Jan 4, 2023, 7:47 am
Last edit by: Adam Smith
How can I qualify for elite status on AC?
There are four main ways to qualify for status:
For further questions on Everyday Status Qualification or the Chase cards, please see the threads dedicated to those topics, which are linked above.
What are the levels of status?
The Aeroplan Elite program has five published levels of status:
Before the late-2020 revamp of the Aeroplan program, the 25K level was formerly known as Prestige 25K, the three middle tiers were known as Elite 35K / Elite 50K / Elite 75K, and Super Elite was Super Elite 100K. You may see the terms P25K, E35K, E50K, E75K, and SE100K on FT as references to the former branding (sometimes minus the K, e.g. P25).
Air Canada also operates an unpublished VIP program. Unlike UA GS, AA CK, and DL 360, it is not possible to qualify for VIP through flying. AC’s VIP program is targeted at a different audience that would not normally qualify for a high level of status through their own level of flying. For example, they might award VIP status to the CEO of a large corporation that buys a lot of travel from AC. Those curious about the VIP program can visit that thread; no discussion of the VIP program will be permitted in this thread.
What are the qualification requirements?
For the level you want to qualify for, it is necessary to the requirements for:
The requirements are:
Beginning in 2022, all members must meet the SQD requirements. (Prior to 2022, non-residents only had to achieve 50% of the SQD requirements).
What are SQM, SQS, and SQD, and how do I earn them?
SQM are Status Qualifying Miles. You earn them by taking flights with AC or Star Alliance airline partners. They can also be earned by spending money on certain Aeroplan credit cards.
For flights, SQM are equal to approximately the distance between the two airports, multiplied by the earning rate for the fare type purchased. For example, Aeroplan calculates the distance from YYC to YYZ as 1,669 miles. A flight in Flex would earn 100% miles, i.e. 1,669 SQM. A flight in Standard would earn 25% miles, i.e. 417 SQM.
Certain credit cards award 1,000 SQM for each $10,000 spent on Core credit cards or $5,000 spent on the Premium "Black" credit cards.
Premium credit cards allow you to roll over up to 200K SQM over the level you qualified for in the previous year. For instance, if you flew 56,700 SQM and qualified for 50K status, you would roll over 6,700 SQM to the following year. Please see this thread for more information about the rollover benefit.
SQS are Status Qualifying Segments. You earn them by taking flights with AC or Star Alliance airline partners, by using certain Aeroplan credit cards, or as a Select Benefit selection (as of 2024).
Each qualifying flight earns 1 SQS; there are no multipliers.
Certain credit cards award 1 SQS for each $10,000 (Core credit cards) or $5,000 spent (Premium credit cards).
Starting in 2024, a new Select Benefit is available to Aeroplan 50K, 75K and SE status holders that awards 5,000 SQM and 5 SQS. This replaces the "Lower Requalification Level" Select Benefit offered in 2023 and prior years.
There is no SQS rollover.
SQD are Status Qualifying Dollars. These are equal to the base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges for the ticket. Or you can think of SQD as the total amount paid for the ticket minus taxes and 3rd party surcharges (e.g. airport improvement fees). On receipts from AC, the amount listed as “Air Transportation Charges” will equal the total SQD for the ticket.
On itineraries with more than one segment, SQD are allocated across the segments based on distance, regardless of what you paid for each segment. For example, if you purchase a YYC-YYZ round trip, each segment (YYC-YYZ and YYZ-YYC) will earn 50% of the SQD, even if you paid different amounts for the two segments. Let’s say you paid $300 for YYC-YYZ and $500 for YYZ-YYC (excluding GST, AIFs, etc). The total SQD would be 800, and each segment would earn 400 SQD.
SQD are earned only from flying (one-time promotions aside). Only flights themselves, eUpgrade add-ons, and unlimited flight pass monthly payments qualify. Fees for extra services (e.g. baggage fees, seat selection, on-board purchases, etc) do not count towards SQD.
There is no SQD rollover.
