Air Canada TD Aeroplan Visa Signature Credit Card Review

Who Is the TD Aeroplan Visa Signature Card Good For?

If you have any Canadian connections, you have a lot more options for Aeroplan credit cards. In the U.S., the Air Canada Aeroplan partnership is primarily limited to TD Bank, though you can transfer points from Starwood Preferred Guest or American Express Membership Rewards to Aeroplan.

The new TD Bank card is aimed at American consumers. Like the United MileagePlus Explorer Card, it opens you up to a world of Star Alliance redemptions. It departs from your typical airline card in many ways, because Aeroplan is run separately from Air Canada and program management has a closer eye on the bottom line than many airline loyalty programs.

Though this card doesn’t carry a lot of the benefits typically associated with co-branded credit cards, such as priority boarding and free checked bags, it does count each dollar you spend toward Air Canada’s Distinction status. Among other perks, Distinction members have exclusive access to special flights at the lowest award redemption level.

If you’re looking to bank Air Canada miles and you don’t have access to the Canadian cards, the TD Aeroplan Visa Signature Card is the way to go. With those miles, you can fly on the Star Alliance or take advantage of Air Canada’s staggering number of partners.

Sign-Up Bonuses

The TD Aeroplan Visa Signature Card currently comes with a 25,000-mile bonus awarded after spending $1,000 in the first three months after the account is opened.

Points Earned

2 miles per dollar spent on Air Canada purchases
1 mile per dollar spent on everything else

What Do Your Miles Get You?

While United also gives you access to awards on Star Alliance carriers, Air Canada has far more airline partners overall. Your Aeroplan miles can get you seats on:

Adria Airways
Aegean Airlines
Aer Lingus
Aeroflot
Aeromexico
Air China
Air France
Air Mauritius
Air New Zealand
Air Tahiti Nui
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
ANA
Asiana Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Avianca
British Airways
Brussels Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Copa Airlines
Croatia Airlines
Delta Airlines
EgyptAir
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Ethiopian Airlines
EVA Air
Gulf Air
Hawaiian Airlines
Iberia
Icelandair
Japan Airlines
Jet Airways
Kenya Airlines
KLM
Korean Airlines
Kuwait Air
LAN
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa
Malaysian Airlines
Middle East Airlines
Qantas
Qatar Airways
Royal Jordanian
Scandinavian Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
SWISS
TAP Portugal
Thai Airways
Turkish Airlines
United Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Australia

After a recent devaluation, Air Canada has included a new award option: Market Fare. It allows you to get any available seat on any flight, but you’ll pay a premium award rate tied to the current cash price of the ticket. If you’re looking last-minute, this can be a boon, as Air Canada releases most of its ClassicFlight award seats when ticketing first opens 355 days in advance.

For ClassicFlight awards, Air Canada’s award chart is usually better than many of its partners, including United, but the airline often passes on fuel surcharges levied by partners.

Visa-Signature-Aeroplan — TD Aeroplan Visa Signature Card

Usage Perks:

Every dollar spent counts toward Distinction status, which offers discounts on awards and mileage bonuses
Aeroplan miles don’t expire as long as the credit card account is active
Chip and signature technology
Air Canada releases most award seats the day they open, so it can be easy to get availability on tricky flights, especially for groups
Flights available 355 days ahead
No last-minute booking fees
One-way awards
One open jaw per itinerary
Two stopovers permitted on Air Canada flights (open jaw replaces one stopover) or one stopover on Star Alliance flights
Can buy miles at a reduced rate during checkout to meet miles required for itinerary
Ability to pay a flat fee for lap children, rather than 10 percent of usual award rate

Usage Quirks:

No award reservation holds
$CA90 (about $74) cancellation or change fee
Fuel charges levied on select partner awards
$CA30 (about $25) phone booking fee

How Far Do Your Dollars Go?

Your Aeroplan miles go the farthest when you do two things:

Stick to ClassicFlight awards priced according to the award chart, rather than demand-based Market Fare awards
Avoid flights with hefty fuel surcharges

Thankfully, you can still get some ClassicFlight awards last-minute. Air Canada lists them so you can see what’s available if you want to make a short weekend trip.

Air Canada redemptions — Last-minute award flights to Montreal

A last-minute, short-haul flight between the U.S. and Canada, such as D.C. to Montreal, would cost around $500 roundtrip to buy outright. As an award flight though, it costs 15,000 Aeroplan miles–a 3.3-cent-per-mile value.

You get the best bang for your miles in business class, as is the case with most award programs. Air Canada has especially advantageous rates to Western Europejust 90,000 miles round-trip in business class. Use those awards for a spring trip to Paris that costs upward of $6,000, and you’ll get a 6.7-cent-per-mile value.

Additional Cardholder Benefits

Auto collision damage waiver
Roadside assistance
Travel accident insurance
Lost luggage reimbursement
Travel emergency services
Purchase security
Zero liability