Some Aeroplan Members may have received a communication from Aeroplan regarding our seven-year mileage redemption policy. As an Aeroplan Member, it’s important to understand the differences between the 12-month inactivity policy and the seven-year mileage redemption policy.
Today we wanted to explain both policies in greater detail and give you a better understanding of the policies so you can make the most of your Aeroplan Miles.
Aeroplan, like almost all loyalty and frequent flyer programs, has a mileage expiry policy, Aeroplan has had its mileage expiry policy since 1997 and there are two different policies that are in effect today:
- The 12-month inactivity policy
- The seven-year mileage redemption policy
Here is an overview of these two policies
12-Month Inactivity Policy
Mileage will expire in accounts that have had no accumulation or redemption activity in the previous 12 months (1 year). This means that you must earn or redeem at least 1 mile in a 12 month period to keep your account active.
Here are some examples of ways to keep your account active:
- Filling up with gas at Esso
- Donating your Aeroplan Miles to one of our Beyond Miles Partners
- Shopping at any Aeroplan Retail Partner such as Home Hardware, Sobeys or online through Aeroplan eStore
- Using an Aeroplan affiliated credit card
- Redeeming for a flight or hotel stay
Seven-Year Mileage Redemption Policy
Miles unredeemed after 7 years from their accumulation date will be removed from the account. This means that every mile has a shelf-life of 7 years from the date it was earned. Every mile must be redeemed seven years from its accumulation date (the date it was earned), or it will be removed from the account.
The seven-year mileage redemption policy went into effect on January 1, 2007. Miles earned before this date were given an accumulation date of December 31, 2006, and must be redeemed by December 31, 2013.
Good to know:
Aeroplan Members who enrolled during 2007 may have miles set to expire during the course of 2014 and members who enrolled on or after January 1, 2008 will not have any miles expire due to this policy until December 31, 2014 at the earliest.
Ways you can redeem your Aeroplan Miles
Besides our travel rewards, we also have a variety of activities and merchandise for which you can redeem your miles at various mileage levels.
How to verify if you have miles that must be redeemed due to the seven-year mileage redemption policy
Aeroplan implemented a new personalized feature to verify miles that must be redeemed due to the seven-year mileage redemption policy.
From the overview page of the “Your Account” section, click on the link called “Seven-year mileage redemption – Request mileage status.” You will then receive a personalized communication to the email address on file outlining the miles that must be redeemed. Please visit aeroplan.com and log-in to your account to retrieve this information.
Currently this report only provides information concerning miles set to expire on December 31, 2013 and in 2014.
To read even more about the policies including, for example, how the policy applies to minors, please visit our FAQ section onAeroplan.com.
I registered in 1999 and had mileage accumulated prior to 2006, yet those miles are missing from my account.
How come this doesn’t apply to me?
The seven-year mileage redemption policy went into effect on January 1, 2007. Miles earned before this date were given an accumulation date of December 31, 2006, and must be redeemed by December 31, 2013.
Hi Steve,
Please call us at 1-800-361-5373 and one of our agents would be happy to look into your account for you.
Thank you,
Valerie
I am wanting to take a flight to yellowknife from edmonton but the dates always say no seats available. Do you have a site that shows how many areoplan seats are still available on all the flights and dates. It would be very useful so that customers do not need to spend hours hunting and putting in new dates.
Hi Rob,
Please call us at 1-800-361-5373 and one of our agents would be happy to search for the flight you are looking for and the options available to you.
Thank you,
Valerie
I wanted to share my views on this ghastly Policy with Top Brass of Aeroplan. But i find no where address of a Director General manager of Aeroplan who could be responsible enough to share the reality of reaction of getting the miles expired which were earned by paying a fee to Aeroplan Credit Card companies. Stealing or robbing of belongings of the Aeroplan Members have to be looked into its propsective. Can you let me know the names and Contact address of Aeroplan Directoror other Chief Boss who is capable of considering this Unlawful Robbery because it is not a Gratuity that is given by the Aeroplan but it is an earning of Members either by traveling or by paying to the Credit Card Companies who have actually been paying to Aeroplan for getting the miles credited for their Card Holders.
This is off topic I think but this blog is so badly organized that I could not find a place to leave a comment on Horrorplan, This program has gotten worse and worse over the years with many strange policies such as billing you an extra $100. for a change in reservation when a segment of your flight to return to your original departure was not available at the time of booking. This is happening with airlines (es^pecially TAM ) who are members of Star Alliance, but do not free up Aeroplan seats until the last minute… CRAZY!!!! woorthless program.