SQD: Air Canada Vacation / ACV: The one exception to "only from flying" for SQD is the purchase of an Air Canada Vacation Package. Air Canada will take 25% of an eligible package value and split it equally amongst all passengers over two years old. So a $10,000 package with two adults and two teens will see each passenger get 625 SQD. An “Eligible Package” refers to a vacation package consisting of a flight-inclusive vacation package or a Flight & Cruise package.
SQD: Companion Pass / Buddy Pass: If through a credit card or Aeroplan you have earned a buddy pass or companion pass that allows a second traveller at no-charge or low-charge the primary pax receives 100% of the SQD and the second pax does not receive any credit.
Do all flights qualify for SQx?
No. Many flights do not earn SQx.
Basic Economy fares on AC earn no SQx, although they do earn Aeroplan points.
Points tickets redeemed from Aeroplan or a Star Alliance partner airline do not qualify, even if paying with a mix of cash and points.
Points redeemed from 3rd party loyalty programs (e.g. Air Miles, RBC Avion) have a mixed track record. Be very cautious relying on ANY ticket you purchased through a "points" programme even if previous tickets have earned SQx or the website says it will. The companies operating this can (and have) changed the way they source tickets without notice. The Air Canada Aeroplan T&C explicitly say anything points related does not earn SQx and thus any dispute will almost certainly be denied.
In recent years, AC has added a number of non-Star Alliance partners. Flights on most of these partners only earn Aeroplan points (i.e. no SQx), and some only earn Aeroplan points on certain routes (e.g. Cathay Pacific).
SQD can only be earned on:
To illustrate, let’s use an itinerary consisting of (i) YYC-EWR, operated by AC, and (ii) EWR-CHS, operated by UA. If this itinerary were purchased from AC, both flights would earn SQD. If purchased from UA, only the YYC-EWR flight would earn SQD.
How do I know how many SQx I’ll earn for a given itinerary?
AC doesn’t tell you when you book a ticket, but it’s relatively simple to calculate. The AC website lists all partners, eligible fares, and accumulation rates.
To make life easier, some FTers have built a tool to calculate SQM/SQD earnings, discussed in this thread: Calculator for SQM, Aeroplan miles, & SQD
Important caveat for flights involving partners: miles earned always depends on the operating carrier. This is the airline whose aircraft you are sitting on when you fly. Sticking to the YYC-EWR-CHS example from above, you would earn miles according to the AC accumulation chart for YYC-EWR, and according to the UA chart for EWR-CHS, regardless of which airline sold the ticket and whether the flight is a codeshare.
This can create confusion in several ways:
What are Premium and Core credit cards?
Premium cards are the highest tier Aeroplan credit cards that have an annual fee of around $600 – Amex Reserve cards or Visa Infinite Privilege cards from TD or CIBC.
Core cards are mid-tier Aeroplan credit cards with an annual fee of around $120 – Visa Infinite from CIBC or TD, the Chase card, or Amex’s basic card.
There are four main ways to qualify for status:
- Earn a sufficient number of SQM/SQS/SQD (sometimes collectively referred to as “SQx” on FT) to qualify for status
- Achieve Everyday Status Qualification, which requires only earning 100K qualifying Aeroplan points (EDQ) in a calendar year to earn 25K status
- Be gifted status from an existing member. Super Elite may choose as a select benefit to gift an E50 package and E75 can gift an E35 package
- Through the Chase Aeroplan credit card, which:
- Grants 25K status for the year in which it’s first obtained, and the following year; after that, 25K status can be maintained by spending US$15K on the card in a calendar year
- Allows you to boost your status one level by spending US$50K on the card in a calendar year
- Some have received E25 through their Canadian credit card provider. TD specifically did issue some E25 packages one year
For further questions on Everyday Status Qualification or the Chase cards, please see the threads dedicated to those topics, which are linked above.
What are the levels of status?
The Aeroplan Elite program has five published levels of status:
- 25K
- 35K
- 50K
- 75K
- Super Elite
Before the late-2020 revamp of the Aeroplan program, the 25K level was formerly known as Prestige 25K, the three middle tiers were known as Elite 35K / Elite 50K / Elite 75K, and Super Elite was Super Elite 100K. You may see the terms P25K, E35K, E50K, E75K, and SE100K on FT as references to the former branding (sometimes minus the K, e.g. P25).
