Aeroplan Hints at Partnership Between Etihad and Air Canada
Etihad's financial woes continue to mount, as the Abu Dhabi-based carrier remained unprofitable in 2018 for the third year in a row, posting a $1.28 billion loss for the year. Rumors have been circulating for years that Etihad is on the verge of joining Star Alliance, increasing its reach and giving it access to profitable codeshare agreements around the globe. While Etihad currently partners with American Airlines for reciprocal mileage earning and redemptions, it is not a member of one of the major three alliances.
The rumors about Etihad and Star Alliance gained some traction this week, with One Mile at a Time reporting that Aeroplan, Air Canada's independently run loyalty program, announced a new partnership with Etihad launching on May 1.
An Air Canada spokesperson quickly issued a clarification that the two were not, in fact, launching a partnership yet, but the specificity of the denial hints that something is under discussion.
"Clearly our content team is excited about new earning opportunities for Aeroplan! While Air Canada is in discussions with Etihad Airways, we will not be launching a frequent flyer partnership tomorrow. We look forward to sharing more details with you as they become available."
The rumored partnership, if true, would still be a few rungs below a full Star Alliance membership. Aeroplan members would be able to earn miles for travel on Etihad, though the earnings would be limited to redeemable miles and not elite qualifying miles for Air Canada elite status. Additionally, Star Alliance elite benefits would not apply for travel on Etihad Airways.
There's also no mention of reciprocal mileage redemptions, which would be perhaps the most interesting and valuable element of any eventual partnership. Aeroplan and Etihad are both transfers partners of American Express Membership Rewards (1:1) and Capital One Miles (2:1.5), meaning that reciprocal mileage redemptions would allow you to pit the two award charts against each other to book award flights at the lowest possible rates.
Bottom Line
No, Etihad is not joining Star Alliance just yet. But if this rumored partnership with Air Canada comes to fruition, it will be an important first step for the struggling Gulf carrier. There are still plenty of unknowns at this point, including what the earning and redemption rates would look like, but Air Canada's lack of a complete denial likely means that some partnership is in the works.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month