Aeroplan also has bonus categories for extra points - if you have an Aerogold card, you get 1.5x for gas, groceries and drug stores. So this means that you can spend $10,000 on daily necessities and get the 15,000 points needed.

Another thing you should try is to do credit card churns. Look in the "Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs" forum for information. AMEX is an especially good company for this. They have very generous bonuses with first year free - after which you cancel and sign up for another one. This way, you could get your Aeroplan points for basically peanuts.

I recently signed up for the Amex Personal Rewards Gold Card, with First Year Free, which gave me 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards point after $500 charged to the card within 3 months. These points can be transferred instantly to Aeroplan, or British Airways Avios, or used to redeem travel the way that the Aspire card does. Thus, this gives me more flexibility. I also earn 2x points on gas, groceries, drugstore and travel charges, which gives me better earning possibilities. If you are interested in this card, please apply through my referral link!