Air Canada also operates an unpublished VIP program. Unlike UA GS, AA CK, and DL 360, it is not possible to qualify for VIP through flying. AC’s VIP program is targeted at a different audience that would not normally qualify for a high level of status through their own level of flying. For example, they might award VIP status to the CEO of a large corporation that buys a lot of travel from AC. Those curious about the VIP program can visit that thread; no discussion of the VIP program will be permitted in this thread.
What are the qualification requirements?
For the level you want to qualify for, it is necessary to the requirements for:
- SQM OR SQS; and
- SQD
The requirements are:
- 25K: 25,000 SQM / 25 SQS / 3,000 SQD
- 35K: 35,000 SQM / 35 SQS / 4,000 SQD
- 50K: 50,000 SQM / 50 SQS / 6,000 SQD
- 75K: 75,000 SQM / 75 SQS / 9,000 SQD
- Super Elite: 100,000 SQM / 100 SQS / 20,000 SQD
Beginning in 2022, all members must meet the SQD requirements. (Prior to 2022, non-residents only had to achieve 50% of the SQD requirements).
What are SQM, SQS, and SQD, and how do I earn them?
SQM are Status Qualifying Miles. You earn them by taking flights with AC or Star Alliance airline partners. They can also be earned by spending money on certain Aeroplan credit cards.
For flights, SQM are equal to approximately the distance between the two airports, multiplied by the earning rate for the fare type purchased. For example, Aeroplan calculates the distance from YYC to YYZ as 1,669 miles. A flight in Flex would earn 100% miles, i.e. 1,669 SQM. A flight in Standard would earn 25% miles, i.e. 417 SQM.
Certain credit cards award 1,000 SQM for each $10,000 spent on Core credit cards or $5,000 spent on the Premium "Black" credit cards.
Premium credit cards allow you to roll over up to 200K SQM over the level you qualified for in the previous year. For instance, if you flew 56,700 SQM and qualified for 50K status, you would roll over 6,700 SQM to the following year. Please see this thread for more information about the rollover benefit.
SQS are Status Qualifying Segments. You earn them by taking flights with AC or Star Alliance airline partners, by using certain Aeroplan credit cards, or as a Select Benefit selection (as of 2024).
Each qualifying flight earns 1 SQS; there are no multipliers.
Certain credit cards award 1 SQS for each $10,000 (Core credit cards) or $5,000 spent (Premium credit cards).
Starting in 2024, a new Select Benefit is available to Aeroplan 50K, 75K and SE status holders that awards 5,000 SQM and 5 SQS. This replaces the "Lower Requalification Level" Select Benefit offered in 2023 and prior years.
There is no SQS rollover.
SQD are Status Qualifying Dollars. These are equal to the base fare plus carrier-imposed surcharges for the ticket. Or you can think of SQD as the total amount paid for the ticket minus taxes and 3rd party surcharges (e.g. airport improvement fees). On receipts from AC, the amount listed as “Air Transportation Charges” will equal the total SQD for the ticket.
On itineraries with more than one segment, SQD are allocated across the segments based on distance, regardless of what you paid for each segment. For example, if you purchase a YYC-YYZ round trip, each segment (YYC-YYZ and YYZ-YYC) will earn 50% of the SQD, even if you paid different amounts for the two segments. Let’s say you paid $300 for YYC-YYZ and $500 for YYZ-YYC (excluding GST, AIFs, etc). The total SQD would be 800, and each segment would earn 400 SQD.
SQD are earned only from flying (one-time promotions aside). Only flights themselves, eUpgrade add-ons, and unlimited flight pass monthly payments qualify. Fees for extra services (e.g. baggage fees, seat selection, on-board purchases, etc) do not count towards SQD.
There is no SQD rollover.
SQD: Air Canada Vacation / ACV: The one exception to "only from flying" for SQD is the purchase of an Air Canada Vacation Package. Air Canada will take 25% of an eligible package value and split it equally amongst all passengers over two years old. So a $10,000 package with two adults and two teens will see each passenger get 625 SQD. An “Eligible Package” refers to a vacation package consisting of a flight-inclusive vacation package or a Flight & Cruise package.
