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If you’ve been having trouble booking stopovers or just customizing complex itineraries by phone with Aeroplan, try booking one of the segments online and then calling in to make a change.
Aeroplan’s award chart changes take effect in June, so now is the time to price out and lock in custom itineraries.
In Theory: Booking Stopovers with Aeroplan
Aeroplan’s online search tool is very sophisticated, but it can’t quite handle Aeroplan’s most complex itineraries. In my (humble) opinion, the ability to customize stopovers and maximize the six-leg limit on a one-way journey makes Aeroplan the most powerful frequent flyer program.
Aeroplan allows you to add a stopover of up to 45 days outside the U.S. and Canada for 5,000 additional points. You can add one stopover per one-way journey.
Spend up to 45 days in Zurich on the way to Singapore for just 5,000 points extra
The first step is to find availability for all your segments, then piece it together using the online multi-city search tool. If the prices are incorrect or it does not show flights that you know are available, the next step is to call Aeroplan to custom-create the itinerary by feeding the flights one at a time. Usually, this works well, and the system will show the correct one-way price. The only downside is you’re on the hook for the $30 CAD + tax phone booking fee.
In Practice: Pricing Still Wonky
In practice, sometimes the pricing will still reflect that of a multi-trip rather than a one-way with stopover, even when booking by phone. It’s likely a combination of agent experience and system limitations.
One workaround I’ve found is to book one of the segments online and then call in to make a change to the itinerary and add the other legs. This works for me almost every time, but you will have to pay the $100 CAD + tax change fee unless you’re Super Elite.
Tokyo–Munich–Vienna–Montreal
About a month ago, I was booking my return trip from Japan and found award space on Tokyo HND–Munich on Lufthansa’s new Allegris product. Eager to give it a try, I ran a few more searches and found Munich–Vienna–Montreal on Austrian Airlines with a one-night layover in Munich.
Searching the entire Tokyo–Munich route did not return this result, so I called in to create a custom itinerary, which should price at 87,500 points. After four calls, not a single agent could correctly price this award, and each one quoted me 150,000 points. 150,000 points is the price if I paid separately for Tokyo–Munich and Munich–Vienna–Montreal, aka the multi-city price.
Under 11,000 miles = 87,500 points (Pacific zone)
My hunch is that the agents were also using the multi-city tool since searching Tokyo–Montreal does not return the flights I’m looking for, but the fourth agent I called seemed very experienced with the system and still did not return 87,500 points.
I considered calling a fifth time to try to avoid the $100 fee, but only one business class seat remained on my Lufthansa Allegris flight. I decided to book it first and call later to add Munich–Vienna–Montreal. Sure enough, this worked beautifully, and I paid a total of 87,500 points.
Singapore–Osaka–Tokyo (stopover)–Chicago–Toronto
Another example of when this worked for me was booking Singapore–Osaka–Tokyo (stopover)–Chicago–Toronto, which should price as 92,500 points total.
This one was hopeless with the online tool, as I wanted both a stopover, an Air Canada flight tacked on, and a 23-hour layover in Osaka that required switching from KIX to UKB, which are co-terminal.
Under 11,000 miles with a stopover = 92,500 points (Pacific zone)
It was the exact same scenario: I tried building the itinerary by phone a few times to no avail. With the multi-city tool, I was actually able to build Singapore–Osaka (3h layover)–Tokyo (stopover)–Chicago for 92,500 points. Then I called in to build a longer layover in Osaka and add the Air Canada Chicago–Toronto segment at the end, which all worked out for the same 92,500 points, but with a $100 change fee.
Takeaway
Aeroplan remains one of the most powerful frequent flyer programs thanks to its generous stopover rules and ability to build complex itineraries—but actually booking them can still be frustrating. If the online tool or phone agents can’t price your itinerary correctly, booking one segment first and then calling in to make a change is a reliable workaround, even if it means paying the $100 change fee.
With Aeroplan’s award chart devaluation coming in June, now is a great time to take advantage of the program’s flexibility. Building custom itineraries is where some of the best redemption value can still be found.
