Air Canada has launched another promotion on purchased Aeroplan points, offering members a bonus of up to 100%.

The promotion runs until the 25th September 2026 and could make sense for travellers who have already found an expensive Business or First Class flight available as a reward.

It is not, however, an automatic bargain. Members must purchase at least 80,000 points to unlock the full bonus, requiring an immediate outlay of C$3,000, approximately £1,602 at the exchange rate available on the 15th September 2026.

Before buying anything, members should confirm that the reward they want is available and calculate the complete cost, including taxes and booking fees.

Aeroplan ordinarily sells points for 3.75 Canadian cents each. The latest promotion applies three different bonus levels:

The promotion is available through Aeroplan’s official points-purchasing platform until the 25th September. View the current Aeroplan points offer.

At the highest level, buying 80,000 points produces another 80,000 as a bonus. The member receives 160,000 points in total for C$3,000.

Using an indicative exchange rate of C$1 to £0.534 on the 15th September 2026, that is approximately £1,602. The final sterling amount may differ because of exchange-rate movements, card-provider charges and any applicable taxes. Current Canadian dollar to pound exchange rate.

The promotion halves the effective purchase cost of each point, but it does not reduce the number of points required for a flight.

If a reward normally costs 70,000 points, it will generally continue to cost 70,000 points. The promotion simply makes it cheaper to acquire the balance needed to book it.

It is also important to consider the minimum purchase threshold. A member needing only 10,000 additional points cannot access the 100% bonus unless they buy at least 80,000.

Buying substantially more points than required could undermine the saving, particularly if the remaining balance sits unused.

At the best promotional rate of 1.875 Canadian cents per point, the notional purchase cost of several reward amounts would be:

These figures are calculations of the effective value of the points used, rather than the amount a member would necessarily pay in a single transaction. Accessing that rate requires purchasing at least 80,000 points before the bonus.

Taxes, airport charges and Aeroplan booking fees must then be added to the points cost.

For example, a Business Class reward requiring 60,000 points would carry an effective points cost of about £601 under the highest bonus. If the taxes and fees were £150, the complete redemption would cost approximately £751.

That could be excellent value when the equivalent cash ticket costs £2,000. It would be poor value if a promotional cash fare were available for £800.

Aeroplan does not price every reward in the same way.

Flights operated by Air Canada use dynamic pricing, meaning the number of points required can rise or fall according to demand and the corresponding cash fare. An Air Canada Business Class flight could therefore require considerably more points during a busy period.

This makes buying points for an Air Canada-operated redemption particularly sensitive to timing. The reward price visible today could change before the points arrive or before the booking is completed.

Even with a 100% purchase bonus, an expensive dynamically priced reward can represent poor value.

The lowest figures shown in Aeroplan’s reward charts should therefore not be treated as guaranteed prices.

Aeroplan can also be used to book flights operated by numerous partner airlines, including Lufthansa, SWISS, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, ANA and Etihad Airways.

Partner rewards can sometimes offer stronger value because their pricing is generally more closely linked to Aeroplan’s distance bands than to the cash fare being charged by the operating airline.

This creates opportunities to use purchased points for otherwise expensive premium-cabin tickets.

For example, a last-minute Business Class ticket may cost several thousand pounds in cash while remaining available for a more manageable number of Aeroplan points. Buying points could produce a meaningful saving in that situation.

The difficulty is availability. Airlines release only a limited number of partner reward seats, particularly in First and Business Class. Some carriers make their most desirable cabins available only close to departure, while others restrict access entirely.

A reward appearing during an initial search could disappear at any time.

The order in which you complete the process matters.

First, search for the exact reward journey you want. Check the date, operating airline, cabin, number of points and taxes. If travelling as a couple or family, confirm that the required number of seats is available.

Next, calculate how many points you already hold and how many additional points you need to purchase.

Finally, compare the combined cost of the points, taxes and fees with the equivalent cash ticket.

Buying the points first and looking for a flight afterwards is considerably riskier. The preferred reward may disappear, increase in price or never have been available in the required cabin.

An Aeroplan reward is not completely free once the points have been acquired.

Passengers remain responsible for taxes, airport charges and other applicable fees. Partner-airline bookings may also attract a booking charge.

These amounts vary considerably. A reward with a low points requirement but heavy taxes may be worse value than one requiring more points and a smaller cash contribution.

The comparison should always be:

Cost of purchased points used + taxes and fees

against:

The complete cash price of the same or a comparable flight

Comparing only the points requirement with the headline cash fare produces an incomplete calculation.

Aeroplan’s 100% bonus can unlock excellent value, particularly for an expensive Business or First Class reward on a partner airline.

At the highest tier, the effective purchase price falls to 1.875 Canadian cents per point. That makes a 60,000-point reward worth approximately £601 in purchased points before taxes and fees.

The problem is the required commitment. Reaching the 100% tier means spending C$3,000, approximately £1,602, and receiving 160,000 points. That is too much money to hand to a loyalty programme without a specific and immediately bookable use.

Search first, calculate second and purchase last. If the final reward costs substantially less than the equivalent cash ticket, the promotion can be worthwhile. If you are buying merely because “100% bonus” sounds generous, keeping the money is the safer deal.