SQD: Companion Pass / Buddy Pass: If through a credit card or Aeroplan you have earned a buddy pass or companion pass that allows a second traveller at no-charge or low-charge the primary pax receives 100% of the SQD and the second pax does not receive any credit.
Do all flights qualify for SQx?
No. Many flights do not earn SQx.
Basic Economy fares on AC earn no SQx, although they do earn Aeroplan points.
Points tickets redeemed from Aeroplan or a Star Alliance partner airline do not qualify, even if paying with a mix of cash and points.
Points redeemed from 3rd party loyalty programs (e.g. Air Miles, RBC Avion) have a mixed track record. Be very cautious relying on ANY ticket you purchased through a "points" programme even if previous tickets have earned SQx or the website says it will. The companies operating this can (and have) changed the way they source tickets without notice. The Air Canada Aeroplan T&C explicitly say anything points related does not earn SQx and thus any dispute will almost certainly be denied.
- Air Miles have generally never posted
- RBC Avion used to consistently earn SQx but many flights booked now don't earn (see thread)
In recent years, AC has added a number of non-Star Alliance partners. Flights on most of these partners only earn Aeroplan points (i.e. no SQx), and some only earn Aeroplan points on certain routes (e.g. Cathay Pacific).
SQD can only be earned on:
- Flights operated by AC
- Flights operated by *A partners, ticketed by AC
To illustrate, let’s use an itinerary consisting of (i) YYC-EWR, operated by AC, and (ii) EWR-CHS, operated by UA. If this itinerary were purchased from AC, both flights would earn SQD. If purchased from UA, only the YYC-EWR flight would earn SQD.
How do I know how many SQx I’ll earn for a given itinerary?
AC doesn’t tell you when you book a ticket, but it’s relatively simple to calculate. The AC website lists all partners, eligible fares, and accumulation rates.
To make life easier, some FTers have built a tool to calculate SQM/SQD earnings, discussed in this thread: Calculator for SQM, Aeroplan miles, & SQD
Important caveat for flights involving partners: miles earned always depends on the operating carrier. This is the airline whose aircraft you are sitting on when you fly. Sticking to the YYC-EWR-CHS example from above, you would earn miles according to the AC accumulation chart for YYC-EWR, and according to the UA chart for EWR-CHS, regardless of which airline sold the ticket and whether the flight is a codeshare.
This can create confusion in several ways:
- During the booking flow on the AC website, AC displays only the earning rates for AC flights. You may buy a Flex fare thinking you will earn 100% miles, only to find out that on a partner flight you were booked in a fare class that earned less. For instance, if you buy a business class fare involving an intra-Europe flight on Lufthansa in a P fare, the website will show that you'll earn 150% miles, but you will earn only 50% on the Lufthansa leg
- When booking codeshares, it may be impossible to know the operating carrier's fare class. For instance, the AC website may sell you UA's EWR-CHS flight as "AC5678" and show you an M fare when you select Flex. But you may actually be actually be booked on a UA Q fare and only earn 75% miles
- When booking AC flights through a partner airline, you may not know the fare brand (Flex, Latitude, etc). United might show you an H fare on YYC-EWR, but this could map to Flex, Standard, or Comfort, and your earning would be impacted accordingly
What are Premium and Core credit cards?
Premium cards are the highest tier Aeroplan credit cards that have an annual fee of around $600 – Amex Reserve cards or Visa Infinite Privilege cards from TD or CIBC.
Core cards are mid-tier Aeroplan credit cards with an annual fee of around $120 – Visa Infinite from CIBC or TD, the Chase card, or Amex’s basic card.
Qualifying for Aeroplan Elite Status - overview/FAQ
Jan 22, 2023, 12:07 pm
#376
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YXU/YYZ
Programs: AC SE, AMEX Plat, Marriott Gold, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 598
The Cowtool SQD calculator can help: https://acsqd.cowtool.com/
Useful thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-...a-cowtool.html
Jan 22, 2023, 3:11 pm
#377
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,812
Jan 23, 2023, 1:37 pm
#378
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 3
United.com booking. Aeroplan points?
Hello. I am an aeroplan member but I booked a flight in J from HNL-ORD-YYZ on United.com because it was way cheaper for some reason.
