You applied for and got approved for the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card. Whats next so you can maximize what you can get out of this card? Read on to see “Whats in it for me?”
Firstly, if you are signing up for several cards at the same time, please ensure you have a plan or expenses coming up to put on the card(s) so you can meet the Minimum Spend Requirement (MSR) so you do not miss out on the “Welcome Bonus”.
Once you receive the card in the mail, call Amex and ensure your existing Aeroplan account if applicable is associated with the new Amex card – to avoid issues in case Amex created a new Aeroplan account and linked it to your new card.
Now, lets put the card through the paces.
- Plan your purchases so that you meet both the MSR for the Welcome Bonus and Additional Promotions.
Currently this card requires that you spend $6,000 in net purchases on your Card within the first 6 months of Cardmembership to earn 60,000 Aeroplan points.
Additionally, you can earn 5,000 Aeroplan points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $1,000 in purchases on your Card for the first 6 months of Cardmembership. That could add up to 30,000 Aeroplan points.
This is an elevated offer and expires on September 20, 2022. - If you are dining out, use the card during the first 3 months as you can earn 10x the Aeroplan points on eligible Eats & Drinks (up to 20,000 points). You can earn a total of 10 Aeroplan points for every $1 on eligible eats & drinks purchases in Canada for the first 3 months of Cardmembership (up to 20,000 Aeroplan points).
(This 10x includes the standard earn rate and it is NOT 10x in addition to the standard earn rate.) - Consider if you want to apply for a supplementary card.
This comes with two flavours of supplementary cards:
a. Aeroplan Reserve Card for $199 each annually-comes with benefits
b. Aeroplan Reserve no-fee Card for $0 each annually. - If you want to earn a Companion Pass – you should ensure you spend more than $25,000 on net purchases (less any returns, credits, and adjustments) and is posted to your account in the 12 months prior to the Card anniversary date. The pass will be deposited into the Aeroplan account 8-10 weeks after the Card anniversary date.
Notes:
i. On each card anniversary date, the calculation of the annual net purchases resets to zero and you must qualify again in the new annual period. Purchases transacted or posted on the Card anniversary date will be included in the calculation of net purchases for the next annual period and not the previous annual period.
ii. The pass entitles a companion to accompany you upon the purchase of a fixed base fare (plus taxes, fees, charges and surcharges), when you book a published economy fare on a flight marketed and operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or under the Air Canada Express brand.
iii. Valid against the purchase of one round-trip fixed based fare (plus taxes, fees, charges and surcharges) for a companion when travelling on the same itinerary and booked at the same time as you.
iv. Passes are valid for 12 months from the date issued. The pass is valid towards a new booking only, and not valid on existing reservations. Bookings must be made directly with Air Canada, via aircanada.com, the Air Canada Mobile App, or through the Air Canada call center (“Air Canada Reservations”). - Apply for or renew your Nexus for a statement credit.
You are eligible to receive up to $100 CAD in statement credits every four (4) years for application or renewal fees for the NEXUS program. You will receive statement credits for your total spend on NEXUS fees rounded down to the nearest dollar, up to a maximum of $100 CAD in cumulative statement credits, per account per four (4) year period, regardless of whether the NEXUS fees are charged on the Basic or Supplementary Card.
Now let us look at all the benefits that come along with this card:
A. Earning points on all the spend you put on the card.
You can earn 3x on Air Canada purchases, 2x on Dining and Food delivery and 1.25x on everything else.
Dont forget you can “double dip” when you use the card at Aeroplan brand partners and via the Aeroplan e-store.
B. Priority Handling
You and up to eight companions travelling on the same reservation can enjoy Priority Airport Check-In, Priority Boarding, and Priority Baggage Handling when you fly with Air Canada.
C. Airport Lounge Access
Enjoy access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés in North America for you and a guest, with a same day ticket on a departing Air Canada or Star Alliance flight.
D. Priority Listing
Enjoy priority access to the standby list and upgrades. Get prioritized on the standby waitlist for an Air Canada flight and higher priority when you request an upgrade.
E. Reach Elite Status Faster
Earn 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and 1 Status Qualifying Segment for every $5,000 in eligible net purchases charged to your Card. You can also roll over up to 200,000 unused Status Qualifying Miles (SQMs) to help qualify for Aeroplan status the following year.
