Devaluation: Air Canada Aeroplan Increasing Partner Award Rates

As alerted by mfbk3 in Suitesmile Chat, Air Canada Aeroplan has announced award chart changes for points redemptions on partner airlines, with a 2-month notice.

Things to note about Aeroplan

For those who are not familiar with Aeroplan, here’s a summary of the key points to note about this frequent flyer program (FFP):

• Air Canada belongs in Star Alliance
• Air Canada’s Frequent Flyer Program is called Aeroplan
• Aeroplan points can be used to redeem for flights on great airlines like:
  • Singapore Airlines (incl. long haul)
  • Cathay Pacific
  • ANA
  • Turkish Airlines
  • EVA Air
  • Etihad
  • Emirates
  • Thai Airways
  • Oman Air
  • SWISS
  • Lufthansa
• Aeroplan does not pass on fuel surcharges on award tickets (incl. partners)
• Aeroplan charges CAD 39 (~USD 28) “partner booking fee” per award ticket
• Members can check award availability and book on aircanada.com (Tip: search faster with seats.aero)
• Aeroplan points do not expire, as long as there is account activity (buying points counts) at least once every 18 months (1.5 years)
• Members can purchase up to 1,000,000 points per calendar year before any bonuses
• Members can find mixed cabin/airline routes easily on aircanada.com
• Members can add a stopover to their award itinerary with an additional 5,000 points each way (subject to the award rate for the entire route)

Aeroplan award chart changes

From 1 Jun 2026, business class award rates on key routes to/from Singapore will see award rates increase by about 15-20%.

Zone definition

Aeroplan uses distance-based award charts, with different award rates for travel within and between zones.

For Singapore-based travellers, the key award charts are:

• Within Pacific zone
• Between Atlantic and Pacific zones
• Between North America and Pacific zones

Note: To calculate the total distance, include all stops (if any) in the flight itinerary. I usually use the seats.aero great circle mapper for this purpose.

Here’s how the zones are defined:

Within Pacific zone

The Pacific zone will see business class award rate increase by 16.7% for the key distance band of 2,000-5,000 miles.

For Singapore-based travellers, this band covers flights between Singapore and:

• Japan (e.g. Tokyo, Osaka)
• China (e.g. Beijing, Shanghai)
• Australia (e.g. Sydney, Melbourne)

Distance (in miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 1,000	8k	20k	25k
1,001 – 2,000	12.5k 15k ↑ 20.0%	30k	50k
2,001 – 5,000	25k 30k ↑ 20.0%	45k 52.5k ↑ 16.7%	60k
5,001 – 7,000	37.5k 35k ↓ 6.7%	60k 72.5k ↑ 20.8%	80k
7,001 +	55k 50k ↓ 9.1%	90k 85k ↓ 5.6%	130k

Between Atlantic and Pacific zones

Flights between Atlantic and Pacific zones will see business class award rate increase by up 15.6% for the key distance band of 5,001-7,000 miles.

This band covers flights between Singapore and:

• Europe (e.g. London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Frankfurt)
• Africa (e.g. Cape Town, Cairo)

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 2,500	25k	40k 47.5k ↑ 18.8%	50k 55k ↑ 10.0%
2,501 – 5,000	40k	60k 75k ↑ 25.0%	80k 95k ↑ 18.8%
5,001 – 7,000	50k 60k ↑ 20.0%	80k 92.5k ↑ 15.6%	100k 120k ↑ 20.0%
7,001 +	65k 75k ↑ 15.4%	110k 130k ↑ 18.2%	140k 150k ↑ 7.1%

Between North America and Pacific zones

Flights between North America and Pacific zones will see business class award rate increase by 17.6% for the key distance band of 7,501-11,000 miles.

This band covers flights between Singapore and:

• USA (e.g. Los Angeles, New York)
• Canada (e.g. Vancouver, Toronto)
• Mexico (e.g. Mexico City)

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 5,000	35k 32.5k ↓ 7.1%	55k	90k
5,001 – 7,500	50k	75k	110k 120k ↑ 9.1%
7,501 – 11,000	60k 65k ↑ 8.3%	87.5k 102.5k ↑ 17.1%	130k 140k ↑ 7.7%
11,001 +	75k 70k ↓ 6.7%	115k	150k

Between Pacific and South America zones

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 11,000	60k	90k	130k
11,001 +	80k	140k	200k

Within Atlantic zone

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 1,000	7.5k	15k 12.5k ↓ 16.7%	25k
1,001 – 2,000	12.5k 15k ↑ 20.0%	25k 22.5k ↓ 10.0%	40k
2,001 – 4,000	25k 30k ↑ 20.0%	45k 40k ↓ 11.1%	65k 75k ↑ 15.4%
4,001 – 6,000	35.5k 42.5k ↑ 19.7%	60k 70k ↑ 16.7%	90k 100k ↑ 11.1%
6,001 +	50k	80k 95k ↑ 18.8%	130k

Within North America zone

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business
0 – 500	6k	15k
501 – 1,500	10k	20k
1,501 – 2,750	12.5k	25k
2,751 +	22.5k	35k

Between North America and Atlantic zones

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 4,000	35k 32.5k ↓ 7.1%	60k	90k
4,001 – 6,000	40k 42.5k ↑ 6.3%	70k 75k ↑ 7.1%	100k 120k ↑ 20.0%
6,001 – 8,000	55k 60k ↑ 9.1%	90k	130k 150k ↑ 15.4%
8,001 +	70k 75k ↑ 7.1%	110k	140k 165k ↑ 17.9%

Between North America and South America zones

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 2,500	20k	40k	60k
2,501 – 4,500	30k	50k	80k
4,501 +	40k	60k	100k

Within South America zone

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 1,600	10k	20k	30k
1,601 +	20k	35k	50k

Between Atlantic and South America zones

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 – 7,000	45k	80k	100k
7,001 +	60k	100k	130k

Source: Air Canada

How will this affect Singapore-based travellers?

From 1 Jun 2026, here are the Aeroplan award rates for key routes to/from Singapore:

Route	Airline	Economy Class	Business Class	First Class
Singapore ↕ Japan, S. Korea, China, Mongolia	Singapore Airlines, Cathay, ANA, EVA Air, Thai Airways, Air China	25k 30k ↑ 20.0%	45k 52.5k ↑ 16.7%	60k
Singapore ↕ Australia	Singapore Airlines, Virgin, Air NZ	25k 30k ↑ 20.0%	45k 52.5k ↑ 16.7%	60k
Singapore ↕ Europe	Singapore Airlines, Turkish, Etihad, Oman Air, Gulf Air, SWISS, Lufthansa, Thai Airways	50k 60k ↑ 20.0%	80k 92.5k ↑ 15.6%	100k 120k ↑ 20.0%
Singapore ↕ Canada, USA	Singapore Airlines, Cathay, ANA, EVA Air, United	60k 65k ↑ 8.3%	87.5k 102.5k ↑ 17.1%	130k 140k ↑ 7.7%

Best ways to accumulate Aeroplan points

In Singapore, only miles/points earned from HSBC credit cards can be transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan. However, the transfer ratio is bad, as compared to other FFPs, as you’d receive 29% fewer miles.

For that reason, the best way for Singapore-based travellers to accumulate them is by buying Aeroplan points through an official sale, where you can occasionally buy as many as 2 million miles for less than 1.9 cents (SGD) each.