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Major Changes to Aeroplan 2026 – TL;DR
Effective January 1, 2026, Air Canada is overhauling how Aeroplan members earn points and qualify for Elite Status. The program will shift from a distance-based model to a revenue-based one:
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Points Earning: Members will earn at least 1 Aeroplan point per $1 spent on Air Canada base fares and carrier surcharges (excluding taxes, fees, and third-party charges). Elite Status members will earn between 2x and 6x points per dollar, depending on their status level at the time of travel.
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Elite Status Qualification: A new system called Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) will replace the current status qualification metrics. Members can earn up to 4 SQC per dollar spent on eligible Air Canada fares, 25,000 SQC through Aeroplan credit card spending, and another 25,000 SQC via partner activity.
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Bonus Points: Frequent promotional offers will help members earn bonus Aeroplan points faster.
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Elite Status Benefits:
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New Milestone Benefits will be awarded every 10,000 SQC earned, offering perks such as bonus SQC, eUpgrades, Priority Rewards, Status Passes, and more.
- Core Benefits (e.g. priority services, free checked bags) remain tied to status levels.
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Starting in 2027, Aeroplan premium credit cardholders who achieve Elite Status will get a 10% SQC bonus based on the previous year’s total.
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No Changes for 2025: The current earning and qualification model remains in effect through the end of 2025 for status earned in 2026.
These updates are designed to reward Aeroplan’s most engaged and high-spending members, both in the air and across the program’s broader ecosystem. A detailed breakdown of each change and what it means for travellers follows.
Major Changes to Aeroplan 2026 – Revenue Based Points Earning
Starting January 1, 2026, Aeroplan members will earn points based on how much they spend on Air Canada flights, rather than how far they fly. Under the new structure:
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Members will earn at least 1 Aeroplan point per Canadian dollar (C$1) spent on base fare and carrier surcharges on Air Canada-operated flights.
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Taxes, third-party charges, and government-imposed fees are excluded from points earning.
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For example, if a member spends C$500 on the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, they will earn 500 Aeroplan points.
Elite members will benefit from accelerated earning rates through multipliers that correspond to their status tier. These multipliers increase the number of Aeroplan points earned per dollar spent on Air Canada flights:
| Status Tier | Points Multiplier | Points Earned Per $1 Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroplan Member | 1x | 1 point |
| Aeroplan 25K | 2x | 2 points |
| Aeroplan 35K | 3x | 3 points |
| Aeroplan 50K | 4x | 4 points |
| Aeroplan 75K | 5x | 5 points |
| Aeroplan Super Elite | 6x | 6 points |
These multipliers apply only to eligible spend on Air Canada base fares and carrier surcharges. For instance, a Super Elite member spending $500 on an eligible Air Canada fare would earn 3,000 Aeroplan points (500 × 6).
- To support faster accumulation of points under the new structure, Aeroplan will introduce frequent bonus offers. These promotions will present opportunities to earn additional points beyond the base accrual rate. While base members will see a simple 1:1 earn rate, frequent flyers with status will have the potential to accelerate their earnings substantially through status-tier multipliers and promotional bonuses.
Major Changes to Aeroplan 2026 – Status Qualifying Credits (SQC)
In 2026, SQM/SQS/SQD will be replaced by a unified metric for status qualification, called Status Qualifying Credits (SQC). This change simplifies the current model and will align status qualification with overall engagement across the Aeroplan ecosystem beyond just flying. SQC will be earned through Air Canada flight purchases, Aeroplan credit card spending, and travel and everyday partner activity, including Star Alliance partners.
Earning SQC with Air Canada Flights
SQC from Air Canada travel is based on dollars spent and fare type purchased. With a maximum of 4x on Flex Fares and above, the new system rewards those willing to pay a Flex fare or more significantly.
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2 SQC per C$1 spent on Standard fares and eUpgrade Add-ons
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4 SQC per C$1 on Flex fares and higher fare categories
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1 SQC per C$1 on Air Canada Vacations
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Basic Economy fares do not earn SQC (but will earn Aeroplan points)
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There is no cap on how much SQC a member can earn from Air Canada spend
This structure incentivizes booking higher fare classes and additional Air Canada services. Accumulation is uncapped and offers unlimited potential for those spending heavily on premium fare products.
