American Express Aeroplan Card review

How the Amex Aeroplan Card earns

The card keeps things to three tiers. Travel purchases earn 2 Aeroplan points per dollar, dining earns 1.5 points, and everything else earns 1 point. Because the card earns Aeroplan points directly, your everyday spending builds the same balance you’d use for Aeroplan rewards, with no bank program in between.

To see how that adds up, take a cardholder who spends $3,000 a year on travel, $400 a month on dining and $1,500 a month on everything else. That’s 6,000 points from travel, 7,200 from dining and 18,000 from other spending, or 31,200 Aeroplan points a year.

The gap between the tiers is modest, so the card works best when travel and restaurants make up a meaningful share of your budget. If most of your money goes to groceries and gas, those purchases earn the base rate of 1 point per dollar.

The welcome offer

A welcome offer may be available on this card, but our data doesn’t include its current terms, such as how many points it pays, how much you need to spend or the deadline.

Before you apply, check the American Express website for the current offer. If it comes with a spending target, make sure you can reach the target with purchases you’d make anyway, rather than spending more just to earn the bonus.

The free checked bag

The card’s listed perk is a free checked bag. For anyone who checks luggage on most trips, that benefit can matter as much as the points, and it’s one of the clearest ways to recover part of the $120 fee.

Confirm which flights and which travellers the benefit covers before you rely on it when planning a trip, especially if you often fly with family.

Fees, interest and the fine print

The annual fee is $120. Purchases made in a foreign currency carry a 2.5% foreign transaction fee, so $1,000 of spending abroad or with a US online store adds about $25. That fee applies even to travel purchases that earn 2 points per dollar, so it’s worth keeping in mind when you book in another currency.

Purchases are charged 20.99% interest and cash advances 22.99%. You avoid purchase interest entirely by paying the full statement balance by the due date, so the points you earn aren’t offset by interest charges.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

The Amex Aeroplan Card makes sense if you already collect Aeroplan points, check bags when you fly, and spend a fair amount on travel and dining. It also suits people who want an Aeroplan card with a fee below the $139 Visa Infinite options.

Look elsewhere if most of your spending is on groceries or gas, which earn 1 point per dollar here, or if you spend often in foreign currencies. If many of the places you shop don’t take American Express, a Visa Aeroplan card will be easier to use day to day.

How it compares

The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite costs $139 a year and earns 1.5 Aeroplan points per dollar on groceries, with a welcome offer of up to 50,000 Aeroplan points. It suits people who want a higher rate on groceries and the wider acceptance of Visa.

If you want Aeroplan points without an annual fee, the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Card costs nothing to keep and has a welcome offer of up to 10,000 Aeroplan points. Its top rate is 1 point per dollar, on gas and EV charging, so you give up the higher travel and dining rates.

Before you apply

The card is aimed at applicants with a credit score of 720 or higher, though American Express makes the final decision using your full credit profile. The welcome offer, rates and fees can change, so confirm the current terms on the American Express website before you apply.