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You can redeem Air Canada Aeroplan points for Emirates flights — with a catch. Like with Air Canada's nearly 50 partner airlines, award pricing on Emirates is based on the distance on the flights. However, Aeroplan prices Emirates awards anywhere within a range of rates. Think dynamic pricing with a twist.
While we can appreciate any frequent flyer program that lets you book Emirates First Class awards (there aren't many nowadays), Aeroplan's pricing model for Emirates flights is slightly confusing. Why? It's hard to know what you'll pay for an award ticket despite Air Canada publishing an award chart for Emirates flights.
So, we reviewed tens of thousands of data points to give you an idea of what to expect to pay the next time you redeem Aeroplan points for Emirates flights.
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Aeroplan Award Chart for Emirates Award Flights
Air Canada Aeroplan uses a special award chart for redemptions on Emirates-operated award flights, grouped into five distance bands. Unlike Aeroplan's other award charts, Emirates awards (plus those on its close partner flydubai) are priced anywhere in a range, varying by class of travel. You can find this chart below:
As you can see, each distance band has a wide range of prices. This makes it hard to understand what you should expect to pay when redeeming Aeroplan points on Emirates flights.
But we'll cut to the chase. Here's what the numbers suggest you can expect to pay between distance bands two through five, which accounts for flights between the United States and Emirates' many international destinations.
Aeroplan pricing for Emirates awards from the U.S. to Europe
The second distance band applies to flight itineraries between 2,001 and 5,000 miles. Emirates-operated itineraries within this band include:
- Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH)
- New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP)
The table below shows the lowest rate, average rate, and highest rate for flights within the second distance band:
| Class | Published Rate Range | Lowest Rate | Average Rate | Highest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 21,000–65,000 points | 29,000 points | 40,765 points | 64,400 points |
| Business | 45,000–140,000 points | 71,000 points | 93,630 points | 137,400 points |
| First | 110,000–325,000 points | 146,000 points | 184,571 points | 200,000 points |
The possibility of flying from the U.S. to Europe in Emirates business class for as few as 45,000 Aeroplan points sounds like an incredible deal. Sadly, we couldn't find an award seat on one of these flights for anywhere near the minimum of the published range. More often than not, prices were twice as high.
The best way to scout these awards is to use a tool like Seats.aero. Generally, Seats.aero is most reflective of the award availability on popular routes, such as those between New York and Milan and Newark and Athens. For scoping out availability on longer routes — especially those that require connections — consider signing up for a Pro membership to view live availability and a year's worth of data.
Aeroplan award pricing for Emirates awards between 5,001 and 9,000 miles
The third distance band applies to flight itineraries between 5,001 and 9,000 miles. Emirates-operated itineraries within this band include:
- Miami (MIA) to Dubai (DXB)
- New York (JFK) to Malé (MLE) via DXB
- Houston (IAH) to Karachi (KHI) via DXB
- Boston (BOS) to Athens (ATH) via DXB
You can find the lowest, average, and highest rates for flights within the third distance band below:
| Class | Published Rate Range | Lowest Rate | Average Rate | Highest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 40,000–85,000 points | 40,000 points | 68,290 points | 75,000 points |
| Business | 80,000–185,000 points | 90,900 points | 149,638 points | 179,700 points |
| First | 225,000–475,000 points | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Like the first distance band we discussed, the Aeroplan award chart for Emirates flights is more of a suggestion than a rule. Emirates awards — especially those in First Class — are far pricier than the official “starting at” rates.
And at that, availability is far more slim; that's why you see a “n/a” in the First Class column. While there are bookable awards, there's not a sufficient number of them to generate an accurate low, high, and average price point. But just know they're expensive.
Aeroplan award pricing for Emirates awards between 9,001 and 12,000 miles
The fourth distance band applies to flight itineraries between 9,001 and 12,000 miles. Emirates-operated itineraries within this band include:
- San Francisco (SFO) to Munich (MUC) via Dubai (DXB)
- New York (JFK) to Taipei (TPE) via DXB
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK) via DXB
- Seattle (SEA) to Hanoi (HAN) via DXB
You can find the lowest, average, and highest rates for economy and business class flights within the fourth distance band below:
| Class | Published Rate Range | Lowest Rate | Average Rate | Highest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 60,000–110,000 points | 69,500 points | 72,500 points | 74,500 points |
| Business | 120,000–225,000 points | 147,000 points | 168,884 points | 178,500 points |
| First | 300,000–600,000 points | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The general theme continues here, too. Awards in every class of travel are a couple of standard deviations higher than the lowest end of the published range. But thankfully, you can leverage Air Canada's extensive partner network to fly between the city pairs above for less than Emirates charges. For example, you could fly between Los Angeles (LAX) and Beijing (PEK) via Dubai (DXB) for 95,700 miles in economy:
Or, you could take a similar route by way of London — in United and Air China business class — and pay 87,500 miles. That's big savings. And a far more comfortable ride.