- Million Mile Recognition – Lifetime Qualifying Miles will continue to be calculated based solely on the distance flown on eligible Air Canada-operated flights. However, fare type bonuses will no longer apply.
Earning on tickets issued by Air Canada (014 Ticket Stock)
When booking a ticket issued by Air Canada (with a ticket number starting in 014), SQC accumulation depends on which airline operates the flight. Flights operated by Air Canada and select Star Alliance members (United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels and Copa) all earn Revenue-based points with Elite multipliers, and SQC based on fare type. However, flights operated by other Star Alliance members, such as Turkish, will only earn Revenue-based points at 1x. Here’s a breakdown:
| Flight Operator | Points Accrual | SQC Accumulation |
| Air Canada Operated | Revenue-based, with Elite multipliers (2x–6x) | Based on fare type (no cap) |
| Star Alliance Operated (United, Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels, Copa) | Revenue-based, with Elite multipliers (2x–6x) | Based on fare type (no cap) |
| Other Star Alliance Members | Revenue-based @ 1x | Based on fare type (no cap) |
| All Other Partner Operated | Revenue-based @ 1x | No SQC accumulation |
For Example, A 50k member flying Economy Standard fare from Toronto to Vancouver would earn;
Aeroplan points earned: Base Fare ($290) (4x Status multiplier) = 1160 points
SQC accumulated: Baser Fare ($290) (2x Standard Fare) = 580 SQC
Whereas, the same flight flown by a 75k member flying Economy Flex fare would earn;
Aeroplan points earned: Base Fare ($390) (5x Status multiplier) = 1950 points
SQC accumulated: Baser Fare ($390) (4x Flex Fare) = 1560 SQC
Earning on tickets issued by Other Airlines (non-014 Ticket Stock)
When Aeroplan members book tickets that are issued by other airlines (i.e., not starting with ticket number 014), SQC accumulation rules differ significantly and will be as shown below;
| Flight Operator | Points Accrual | SQC Accumulation |
| Air Canada Operated (on non-014 ticket) | Revenue-based, with Elite multipliers (2x–6x) | Based on the cabin class purchased |
| Star Alliance Operated | Based on the partner’s earn chart (distance & fare class) | 1 SQC per 5 points earned (25,000/year cap) |
| All Other Partner Operated | Based on the partner’s earn chart (distance & fare class) | No SQC accumulation |
Earning SQC with Aeroplan Credit Cards and Retail Partners
SQC can also be earned through Aeroplan’s wide network of partners:
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Retail and Everyday Partners
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Members will earn 1 SQC per 5 Aeroplan points earned with major Aeroplan retail and travel partners;
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LCBO
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Uber
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Avis
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Marriott
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Starbucks
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A maximum of 25,000 SQC per year can be earned through these non-Air Canada channels.
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This opens the door for non-frequent flyers and credit card holders to actively contribute toward Elite Status without relying solely on flight activity.
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Earning SQC with Aeroplan Credit Cards
As is the case now, Premium Aeroplan Cards will continue to fast-track SQC earn rates, while the Core Aeroplan Cards accumulate SQC at a much slower rate. Both card tiers have an annual cap of 25 000 SQC, which means even with a Premium Card, members will be able to earn 25k status at best.
| Card Tier | SQC Earn Rate | Annual Cap | Bonus Perk (2027+) |
| Premium Aeroplan Cards (TD, CIBC, AMEX) | 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent | 25,000 SQC | 10% Head Start bonus based on prior year’s SQC (if Elite status is requalified) |
| Core Aeroplan Cards | 1,000 SQC per $20,000 spent | 25,000 SQC | N/A |
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Chase Aeroplan Card (U.S. Residents)
The Chase Aeroplan Card integrates into the SQC model with distinct thresholds and progressive SQC benefits. The ‘Level up’ benefit will be replaced with progressive SQC awards. Level-ups earned in 2025 will be honoured.
