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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Maximizing Aeroplan: How I added a stopover to my award ticket for 5,000 points
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Quick summary
Aeroplan allows travelers to add a stopover to award tickets for a modest additional points cost, making it easy to visit two destinations on one trip.
Stopovers can be booked online, streamlining the process compared to previous phone-only options.
Aeroplan's award chart is distance-based, with costs varying by region and total mileage flown.
The program partners with all Star Alliance airlines and several non-alliance carriers, offering broad routing flexibility.
What to consider
Stopovers must be at least 24 hours and no longer than 45 days, and are not permitted within North America.
Itineraries are limited to six segments on a one-way ticket with partner airlines, and you cannot transit the same airport twice on a one-way journey.
Aeroplan points can be transferred from several major rewards programs, with additional transfer options from select hotel loyalty programs.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step instructions for searching and booking stopover awards using Aeroplan's online tool.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry.
Air Canada added the ability to book stopovers online in September 2022. While Aeroplan stopovers had been allowed since the end of 2020, customers had to call to add a stopover to their itinerary, which often took hours on hold.
Aeroplan charges just 5,000 points for a stopover on a one-way ticket. This can save you thousands of points compared to booking individual one-way tickets or a multicity itinerary with most other airline loyalty programs.
I recently booked added a stopover to my own Aeroplan booking using its new online stopover tool. Here's how I did it.
Aeroplan award chart
AIRCANADA.COM
Aeroplan’s award chart is valuable for short-haul economy flights and international premium-cabin seats, particularly on partner airlines.
Aeroplan breaks up the world into four regions — North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America. To know exactly how many points your award ticket will cost, it's important to know what zone you're flying to and from.
For travel within and between regions, there are distance-based award charts. The farther you fly, the more expensive your award redemption will be. You can get creative with your routing, but you will pay more points for longer itineraries.
Before I show you how I booked my trip, I want to briefly discuss why Aeroplan's stopover policy is so beneficial.
When traveling internationally, you may want to visit more than one destination. With other loyalty programs, you may be left booking separate one-way tickets which require more points. Being able to redeem just 5,000 additional points for a stopover is a game-changer.
Here are some examples of how the stopover policy can be useful:
Etihad Airways business class from New York to Karachi, Pakistan, with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Turkish Airlines business class from Chicago to Cairo with a stopover in Istanbul.
ANA business class from Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with a stopover in Tokyo.
Swiss business class from Washington to Johannesburg with a stopover in Zurich.
Lufthansa business class from Boston to Nairobi, Kenya, with a stopover in Frankfurt.
Of course, you don't have to fly business class to book stopovers. You can also mix partner airlines on a single itinerary; for example, you can connect from a United flight to an Etihad flight.
Doing this will increase your odds of finding flights with award availability around the dates you want to travel. You want to make sure you write down some important information like the flight numbers and times.
Then, look at the program's award chart to find the exact number of points required to book your flights. In this case, we are looking for the "Between North America and Atlantic zones" award chart.
AIRCANADA.COM
Since Air Canada has a distance-based award chart for travel within and between regions, you'll need to find the physical distance of your itinerary. I like to use Great Circle Mapper for this.
GCMAP.COM
New York to Karachi via Abu Dhabi covers 7,654 miles. Based on the Aeroplan award chart, this costs 95,000 Aeroplan points: 90,000 points for the total distance of the flight plus 5,000 points for the stopover.
Now that you know how many points you need to book this award ticket, it's time to look for award space.
For this example, I first searched the New York-to-Abu Dhabi segment. I used the search filters and narrowed down my search to flights operated by Etihad Airways:
AIRCANADA.COM
I then looked for the Abu Dhabi-to-Karachi segment:
AIRCANADA.COM
You want to remember that booking these award tickets separately costs thousands of extra points. That's not what we want to do. We want to make sure we are taking advantage of the stopover option.
To book an Aeroplan stopover, let's open a new tab and start a new search. This time, you'll want to select the “Multi-city/Stopover” option and then select “Book with points.”
Next, enter your origin and destination and click the "Add stopover" button. Then, enter your desired stopover in the "Stopover city" box. Also, add how long you want to stay before continuing to your final destination in the "Length of stopover" field.
AIRCANADA.COM
After looking for the flights discussed earlier, we can see that the award ticket will cost 95,000 points with minimal taxes and fees.
AIRCANADA.COM
After selecting a flight, you can now choose what tier of reward ticket you want to book.
AIRCANADA.COM
Now, you will see an overview of the flights. Make sure the dates and flight times look correct and select how you will pay for your award ticket.
AIRCANADA.COM
If you have any issues booking your award online or if you prefer booking by phone, you can call the Aeroplan contact center.
Here is what it would look like if you were booking an award ticket from New York to Karachi without a stopover. It would cost 90,000 points to get to Karachi in Etihad Airways business class. For just 5,000 more points, you can add a few days in Abu Dhabi to your trip.
If you are looking to add up to your Aeroplan balance, here are some intriguing welcome bonuses:
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
In addition to the cards above, you might consider the Aeroplan® Credit Card. The current welcome bonus is to earn 70,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
Next time you book an Aeroplan award ticket, remember that you can add a second destination for just 5,000 points.
This can save you thousands of points when compared to other loyalty programs and is a great way to maximize your Aeroplan redemptions.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
