Starting in 2020 Air Canada will launch it’s own loyalty program. In 2020 Air Canada spun off Aeroplan (the current loyalty program) as a separate entity. Air Canada & Aeroplan have had an exclusive contract, but that contract will expire after June 29th, 2020. The timeline is as follows:
- Until June 30th it will be business as usual and Aeroplan members will be able to earn and redeem Aeroplan miles on Air Canada (or Star alliance partners).
- After June 30th miles earned from Air Canada (or Star alliance partners) will be credited to Air Canada’s new loyalty program
- After June 30th Aeroplan miles will stay be able to be redeemed for Air Canada flights with with Air Canada stating that pricing will be competitive with other third-party rewards programs
Aeroplan have announced some of their plans for July 2020. The biggest announcement is that miles will be usable on more airlines than before and won’t be restricted to a single air alliance. It seems that Aeroplan wants to position themselves as an online travel agency dealing with flights, hotels and car bookings. In the F.A.Q they state (when asked if they will become like Trivago, Expedia or Travelocity):
The new Aeroplan will be adding so much more value for its members. We are transforming the travel planning and booking process into an extraordinary experience. While flight rewards will remain core to our offer, we will differentiate ourselves by playing a broader role in travel and delivering a truly integrated, simpler, more intuitive product that delivers on choice, flexibility and convenience.
I suspect it will be a good idea to use up all your Aeroplan miles before the change over, but I suspect we will get a lot more information from both Air Canada & Aeroplan in due time.
Hat tip to reader quasimodo
