GREAT NEWS: According to an interview with Air Canada Aeroplan execs
that Anshul at Points, Miles & Bling had over this past weekend the
buddy pass conversion option is based on the date you apply not the
date the buddy pass posts to your account - this means you can apply for
this card by April 30 and be able to convert the buddy pass to Aeroplan
points once it posts to your account. Please note there are mentions on other sites the conversion option is being extended. There is no confirmation of this just yet - we have reached out to Air Canada and should know by April 23 if this will be happening
MAJOR UPDATE: We have been notified The Buddy Pass can only be
converted by April 30th which means it is very unlikely any new
applicants for the TD card will be able to get the pass in time to
convert. This is likely to keep the card from having an influx of new
applicants just to convert the Buddy Pass over to points.
Shout out to Ashul at Points, Miles & Bling and Ricky from Prince of Travel who broke the news last night that Aeroplan is now allowing members to convert the Air Canada Buddy Passes earned from an Aeroplan co-brand card into Aeroplan points! The option to convert has not been published publicly by Air Canada however Anshul and Ricky have confirmed with the airline that this indeed is true. And it is an awesome deal - Air Canada will give you 30,000 Aeroplan points if you choose to convert your Buddy Pass to Aeroplan points. To do so you simply have to call Aeroplan and tell them you would like to convert your Buddy Pass to points.
Recommended reading: The Air Canada Buddy Pass explained & evaluated
Now why is this an awesome deal? It is an awesome as it technically creates some the best welcome bonus points offers ever seen on Aeroplan co-branded credit cards! It also provides an avenue for single travellers or those playing in one player mode in the points & miles game to jump on one of the cards now instead of waiting to see what offers may come in the future that weren't targeted to traveling with a companion.
The card offers
Let's see what the card offers that have the Buddy Pass look like now with this conversion option:
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card - 50,000 Aeroplan points
Current offer: 20,000 Aeroplan points and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, get an annual fee rebate for the primary and first additional cardholder for the first year.
This means if you convert your Buddy Pass to points you'll get 50,000 Aeroplan points and your first year free with the card! 50,000 Aeroplan points at no cost is amazing! We value Aeroplan points at a minimum 1.2 cents so those 50,000 points are worth no less than $600 but in most cases you'll be able to extract a lot more value especially of you redeem for business or first class flights!
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card - 80,000 Aeroplan Points
Current offer: 50,000 Aeroplan points and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening
With this conversion this card technically offers 80,000 Aeroplan Points - there has never been a direct Aeroplan credit card welcome bonus this high - ever! However you do have to pay the $599 annual fee on this card so the point value actually ends up being less than the Infinite version of the card. That's the trade off however as people getting this card are doing so for the benefits and stronger earn rates.
American Express® Aeroplan®* Card - 45,000 Aeroplan Points
Current offer: 9,000 Aeroplan points and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $1,500 in purchases within the first three months of Cardmembershi plus, you can also earn 1,000 Aeroplan points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $500 in purchases on your Card for the first six months of Cardmembership. That could add up to 6,000 Aeroplan points.
This card ends up offering 45,000 Aeroplan points with the buddy pass conversion and you do have to pay the $120 annual fee in the first year. Still some great value and remember this card has strong earn rates for Air Canada and dining/food delivery purchases.
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card - 50,000 Aeroplan Points
Current offer: 20,000 Aeroplan points and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first four months of Cardmembership Plus, get an annual fee rebate for the primary and up to three additional cards for the first year.
This is essentially the same offer as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card offer. If you prefer to have a relationship with CIBC go for this card!
TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card - 55,000 Aeroplan Points
Current offer: Up to 25,000 Aeroplan points and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, get an annual fee rebate for the primary and up to two additional cards for the first year.
Convert that Buddy Pass and you have 55,000 Aeroplan points with this card and again since there is no annual fee in the first year you score 55,000 points at no cost other than card spending!
CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card - 50,000 Aeroplan Points
Current offer: Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points on your first purchase and a bonus Buddy Pass for an eligible round-trip flight within North America after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first four months of Cardmembership. Plus, get an annual fee rebate for the primary and up to three additional cards for the first year.
Convert that Buddy Pass and you have 50,000 Aeroplan points with this
card and again since there is no annual fee in the first year you score
50,000 points at no cost other than card spending!
Recommended reading: The new Aeroplan credit cards compared
Wrapping it up
This is huge and an amazing deal! This takes away any uncertainty people may have had in applying for an Aeroplan co-brand card. In fact if you have been eyeing one now is the time to get it. Chances are you won't see bonuses this big on any of these cards if and when they go back to just offering points as the introductory offer. Still, you should remember that the Buddy Pass can provide some huge outsized value that is worth more than those 30,000 points. I guess that's the great thing about this deal - you don't have to choose right now, simply get yourself one of the cards and then take a look at your future plans. If Air Canada flights for two or more people are on the table and you can get more than $360 in value from your Buddy Pass then use it as intended. If the flights cost less than that or you know for a fact you won't use the Buddy Pass then convert away and get those 30,000 points for it!
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