Chase Aeroplan Card Refresh 2026: $195 Fee and Automatic 25K Status

Chase and Air Canada refreshed the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card on September 10, 2026. The annual fee is now $195 for new applicants, up from $95. Cardmembers receive automatic Aeroplan 25K Status, at least 15% fewer points on the base fare of eligible Air Canada-operated award portions and up to $100 in Air Canada statement credits each year.

The new benefits took effect for existing cardmembers on September 10, 2026. On January 1, 2027, grocery store and dining purchases drop from 3X to 2X, and the monthly spending bonus and 10% Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus end. Regular Air Canada flyers may get enough value from automatic 25K Status, eligible award discounts and the Air Canada credits to offset those cuts. Cardmembers who relied on the old earning rates and bonuses may have less reason to keep the card.

Does the $100 Credit Cover the Higher Annual Fee?

The credit can offset the $100 annual-fee increase only if you make at least $50 in qualifying Air Canada purchases that post from January 1 through June 30 and another $50 that post from July 1 through December 31. Purchases must be made directly with Air Canada using the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card.

Gift cards, onboard Wi-Fi, car rentals, hotel bookings and other third-party products sold through aircanada.com do not qualify. Tickets purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs or tour operators are excluded, along with tickets booked in travel packages sold by non-airline merchants. Credits can take six to eight weeks to post, and the account must be open and not in default when Chase fulfills the benefit. For the remainder of 2026, cardmembers can receive up to one $50 credit.

Regular Air Canada flyers who can use the credits without changing their travel plans have a better chance of recovering the fee increase. Cardmembers who mainly used the card for 3X dining and grocery store purchases, monthly spending bonuses or the 10% Chase transfer bonus lose value on January 1, 2027.

Chase Aeroplan Card Changes at a Glance

Existing cardmembers should check the change notice in their Chase account before making a decision.

When Does the $195 Annual Fee Start?

New applicants pay the $195 annual fee now.

For existing cardmembers, the higher fee begins with account renewals dated December 1, 2026 or later. New benefits became available to existing cardmembers on September 10, 2026.

Check your renewal date and any notice from Chase before making a keep-or-cancel decision.

Aeroplan 25K Status No Longer Requires Annual Spend

The primary cardmember now receives Aeroplan 25K Status without an annual spending requirement. The card must be linked to the member’s Aeroplan number, and both accounts must remain open and in good standing.

Aeroplan 25K includes priority Air Canada check-in and boarding, five eUpgrade credits, complimentary Preferred Seats at check-in on eligible Standard or Flex fares, Star Alliance Silver recognition and an additional checked-bag allowance on eligible flights.

Aeroplan 25K does not include Maple Leaf Lounge access or Star Alliance Gold lounge access.

The card’s separate checked-bag benefit remains. The cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation receive a free first checked bag when travel originates on an Air Canada flight. Eligible 25K members may receive another bag through the status allowance, subject to fare and baggage rules.

Primary cardmembers receive 5,000 Status Qualifying Credits automatically, another 10,000 SQC after $25,000 in calendar-year purchases and another 10,000 after $50,000, subject to the 25,000-SQC annual cap across Aeroplan credit cards. Separately, $75,000 in calendar-year purchases earns Aeroplan 35K Status for the remainder of that year and the next.

How the 15% Aeroplan Award Discount Works

Primary cardmembers receive at least 15% fewer points on the base fare of an eligible inbound or outbound reward portion when the corresponding segment is fully operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada Rouge. Book through aircanada.com, the Air Canada app or the call center while logged into the linked Aeroplan account.

Partner-only itineraries do not qualify. The reduction also does not apply to taxes, fees, other charges or the cash portion of a reward. Air Canada pricing is dynamic, so a discounted award can remain expensive.

The discount can stack with an eligible Priority Reward. A 50,000-point eligible award saves at least 7,500 points. How much that helps with the $100 fee increase depends on how you value Aeroplan points and whether you would have booked the Air Canada award anyway.

