Avoid Aeroplan Carrier Surcharges

First Published Date: April 10, 2016

A lot of us avoid collecting and utilizing Aeroplan miles because of the many horror stories that lead us to believe that it’s not worth going through all the hassle to pay hefty carrier charges (also known as fuel surcharges or taxes, fees and surcharges) to enjoy what are supposed to be free rewards flights.

However, this fear (paying hefty charges) should not stop you from enjoying free flights, especially on business class. With a few tips and careful planning you can fight back against Air Canada and other airlines that charge you fees on Aeroplan rewards flights.

There are some airlines that charge nothing to enjoy your rewards flights, some that charge skyrocketing surcharges, and some that charge little surcharges. Before you book your next reward flights, keep this list handy and avoid those airlines that charge you.

Avoid – Skyrocketing Surcharges

Air Canada, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Lufthansa, Thai Airways

Little Surcharges

Air New Zealand, LOT, TAP

No Surcharges

Aegean, Air China, Air India, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa, Croatia, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva Air, SAS, Shenzhen, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, TACA, Turkish Airlines, United

Here is an example to illustrate. I searched today, April 3, 2016, for a business class one-way flight from Toronto to Singapore on November 1, 2016. This journey is covered by Air Canada and Thai Airways, requiring 77,500 Aeroplan miles. Because both of these airlines charge surcharges, this free flight is going to cost you a staggering $943.06 to pay surcharges.

Now, if you have taken the same trip on Turkish Airlines, which does not charge surcharges, your cost will be only $61.56.

If you have taken the same trip covered by Air Canada and Singapore Airlines, your cost will be $583.86 because Singapore does not charge anything for its portion, but Air Canada is charging its fees.

So there is no reason to avoid the Aeroplan rewards program. All you need to do is know how this program works and use careful planning to get the most out of it.

Aeroplan – What You Need to Know

Today, I will give you an overview of the Aeroplan frequent flyer program. Keep in mind this is just some brief basics on the surface and there is a lot more to know if you really want to fly business class, pay very little, and make the most out of this program. In the section “Travel Miles | Points” I will discuss various hotel and airline rewards programs in the future.

What Is Aeroplan – Aeroplan is the loyalty program created by Air Canada and now owned by Aimia.

Aeroplan Value – There is no definite answer. It totally depends on how knowledgeable you are about the program and how you use it. The Points Guy values Aeroplan at 1.5 cent. Aeroplan sells each mile at 3 cents when you are short and need to buy from Aeroplan. Aimia CEO Rupert Duchesne mentions it can be worth 7 to 8 cents in some cases and nearly 30 cents for a business class trip. This is somewhat true; it all depends how you use it.

Star Alliance – Air Canada is a part of Star Alliance, which has 28 members, including Air Canada. In general, you earn and redeem miles within any airline alliance with any frequent flyer miles belonging to any member of that alliance. For example, you can earn/redeem Aeroplan on Swiss Air or you can earn/redeem Miles & More on Air Canada. Also, Aeroplan has some non-alliance partners and numerous retailers, banking and other partners.

How to Search for Flights – This is where you have to know your stuff. I will give you some basic tips. Start with Aeroplan’s website. However, not all rewards flights will be available on Aeroplan. There are some paid sites solely for search purposes. However, you can search on other alliance websites such as United.com (Saver Awards only, Standard Awards appearing on United may not be booked for Aeroplan) and Ana.co.jp for flights that won’t appear on appear on Aeroplan’s site. To book these flights found on other alliance member sites, you have to call Aeroplan to book over the phone and there is a $30 fee.

Avoiding Fuel Surcharges – Air Canada (and some other airlines) is notorious for charging hefty fuel surcharges when you use Aeroplan. Avoid these airlines and the unnecessary charges by simply flying with other airlines that don’t feature these charges. I will not go into details, as I have a video explaining this. View it here: How Not to Get Dinged by Air Canada on Aeroplan Rewards Flights

Do Not Fly Cash Free – Aeroplan encourages you to fly cash free by paying taxes and fees using Aeroplan. However, you will end up being the loser if you choose this option, as your extraction rate for paying fees will be only 1 cent per mile, whether your goal should be to redeem Aeroplan for higher value such as 5 cents or beyond. So when you have small taxes and fees to pay (if you can manage to avoid paying fuel surcharges by not taking those airlines as I mentioned in the video), use cash and save your miles from redeeming them for 1 cent each.

One-Way or Round-Trip – Aeroplan (and most other frequent flyer programs) offer booking a one-way trip for exactly half of the points required for a round-trip. One-way trip booking provides better flexibility, as you may want to book the other leg of your trip with another program or even cash if you get a good deal.

Stopover and Open-Jaw – One of the best kept secrets of Aeroplan is that it allows you to book a stopover in a different city along the way on a round-trip at no additional costs. Open-Jaw allows you to fly to one place and leave from another place (the arrival and departure cities are different) on a round-trip. If you know how to utilize this, you can actually visit 4 places on one round-trip flight on Aeroplan.

Cancel, Change, and Last-Minute Booking – Aeroplan allows you to cancel or change up to 2 hours before departure for a C$90 fee and you can also book up to 2 hours before departure.

What I discussed above is just the basics about Aeroplan. With any hotel or airline loyalty programs, you need to know the ins and outs to become successful. I will be discussing more on AhmedDawn.com about many programs in the future.