thanks for all your ideas
If your mailing address on the account is in Oz you should have 3 years before your miles expire so no need to rush to add to the accounts with a transaction..
You can check by logging in and going to:
Home > Your Aeroplan > Your Profile
On that page it is listed as: "Account Expiry Date:"
Cheers
I did look up my profile and I can relax because we have an Oz address we have a bit longer to keep accounts active - we may just have to plan another trip to Canada/US.
thanks again