I also have a mileage plus number that I use to sign into the app, but I don’t actually need/want to collect MileagePlus points.
I entered my Aeroplan account number on the United app under “frequent flyer accounts”. It lists it under my MileagePlus.
Will I be getting Aeroplan points for this trip? Or MileagePlus points? Or both?! Not sure if you can double dip?
Thanks
I also have a mileage plus number that I use to sign into the app, but I don’t actually need/want to collect MileagePlus points.
I entered my Aeroplan account number on the United app under “frequent flyer accounts”. It lists it under my MileagePlus.
Will I be getting Aeroplan points for this trip? Or MileagePlus points? Or both?! Not sure if you can double dip?
Thanks
Jan 23, 2023, 1:42 pm
#380
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 22
I have had an issue where changing from Milageplus to Aeroplan messes up their system and causes both to be listed. I had to call United on the phone and get them to remove all frequent flyer info and then add back my Aeroplan #. This double number issue caused major problems viewing reservations on AirCanada.com and with the flight showing up on the AirCanaada app, but not sure if that was just all the website issues they are currently having.
If you go with Aeroplan I believe you will get Miles, SQM, SQS, but NO SQD since it was not ticketed by Air Canada.
If you go with Aeroplan I believe you will get Miles, SQM, SQS, but NO SQD since it was not ticketed by Air Canada.
Jan 23, 2023, 1:47 pm
#381
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 3
Jan 23, 2023, 1:59 pm
#382
Join Date: Jun 2021
Programs: Air Canada Super Elite 2MM, bonvoy titanium lifetime, united silver
Posts: 86
the option appears late in the buying process ... before purchase is finalized there will be a box titled "frequent flyer program " which is pre populated with your united number (if you have one) ... click on it and change to aeroplan ... u can also do it at check in .
Jan 23, 2023, 2:30 pm
#384
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 3
the option appears late in the buying process ... before purchase is finalized there will be a box titled "frequent flyer program " which is pre populated with your united number (if you have one) ... click on it and change to aeroplan ... u can also do it at check in .
Jan 23, 2023, 2:37 pm
#385
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,204
That would be incorrect. You can credit to any *A FF program. I credit my UA (single segment) flights to Aeroplan all the time.
Jan 23, 2023, 10:52 pm
#386
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 92
Hi newbie here..
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
Jan 24, 2023, 10:58 am
#387
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: YOW
Programs: AC SE, FOTSG Platinum
Posts: 5,747
Hi newbie here..
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
To answer your question - we have all kinds of travellers here, all the way from one guy who spent a few months as what we're pretty sure was The Single Most Consistently Airborne Person Alive, all the way down to people who only fly once a year to see grandma.
If I'm reading your post correctly, you're currently a 25K who's hoping to become a 35K, and maybe even reach up to 50K.
My question for you is - if you don't fly very often, what are the benefits you're hoping to get? Consider that the kind of mileage runs you'd need for this level of status increase would cost you thousands of dollars - at which point you may save quite a bit of money by simply paying for checked bags, preferred seats and a lounge pass, or a premium Aeroplan credit card that would include most of these benefits.
Tell us more, and you'll likely get several different kinds of advice!
Jan 24, 2023, 4:19 pm
#388
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: Air Canada - Super Elite, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 611
Hi newbie here..
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
Beyond mileage runs, there is some opportunity to earn extra SQM through credit card spend, but at the end of the day there would be a question as to whether you are going to meet the $6,000 SQD spend to make 50k, which can largely only be done through actually flying and spending money on Air Canada ticketed flights.
If you are primarily going to be a domestic/US traveller and flying on Air Canada planes the 35k benefits will largely cover a lot of your perks, although the end of lounge access for 35k’s in the summer also alters that value proposition.
Jan 24, 2023, 9:54 pm
#389
Join Date: May 2017
Location: YEG, SFO, VCA, JR JY-13
Programs: hahaha
Posts: 923
Hi newbie here..
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
wondering anyone from here is AC elite status, and not fly very often..
been browsing some ideas on mileage run, for those who doesn’t fly very often is maintaining a status worth it?
aiming 35K … want a 50K for that Star alliance gold but doesn’t seem very realistic
I've never qualified for status through flying, including the AC*75K that was matched through a comedy of errors via Alaska Airlines. I don't plan to ever qualify for status via flying.
