OliverB

The obvious answer would be reward flights home... except that I don't ever pay for them!

I have roughly 50k miles and counting.

Short of trading them with someone else for points in another partner program, what's the best way to spend my Aeroplan miles to maximize their value? I've never used Aeroplan's rewards shop before but just did a quick search for travel certs and was disappointed by the lack of options. I was searching for hotels in Europe and mostly brought up budget options. Strange considering Starwood allows 1:1 point transfers to AC, that there's no reward partnerships to be found on the other end, don't you think? The relationship between these programs doesn't seem to be reciprocal. So what else is there? I read something about transferring mile sot gift cards... how does this work and is it a decent value? What kind of partner programs or certs are offered? I'd love to be able to use these miles for travel related rewards or dining (something akin to OpenTable certificates) but I want to be sure I'm not devaluing my miles in doing so. What options do I have?

YEG USER

Are you aware that AC is a member of Star Alliance as are other global airlines such as United? Domestic flights on United are a possibility, as are international flights ex-USA. Being in the US can be an advantage as flying UA will save on fuel surcharges.

OliverB

So I'm able to book domestic US travel on United through AC's website using my Aeroplan miles? I didn't realize!

That solves my problems then.

Out of curiosity, how do Aeroplan miles stack up to UA miles against reward flights on UA? Are they of equal value? Would I earn United miles on a reward flight booked through Aeroplan?

Thanks for clarifying.

SFO777

NA redemption mileage is similar. However, Mileage Plus is a much better award program than Aeroplan. The biggest difference is that Mileage Plus won't rip you off with scam charges like Aeroplan. Neither program lets you earn miles on award travel.

Brendan

Aeroplan does not charge a $75 short-notice booking fee on award tix with <21 days advance notice, while UA does. However, AP does charge USA airline taxes (Pass. Facility Charge of $4.50 per takeoff from most US airports + $17.50 per direction US Intl. tax even to Canada) from which award tix are exempt per USA tax laws.
On Aeroplan.com U can even book an award ticket containing a mix of AC & UA flights, just as with UA miles on united.com !

OliverB

What if I wanted to fly Lufthansa F class to Europe on reward miles (or just pay for an upgrade with miles); is that possible?

How would the milage compare with UA for this purpose?

OliverB

Also, in the above scenario, if I purchased an upgradable fare through Aeroplan on Lufthansa with my credit card, would I later be able to upgrade to F with Aeroplan miles (when seats are released) or would I have to wait and use miles from the beginning and do it all in one-shot?

PLeblond

Aeroplan does not offer upgradable fares, nor can you use Aeroplan points to upgrade a purchased fare. You can purchase j or F flights with Aeroplan points, but at 50k, you might be a little short.

OliverB

Thanks, I should have close to double the milage before the trip rolls around. Does Lufthansa still wait until the last minute to release F fares to partner programs? Are UA miles a better value than Aeroplan for first class tickets to Europe on partner airlines?

Thanks for your help!

monkai

More miles needed from United Mileage plus, but more significantly higher fees (for YQ) using Aeroplan with LH First class. You can do a comparison of the costs using the united and aeroplan websites.

ibopm

Just FYI, you'll need 125k for a round trip to LHR in F.

crimsona

45k for One-way in J, with fuel surcharges. 62.5k for one way in F, also with YQ.

SFO777

Taxes/fees (aka Aeroplan scam charges) for a Lufthansa F or J booking will run in the US$450-$500 range per person each way. United doesn't charge YQ but their new partner mileage price considerable higher... 80K one way J, 110K one way F. So depending on how much you value miles, you can make the argument that there is not much difference in overall pricing between the two programs.

OliverB

Thanks for all the info!

What I think I'll do is stack enough miles for a single RT in F on Air Canada and then just stop using the program. I'll register my UA frequent flyer for all future flights and then book my wife's ticket through UA with our milage, which is already at about 90k.