Head-to-Head: Air Canada Aeroplan vs. Air France KLM Flying Blue

Two of the most popular loyalty programs for booking transatlantic flights are Air Canada Aeroplan and Air France KLM Flying Blue.

Aeroplan has long dominated the airline loyalty space in Canada since it offers the most co-branded credit cards in the market. It’s also accessible through transferable points programs on both sides of the border, making it a popular program for Americans, too. 

In the past few years, Air France KLM Flying Blue has been making its presence known to North Americans, with its competitive award pricing, co-branded credit cards, and access through transferable points programs in Canada and the United States.

In this edition of Head-to-Head, we’ll pit Aeroplan and Flying Blue against each other, weighing out the respective strengths and weaknesses, with a particular focus on transatlantic redemptions.

1. Points Valuation

Whenever we compare different loyalty programs, it’s useful to first establish an estimated value of the points.

At present, we value Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point (CAD) or 1.6 cents per point (USD). This value is calculated based on the relative ease of earning Aeroplan points, the vast number of partners available in the program, the generous stopover policy, and more.

Meanwhile, we currently value Flying Blue miles at 2 cents per mile (CAD) or 1.5 cents per mile (USD) – a value that has increased in the recent past.

The program’s strengths lie in its competitive transatlantic award pricing, the lucrative monthly Promo Rewards, the generous stopover policy, adding First Class partner redemptions, and easy access to unique destinations, such as Mauritius and French Polynesia.

Verdict: Based solely on our valuation, Aeroplan comes out ahead by a slight margin. However, it’s worth noting that our valuation of Flying Blue miles has been trending upwards as of late, while our value of Aeroplan points has remained steady for quite some time.

2. Ease of Earning Points

For the next point of comparison, we’ll take a look at how easy it is to earn Aeroplan points and Flying Blue miles through credit cards.

In Canada, Aeroplan has a host of co-branded credit cards available from TD, CIBC, and American Express. It also offers the US-issued Chase Aeroplan Card, which is a very competitive product.