| Spend Threshold (USD) | SQC Benefit (Starting 2026) |
|---|---|
| Annual Reset | 5,000 SQC Head Start |
| $15K | Aeroplan 25K Status |
| $25K | 10,000 SQC |
| $50K | 10,000 SQC |
| $75K | Aeroplan 35K Status |
| $100K – $250k – $500K – $750K | 1 Priority Reward per tier |
| $1M | Global +1 Benefit |
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All credit card SQC earnings are subject to the same 25,000 SQC per year cap
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Elite Status Qualification – New SQC Thresholds
Under the SQC framework, each Aeroplan Elite Status tier will be tied to a single SQC target:
| Status Tier | Current Requirements | 2026 Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 25K | 25,000 SQM/SQS + $3,000 SQD | 25,000 SQC |
| 35K | 35,000 SQM/SQS + $4,000 SQD | 35,000 SQC |
| 50K | 50,000 SQM/SQS + $6,000 SQD | 50,000 SQC |
| 75K | 75,000 SQM/SQS + $9,000 SQD | 75,000 SQC |
| Super Elite | 100,000 SQM/SQS + $20,000 SQD | 125,000 SQC |
- Super Elite requirement increases from 100k SQM/SQS to 125k SQC.
- Everyday Qualification (EDQ) for 25K status remains at 100K base points through flying and everyday activities.
Aeroplan Premium Credit Cards – 10% Head Start Replaces Rollover SQM
As part of the new Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) model in 2026, the Rollover SQM benefit will be retired and replaced by a new 10% SQC Head Start benefit.
Currently, Aeroplan Premium cardholders (TD, CIBC, or American Express) who requalify for status can roll over up to 200,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) of unused qualifying activity into the following benefit year. This rollover helps cardholders get a jumpstart toward status requalification. For example:
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A member with 50K status who ends the year with 62,000 SQM would roll over 12,000 SQM.
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A member with 75K status and 79,000 SQM would roll over 4,000 SQM.
This benefit will end in 2025, and the last rollover will be converted into SQC using a set conversion ratio. Starting in 2026, Aeroplan Premium cardholders who requalify for status will receive a 10% SQC Head Start at the start of each qualifying year. There is no cap on the amount of SQC that can be earned through this Head Start benefit. This means that cardholders will begin the year with an SQC balance equal to 10% of their previous year’s total SQC earnings. Scenarios:
| Status Tier | Year-End SQM | Rollover (Today) | 10% SQC Head Start (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50K | 62K SQM | 12,000 SQM | 6,200 SQC |
| 50K | 51K SQM | 1,000 SQM | 5,100 SQC |
| 75K | 79K SQM | 4,000 SQM | 7,900 SQC |
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Any Rollover SQM carried into 2026 will be converted into SQC at a ratio of 5 SQM: 1 SQC. For instance, if you have 10,000 rollover SQM, that will become 2,000 SQC in 2026.
- To receive the 10% SQC Head Start, the Elite member must be an active Premium Aeroplan credit cardholder by December 15 of the preceding year.
Introducing Milestone Benefits
Milestone Benefits will replace the existing Select Benefits, Priority Rewards, and Threshold-based eUpgrade and gift options. This new structure rewards Elite Status members incrementally as they accumulate Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) beyond their status tier qualification. Milestones can only be earned once Elite Status is achieved. SQC earned toward status qualification does not count toward Milestones until after status is secured.
