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Air Canada Aeroplan Mastercard Review

Picture of Item Reviewed

Editor's Rating:
Intro Purchase APR Regular APR Intro Balance Transfer Annual Fee Credit Needed
N.A. $60 Good
Executive Summary - One of the worst airline frequent flyer cards we have encountered. This is has been discontinued since April 2012. Holders of this card (issued by Bank of America) will be automatically issued a BankAmericard Mastercard. For those who happen to get a BOA Power Rewards card, you can transfer points you earn (WorldPoints program) to Aeroplan miles.

Summary - The Aeroplan MasterCard is got to be one of the worst airline credit card that I've come across. You pay an annual fee, but cannot earn double miles! At the end of the review, we'll show you a couple of alternatives to earn Aeroplan miles.

Only One Mile For Every Dollar You Spend? - The Air Canada MasterCard allows you to earn one point for every dollar that you spend on the card. This is a little disappointing as most frequent flier cards allow you to earn double points when you purchase their tickets

Bonus Miles - To incentivize new sign ups, this card is offering 15,000 bonus miles after your first purchase. If you spend $1,000 within 90 days of your card membership, you earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles. That means you can earn up to 25,000 bonus miles as a new member.

Fees - The annual fee is $60.00.

Aeroplan MasterCard Peer Comparison

Let's start this section by saying that most frequent flier credit cards come with an annual fee, but they allow you to earn double miles when you purchase their tickets. In addition, you might also get additional perks like getting elite miles every year, free baggage, a couple of free club lounge access and even priority boarding. The Aeroplan credit card offers none of that. You get charged a $60 annual fee, but you cannot earn double miles. Neither can you get any of the other benefits common in airline cards these days.

Alternatives to Earning Aeroplan miles

Thankfully, there are a couple of alternatives to earning Aeroplan miles. The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card allows you to transfer starpoints into Aeroplan miles on a one for one basis. Furthermore, if you transfer 20,000 points into miles, you get an additional 5,000 bonus miles! The annual fee is $65, a tad higher (but waived for the first year). In addition to Aeroplan miles, you can transfer points to over 30 airline partners.

The other card to consider is the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card because Aeroplan is a partner in Membership Rewards. The card allows you to earn triple points on airline ticket purchases and you can transfer points into Aeroplan miles. The annual fee is slightly higher at $175, but you can earn triple miles.

Aeroplan MasterCard Falls Short

Conclusion - I am totally unimpressed by the Aeroplan MasterCard. You are charged an annual fee, but you cannot earn double miles! There are none of the other common perks that can be found in other US based carrier cards. If you are a frequent Aeroplan flyer, the only reason I can think to get this card is the bonus miles. But for the long term, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card is a much better card for almost the same annual fee. If you fly a lot and want to earn lots of miles, the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card is another good alternative.