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Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the few airline loyalty programs that allows family members to pool their miles (or, in this case, “points”) to book award flights. The Aeroplan family sharing feature was introduced in 2020, suspended in 2023, and recently relaunched with a few key updates to help prevent fraud.
Here’s how Aeroplan Family Sharing works and when it might make sense to use it.
What Is Aeroplan Family Sharing?
In a nutshell, Aeroplan Family Sharing lets up to eight “verified family members” combine their points into a shared balance — also known as “points pooling.” Once linked, all points earned by each member, including existing balances, are pooled and can be used to book award flights.
There are two types of members: a Verified Family Lead and standard Members. The Family Lead manages access to the shared points pool and can control who is allowed to redeem from it. This ensures redemptions are intentional and well-managed rather than a free-for-all.
Related: Family Points Pooling: Combine Miles for Faster Free Travel
How to join an Aeroplan Family Sharing pool
To join a Family Sharing pool, a member must have been part of Aeroplan for at least six months, must stay in the pool for three months after joining, and cannot have been in another pool during the past six months. There’s no minimum age to participate, but you can only be part of one pool at a time.
Keep in mind that Aeroplan points still expire after 18 months of inactivity. However, since redemptions count as activity, booking an award using the pooled points resets the expiration clock for all members.
Related: All the Airlines You Can Book With Aeroplan Points
Who can join an Aeroplan Family Sharing pool?
Eligible Verified Family Members include spouses, partners, children, siblings, parents, and grandparents. Aeroplan previously allowed a broader range of relationships, but tightened the definition to reduce fraud when it relaunched the program.
To ensure your authenticity, Aeroplan may take additional verification steps. This could include enabling two-factor authentication and completing one of the following:
- Having two separate Air Canada-operated flights linked to your account in the past few years
- Holding an Aeroplan credit card like the Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees) under a name that matches your Aeroplan profile
- Completing an online verification process
- Verifying in person at an airport with an Airport Customer Experience Manager
Depending on the method, verification can take just a few minutes online or up to four weeks, if you verify in person at an airport.
Cardholders can extend benefits via Aeroplan Family Sharing
One exciting detail is that pool members who hold an Aeroplan credit card like the Chase-issued Aeroplan Card can share their preferred award pricing with pool members. While this discount can vary based on dates and routes, it's great to make this benefit even more impactful.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points
- Earn 75K bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $95 Annual Fee
- Redeem points for both international and domestic flights with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Fly to another continent and travel the world with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Earn 3X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
- 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month - up to 1,500 points per month.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 3x points directly with Air Canada
- 3x points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3x points at grocery stores
- 1x point on all other purchases
One benefit not discussed on the official site is the ability for members with an Aeroplan credit card to transfer points from Aeroplan's partners to their accounts, and therefore the pool, with a 10% bonus. Aeroplan transfer partners include:
Related: How to Get a 10% Transfer Bonus on Chase Point Transfers to Aeroplan
How to leave a Family Sharing pool
To leave a Family Sharing pool, you’ll need to call Aeroplan. The Family Lead can also call on your behalf. Members must remain in the pool for at least three months before leaving and must wait six months before joining another one. These rules are another layer of fraud prevention.
If a Family Lead leaves the pool, it automatically dissolves. All remaining points are returned to individual members, minus any redemptions made while in the pool. If the Family Lead passes away, the pool also dissolves.
Our Take
The changes to Aeroplan Family Sharing make sense and add extra security for the overall integrity of the program. Any opportunity to redeem award flights faster is a win, and the ability to extend credit card benefits to pool members makes this an interesting option for eligible flyers.
With strong airline partnerships and a reasonable award chart, Aeroplan Family Sharing makes this program a strong one to consider for your next award.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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