The Amex Aeroplan Card sits below the Aeroplan Reserve in American Express Canada’s Aeroplan line-up: a lower annual fee, a smaller welcome offer, no lounge access listed, and a free first checked bag on Air Canada. This review shows what the card costs, what Amex says its perks are worth, and where the numbers stop working. It is general education, not financial advice.
For other travel options: Amex Cobalt (stronger everyday earn rate), Aeroplan Reserve (premium tier with lounge access), Marriott Bonvoy Amex (hotels). Full ranking in Best Aeroplan Credit Cards 2026.
Amex Aeroplan Card at a glance
| Item | Current figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| American Express Aeroplan Card annual fee | $120 | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card annual fee from January 12, 2027 | $150 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card type | a charge card with no preset spending limit; the balance must be paid in full each month | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| Interest on American Express Aeroplan Card balances not paid in full | 30% a year on balances not paid in full | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card welcome offer | up to 45,000 Aeroplan points: 35,000 after $7,500 in purchases in the first 6 months, plus 10,000 when you spend $1,000 in month 13 | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| Who can get the American Express Aeroplan Card welcome offer | new American Express Aeroplan Cardmembers only; current or former Cardmembers with this card are not eligible | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card earn rate on Air Canada purchases | 2 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card earn rate on dining and food delivery | 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card earn rate at Hyatt hotels | 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hyatt hotels and resorts, from July 15, 2026 to July 15, 2029 | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card base earn rate | 1 Aeroplan point per $1 on everything else | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| Free first checked bag on Aeroplan co-branded cards (Amex, TD and CIBC wording) | a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, when travel starts on an Air Canada flight | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| Status Qualifying Credits earned on the American Express Aeroplan Card | 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $20,000 in eligible net purchases, up to 25,000 SQC | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| Aeroplan points expiry for American Express Aeroplan Cardmembers | Aeroplan points do not expire while you are the Basic Cardmember on an American Express Aeroplan card and your Aeroplan account is in good standing | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card additional card fee | $50 a year for each additional Aeroplan Card | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
| American Express Aeroplan Card no-fee additional card | $0 a year for each Additional Aeroplan No Fee Card | americanexpress.com Verified October 11, 2026 |
In short: the annual fee is $120, rising to $150 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027. The card is a charge card with no preset spending limit; the balance must be paid in full each month, and Amex charges 30% a year on balances not paid in full. The welcome offer is up to 45,000 Aeroplan points: 35,000 after $7,500 in purchases in the first 6 months, plus 10,000 when you spend $1,000 in month 13, for new American Express Aeroplan Cardmembers only; current or former Cardmembers with this card are not eligible; Amex values it at up to $900 in flights (Amex's estimate, at $0.02 a point or more).
The card earns 2 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations, 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible dining and food delivery purchases in Canada, 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hyatt hotels and resorts, from July 15, 2026 to July 15, 2029, and 1 Aeroplan point per $1 on everything else. Benefits include a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, when travel starts on an Air Canada flight and 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $20,000 in eligible net purchases, up to 25,000 SQC. Per Amex, Aeroplan points do not expire while you are the Basic Cardmember on an American Express Aeroplan card and your Aeroplan account is in good standing. Additional cards cost $50 a year for each additional Aeroplan Card ($59 from January 12, 2027) or $0 a year for each Additional Aeroplan No Fee Card (renamed the Companion Card at $25 a year from January 12, 2027). Amex’s page lists no airport lounge access for this card.
YieldMaple checked Amex’s Aeroplan Card page on October 11, 2026. The fee, earn rates and welcome offer above are the public offer shown on that page. Offers change, an offer reached through another link can differ, and the one shown when you apply is the one that counts.
How much is the Amex Aeroplan welcome bonus worth?
Amex values the full Amex Aeroplan welcome offer at up to $900 in flights (Amex's estimate, at $0.02 a point or more), but reaching it takes 13 months, heavy spending and a second annual fee.
The offer comes in two parts. The first is 35,000 Aeroplan points after $7,500 in net purchases in the first 6 months, which works out to about $1,250 a month on a card that has to be paid in full. The second is 10,000 more Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 in month 13, and under Amex’s terms the card must be kept into the second year of Cardmembership, and the second-year annual fee is payable.
The offer has eligibility limits. It is for new American Express Aeroplan Cardmembers only; current or former Cardmembers with this card are not eligible, and Amex’s terms say applicants may not be eligible if they already received welcome or incentive Aeroplan points on an Aeroplan card of the same category from another issuer. Amex also says to allow up to eight weeks after the points are earned for the bonus to be awarded.
That second year matters because of the fee change. Anyone approved now pays $120 up front and then $150 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 at the first renewal, so the full offer costs $270 in fees. Set against Amex’s maximum estimate, that leaves up to $630 of flight value, before counting points earned on regular spending.
Amex’s estimate assumes $0.02 a point or more on flights (Amex's figure, based on most Aeroplan Cardmembers' flight redemptions from November 8, 2020 to September 1, 2025). The same page carries the caveat: Aeroplan points have no cash value, and the retail value of a reward varies with the type of reward. Amex’s own headline figure is up to $1,550 or more in the first 13 months, before the annual fee (Amex's estimate: up to $900 from the welcome offer, about $515 from spending and $140 from benefits).
How many Aeroplan points does the Amex Aeroplan Card earn in a year?
On Amex’s own example, the Amex Aeroplan Card earns 25,750 points a year on $21,500 of purchases ($3,000 at 2X, $2,500 at 1.5X and $16,000 at 1X), which Amex values at $515.
