Aeroplan Elite Status Extension using Parental Leave Benefit

A feature of some airline loyalty programs not often talked about is their elite status extension benefits for members returning from Parental Leave (and/or other ‘life events’). Air Canada’s Aeroplan is one such program that offers this benefit specifically for members returning from parental leave. It is one that I was able to recently parlay into getting a free year’s extension of Air Canada Super Elite status. While admittingly this won’t apply to the majority of readers, it is, however, worthwhile to be aware of this in case you or someone else you know might be able to benefit from it at some point in the future.

Earning Air Canada Super Elite in 2023 with Chase Aeroplan Mastercard

For background, I’ll go over how I qualified for Super Elite status in 2023 in the first place.  At some point in early 2023, I was in the midst of searching for reasonable flight options in business class to fly from Canada to Hawaii in March of the same year. While repeatedly striking out on finding any attractive (or even remotely attractive) flight options on points, I noticed that cash fares between Canada and Maui in business class weren’t all too bad.

As I was also an American Express Business Platinum cardholder in the US, I could use the card to purchase those business class tickets using Amex Membership Rewards (MR) and then be eligible for a 35% points rebate on the tickets. After factoring in the 35% points rebate, the return flights on Air Canada business class from Montreal to Maui would end up costing me ~128,000 net MR points per person – considerably lesser than the average 200,000+ point rates that I saw otherwise with the airline programs.

To sweeten the deal further – and the catalyst for beginning to think about higher level  Air Canada elite status – was that the tickets I’d be purchasing (which were essentially revenue tickets) would earn status qualifying miles (SQM) and status qualifying dollars (SQD) – both of which need to be earned in order to qualify for all the Air Canada Aeroplan statuses. The table below illustrates the requirements:

Aeroplan Elite Status Qualification Criteria

The two noteworthy status levels for me were the 50K and Super Elite Status levels. With the former, you’d get a reasonable variety of benefits, including Star Alliance Gold status across the partner alliance, which is a meaningful status level to have. The latter, of course, is Air Canada’s top-tier published status level, and as you would expect, it comes with a whole slew of benefits. Super Elite status, though, comes at the hefty price tag of CAD $20,000 dollars in SQD (alongside 100,000 SQM). Those of you familiar with Aeroplan will know that SQD can only be earned via spending on Air Canada-issued tickets as well as some select ancillary fees paid towards Aeroplan, while SQM is a little bit easier to manage as Aeroplan co-branded credit cards can help earn SQM, along with flying on Air Canada and its partners and spending with Aeroplan’s retail partners. More often than not, members have a much harder time meeting the SQD requirement of CAD $20,000 – which is more than twice that of the 75K level requirement.

Going back to the ticket I booked for Hawaii, between this flight and another upcoming flight I had to Monte Carlo in April (which I was also planning on purchasing a cash fare for), I’d already be sitting at around $5,000 SQD at only 4 months into the qualifying year. At this point, 50K status became a very real possibility, but I started to consider if I could make a run at Super Elite status, especially with a couple of trips to Las Vegas (multiple), San Francisco and NYC on the horizon and ones where I would most likely be flying Air Canada to as well. Still.. I would need some serious help on the $20,000 SQD requirement. Enter the Chase Aeroplan Mastercard.

The Chase Aeroplan Mastercard is a well rounded credit card with a reasonable annual fees that comes loaded with perks and benefits that can provide a lot of value for Aeroplan members. In my situation, there was one benefit in particular that could help me bridge the gap in SQD to Super Elite – the one level status bump after spending USD $50,000 in a calendar year.

Select Chase Aeroplan Mastercard Benefits

The way this benefit works is quite simple. The primary cardholder is required to spend $50,000 on the card in a given year, which earns the cardholder a one-level status boost, including Super Elite status as of January of the following year. Given that I was already looking at earning ~$5K SQD early in the year, I would need to get to CAD $9,000 SQD in the full calendar year to qualify for 75K status (along with the SQM – though as mentioned above, SQM is not typically a problem to earn). That, alongside spending USD $50,000 on the Chase Aeroplan, would then earn me a level up to Super Elite status.

The only problem? I didn’t have the Chase Aeroplan. Fortunately, I was under 5/24, and there happened to be an elevated welcome offer at the moment as well. I figured this was as good a reason as any to apply for it. If successful, Super Elite status would be in the crosshairs, and if I was unable to get approved, then at least I’d be assured of 50K status and the accompanying Star Alliance Gold status. Fortunately, an instant approval followed a few days later, which ultimately led to earning Super Elite as of Jan 2024, as planned courtesy of the Chase Aeroplan card’s status level-up benefit.

Leveraging Parental Benefit to Extend Status into 2025

It was while I was working towards status qualification in the summer of 2023 that I first came across details of Aeroplan’s Elite Status Extension for Parental Leave benefit which was listed as an a feature for all status levels.

