Air Canada announced a couple of days ago that it’ll be updating its award chart from June 1, 2026. Unfortunately the most prevalent change is an increase, with ~85% of the bands requiring more Aeroplan points. That does mean that ~15% of the pricing bands do see a decrease, but that’ll be scant consolation for most people.
A full list of the changes can be found below; where there aren’t values listed for certain types of awards, that means they’ll be unchanged from present. There are references to both select partner airlines and partner airlines; select partner airlines include United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin Airlines, and Provincial Airlines Ltd.
Various different regions are referred to in the headings; you can see which countries fall under which region in the map below:
Between North America & Atlantic regions
- 0-4,000 miles:
- Economy 35K → 32,500 points (-2,500)
- 4,001–6,000 miles:
- Economy: 40K → 42,500 points (+2,500)
- Business: 70K → 75K points (+5K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 100K → 120K points (+20K)
- 6,001–8,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 55K → 60K points (+5K)
- Business (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 85K → 90K points (+5K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 130K → 150K points (+20K)
- 8,001+ miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 70K → 75K points (+5K)
- Business (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 100K → 110K points (+10K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 140K → 165K points (+25K)
Between North America & Pacific Regions
- 0-5,000 miles
- Economy: 35K → 32,500 points (-2,500)
- 5,001–7,000 miles
- Business: 75K → 85K points (+10K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 110K → 120K points (+10K)
- 7,501–11,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 60K → 65K points (+5K)
- Premium economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 70K → 85K points (+15K)
- Business (on partner airlines): 87,500 → 102,500 points (+15K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 130K → 140K points (+10K)
- 11,001+ miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 75K → 70K points (-5K)
- Economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 65K → 70K points (+5K)
- Premium economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 80K → 95K points (+15K)
Within Atlantic region
- 0-1,000 miles
- Business: 15K → 12,500 points (-2,500)
- 1,001-2,000 miles
- Economy: 12,500 → 15K points (+2,500)
- Business: 25K → 22,500 points (-2,500)
- 2,001-4,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 25K → 30K points (+5K)
- Business: 45K → 40K points (-5K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 60K → 75K points (+15K)
- 4,001-6,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 35,500 → 42,500 points (+7,000)
- Business (on partner airlines): 60K → 70K points (+10K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 90K → 100K points (+10K)
- 6,001+ miles
- Business (on partner airlines): 80K → 95K points (+15K)
Within Pacific region
- 1,001-2,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 12,500 → 15K points (+2,500)
- 2,001-5,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 25K → 30K points (+5K)
- Business (on partner airlines): 45K → 52,500 points (+7,500)
- 5,001-7,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 37,500 → 35K points (-2,500)
- Business (on partner airlines): 60K → 72,500 points (+12,500)
- 7,001+ miles
- Economy: 55K → 50K points (-5K)
- Business: 90K → 85K points (-5K)
Between Atlantic & Pacific regions
- 0-2,500 miles
- Business (on partner airlines): 40K → 47,500 points (+7,500)
- First class (on partner airlines): 50K → 55K points (+5K)
- 2,501-5,000 miles
- Economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 30K → 40K points (+10K)
- Business (on partner airlines): 60K → 75K points (+15K)
- Business (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 50K → 60K points (+10K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 80K → 95K points (+15K)
- 5,001-7,000 miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 50K → 60K points (+10K)
- Economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 40K → 50K points (+10K)
- Business (on partner airlines): 80K → 92,500 points (+12,500)
- Business (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 60K → 80K points (+20K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 100K → 120K points (+20K)
- 7,001+ miles
- Economy (on partner airlines): 65K → 75K points (+10K)
- Economy (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 40K → 60K points (+20K)
- Business (on partner airlines): 110K → 130K points (+20K)
- Business (on Air Canada & select partner airlines): 60K → 100K points (+40K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 140K → 150K points (+10K)
- First class (on partner airlines): 100K → 130K points (+30K)
Quick Thoughts
Devaluations are never a good thing, but at least Air Canada has given us all a heads up ~5 weeks ahead of time, rather than doing a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and implementing these changes overnight with no warning.
Your feelings on these changes will likely depend on how you most frequently redeem Aeroplan points. For example, if you often book short-haul business class awards within the Atlantic region (which includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and a decent portion of Asia), you likely won’t be too fussed as redemptions for journeys of up to 1,000 miles will drop in price from 15,000 points to 12,500. If you mostly book business or first class awards between the US and Europe though, you’ll now be looking at an increase from 70,000 to 75,000 miles for business class and from 100,000 to 120,000 for first class (assuming your travel distance is 4,001-6,000 miles.
The thing is, all the reductions are minimal; any time a pricing band drops in price, it’s only by either 2,500 points or 5,000 points – there aren’t any substantial drops. Compare that to some of the increases and there’s a marked difference, with increases ranging from an additional 2,500 points at the low end to a whopping 40,000 points more at the high end.
People who book ultra-long haul Aeroplan awards between the Pacific and Atlantic regions will definitely feel the pain, with trips of 7,001+ miles increasing by anything from 10,000-40,000 points, no matter whether you’re traveling in economy, business, or first class, and no matter whether you’re flying on Air Canada metal or with a partner airline.
Overall, this is all bad news, but Aeroplan pricing will still be somewhat competitive on many routes, not to mention that you still have another month before these changes come into play. Fingers crossed that we get one or more Aeroplan transfer bonuses in the next month to lock in even cheaper prices. Don’t forget that there is a 20% transfer bonus right now from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan.
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You’re telling me there’s still a published award chart with somewhat reasonable partner availability together with ~3x a year ~20% transfer bonuses from Chase? Plus I get to pay comparatively low surcharges in weak Canadian dollars? Headline is correct, hard to get too excited about these relatively minor devaluations especially when they are keeping under 4k TATL at 60k.
Published award charts are funny sometimes. Right now the difference in an economy flight from, say, NY to Zurich versus NY to Munich is 35k v 40k because the distance straddles the 4,000 mile mark by less than 100 miles on either side. Now that will go to 32.5k v 42.5k for essentially the same flight. Big difference for a family of 4.
Here’s another fun one – FRA to NYC. Right now LH to EWR is 35k miles (soon to be 32.5k) and UA to EWR is 40k miles. Why? Nothing to do with mileage, United is just a “Select” partner and has different rates (SQ is 35k from FRA to JFK BTW, but I’m sure the “Select” experience with UA into EWR is worth the extra 5k-7.5k miles/pp).
Moral of the story – Aeroplan is still an essential part of the tool kit (kind of feels like the entirety of the reason to keep earning Chase points… yes I know all you hotel enthusiasts love Hyatt…), but check those flights folks, and if you’re going to central Europe, look to fly into Zurich / Frankfurt on LH/LX/SQ versus heading into Munich / Berlin etc. Apparently they have a somewhat reliable network of high speed trains in Europe that can get you the rest of the way there.
I despise when travel bloggers try to both-sides things or pretend that a bloodbath devaluation isn’t a bloodbath (hello Hyatt) but in this case you’re right. Devaluations are inherently unpleasant but this one is comparatively mild, although I didn’t expect another one until next year at the very earliest after the one last year.
Speaking of blood in the water… reminds me of that scene from Walter Mitty: “I don’t think it’s a porpoise… It’s not a porpoise!”