| SQC Milestone | Automatic Benefit | Choice Benefits |
| 10,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | |
| 20,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 2 MLL Guest Passes • 10 eUpgrade credits • 5,000 Aeroplan Points • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 30,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | |
| 40,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 MLL Passes • 10 eUpgrade credits • 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 50,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | |
| 60,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 2 Status Passes • 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 70,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | • 2 Status Passes
• 5,000 Aeroplan points • $150 Air Canada Gift Card • Aeroplan 25K Status for a friend |
| 80,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 2 Status Passes • 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 90,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | • 2 Status Passes
• 5,000 Aeroplan points • $150 Air Canada Gift Card • Aeroplan 35K Status for a friend |
| 100,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 2 Status Passes • 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 110,000 | 10 eUpgrade credits | • 2 Status Passes
• 5,000 Aeroplan points • $150 Air Canada Gift Card |
| 120,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 2 Status Passes • 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 130,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 4 Status Passes
• 7,500 Aeroplan points • 2,500 bonus SQC • Aeroplan 50K Status for a friend |
| 140,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 Status Passes • 15,000 Aeroplan points • 5,000 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 150,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 4 Status Passes
• 10,000 Aeroplan points • $250 Air Canada Gift Card |
| 160,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 Status Passes • 15,000 Aeroplan points • 5,000 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 170,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 4 Status Passes
• 10,000 Aeroplan points • $250 Air Canada Gift Card |
| 180,000 | None | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 Status Passes • 15,000 Aeroplan points • 5,000 bonus SQC • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 190,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 4 Status Passes
• 10,000 Aeroplan points • $250 Air Canada Gift Card |
| 200,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 1 Priority Reward
• 20,000 Aeroplan points • Banked Aeroplan Super Elite Status • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption • Aeroplan 75K Status for a friend |
| 220,000 | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 Status Passes • 15,000 Aeroplan points • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
| 240K – 1M (every 20K) | 20 eUpgrade credits | • 1 Priority Reward
• 4 Status Passes • 15,000 Aeroplan points • 30% off Car & Hotel redemption • 30% off Gift Card & Merchandise redemption |
Major Changes to Aeroplan 2026 – Final Impressions
With points earning and status accumulation tied directly to dollar spend rather than distance flown, Aeroplan’s revenue-based model will reward higher spend and deeper engagement in the partner eco-system. And while credit card spend becomes a legitimate path to status, particularly for premium cardholders, it is insufficient for top-tier status on its own. SQC from credit cards and partners are capped at 25,000 each, which ensures that even at max SQC via credit cards, Super Elite status (125K SQC) would still require significant flight activity.
Whether this is “better” or “worse” depends on how a member interacts with the program. Members who are high spenders, premium cabin travellers (cash bookings), frequent Air Canada flyers, and who have a premium Aeroplan credit card should welcome these changes. Whereas budget travellers, long-haul economy flyers, and those earning status through Star Alliance or partner flights may find that their points and status accumulation will be slower in the new setup.
What do you make of these changes?
9 comments
The 25k cap on earning points from your credit card drastically reduces the attractiveness of partners like TD, CIBC and especially Amex. Expect a wave of card cancellations from high spenders if they are going to be capped at only 25,000 SQC.
Fair call, there will be some that will give up on the premium cards if they were in it purely for the spend based status. You can combine 25k from card spend and 25k from retail/partner spend for a total of 50k SQC. Will require A LOT of spend, of course. Real high spenders on AC, those that travel for work and typically don’t struggle to meet current SQD requirements will continue to keep the premium cards imo.
To achieve mid-tier 50K status, I now require to spend $12,500 on AC Flex fares instead of flying 50,000 miles or 50 segments and spending $6,000 on AC. To me it’s a major devaluation. Flying *A non-014-ticket partners is not an advantage either. I could reduce the $12.5K on AC by spending on my day-to-day but that’s probably (per year) just getting max 2,000 SQC so not a real dent.
What will help are the SQC bonus promotions that have been announced. While I don’t know the specifics, am told that these can be 2x-3x SQC bonuses for booking cash tickets. Will be super handy in accelerating towards status or the next tier.
Good point Anshul, but this will likely fluctuate and not be ideal for certain calendars.
This looks the death of Aeroplan rewards for all but the wealthiest people who can afford to pay cash for business class on every flight. A shame for everyone else who will find it nearly impossible to accumulate enough points to get a decent reward. No incentive now to fly Air Canada at all. AC will lose a lot of angry repeat customers, I bet.
Yeah catering to Canada-based business travelers who book Flex or higher… partner earning is negligible. Zero improvements to why you should choose AC.
Alienated also a lot of foreign elites who traveled long haul.
Thanks for the exhaustive review Anshul, a lot to digest…any mention if the 25K status match based on Bonvoy Platinum will stay?
Confirmed – Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador to 25k status match remains unchanged.