Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Credit Card: who benefits from automatic 25K status and the new perks

# Quick summary

Card is a mid-tier airline co‑brand card that focuses on Air Canada flyers and Star Alliance travelers. Its main differentiators are automatic Aeroplan 25K elite status every year, a large welcome bonus (up to 115,000 points), Air Canada statement credits that can offset the annual fee, and a 15% discount on eligible Air Canada award redemptions. The card's annual fee is $195.

# How the card earns and what the welcome offer looks like

• Up to 5X total points per dollar on Air Canada purchases.
• 3X points on travel purchases.
• 2X points at grocery stores, dining and gas stations.
• 1X point on all other purchases.

Welcome offer (current as of September 2026):

• 75,000 bonus Aeroplan points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
• Additional 40,000 bonus Aeroplan points after spending $20,000 in the first 12 months, for a total potential welcome of 115,000 points.

TPG's valuation at the time places Aeroplan points at about 1.5 cents each.

# Primary benefits and perks

• Automatic Aeroplan 25K elite status every year with no spend requirement.
• Up to $100 in annual Air Canada statement credits, applied as two $50 credits per calendar year toward eligible Air Canada purchases (including taxes and fees on award tickets). This can meaningfully reduce the net cost of the $195 fee.
• 15% discount on eligible Air Canada award redemptions booked with Aeroplan points.
• Free first checked bag on Air Canada flights and priority check‑in/boarding on Air Canada.
• Access to Aeroplan's broad partner network (50+ partner airlines, including Star Alliance) and the program's fixed partner award charts, flexible stopover rules, and absence of fuel surcharges on award tickets.

# Pros and cons — quick, concrete tradeoffs

• Complimentary Aeroplan 25K status can be valuable to frequent Air Canada or Star Alliance flyers.
• Strong welcome offer capability for a mid-tier card.
• Statement credits and award discount lower the effective cost of award travel and the annual fee.
• Broad partner network and favorable Aeroplan award rules (fixed charts, stopovers, no fuel surcharges).

• $195 annual fee, higher than some other mid-tier airline cards.

• Some temporary benefits (monthly spending bonuses and certain transferable‑point transfer bonuses) are scheduled to end after December 2026.

# Who should consider this card

• Regular Air Canada flyers who will make use of the free checked bag, priority services and Aeroplan 25K status.
• Star Alliance flyers who value fixed partner award charts and flexible stopovers and who want to consolidate earnings into Aeroplan for partner redemptions.
• Cardholders who expect to use the annual statement credits and the 15% Aeroplan award discount enough to justify the $195 fee.

# What the article did not fully detail

TPG's review notes that it does not provide a full breakdown of every elite status benefit, detailed redemption strategies or the precise value of accelerated progress to higher Aeroplan tiers — items that matter if you're deciding whether 25K status alone is worth changing where you credit flights.

# Bottom line

If you fly Air Canada or its partners a few times a year and will use the statement credits and award discounts, this card delivers tangible annual value and the convenience of automatic Aeroplan 25K status. If you prefer flexibility to move points across multiple transferable programs, or you don't expect to use Air Canada benefits, this card's value is more limited.