Aeroplan Credit Cards Are Changing in 2027: New Perks, Higher Fees, and Whether They Are Worth It

The New Benefits Coming to Every Aeroplan Card

Source: Aeroplan.

Starting January 12, 2027, a handful of new benefits begin rolling out across the Aeroplan credit card lineup.

The one generating the most attention is 15% off Air Canada flight rewards, which Aeroplan is branding as FLY15OFF. Every primary Aeroplan cardholder will pay 15% fewer points when redeeming for an eligible Air Canada flight reward. At the moment this is running as a promotional offer through January 11, 2027, and it becomes a permanent card benefit the very next day.

Source: Aeroplan.

On paper this is a great addition. If a round-trip reward that normally costs 50,000 points drops to 42,500 points, that is 7,500 points back in your account, and at roughly 2 cents per point that works out to about $150 CAD of value on a single booking. The catch here is that if Aeroplan raises base prices for certain routes, as loyalty programs tend to do every so often, then you might be saving less than you thought you would.

Source: Aeroplan.

Next up is the Air Canada Flight Benefit, which is delivered through your AC Wallet. Premium cardholders receive up to $100 CAD per year toward Air Canada travel, released as $50 CAD twice a year, while core cardholders receive up to $50 CAD per year, released as $25 CAD twice a year. The first instalment lands on January 15, 2027. It is worth keeping that split in mind, because these credits work on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, and I will come back to why that matters a little later on.

There are also two redemption perks that are worth knowing about:

Source: Aeroplan.

A 4th Night Free on hotel redemptions. This was previously a limited-time promotion, and as of January 12, 2027 it becomes an ongoing card benefit. You get a fourth night free for every three hotel nights you redeem Aeroplan points for, at more than 300,000 hotels worldwide.

A 4th Day Free on car rental redemptions, which is essentially the new sibling of the hotel benefit. You get a fourth day free for every three days you redeem for, at more than 11,000 car rental locations worldwide.

Everything you already use stays in place too, so there is no need to worry on that front. Free first checked bags and priority boarding for eligible cards are not going anywhere, and all other existing card benefits remain unchanged.

Extra Perks for Premium Cardholders

Source: Aeroplan.

Across the premium cards, there are two upgrades that really stand out, both subject to standard access terms.

Source: Aeroplan.

Maple Leaf Lounges, now worldwide. Lounge access that used to be limited to North America now extends to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges around the world, with a guest included. In practical terms, that opens the door to Air Canada's international lounges in Frankfurt, London Heathrow (in the Queen's Terminal), and Paris. On the TD Infinite Privilege this is framed as unlimited worldwide access, and it comes on top of the Air Canada Café access that is already available across Canada.

Source: Aeroplan.

Priority Security Clearance. Premium cardholders now get access to dedicated priority security lanes at select airports worldwide, for themselves and up to eight companions travelling on the same reservation. If you tend to fly with family or in a group, eight companions is a generous allowance and a real time-saver on a busy travel day.

The premium benefits you already know and lean on are all staying put as well, including Priority Check-In, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage Handling, Priority Airport Standby, the 10% Head Start, and up to 25,000 Status Qualifying Credits.

The New Annual Fees at a Glance

Before we break things down card by card, it is worth putting all of the fee changes in one place, since this tends to be the part people react to first. The table below lays out the known changes across the portfolio.

A few notes to go alongside the table. On the additional cards, fees are creeping up as well. The TD Infinite moves its additional cardholder fee from $75 CAD to $80 CAD, and the Infinite Privilege goes from $199 CAD to $209 CAD. The Amex Reserve supplementary card rises from $199 CAD to $249 CAD, and the Amex Reserve no-fee supplementary card is being renamed the Aeroplan Reserve Companion Card, which will now cost $25 CAD where it used to be free.

None of these increases are fun to see. On the core cards, an extra $20 to $30 CAD is not major, but it is still enough to make you pause and ask what exactly you are getting for it. On the premium cards, a $100 to $200 CAD bump is the kind of number you really want to see justified before you renew, which is exactly what the card-by-card breakdown below is for.

What This Looks Like for TD Cardholders

Source: Aeroplan.

Since so many of you are carrying a TD Aeroplan card, it is worth spelling out exactly what is landing on each one as of January 12, 2027.

Source: TD.

While it is the weakest card of the bunch, the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum is the quiet winner in all of this, as its annual fee is not changing at all and it still picks up three of the new perks: FLY15OFF, the 4th Night Free, and the 4th Day Free. It could make a good starter card for someone who is just being introduced to the Aeroplan world, and without a fee increase, it carries relatively the same value as before with just a bit more sprinkled on top.

Source: TD.

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite gains FLY15OFF, the Air Canada Flight Benefit ($25 CAD twice a year, up to $50 CAD annually), the 4th Night Free, and the 4th Day Free. Its annual fee rises from $139 CAD to $159 CAD for the primary cardholder, and from $75 CAD to $80 CAD for the additional cardholder, effective January 25, 2027.

