Way back in 2012 we published a feature and infographic that compared how various credit and charge cards in Canada earned Aeroplan miles. The last time it was updated was 2014 and a lot has changed since then! We've seen cards that were on that list disappear, cards go through earn rate changes and most recently seeing the entire Aeroplan program revamped and relaunched in November 2020. It is only fitting that we provide a new and revised version of that feature as well since there have been so many changes in those 7 years. You can check out that ancient article here if you like!

I will approach this new version of the feature a bit differently by breaking down the spend categories and showing what each card earns in those categories. I will not provide a cumulative spend comparison like the first version of the feature as everyone's spend varies so much and with so many different possible combinations I don't feel it would be a good representation like how we do it for cash back credit cards. Instead I would recommend looking the categories that represent your personal spending the best and use those to guide you to the card or cards that will earn you the most Aeroplan points. I do want to stress though that earn is only one part of the equation when it comes to choosing a payment card for the Aeroplan program. You'll also want to look at benefits and insurance, whether you want a card that will earn Aeroplan points directly or another card that allows you to convert to Aeroplan thus giving you the flexibility in choosing from multiple programs. In the end this feature should be used as one part of your education about the program and in helping the decision making process when selecting a new card.

First off, here is a list of all the consumer cards in Canada that provide the ability to earn Aeroplan points:

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card (C$1 = 1 to 2 Aeroplan Points)
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card (C$1 = 1.25 to 3 Aeroplan Points)
American Express Cobalt Card (C$1 = 1 to 5 Aeroplan Points)
American Express Green Card (C$1 = 1 Aeroplan Point)
American Express Gold Rewards Card(C$1 = 1 to 2 Aeroplan Points)
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card (C$1 = 1 to 1.5 Aeroplan Points)
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card (C$1 = 1.25 to 2 Aeroplan Points)
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card (C$1 = 0.67 to 1 Aeroplan Point)
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express®* Card (C$1 = 0.67 to 2.08 Aeroplan Points)
Platinum Card from American Express (C$1 = 1 to 3 Aeroplan Points)
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card (C$1 = 1 to 1.5 Aeroplan Points)
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card (C$1 = 0.67 to 1 Aeroplan Point)
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card (C$1 = 1.25 to 2 Aeroplan Points)

Source: Complete list of Airline & Hotel loyalty programs that you can earn miles or points in with Canadian Credit Cards

For cards that are not direct Air Canada Aeroplan co-brand cards, namely American Express' Gold, Cobalt, Marriott and Platinum Cards the points earned on those cards are not Aeroplan points. Rather they earn points in separate programs and those programs allow you to convert to Aeroplan. The remainder of the cards are a direct conversion. In the tables below the earn rates displayed take into account any and all conversion ratios to show to amount of Aeroplan points you would earn on these card per dollar spent.

Now, let's get right into it! Here we look at the various categories of earning on these cards. Each tab is presented with the cards ranked from highest earn to lowest earn.