Aug 12, 2020, 12:02 am
Last edit by: Adam Smith
You must call in for stopovers, multi-city, or complicated routings, until the new booking system launches in 2021.
I hope others will significantly improve this wiki!
There are four zones: North America (inc Central), South America, Atlantic (including India and Western Russia), Pacific (inc Eastern Russia) and the chart is based which one you start from and which one you end up in, there's ten of these.
Cost is based on distance, which zone pair your flight is in, which class you are flying in.
Partner airlines (again) are a better deal because while Air Canada will calculate cost on a wide ranges but partner airlines are fixed to the bottom of the range.
YQ is eliminated. There's a 39 CAD fee for booking a ticket which contains a flight on a partner airline. Aside from this, there's no incentive any more to book a return flight it seems and every incentive not to.
Note: The partner booking fee is refundable, so it's basically a YQ, rather than a booking fee.
Most flights are devalued. However, the elimination of YQ sweetens this significantly. Within North America, a lot of flights became cheaper, YVR-HNL very significantly. YVR-TYO is much cheaper while YVR-AKL is a little cheaper.
A vastly more powerful booking system is promised for 2021.
There are a lot of new tricks to be learned. https://princeoftravel.com/blog/new-aeroplan-flight-rewards/ is a good start.
Information that is harder to find:
I hope others will significantly improve this wiki!
There are four zones: North America (inc Central), South America, Atlantic (including India and Western Russia), Pacific (inc Eastern Russia) and the chart is based which one you start from and which one you end up in, there's ten of these.
Cost is based on distance, which zone pair your flight is in, which class you are flying in.
Partner airlines (again) are a better deal because while Air Canada will calculate cost on a wide ranges but partner airlines are fixed to the bottom of the range.
YQ is eliminated. There's a 39 CAD fee for booking a ticket which contains a flight on a partner airline. Aside from this, there's no incentive any more to book a return flight it seems and every incentive not to.
Note: The partner booking fee is refundable, so it's basically a YQ, rather than a booking fee.
Most flights are devalued. However, the elimination of YQ sweetens this significantly. Within North America, a lot of flights became cheaper, YVR-HNL very significantly. YVR-TYO is much cheaper while YVR-AKL is a little cheaper.
A vastly more powerful booking system is promised for 2021.
There are a lot of new tricks to be learned. https://princeoftravel.com/blog/new-aeroplan-flight-rewards/ is a good start.
Information that is harder to find:
- SE IKK redemption from the old program can be changed ("within reason") without repricing. Dates, routings, no problem. Origin/destination should be fine. But nothing that would have required a repricing under the old program. This is from Mark Nasr in https://www.facebook.com/pointsmiles...44878252851420
- The "Activity" page only shows you the most recent ~48 transactions. See this post for information on how to get older data.
- A partial refund may not be possible (e.g. if you book RT and outbound flight is cancelled by you or AC, to delete the first flight segment, you have to cancel the entire ticket and rebook the inbound at a potentially higher fare. It seems supervisor can grant exceptions.)
2020 Air Canada Aeroplan Program
Nov 26, 2020, 4:59 pm
#1036
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan 50K/Star Alliance Gold, Accor Gold, base level Marriott/Hyatt/Hilton
Posts: 658
How will credit card points convert to SQMs? It says that if you earn 100K points you get 25K status - does this mean 1 SQM for every 4 points you earn? I.e. if one were to purchase an AC ticket for $3500 on a VIP card, would they earn 7000 Aeroplan points and 1750 SQM?
Nov 26, 2020, 5:34 pm
#1037
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: YVR
Posts: 1,085
How will credit card points convert to SQMs? It says that if you earn 100K points you get 25K status - does this mean 1 SQM for every 4 points you earn? I.e. if one were to purchase an AC ticket for $3500 on a VIP card, would they earn 7000 Aeroplan points and 1750 SQM?
If you earn 100K points a year, you'll get 25K status. They aren't giving you 25K SQM, all you're getting is simply 25K status.
In other words, if you want higher than 25K status, you'll also need to make it there the normal way. You don't get a "head start".
Nov 26, 2020, 5:34 pm
#1038
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: YOW
Programs: AC SE, FOTSG Platinum
Posts: 5,734
How will credit card points convert to SQMs? It says that if you earn 100K points you get 25K status - does this mean 1 SQM for every 4 points you earn? I.e. if one were to purchase an AC ticket for $3500 on a VIP card, would they earn 7000 Aeroplan points and 1750 SQM?
Nov 27, 2020, 8:20 am
#1039
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
Nov 27, 2020, 8:32 am
#1040
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
Nov 27, 2020, 9:25 am
#1041
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
Nov 27, 2020, 8:32 pm
#1042
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,475
When booking awards at the old website, I would often get an error about difficulty converting taxes to USD or something like that. Is that issue still there in the new website?
Nov 27, 2020, 9:07 pm
#1043
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
I have no idea what USD error you're referring to.
Aeroplan redemptions have been CAD-only for years. Not 8 years, but many years.
Aeroplan redemptions have been CAD-only for years. Not 8 years, but many years.
Nov 28, 2020, 7:15 am
#1044
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE100K 1MM, FB Platinum, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,605
Nov 28, 2020, 8:12 am
#1045
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: YOW
Programs: AC SE, FOTSG Platinum
Posts: 5,734
AFAIK it's cumulative. Not sure if the $5K counter resets at the card anniversary or the end of the qualification year - that is, I'm not sure what happens if you've spent $4800 at the end of new years eve.
Nov 28, 2020, 8:24 am
#1046
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE100K 1MM, FB Platinum, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,605
This may end up being pretty useful for 2022 qualification, as long as one can accumulate the SQD spend required. If AC lowers the SQM/SQS and SQD requirement for 2022 qualification, as AA has done, even better.
Nov 28, 2020, 8:56 am
#1047
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz
Posts: 1,611
Sorry if this has been asked before, but when booking flights and you see a mixed cabin itinerary I can't see which legs are in what class. I'm able to see the class if I click through the booking process, but not when I start the search and see all the options.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Nov 28, 2020, 9:12 am
#1048
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, Bonvoy, Alaska, Avios
Posts: 1,290
Oddly just got a global error message when trying to book on points. Tried a cash fare and got the the payment page without much difficulty however. Looks like I’ll have to call in.
Nov 28, 2020, 10:55 am
#1049
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Air Canada 50K, Marriott Gold,
Posts: 206
Nov 28, 2020, 11:24 am
#1050
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 155
If you are talking about the error message right before the RBC insurance quote, ignore it and keep scrolling, you will see booking options.
I just made two new bookings no problem.