Source: TD.

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege gets the full premium treatment, including unlimited Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge access worldwide for you and a guest, the Air Canada Flight Benefit ($50 CAD twice a year, up to $100 CAD annually), FLY15OFF, Priority Security Clearance for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, the 4th Night Free, and the 4th Day Free. Its annual fee rises from $599 CAD to $699 CAD for the primary cardholder, and from $199 CAD to $209 CAD for the additional cardholder, effective January 25, 2027.

One last note on this tier. CIBC also offers an Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card, and while it has not yet announced any annual fee changes of its own, the fact that TD has already moved, combined with how closely the two cards tend to track one another, makes me think CIBC will likely follow suit before too long.

What This Looks Like for Amex Cardholders

Source: Aeroplan.

The American Express side of the portfolio has its own set of changes, and they vary quite a bit depending on which card you are holding.

Source: American Express Canada.

The American Express Aeroplan Card is the entry point of the Amex lineup. It picks up the new across-the-board perks, including FLY15OFF, the Air Canada Flight Benefit for core cardholders ($25 CAD twice a year, up to $50 CAD annually), the 4th Night Free, and the 4th Day Free. Its annual fee rises from $120 CAD to $150 CAD, effective January 12, 2027.

Source: American Express Canada.

The American Express Aeroplan Reserve is the premium flagship of the group, and it is taking the largest fee increase of any card in this refresh, moving from $599 CAD to $799 CAD, effective January 12, 2027. In exchange, it is picking up a long list of new benefits:

• Priority Pass lounge access, where you enroll and receive two complimentary lounge passes each year, with four additional passes unlocked in the current year and four more the following year once you spend $25,000 CAD or more in a calendar year.
• Access to select Aspire Amex Lounges in Canada, with eight complimentary passes each year.
• Worldwide Maple Leaf Lounge access when you are flying on an eligible, same-day departing flight.
• An Air Canada's Best New Restaurants dining credit, worth $200 CAD annually after you spend $200 CAD or more at eligible participating restaurants.
• The FLY15OFF benefit, which is the same 15% reduction in points on Air Canada flight rewards described above.
• The Air Canada Flight Benefit, up to $100 CAD annually through your AC Wallet, released as $50 CAD twice a year.
• A 10% bonus Aeroplan points benefit, where you earn 12,500 bonus points after spending $125,000 CAD annually, plus 2,500 bonus points for every additional $25,000 CAD you spend, up to $400,000 CAD.

On top of all that, you also keep the 4th Night Free on hotels, the 4th Day Free on car rentals, and Priority Security Clearance for you and up to eight companions.

When you do the honest math on it, the picture becomes clearer. The Reserve fee is going up by $200 CAD, but if you use even the $200 CAD dining credit and the $100 CAD AC Wallet credit, you have already covered the increase and then some, before you count a single lounge visit or points redemption. The value is certainly there to be had. The real question, as it always is with cards like this, is whether you will actually use it.

Source: American Express Canada.

The American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve follows the same path on price, rising from $599 CAD to $799 CAD, effective January 12, 2027, and it carries the same premium benefit set as the personal Reserve, aimed at business owners who want these perks working on their business spending.

My Thoughts

For premium cardholders, the extra $100 CAD is not something to celebrate, but it is not a dealbreaker either. If you can make use of the two $50 CAD credits that Air Canada drops into your AC Wallet over the course of the year, that $100 CAD effectively cancels out the increase. If you do not end up using those credits, then you are simply paying more without getting a whole lot more in return, and that is really the crux of the whole thing.

For the regular cards, the increases are not major, but they are still enough to make you sigh and ask why. The small consolation is that core cardholders are getting up to $50 CAD per year toward Air Canada travel, released as $25 CAD twice a year, with the first benefit available January 15, 2027. It is not a windfall by any means, but it does soften the blow if you put it to use.

My main message here is the same one I come back to with any card that raises its annual fee. You really need to take advantage of as many of the credits and promotions as the card offers in order to get the most bang for your buck. A higher annual fee only really hurts if you let those benefits sit there unused. The way I look at it, you should treat the credits as money you have already paid for, because that is exactly what they are.

The Bottom Line

This refresh is something of a classic mixed bag.

FLY15OFF is a win if you can find competitively priced Aeroplan redemptions, the ongoing 4th Night Free and new 4th Day Free add real value on the travel side, and the worldwide lounge access and priority security upgrades make the premium cards more compelling at the airport. The higher annual fees are the trade-off, and whether they are worth it comes down to how much you travel and how disciplined you are about using your credits.

If you are an active traveller who will put the AC Wallet credits, the lounges, and the redemption perks to good use, most of these cards still comfortably pay for themselves, while a card that mostly sits in a drawer is worth a hard second look. Either way, remember that the value of Aeroplan points depends entirely on how you redeem them, so lean toward high-value flight rewards over the lowest-value options and this portfolio still has an awful lot to offer.

Happy travels!