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Air Canada frequent flyers, listen up. Big changes are coming to the way you earn Aeroplan points and elite status. For travel on or after January 1, 2026, earning Aeroplan points will be revenue-based. In other words, the number of points you earn on a flight will depend on how much you spend on the flight. Here's everything you need to know about the new Air Canada Aeroplan program changes.
Related: A Complete Guide to the Air Canada Aeroplan Program
Air Canada To Implement Revenue-Based Loyalty
For travel booked on or after January 1, 2026, Air Canada has announced that Aeroplan members will earn 1 point per $1 spent. Rather than earning points based on your distance flown multiplied by an earning rate, you'll now earn points based on how much you paid for your ticket. The more you spend, the more you earn. Points are earned on the base fare and carrier surcharges, but are not earned on taxes, fees, and third-party charges.
If you have elite status, you'll earn more points per dollar. On Air Canada and select partner flights (those ticketed by Air Canada with a ticket number starting with 014) operated by Copa Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and United Airlines, you'll earn the following per CA$1 spent:
- Aeroplan Member: 1 point
- Aeroplan 25K: 2 points
- Aeroplan 35K: 3 points
- Aeroplan 50K: 4 points
- Aeroplan 75K: 5 points
- Aeroplan Super Elite: 6 points
As you can see, these new earning rates make it significantly more valuable to hold Aeroplan elite status, with bonuses of up to 500% points! However, earning that status is changing as well.
Related: Do Air Canada Aeroplan Points Expire?
Introducing Status Qualifying Credits
Along with changes to how you earn points, the elite status program is receiving a refresh. Instead of earning elite status through a combination of Status Qualifying Dollars, Status Qualifying Segments, and Status Qualifying Miles, you will now need to earn Status Qualifying Credits (SQCs). These changes will go into effect January 1, 2026, for the 2027 Aeroplan Elite qualification year. Your qualification for 2026 elite status remains unchanged.
There are a few different ways you can earn SQCs. You'll earn them by booking flights and Air Canada Vacation packages, through Aeroplan credit card spending, and through spending with the Aeroplan partner network.
The number of SQCs you'll earn depends on your fare or type of purchase:
- Air Canada Economy Flex fares or higher: 4 SQC per $1
- Air Canada Economy Standard fares and eUpgrade Add-Ons: 2 SQC per $1
- Air Canada Vacations package: 1 SQC per $1
- Spending with Aeroplan partners: 1 SQC for every 5 Aeroplan base points you earn (up to 25,000 SQC per calendar year)
- Aeroplan Premium credit card spending: 1,000 SQC for every $5,000 you spend*
- Aeroplan Core credit card spending: 1,000 SQC for every $20,000 you spend*
*You can earn a combined total of 25,000 SQC with Aeroplan credit cards each year.
Beginning in 2027, Aeroplan premium credit cardholders who requalify for elite status will get an SQC Head Start equal to 10% of their total SQCs earned in the previous qualifying year. This will be deposited in your account by the end of March. You must be approved for an Aeroplan premium credit card by December 15th of the previous year and hold elite status on the Head Start determination date in February to qualify.
Here's how many SQCs you'll need to reach each tier of elite status:
- Aeroplan 25K: 25,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 35K: 35,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 50K: 50,000 SQC
- Aeroplan 75K: 75,000 SQC
- Aeroplan Super Elite: 125,000 SQC
Here's what this might look like. If you don't hold an Aeroplan credit card, you'd need to spend around $6,250 on Air Canada flights (Economy Flex fare or higher) to reach the first tier of status, Aeroplan 25k. If you supplement with credit card spending, you could get there a bit quicker, but not by much.
Related: A Guide to Air Canada's Free Wi-Fi for Aeroplan Members
Earn Milestone Benefits Every 10,000 SQCs Earned
SQCs do more than just qualify you for elite status. Beginning January 1, 2026, Air Canada is rolling Select Benefits, Priority Rewards, and threshold eUpgrades and threshold gifts into a single Milestone path based on the SQCs you earn throughout the year.
You will receive a milestone benefit for every 10,000 SQCs you earn as an elite status member. Once you reach 200,000 SQCs in a calendar year, you'll unlock a milestone benefit every 20,000 SQCs earned. The important caveat — you only unlock milestone benefits once you have reached Aeroplan Elite status. In other words, if you only earn 10,000 SQCs, you do not receive any benefits.
The milestone benefits alternate between automatic benefits and chosen perks.
- 10,000 SQC: Automatic 10 eUpgrade credits valid for upgrades to business or premium economy on Air Canada flights.
- 20,000 SQC: Your choice of one of six benefits, including 50% off one flight reward, more upgrade credits, or bonus points.
- 30,000 SQC: Automatic 10 eUpgrade credits valid for upgrades to business or premium economy on Air Canada flights.
- 40,000 SQC: Your choice of one of seven benefits, including bonus SQCs.
- 50,000 SQC: Automatic 10 eUpgrade credits valid for upgrades to business or premium economy on Air Canada flights.
- 60,000 SQC: You choice of one of six benefits, including 2 status pass gifts.
- 70,000 SQC: Automatic 10 eUpgrade credits valid for upgrades to business or premium economy on Air Canada flights AND your choice of one of four benefits, including a $150 Air Canada gift card.
- 80,000 SQC: Your choice of one of six benefits.
- 90,000 SQC: Automatic 10 eUpgrade credits valid for upgrades to business or premium economy on Air Canada flights AND your choice of one of four benefits, including Aeroplan 35K Status for a friend
- 100,000 SQC: Your choice of one of six benefits.
The perks continue to get better with each tier. By the time you reach Aeroplan 75K status, you will have automatically received 40 eUpgrade credits and your choice of four select benefits. It pays off to be loyal to Air Canada, even if it requires a lot of effort (and money). Reaching Aeroplan 75K status through flights alone would require close to $20,000 in spending on economy flex fares throughout the year, so this might not be attainable to all travelers.
What This Means for Travelers
If you spend a lot on Air Canada flights each year, these changes are great news. However, other travelers might be a bit disappointed. And if you don't hold elite status, your earning potential has been seriously downgraded. Now, you'll earn just 1 point per CA$1 spent, making it extremely difficult to accumulate enough miles for a redemption.
If you are focused on reaching status, you'll need to purchase an economy flex fare or higher to earn the most SQCs per dollar. On a one-way flight from New York (LGA) to Paris (CDG) with a layover in Montreal (YUL), Economy Flex is CA$276 more than an economy standard fare. The only benefits outside increased SQC earnings is the ability to pick your seat for free and receive a refund. You're paying a premium to earn status, so it's important to consider whether it's worth it.
Final Thoughts
Air Canada is the latest airline to move to a revenue-based model, and it's not surprising. Airlines have found it's more profitable to reward flyers based on how much they spend rather than how loyal they really are. If you book a last-minute expensive fare, you'll earn many more miles and SQCs than someone sitting beside you who got a great deal on their flight. While the earning rates are extremely low, the milestone benefits are a nice addition to a simplified program.
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