Chase refreshed today the Aeroplan card, as expected. The new card increases the signup bonus to 115,000 points (from 100,000), increases the annual fee to $195 (from $95), maintains the Pay Yourself Back benefit, adds $100 in Air Canada credits and automatic Air Canada Aeroplan 25K elite status and 15% award discount.
Also notable: existing cardholders get the new benefits starting today with some existing benefits going away after 12/31/26 (details below).
The Offer
- The refreshed Chase Aeroplan card is offering a signup bonus of up to 115,000 points. Bonus is broken down as follows:
- Earn 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- Plus 40,000 points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months your account is open.
Points Earnings
Card earns at the following rates:
- Up to 5X total points on Air Canada purchases – 3x points with the card, plus an additional 2X points from Air Canada on eligible flights when traveling as an Aeroplan 25K Member.
- 3x points on Travel purchases
- 2x points on Gas Stations, Dining, and Grocery purchases (until 12/31/26 you’ll get 3x on Grocery and Dining)
- 1x on all other purchases
Card Details
- Annual fee of $195
- Pay Yourself Back On Travel Purchases (currently, 1.25¢ Per Point through 12/31/26; unknown what this will look like in terms of categories or rate in 2027)
- Automatic Aeroplan 25K Status (no spend required) which includes Priority Check-In and Priority Boarding (Zone 2), and 5 eUpgrade Credits every year
- $100 Air Canada credit: two $50 credits for direct Air Canada purchases, one from Jan-June and one from Jul-Dec.
- Cardholders get 15% discount on eligible Air Canada flight award bookings. (FLY15OFF)
- Free 1st checked bag with up to 8 companions on Air Canada.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Fee Credit (up to $120 every four years)
Benefits ending on 12/31/26 for existing cardholders (not relevant for those signing up now):
- 500 point bonus every 2k spend up to 1500 a month.
- 10% bonus on 50,000+ Ultimate Rewards transfers to Aeroplan (max 25k/yr)
- 3x points on grocery & dining
Our Verdict
The 3x on Travel, $100 Air Canada credit, automatic 25k elite status, and 15% award discount are nice parts of the refresh. The higher annual fee and the removal of the monthly bonuses and the 3x grocery/dining and the UR transfer bonus is a bummer.
For those who actually travel Air Canada, there are some benefits here that can justify the annual fee ($100 in credits, 25k status, 15% discount). For others who are more interested in partners or PYB the $195 is painful.
In terms of signup bonus, it’s good to see the higher bonus for those meeting the $20k tier. Still not as good as the old 85k offer which just required $4k spend. Not sure if we’ll add this bonus to our List of Best Current Credit Card Bonuses.