Just tried to book a flight from Salvador Brazil to Ottawa Canada, and aeroplan has us going from Salvador, to Lisbon, to London and then Ottawa… a 28 hours flying time… when the best roiute is Salvador, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Ottawa…. what is worng with you people???? Furthermore the dates we wish to travel are always taken…. even if we try to make reservations months in advance….
I would love to use some of my multi thousand miles on air canada or an alliance member but, this is a big but!!!! I have waited for hours for Aeroplan to process my request on flight searches. Are you the slowest web site in thr world or what!!!!!
I did not submit this before. Please anwer.
I would love to use some of my multi thousand miles on air canada or an alliance member but, this is a big but!!!! I have waited for hours for Aeroplan to process my request on flight searches. Are you the slowest web site in thr world or what!!!!!
I have miles that are set to expire because of the 12-month inactivity policy. Will transferring them to my spouse keep them from expiring? We do not want to spend the money to transfer them, only to find out that they will expire in my husband’s more-active account.
Thanks!
HI Andrea,
By transferring your miles to you spouse’s account would keep your account active. There is a fee to transfer miles. Buying something at one of our largest national partners, like Esso, will keep your card active for the following 12 months.
Hope that helps!
Valerie
Buy a pack of gum at a Home Hardware store.
I made a promise to my children that I would take Cari and Robyn to Disney World and the Everglades via Aeroplan. Disney World is for the kid in all of us. We need to balance the high tech with a mostly natural everglades visit so we can figure out a way that Disney World and the Everglades can be seen as one environment sharing the worlds’ freshwater resources.
My daughter beat cancer at 13. My son is getting better too. I do everything I can to keep a promise, but this one trip is hard to do. This year we will be too broke to have Christmas. We live in poverty because of the economy and all of us having disabilities. Even though we are poor we need to help save freshwater. We will write poems, verse and stories about Aeroplan getting us to Florida and back so we can compare Lake Winnipeg to the Everglades as both are dying.
I tried in 2008 to reach your office to save my aeroplan mileage. I had over 40,000 miles and needed every one of them. My husband has over 300,000 miles and we have tried for many years to book a trip to Disney World Florida for the four of us. We have yet to find a package that includes every thing. Please help us use our miles to make our children’s dreams come true. I live in a wheelchair and with oxygen 24/7. which you need to know for the plane ride and hotel.
I am disabled. I spent 2,006 in and out of hospital, nearly dead but too stubborn to succumb as many of my organs shut down. I ended up in bed for over a year with my family taking care of all my needs along with home care. i clung to life and refused to give up knowing that autonomic failures could instantly kill me. My husband lost his job because he needed to take care of his family. We all have disabilities.
Please email me soon after you have found a way to make it happen. Cari is going to Vimy Ridge with the Canadian sea cadets fairly soon. She is likely joining the Navy Musicians after she turns 18 and completes high school. For the first time in my life II need help to keep my promise.
cindybl
Please use my re-instated aeroplan miles and my husbands to help make our children’s dream come true.
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for sharing your story, I’m sorry to learn about your struggles but happy to learn that you have overcome so many obstacles. I would invite you to contact one of our agents in the contact centre as we are not able to book tickets via the blog or any other social media outlet.
The number is 1-800-361-5373.
Thank you,
Valerie
I have been trying to redeem miles for 3 years now. I and my family flew from Australia to Vancouver on Air Canada and signed up for Aeroplan in 2008. Along with a few other flights, we amassed quite a total. BUT when we trued to book a Star Alliance flight from Australia to the South Pacific – no way! No seats available. Couldn’t book a seat even 1 year in advance. I could fly in but would have to stay 4 months before a return flight was available. Neither Aeroplan nor Star Alliance have a feedback form to allow me to register my displeasure so I am resorting to voicing it here. Hopefully someone will contact me and help sort out this mess. I hardly see the point in being loyal to Air Canada if the loyalty program doesn’t actually provide flights for 4 people for a 1 week holiday to a destination their Star Alliance partners fly to no matter how flexible we are with our dates.
We are planning another holiday to Canada for next Christmas. I am sure by then all our points will have expired. Not alot of opportunity to fill up at ESSO here in Australia.
What would be a really great feature on both the Star Alliance and Aeroplan websites would be a listing of flights available for aeroplan members. Then we could just choose a holiday and book it. Much better than spending 2 hours trying to find a flight combination to a destination that actually only has one seat available every 2 months.
Hi Dean,
Thank you for leaving your comment about redeeming for you and your family. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a frustrating time trying to book flights. Have you tried calling one of our agents? They have the skills and resources to look at multiple options for your flight. I know you are in Australia, but the number is 1-514-395-0300. I would suggest using a service like Skype to call us to cut down on the long distance fees.
Hope this helps.
-Valerie