New partnership will allow Canadians to earn Aeroplan points for health and wellness activities
Most of us want to live healthier lives. As such, we've written about the best all-inclusive wellness resorts and the best credit cards for fitness expenses. And a few years back, we even covered a card that offered rewards for staying active.
Now, Manulife — which provides workplace health benefits for about one in three Canadian households — and Aeroplan have announced a new partnership beginning in early summer 2024. This partnership will let millions of Canadians who are eligible Manulife group benefits members earn Aeroplan points when they engage in "behaviours and activities that encourage health and wellbeing," according to the press release that announced this partnership.
Head of Manulife group benefits Ashesh Desai was quoted as follows in the press release:
I am thrilled to announce Aeroplan as our loyalty partner for Manulife Group Benefits members. This announcement is a huge milestone for us on our mission to drive long-term, healthy outcomes for Canadians and help our members get more health from their benefits. By partnering with Canada's premier travel loyalty program and adding Aeroplan points to our digital health technology experience, we're empowering and incentivizing members to take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing, helping them live better, healthier lives.
Related: The best credit cards for earning Aeroplan points
Aeroplan partners with Manulife: How you can earn points
The details of this new partnership, including exactly what activities will earn Aeroplan points and how many points members can earn, are limited. However, the press release states members can earn Aeroplan points for "completing healthy initiatives, like exercise minutes, mindfulness practices, and more." Additionally, "points will be rewarded for completion of educational courses and helpful benefits tips and tricks, like downloading the digital benefit card."
President of Aeroplan and executive vice president marketing and digital of Air Canada Mark Nasr offered the following quote in the press release:
We're so proud to join together with another Canadian global champion and welcome Manulife as the latest Aeroplan strategic partner. Through this innovative offering, we're combining forces to reward millions of their group benefits members.
The partnership between Manulife and Air Canada is set to last for multiple years. And we know from the press release that "Manulife will launch a modernized and upgraded benefits platform to offer members a digital-first user experience that integrates health, wellness and benefits into one place." Once the new digital platform is live, members with an eligible Manulife group benefits digital account and Aeroplan account can link their accounts and earn Aeroplan points based on their activity.
Related: How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value
Bottom line
It's encouraging to see a partnership between a major airline loyalty program and a company that provides life insurance and workplace health benefits. After all, having more ways to earn points and miles is always good.
However, Aeroplan and Manulife have not announced the list of eligible activities nor the number of points members will earn when completing these activities. The program plans to announce these important details in the coming months, so we'll learn the impact and value of this partnership at that time.
And, of course, this partnership only has the potential to help Canadian Aeroplan members who have access to Manulife group benefits. But, perhaps this new partnership will lead to similar partnerships that can benefit members in other regions. For example, I'd love to earn American Airlines Loyalty Point eligible miles after getting an annual physical or meeting my daily step goals for an entire week. But, I suspect the scale of the rewards I'd be able to earn would be too minimal to impact my behavior (or significantly boost my Loyalty Point balance).
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