How to Maximize Aeroplan for Family Travel

As Canada’s biggest airline loyalty program, there’s no doubt that Aeroplan is on the mind of many families. Using points to cover the cost of some or all flights can be a huge benefit, as costs come can add up quickly for families planning a holiday.

In this article, let’s take a how you can maximize Aeroplan for family travel, from earning points as a household, to sharing perks among family members, to redeeming points for your next family trip.

Earning Aeroplan Points as a Family

There are a few family-friendly features with Aeroplan that can make earning points as a group much easier. 

Family Sharing allows household members to share points from their separate accounts into one communal pool. Even if everyone earns points separately, they’re available for redemption for by all members of the family group.

Up to eight people can be connected to a Family Sharing pool. There’s no requirement to prove familial relations, but you’ll want to be mindful of the members of your group. 

For example, let’s suppose that Parent 1 has 100,000 Aeroplan points in their account, and Parent 2 has 50,000 Aeroplan points in their account. After setting up a Family Sharing pool, they’ll both see the balance as 150,000 Aeroplan points when they login to their accounts.

This can be very helpful when there are enough points between the two accounts for a redemption that would be difficult or impossible to make from two separate accounts. There are other advantages to Family Sharing, such as Preferred Pricing, which we’ll get into later on.

Aeroplan has 11 co-branded credit cards in the Canadian market, which allows your family to earn points in two-player mode across a wide range of products. 

Most of the Aeroplan credit cards also come with additional perks, such as free checked bags, which can be very useful for families travelling on the same booking.

For example, if you have an eligible card and book an Economy (Standard) fare for an Air Canada flight, which typically doesn’t include baggage, everyone travelling on the same reservation will enjoy one free checked bag.

The savings from baggage fees alone on a single flight can be enough to cover the cost of an annual fee of a credit card. 

Furthermore, the premium Aeroplan credit cards come with additional perks, such as priority airport services, priority boarding, and lounge access. These can go a long way to reducing the…