Being previously unaware that such a benefit exists, I was especially intrigued by this as, by chance, we were well on the way to expecting a new addition to our family. Aeroplan provides further terms, including the following:

Aeroplan Elite Status Members who are on an extended leave of absence from work in order to spend time caring for/preparing for a child to join their family (including adoption and fostering) will be eligible for an Elite Status Extension. In order to qualify for an Elite Status Extension, eligible members will need to provide documentation proving their maternity or paternity leave, along with certification of childbirth, adoption or fostering. Following review, documentation provided will be destroyed. Upon commencing more frequent travel following their leave, the Elite Status Extension will enable the member to enjoy the same status held prior to going on leave. Note that Elite Members who hold Elite Status that was granted as a special offer or as part of the “Aeroplan Elite Status for a friend” Select Benefit are not eligible for Elite Status Extension. Elite Status Extension is a discretionary benefit, and Air Canada reserves the right to decline an application for, or to change the offer of, an Elite Status Extension at any time, at its own discretion.

At first glance, I was optimistic that this meant I could parlay my potential 2024 Super Elite qualification (this was summer 2023 and I was still working towards meeting the requirements prior to year end) into 2025 though was not sure how Aeroplan would determine the extension period – would it be the full status qualification year or simply an extension to reflect the amount of time a member was on parental leave.

Over time, however, a couple of other doubts crept into my mind. Firstly, we were expecting the birth to happen in August 2023 (when I was not a Super Elite). However, my ~3-month parental leave was not scheduled to begin until April 2024 (when I would be a Super Elite). I was not certain which point in time Aeroplan would take in assessing my status extension. Secondly, the end of the terms and conditions noted above indicate that this benefit excluded elite status granted as part of a special offer – though it stopped short of naming the Chase Aeroplan Status Level Up benefit as being an ineligible offer. Lastly, in an email exchange with Aeroplan, their wording seemed to suggest that my status level would have to be lower upon my return than what it was prior to leaving – however, mine would have remained the same given I was taking 3 months during the same calendar year. With these questions in mind and not a whole lot more clarity available on the website, I tried to reach out to Aeroplan; however, I received a response saying that each case is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and to connect with them once I have returned back from my leave.

Applying for Parental Benefit Extension

While I imagine Aeroplan deliberately leaves details on the program a little vague, the process of applying was quite straight forward and is clearly listed under the benefit details.

To request the status extension, members are requested to email Elite.Parents@aircanada.ca and include a copy of proof of parental leave from their employer as well as a copy of the certificate of childbirth, adoption or fostering. The request is to be sent to the above email address once the member has returned from their leave. I had requested a letter from my employer confirming the dates I was away and provided that along with the birth certificate.

Within 24 hours of sending the email, I received a response indicating that my case had been reviewed and that my status was being renewed until the end of 2025.

Air Canada Aeroplan Response

Ecstatic at the outcome, I should also mention that my flying activity with Aeroplan year to date had been minimal as well (< CAD $1600), so it definitely seems that it did not play a part in their decision to extend status by the full 12 months. Sure enough, a few days after the email above,  my status was renewed.

Chase Aeroplan Level Up Benefit for qualified Super Elites

Having already qualified for Super Elite till the end of 2025, I wondered what incremental benefit, if any, would be offered on the Chase Aeroplan card for spending $50,000 to earn the Level Up benefit given if a member has already achieved Super Elite status. It turns out that in this case, the member receives an additional 50K status gift as described below from Chase’s terms and conditions:

Chase Aeroplan Mastercard T&C’s

Whether or not that will be worth spending $50,000 on the card for this alone would be an circumstantial decision that everyone would need to make for themselves, however given that I am most of the way there already and also how highly I value the 50K status, I will probably look to complete the required spending.

What other Airline programs provide a similar benefit?

When I first came across this with Aeroplan, I had wrongly assumed that this was something very unique to Aeroplan, however after doing some research, it seems that there are quite a number of other airlines that provide something that closely resembles this concept. Westjet provides a similar benefit as do some other international airlines like British Airways, Iberia, Flying Blue, Delta and Alaska to name a few, however it seems that reaching out to an airline that doesn’t have a published policy could yet yield a positive outcome.

Final Word

While I’d love for all of you to believe that I had this “stacking” in mind when I was family planning, I couldn’t be happier with the way it worked out. By using the (i) American Express Business Platinum 35% rebate, (ii) Chase Aeroplan Level Up Benefit, and (iii) Aeroplan’s Elite Status Extension Level Up benefit, I’ve been able to squeeze out two full years of Super Elite status at a fraction of the otherwise CAD $40,000 in required AC spend that would otherwise have been required. Being based in Ottawa and having an Air Canada frequent flyer, I believe this is obviously going to be hugely beneficial to me. Prior to the end of the year, I intend to also see if I can get my Air France Platinum status extended on the same basis. Overall, though, kudos to Aeroplan – the process was simple and fast, resulting in an extremely generous outcome.