After high school a decade ago I got a side gig buying stuff from retailers offered on the eStore and earning Aeroplan Diamond (RIP 35% off market fare rewards) which had an unpublished benefit of conferring 25K status by Air Canada Altitude. With the new Aeroplan program introduced in 2020, this unpublished benefit became somewhat official via Everyday Status Qualification (EDQ if you must use their awful acronym)
My most used benefits from 25K are access to the priority seating bloc when flying Economy, and the 2x23kg bags when AC's baggage rules govern the ticket. And eUpgrades on rewards when they made that available
With the release of the Chase Aeroplan Mastercard, if you qualify, my spending should get me 25K via EDQ and then 35K via boost from the side gig spending when my 75K expires, and I'll be very happy to get the 3x32kg baggage benefit (for however long that will last...)
If you can find a way to make this work for you, or have more questions, just let us know. welcome to FT
Jan 24, 2023, 11:18 pm
#390
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 92
Welcome to Flyertalk.
To answer your question - we have all kinds of travellers here, all the way from one guy who spent a few months as what we're pretty sure was The Single Most Consistently Airborne Person Alive, all the way down to people who only fly once a year to see grandma.
If I'm reading your post correctly, you're currently a 25K who's hoping to become a 35K, and maybe even reach up to 50K.
My question for you is - if you don't fly very often, what are the benefits you're hoping to get? Consider that the kind of mileage runs you'd need for this level of status increase would cost you thousands of dollars - at which point you may save quite a bit of money by simply paying for checked bags, preferred seats and a lounge pass, or a premium Aeroplan credit card that would include most of these benefits.
Tell us more, and you'll likely get several different kinds of advice!
To answer your question - we have all kinds of travellers here, all the way from one guy who spent a few months as what we're pretty sure was The Single Most Consistently Airborne Person Alive, all the way down to people who only fly once a year to see grandma.
If I'm reading your post correctly, you're currently a 25K who's hoping to become a 35K, and maybe even reach up to 50K.
My question for you is - if you don't fly very often, what are the benefits you're hoping to get? Consider that the kind of mileage runs you'd need for this level of status increase would cost you thousands of dollars - at which point you may save quite a bit of money by simply paying for checked bags, preferred seats and a lounge pass, or a premium Aeroplan credit card that would include most of these benefits.
Tell us more, and you'll likely get several different kinds of advice!
Thanks for the advice!
I don't have any status now, just join the game.
Been thinking about getting a status because of the benefit of priority services in the airport, also the Star Alliance Gold could be a game changer. but a 50K must require a lot of effort, time, and money.
So a 25K would be enough in my opinion?
Further to what was said in the post above, the other question I’d have for your circumstance is what level of travel on non-AC international carriers you are planning on in the future. There is definitely something special at the 50k level to have *G. But as has been said, if you’re not flying enough to take advantage of the benefit, it may not really be a benefit to you even if you achieve it.
Beyond mileage runs, there is some opportunity to earn extra SQM through credit card spend, but at the end of the day there would be a question as to whether you are going to meet the $6,000 SQD spend to make 50k, which can largely only be done through actually flying and spending money on Air Canada ticketed flights.
If you are primarily going to be a domestic/US traveller and flying on Air Canada planes the 35k benefits will largely cover a lot of your perks, although the end of lounge access for 35k’s in the summer also alters that value proposition.
Beyond mileage runs, there is some opportunity to earn extra SQM through credit card spend, but at the end of the day there would be a question as to whether you are going to meet the $6,000 SQD spend to make 50k, which can largely only be done through actually flying and spending money on Air Canada ticketed flights.
If you are primarily going to be a domestic/US traveller and flying on Air Canada planes the 35k benefits will largely cover a lot of your perks, although the end of lounge access for 35k’s in the summer also alters that value proposition.
Thanks for the advice!
I believe you are making a point. Maintaining status is harder comparing just getting one.. the priority service is the only thing im interested.
Last edited by Adam Smith; Jan 25, 2023 at 1:17 am Reason: Merge consecutive posts by same user