Easy Ways to Keep your Aeroplan Account Active

Putting aside all the complaints about the Aeroplan program, such as:

• Blackout dates (cannot find flights on the dates that I want to fly),
• High fuel and tax surcharges,

I am still a big fan of the Aeroplan program. Mostly because I leverage my points to fly internationally, which means that I am using my points on airline programs that have much lower fuel and tax surcharges. I constantly strive to earn up to 1.8 cent a piece, which makes me very happy with the program.

That being said, you do have to keep your account active once every 12 months or else you will lose all your points. Due to this expiry policy, the other complaints I hear are:

• I do not fly often enough
• Points are too much of a hassle
• I do not spend enough on my credit card
• I do not want to pay an annual fee (since all Aeroplan affiliated credit cards charge an annual fee)
• Points are a scam

Well, if you fall in any of the above complaints, then maybe this post is not for you. However, if you are a fan of Aeroplan are looking to get on board, I am going to provide 5 easy ways to keep your account active. The reason you want to keep your account active is because your points will never expiry and if one day, even a few years down the line you end up with enough points for a free flight, I’m sure you will feel that it will be worth the effort. But it does take some long term planning.

So let’s say you do not fly and do not want to bother with a co-branded credit card, below are some easy ways to keep your account active:

1) Do AskingCanadians surveys

This is hands down my favourite way to keep my account active, mostly because I can do this from the comforts of my own home and on my own time. The surveys are sent to me by email and I have the choice of whether I want to fill out the surveys are not.

This is especially good for unhappy consumers who want to voice their opinion and get rewarded for it. Filing out one survey may not make a dent in the consumer market, but if enough people do it, it will have some affects. But even if your opinion doesn’t amount to anything, at least you were compensated for it. Can’t be much sweater than that!

2) Filing up at Esso Gas Station

If you have a car, this is such an easy way to keep your account active, even if you only present your card at Esso once in the entire year. You will:

• Earn 3 points for every $3 spent on Esso Supreme Grade gasoline;
• Earn 2 points for every $2 spent on Esso Extra Grade gasoline; or
• Earn 1 point for every $3 spent on purchases of Esso Regular Grade gasoline, car washes or convenience store items.

3) Shop at Shop.ca

If you find the prices that are within your budget on Shop.ca, then this is such a easy way to keep your Aeroplan account active. Every now and then you will see Aeroplan bonus points for making a purchase. One great way to stock up on points is to buy gift cards on Shop.ca Lock in the bonus points that you can potentially earn and use the gift cards at stores that you regularly go to anyway.

4) Shop at The UPS Store Canada / Home Hardware / Sobeys / Uniprix / Costco.ca

You can actually earn Aeroplan at a lot of different retailers, but I listed the above companies that I believe will cover a much larger portion of the population. There is a high chance that you will probably shop at one of the three above stores at least once throughout the year.