Aeroplan + Air India in 2026: The Indian Traveller's Guide to Earning and Redeeming
By Kabir Malhotra (Kabir Malhotra writes about how Indian travel buyers actually pay — UPI vs credit card vs forex card surcharges, reward-point math on the top travel credit cards, RBI tokenisation, EMI-on-flights and the small fees that compound across a year of bookings.) · Published · 11 min read
Aeroplan switched to revenue-based earning on Air Canada metal from January 2026, which changes the maths on status-chasing. But for Indian travellers focused on redemptions — particularly long-haul Business Class via partner awards — Aeroplan remains one of the most interesting programmes out there. Here's the updated picture.
TL;DR: Aeroplan for Indian Travellers in 2026
Aeroplan — Air Canada's loyalty programme — is relatively underused by Indian travellers but has some genuine advantages for India-origin premium cabin redemptions. From January 2026, Aeroplan shifted to revenue-based earning on Air Canada-operated flights, meaning your points earn scales with what you paid for the ticket, not just fare class. Earning on Air India-operated Star Alliance flights still works through the standard partner earning mechanism. As a redemption vehicle, Aeroplan's star power for Indians comes from its broad Star Alliance partner network and a distance-based award chart that has some genuine sweet spots — including India-origin itineraries via certain routing combinations. It's not the easiest programme to navigate, but if you're willing to learn it, the payoff can be meaningful.
What Changed with Aeroplan Earning from January 2026?
The January 2026 switch to revenue-based earning on Air Canada (AC) metal means Aeroplan points earned on AC-operated flights now scale with the dollar value of your ticket — roughly speaking, you earn a percentage of what you paid, rather than a set number of miles per flight distance and fare class. This is similar to how programmes like IndiGo's 6E Rewards work domestically — it rewards high payers and penalises deal-seekers booking cheap Economy fares just to accumulate miles.
For Indian travellers who fly Air Canada regularly (maybe Toronto-based NRIs, or frequent flyers between India and Canada), the revenue-based earning model is a meaningful shift. Cheap Economy tickets now earn fewer points proportionally than they used to. Business Class and premium Economy fares, which already had good earn rates, may earn comparably or even better in absolute terms if the fare prices are high.
For the average Indian traveller who doesn't regularly fly Air Canada metal, this change is largely irrelevant on the earning side. You're more likely to earn Aeroplan points through transfers from Indian bank card programmes than through flying AC directly.
How to Earn Aeroplan Points on Air India Flights
Air India is a Star Alliance member, and Aeroplan accepts earning credits for Air India-operated flights — credited at standard Star Alliance partner earning rates. This means when you buy an Air India ticket, you have a choice: credit the miles to Flying Returns (Air India's own Maharaja Club / Flying Returns programme) or credit them to Aeroplan (or any Star Alliance frequent flyer programme that allows reciprocal earning).
The decision depends on your goals. If you're accumulating Maharaja Club miles for Air India-specific redemptions, credit to Flying Returns. If you're building an Aeroplan balance for a Star Alliance partner redemption, credit to Aeroplan. The earning rate on Air India tickets credited to Aeroplan follows the fare class — full-fare Economy and premium cabins earn more per mile than discounted Y fares. Check Aeroplan's partner earning tables for Air India specifically, as the rates vary by fare bucket and aren't always obvious.
The more practical accumulation route for most Indian cardholders: transfer from bank card programmes. Aeroplan has transfer partnerships with a limited set of Indian card programmes — AMEX Membership Rewards in India transfers to Aeroplan at roughly 1:1 or better, which makes AMEX one of the most versatile cards for an Indian traveller targeting multiple international programmes including Aeroplan, Flying Blue, and KrisFlyer from one card.
Aeroplan's Award Chart Sweet Spots From India
This is where Aeroplan gets interesting. Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart (with fixed rates per zone/distance band), which means you can find good value by engineering the right routing — booking on partners where cash fares are high but the Aeroplan award rate is set based on distance rather than fare price.
Some historically strong India-origin sweet spots via Aeroplan:
- India to North America via Star Alliance partners: Routes on Lufthansa, Swiss, Air India, or United can be booked with Aeroplan miles. Business Class from India to North America has been available at around 75,000–90,000 miles one-way depending on the carrier and routing, versus cash fares of ₹2 lakh+ for comparable seats.
- India to Europe via Lufthansa/Swiss: Aeroplan allows booking on Lufthansa Group (LH, Swiss, Austrian) metal, including Business Class from India. Note that Lufthansa imposes significant fuel surcharges (YQ) even on award tickets, which adds substantial cash cost — similar to Flying Blue's surcharge situation.
- India to Japan or Australia via Star Alliance: Routes on ANA (All Nippon Airways) via Aeroplan have been particularly celebrated among points nerds globally — ANA's Business Class product is exceptional and Aeroplan's rates to Japan have historically been among the best available. From India, this typically means routing through a hub (Singapore, Frankfurt, etc.).
The key advantage Aeroplan has over, say, Flying Returns or Skywards for a flexible international traveller: you're not locked into one carrier. You can book whichever Star Alliance partner has the best availability, product, and routing for your trip.