Aeroplan award pricing for Emirates awards greater than 12,001 miles
The fifth distance band applies to flight itineraries greater than 12,001 miles. Emirates-operated itineraries within this band include:
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Bali (DPS) via Dubai (DXB)
- Houston (IAH) to Brisbane (BNE) via DXB
- Miami (MIA) to Tokyo (HND) via DXB
- Dallas (DFW) to Manila (MNL) via DXB
You can find the lowest, average, and highest rates for economy and business class flights within the fifth distance band below.
| Class | Published Rate Range | Lowest Rate | Average Rate | Highest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 85,000–150,000 points | 86,000 points | 93,822 points | 111,500 points |
| Business | 180,000–300,000 points | 183,000 points | 195,428 points | 230,500 points |
| First | 400,000–750,000 points | n/a | n/a | n/a |
If one thing is clear, ultra-long-haul Emirates awards command a lot of Aeroplan points!
Like with the previously mentioned distance band, remember to consider partner pricing as well. Unless you're keen to try Emirates' inflight product, you can likely get between these far-flung international destinations for fewer Aeroplan points on other airlines.
Emirates Redemptions With Aeroplan Points: Themes and Trends
One key conclusion is that the lowest rate for any distance band consistently prices higher than the bottom end of the range specified by Aeroplan's chart for Emirates awards. Economy awards are mostly within a couple of thousand points of the award chart's lowest amounts but never reach them.
Ultimately, if you spend your time looking for an award priced at the chart's minimum — in any class — the data suggests you won't find it.
Business and First Class awards typically see more variation in pricing than economy awards. This isn't a novel finding, considering that Aeroplan award ranges vary by up to 350,000 points. However, it provides a helpful suggestion. Patience and date flexibility are essential if you're trying to redeem Aeroplan points for an Emirates flight. The prices fluctuate a lot.
Considering averages, expect to find flights roughly in the middle of the range for all classes. Economy flights feature average prices slightly closer to their Aeroplan-specified minimums, but not to a substantial degree.
Unofficial Aeroplan award pricing for Emirates awards
To consolidate everything we've covered so far, here's an unofficial award chart that shows (on average) how many Aeroplan points you need to book an Emirates award:
| Distance in Miles (Award Chart Band) | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,001 - 5,000 (Band 2) | 40,765 points | 93,630 points | 184,571 points |
| 5,001 - 9,000 (Band 3) | 68,290 points | 149,638 points | n/a |
| 9,001 - 12,000 (Band 4) | 72,500 points | 168,884 points | n/a |
| 12,001+ (Band 5) | 93,822 points | 195,428 points | n/a |
If I book early, will I find lower award prices?
Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence to support the concept of booking Emirates flights with Aeroplan points early to receive the best price. Comparing award prices and dates doesn't provide an observable trend. Prices fluctuate, but this is primarily due to the dynamic pricing model Air Canada has levied on Emirates routes.
For those who may not know, dynamic pricing means that airlines adjust award prices based on a ticket's demand and cash price instead of defining how many miles it costs to fly from City A to City B. On days of higher demand or higher cash fares, you'll see a higher mileage requirement to book that ticket with miles should space exist.
Related: How Far in Advance Can You Book Airline Award Tickets?
Earning Aeroplan Points
Aeroplan points are relatively easy to earn, which is helpful if you want to take advantage of an award redemption on Emirates or any of Air Canada's other airline partners. Outside of crediting Air Canada and Star Alliance flights to the Aeroplan program, there are two quality ways to stack points:
Earn a sign-up bonus on the Aeroplan® Credit Card
Credit card welcome bonuses can put a redemption within an arm's reach. For U.S. applicants, the Aeroplan® Credit Card is worth a look. Outside of valuable earning categories, new applicants can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- 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
Transfer points to Aeroplan
Part of what makes Air Canada Aeroplan so valuable is its number of transfer partners. Because of this network, you can earn points with the following programs and then transfer them to Air Canada at a 1:1 ratio:
Bottom Line
Air Canada Aeroplan lets members redeem points for Emirates-operated flights. This functionality is nice since Emirates offers a great product in both the front and back of its planes, but it can be somewhat challenging to find reasonably priced awards. However, knowing what you'll likely pay can help you set expectations before you redeem your Aeroplan points.
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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