Booking some partner awards using Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is about to get a lot less predictable — and that includes redemptions on United Airlines.
Next month, Air Canada will ditch its fixed partner award chart for a handful of its partner airlines and shift instead to the more dynamic pricing model it uses for flights aboard its own aircraft.
This will affect passengers hoping to use Aeroplan points to book partner flights aboard United, Emirates, Etihad Airways and a handful of other smaller global and regional carriers.
The changes go live March 25, the carrier told TPG.
Once that happens, it’s likely you’ll see Aeroplan redemptions on United and those select other partners require a lot more points than they do right now.
So, if you’ve been planning to transfer credit card points to Aeroplan for a big redemption in 2025, now would be a good time to get that booking locked down.
Air Canada’s current Aeroplan redemption setup
Today, Air Canada uses a generally dynamic award pricing model for flights operated by the airline itself.
Instead of fixed, predictable redemptions, the carrier offers a range of award prices based on a flight’s distance. That means the actual mileage price you’ll pay for an Air Canada-operated flight can swing far higher.
However, the airline has maintained a neat, tidy, fixed award table for its partner redemptions.
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For instance, you can currently book a short domestic flight on United using Aeroplan for as little as 6,000 points one-way.
Air Canada partner award shake-up
But that’s about to be thrown into flux.
Starting March 25, Air Canada is going to price award tickets on the following airlines with the same pricing approach it uses for its own flights:
- Air Canada
- United
- Emirates
- Etihad
- FlyDubai
- Regional partners: Calm Air, Canadian North and PAL Airlines
Aeroplan shared a sample of what this might look like for flights within North America:
As you can see, within each distance “zone” there’s “starting at” award pricing listed for Air Canada and the “select partners” undergoing this change — and the fixed award pricing for other partners.
Additionally, Air Canada will begin listing a “median” price within any zones that include North America — this number will be based on historical member redemptions with these carriers. While helpful to gauge how your flight might price, you still won’t know until you actually search.
How this will affect Aeroplan partner awards
Until these Aeroplan changes go live March 25, we won’t know for sure how significantly these changes will affect overall award pricing.
That includes redemptions for flights to Europe, Asia and beyond; so far, the airline has only shared an example of the new pricing model for North America trips.
However, we expect you’ll see a wide range of flights priced higher than they are today — and that could be bad news for travelers who get significant value out of United partner redemptions via Air Canada.
For example, take this Oct. 1 flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ). According to Google Flights, the nonstop flights operated by both United and Air Canada are priced identically, at $268 one-way.
But if you were to instead redeem Aeroplan points, you’d get a steep discount by booking a partner flight on United: 10,000 points one-way versus 19,200 points for an Air Canada-operated flight.
Starting March 25, award pricing on United will likely be subject to the same forces that determine redemption amounts on Air Canada flights.
Silver linings?
If there’s a silver lining in Air Canada’s changes for key Aeroplan partners, it’s likely award space.
Oftentimes, with award charts, there’s either award space available for booking — or there isn’t.
Across the industry, when carriers shift to dynamic award pricing, they tend to make far more seats available for award bookings — that is, if you’re willing to pay the mileage price.
And that’s exactly what will happen with these changes for United, Emirates, Etihad and other partner bookings, Air Canada confirmed.
“While the redemption rates under this chart can be higher than our fixed partner award chart and can vary from one itinerary to another, these changes will enable greater availability for reward seats on these airlines than before,” the company said in a statement to TPG.
Additionally, Air Canada confirmed that starting March 25, Etihad business-class award inventory systemwide will return to Aeroplan — albeit under the new “starting at” pricing model. Only time will tell what (exactly) these prices will be.
Bottom line
Air Canada Aeroplan is shifting to a dynamic pricing model for select partner airlines, including United, Emirates and Etihad, on March 25. While this may open up better availability, these kinds of shifts — a move seen across both the airline and hotel industries — often result in customers handing over more of their points and miles.
We’ll be watching, though, to see how Air Canada’s changes play out for Aeroplan members come March 25.
In the meantime, if you have a stash of Aeroplan points or plan to transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles or Bilt Rewards, we recommend booking those flights sooner rather than later.
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