F. Rollover eUpgrades
If you hold Aeroplan Elite Status and requalify the following year, you can roll over up to 50 unused eUpgrade Credits to the next status year.
G. First Free Checked Bag
You and up to eight companions travelling on the same reservation will enjoy your first checked bag free (up to 23kg/50lb) when your travel originates on an Air Canada flight.
H. Worldwide airport lounge access with Priority Pass
The $99 USD annual Priority Pass membership fee is waived and each lounge visit is subject to a usage fee at the prevailing rate.
I. Expedited Security Lane
You can access the Pearson Priority Security Lane located at the departure level of Terminal 1 & 3 at Toronto Pearson International Airport during peak airport operating hours.
J. Valet at Toronto Pearson Airport.
Get complimentary valet service at the Express Park and Daily Park at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
K. Discount for Parking
Get 15% off parking rates at the Express Park and Daily Park at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
L. Discount on Car Care
Get 15% off Car Care Services at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Access to the Car Care services is available in Terminal 1 on level 5 of the Daily Park garage.
M. Travel Coverages
You get a myriad of coverages that range from Out of Province/Country Emergency Medical Insurance, Trip Cancellation Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, Flight Delay Insurance, Baggage Delay Insurance, Hotel Burglary Insurance, Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance, $500,000 Travel Accident Insurance, Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance, Travel Emergency Assistance. More details can be found at Certificates of Insurance and if you are a Quebec resident, please read your Insurance Summary and Fact Sheet.
N. Shopping Coverages
Buyers Assuarance Protection Plan – Your coverage automatically extends the manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year when you fully charge eligible items to your American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.
Purchase Protection Plan – You can be insured for eligible items charged to your American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card for 90 days from the date of purchase in the event of accidental physical damage or theft for up to $1,000 per occurrence (for all purchased items combined).
Plus, with Amex you get World Class Service 24×7, special offers in the app/online where you get discounts, freebies and lending options.
Here are some Points to remember:
1. The annual fee is not a part of the MSR.
2.Always spend a bit over the MSR, in case you do a return and risk going below the MSR and losing the Welcome Bonus.
3. Make a note of the billing cycle. Purchases made during a billing period but posted after the end of that billing period will not count towards eligible spend for that month and count towards eligible spend for the next billing period. (This will impact both the Welcome Bonus and Additional Bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points for the first 6 months.)
4. You will receive the Companion pass after your card anniversary date.
Another important point to note is that the American Express has once per lifetime on each card for the Welcome and Bonus offers but having said that Your mileage may vary (YMMV). As per the fine print on this card – These offers are only available to new American Express Aeroplan Reserve Cardmembers. For current or former American Express Aeroplan Reserve Cardmembers, Amex may approve your application, but you will not be eligible for these offers. If you receive points in error, Amex reserves the right to deduct them from your points balance.
Snapshot:
-Annual Fee $599
-Supplementary card at $199 each or low tier at $0 each
-Welcome Bonus 60,000 Aeroplan points after spending $6,000 in net purchases on your Card within the first 6 months of Cardmembership.
-Earn 5,000 Aeroplan points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $1,000 in purchases on your Card for the first 6 months of Cardmembership for up to 30,000 Aeroplan points.
-Earn a total of 10 Aeroplan points for every $1 on eligible eats & drinks purchases in Canada for the first 3 months of Cardmembership (up to 20,000 Aeroplan points).
-3x Aeroplan Points on Air Canada
-2x Aeroplan Points on Dining and Food Delivery
-1.25x Aeroplan Points on everything else
-Earn points for referring family and friends to this card using your referral link
You will be able to see your Aeroplan Points and Companion pass when deposited, when you log in to your Aeroplan account or on aircanada.com either on the website or in the app. You can book your flights here or by calling the Air Canada call centre.
To Summarise:
If you maximise all the offers, you can earn a whopping 110,000 Aeroplan Points and a Companion Pass, in addition to points earned on the spend that you put on this and this can vary on the multiplier by the category of spend i.e. 3x on Air Canada purchases, 2x on Dining and Food delivery and 1.25x on everything else.
Written by Dominic Fernandes aka CanadaPointsGuy.
Image courtesy of americanexpress.com/ca.