That example checks out against the earn rates: 25,750 points, an average of about 1.2 points per dollar.
Here is a second worked example for a household that flies Air Canada a couple of times a year. The spending amounts are hypothetical:
- $2,000 of Air Canada flights at 2 points per dollar: 4,000 points
- $3,000 of restaurants and food delivery in Canada at 1.5 points per dollar: 4,500 points
- $15,000 of everything else at 1 point per dollar: 15,000 points
That is 23,500 points a year. At Amex’s estimate of $0.02 a point or more on flights (Amex's figure, based on most Aeroplan Cardmembers' flight redemptions from November 8, 2020 to September 1, 2025), those points are worth about $470 in flights, or $320 after the higher annual fee. Reaching that level of spending also earns status credit, since Amex gives 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $20,000 in eligible net purchases, up to 25,000 SQC.
The points value is Amex’s estimate, not a guarantee: Aeroplan points have no cash value, and the retail value of a reward varies with the type of reward.
Is the free first checked bag worth it?
For families on Air Canada, the free first checked bag is the benefit most likely to cover the fee after year one.
Cardholders get a free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, when travel starts on an Air Canada flight. Amex values it at $140 (Amex's estimate for two people on one round trip), which is four checked bags (two people, two flights), or about $35 a bag. On that basis, a family of four saves about $280 on one Air Canada round trip, and the $150 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 fee is covered by roughly 5 checked bags a year. These are estimates built on Amex’s own valuation of the benefit, not on Air Canada’s published bag fees.
Amex’s terms limit the benefit to up to 23 kg (50 lb) a bag for up to 9 travellers on one reservation, when checking in with Air Canada for a flight operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or Air Canada Express.
Where does the Amex Aeroplan Card fall short?
The Amex Aeroplan Card’s weak spot is everyday earning: outside Air Canada, dining and Hyatt, it earns 1 point per dollar.
The standard earn schedule is 2 Aeroplan points per $1 directly with Air Canada; 1.5 points per $1 at restaurants, coffee shops, bars and food delivery in Canada; 1 point per $1 on other purchases; the Hyatt rate is a dated addition on top. Amex’s terms exclude groceries from the dining rate, so groceries, gas and most bills earn the base rate. The Amex Cobalt, by comparison, earns 5 points per $1 at eligible restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stand-alone grocery stores and food delivery in Canada, on up to $2,500 in combined net purchases a month, then 1 point per $1. On $500 a month at stand-alone grocery stores, the Aeroplan Card earns 6,000 Aeroplan points a year, while the Cobalt earns 30,000 Membership Rewards points a year, a different points program with its own redemption rules. The Cobalt fee is $15.99 a month ($191.88 a year) outside Quebec; Quebec residents pay $191.88 once a year.
Other gaps:
- It is a charge card. The balance must be paid in full; anything left over is charged 30% a year on balances not paid in full.
- No travel medical insurance. Amex’s page lists no out-of-province emergency medical or trip cancellation cover on this card.
- No lounge access listed. Maple Leaf Lounge access is a Reserve benefit.
- Foreign-currency purchases. Amex’s product page does not state what the card charges on them, so the rate has to be confirmed in the card’s disclosure documents.
Does the Amex Aeroplan Card include travel insurance?
Yes, the Amex Aeroplan Card includes travel insurance, but not emergency medical or trip cancellation cover.
What Amex lists for this card:
- Flight delay insurance: up to $500 (combined maximum with baggage delay insurance)
- Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per trip for all insured persons combined
- Hotel burglary: up to $500
- Car rental theft and damage: cars with an MSRP up to $85,000, on rentals of 48 days or less
- Travel accident: up to $500,000
- Purchase Protection Plan: 90 days from the date of purchase against accidental physical damage or theft, up to $1,000 per occurrence
The Aeroplan Reserve adds out-of-province emergency medical cover of up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 consecutive days of a trip, if you are under 65. Amex notes that all insurance coverage is subject to the terms of its master policies, with limitations and exclusions, and tells cardholders to read their Certificates of Insurance carefully.
Amex Aeroplan Card vs Aeroplan Reserve
The Reserve costs $599 a year (rising to $799 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027) against $120 for the Aeroplan Card. For the extra fee, the Reserve adds complimentary access to Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés in Canada and the United States, 3 Aeroplan points per $1 on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases, a companion pass (one Companion Pass a year after $25,000 in net purchases before your card anniversary; the companion's Air Canada economy base fare is fixed at $99 to $599, plus taxes and fees) and medical insurance. Both cards include the free first checked bag. The full breakdown is in the Aeroplan Reserve review.
Who the Amex Aeroplan Card suits (and who it doesn’t)
It suits people who fly Air Canada several times a year, often with family, and pay the balance in full every month. For them the checked-bag benefit and 2X on Air Canada purchases cover the fee, and the welcome offer is a year-one bonus on top.
It doesn’t suit people who fly Air Canada once a year or less, anyone who carries a balance, or anyone who wants lounge access or medical cover from one card. After year one the choice is keep or cancel. Aeroplan cards from TD and CIBC are separate applications with their own fees, such as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite at $139.
Bottom line
The Amex Aeroplan Card is a low-cost way into Amex’s Aeroplan cards. Year one is driven by the welcome offer, which Amex values at up to $900 in flights (Amex's estimate, at $0.02 a point or more) against $270 in fees over the 13 months it takes. From year two, the $150 on annual fees charged on or after January 12, 2027 fee is earned back through checked bags and Air Canada spending, or not at all.