Verify all of these award prices directly on Aeroplan's website — the specific mile costs for partner awards can and do change, and the routing rules for connecting itineraries are important to understand before planning a redemption.
Aeroplan vs Maharaja Club: Which Makes More Sense for Air India Redemptions?
If your goal is to fly Air India — domestically, to the Middle East, to Europe, or to North America — you have two loyalty programme options: Flying Returns (Maharaja Club) natively, or Aeroplan as a Star Alliance partner. The answer isn't always 'just use Maharaja Club.'
Use Maharaja Club / Flying Returns when: you have a specific redemption in mind on Air India metal, you're accumulating at an accelerated rate through the Air India SBI Signature card (see our Air India SBI Signature card article), or you want to credit miles to the airline's own programme to work toward status or premium benefits.
Use Aeroplan when: you want to book a mixed-carrier itinerary that includes Air India plus other Star Alliance partners on the same award; or when the Aeroplan award rate for a given route is lower in absolute miles than what Flying Returns charges for the same seats; or when you're accumulating through AMEX/transferable points and want to keep your options open across the Star Alliance network.
The comparison is worth doing on a route-by-route basis. Open both programmes' award booking tools, enter the same origin–destination–date, and see which comes up cheaper in miles. Award programmes set their partner rates independently, and occasionally Aeroplan will show a significantly lower mile cost for an Air India flight than Flying Returns charges natively — or vice versa.
Practical Tips for Indian Travellers Using Aeroplan
A few things I'd tell someone getting started with Aeroplan from India:
- AMEX is your best Aeroplan feeder from Indian soil. If you hold an American Express card in India and earn Membership Rewards points, those transfer to Aeroplan at a good ratio and give you the flexibility to decide which programme to use closer to your actual booking window.
- Watch for Aeroplan Flash Sales and Points Events. Aeroplan runs periodic promotions on award pricing for specific routes — these are less predictable than Flying Blue's monthly promos but can be excellent value. Subscribe to Aeroplan's email updates.
- Stopover rules. Aeroplan allows one free stopover per direction on some international awards — meaning you can add a stop in, say, Singapore or Frankfurt without paying additional miles for that city. This is genuinely useful for building a trip with a layover destination at no extra miles cost, and it's a meaningful differentiator from programmes that charge per segment.
- Partner surcharges. As noted above, Lufthansa and SWISS impose fuel surcharges on Aeroplan awards. Air India awards via Aeroplan may also have taxes and carrier fees. Always check the full cash cost (taxes + fees) before committing to a redemption.
For a broader look at India-origin premium cabin loyalty strategies alongside Aeroplan, see our guides on KrisFlyer redemptions from India and Flying Blue promo deals for Europe. And if you're building toward a long-haul trip and want to check cash fare prices as a comparison baseline, FlightGPT's AI flight search covers Air Canada, Air India, and Star Alliance routes from major Indian cities. Travel agents using the FlightGPT Partner portal also have access to consolidated inventory that can sometimes offer different fare combinations worth comparing against award redemptions.
Frequently asked questions
What changed with Aeroplan earning on Air Canada flights from January 2026?
Aeroplan shifted to revenue-based earning on Air Canada-operated flights from January 2026, meaning points earned now scale with the fare you paid rather than just distance and fare class. Higher fares earn proportionally more; cheap Economy tickets may earn fewer points than under the previous structure. Partner earning (including on Air India) was not changed by this transition.
Can I earn Aeroplan points when flying Air India?
Yes. Air India is a Star Alliance member, so Aeroplan accepts earning credits for Air India-operated flights at standard Star Alliance partner earning rates. The rate varies by fare class — higher fare buckets earn more. Alternatively, you can credit Air India flights to Flying Returns (Maharaja Club) instead; the choice depends on which programme you're building toward.
What are the best Aeroplan redemptions for Indian travellers?
Strong options include Business Class to North America (via Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, Swiss, Air India, or United at roughly 75,000–90,000 miles one-way), ANA Business Class for Japan routing, and mixed itineraries that leverage the free stopover benefit. Cash fees and fuel surcharges apply to many partner routes — factor these in.
Which Indian credit cards transfer points to Aeroplan?
AMEX Membership Rewards in India can transfer to Aeroplan, typically at around 1:1. Other bank card programmes may have Aeroplan as a transfer partner — check your specific card's rewards portal for current partners and ratios, as these arrangements change.
Should I credit Air India flights to Aeroplan or Flying Returns?
It depends on your goal. Use Flying Returns if you're building toward Air India-specific redemptions or status. Use Aeroplan if you're accumulating for a Star Alliance partner award where Aeroplan's rates are more favourable, or if you want flexibility to book mixed-carrier itineraries. It's worth comparing the award cost for your target route on both programmes before deciding where to credit.
Does Aeroplan allow free stopovers on international awards?
Yes, Aeroplan allows one free stopover per direction on certain international itineraries — meaning you can add a city stop without paying extra miles for it. This is a valuable feature for building multi-destination trips. The specific rules depend on routing and award type — verify on Aeroplan's website for your planned itinerary.