days in Lisbon on the way home from Rome? That's exactly the kind of routing Aeroplan makes affordable.

Earning points is straightforward too. Aeroplan partners with most major transferable credit card rewards programs at a 1:1 ratio, so points from everyday spending can become award flights. The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card in the US offers up to 115,000 bonus points (75,000 after $4,000 spend in three months, plus 40,000 after $20,000 in a year), along with automatic Aeroplan 25K elite status, up to $100 in annual Air Canada statement credits and a 15% discount on awards including an Air Canada flight. The Points Guy currently values Aeroplan points at 1.5 cents each.

The redemption map is huge. As a Star Alliance member, Aeroplan covers 25-plus airlines from Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines to United and Lufthansa, plus non-alliance partners like Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific (select routes) and Virgin Australia. Families can pool points with up to eight members, and lap infant pricing is generous. There are caveats: Air Canada's own flights use dynamic pricing that can spike on busy dates, change and cancellation fees are steep, points expire after 18 months of inactivity, and premium cabin availability on partners can require patience. Complex stopover itineraries sometimes mean booking by phone — for a fee.

For frequent flyers, status is earned through Status Qualifying Credits based on spending rather than miles flown, across five tiers from 25K up to Super Elite at 125,000 SQCs. Perks scale from free checked bags and priority boarding to lounge access and, at the top tier, free award changes and shared status passes.

The bottom line: whether you're chasing a long-haul business class seat at a fair price or stitching together a multi-city itinerary on the cheap, Aeroplan is one of the few programs that still rewards planning over luck. It's especially useful for travellers in the US and Canada who can feed it points from credit card spending without ever setting foot on an Air Canada plane — though a stopover in Montreal is never a bad idea.