The $100 Air Canada Credit Comes in Two Windows

Cardmembers receive up to $50 for qualifying purchases posted from January 1 through June 30 and another $50 from July 1 through December 31.

Direct Air Canada purchases qualify. Gift cards, onboard Wi-Fi, hotels, rental cars and other third-party products sold through aircanada.com do not. Tickets purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs or non-airline travel packages are also excluded.

Processing delays can move a transaction into the next credit period, and credits may take six to eight weeks to post. Avoid making a qualifying purchase in the final days of June or December if you are counting on that period’s credit.

Cardmembers receive one up-to-$50 credit for the remainder of 2026, with the normal two-credit schedule beginning in 2027.

Travel Earning Improves, but Dining and Grocery Stores Fall

General travel jumps from 1X to 3X, while gas rises from 1X to 2X. Dining and grocery store purchases continue to earn 3X through December 31, 2026, then fall to 2X on January 1, 2027.

A household spending $10,000 per year across dining and grocery stores will earn 10,000 fewer Aeroplan points than it did at 3X. At $20,000 of annual spending, the difference grows to 20,000 points. Many transferable-points cards will be more attractive for those purchases after 2026.

Only 3X comes from the credit card. The additional 2X is an Aeroplan 25K flight-activity bonus calculated on eligible base fare and carrier surcharges in Canadian dollars, excluding taxes and fees. It is not 5X credit-card earnings on the full ticket charge.

The Monthly-Spend and Chase Transfer Bonuses End After 2026

Both benefits remain available through December 31, 2026, before being removed:

• Monthly spending bonus: 500 bonus points for every $2,000 spent in a calendar month, capped at 1,500 bonus points per month.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus: 10% extra Aeroplan points when transferring at least 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points in one transaction, capped at 25,000 bonus points per calendar year.

Do not transfer points speculatively to use the 10% benefit. Confirm the award you want first because transfers are generally one-way.

The card keeps its free checked bag, fourth hotel night free on eligible points bookings, up to $120 toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS every four years, no foreign transaction fees and selected travel protections.

A fourth rental day free on eligible four-day Aeroplan points bookings at more than 11,000 listed locations begins in January 2027. Pay Yourself Back also remains available for eligible purchases, but redemption categories and values can change.

Is the 115,000-Point Welcome Offer Worth It?

For a limited time, new cardmembers can earn 75,000 Aeroplan points after $4,000 in purchases in the first three months, plus 40,000 points after $20,000 in total purchases in the first 12 months.

The second tier requires another $16,000 of purchases for 40,000 bonus points, equal to 2.5 bonus points per additional dollar before normal card earnings. That spending could prevent you from earning another card’s welcome offer.

Do not spend more than planned, pay interest or apply solely for the bonus. The public offer is unavailable to current cardmembers and previous cardmembers who received a new-cardmember bonus on this card within the past 24 months. Offers can vary by application channel. Terms apply.

Should You Keep the Card at $195?

Keeping the card is easiest to justify if you fly Air Canada, use both semiannual credits and redeem Aeroplan points for Air Canada-operated awards. Automatic 25K Status adds value while the eligible card remains open, linked and in good standing.

Reconsider the card if most of your Aeroplan redemptions are partner-only itineraries, you mainly used the card for 3X dining and grocery store purchases, or the monthly spending and Chase transfer bonuses drove most of its value.

Existing cardmembers should confirm their next annual-fee date, verify that the card is linked to the correct Aeroplan account and review any planned 2026 transfer while the 10% bonus remains available. Starting in 2027, move dining and grocery store spending if another card earns more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Card annual fee?

The annual fee is $195 for new applicants. Existing cardmembers begin paying $195 on renewals dated December 1, 2026 or later.

Does the card give automatic Aeroplan 25K Status every year?

Yes. The primary cardmember keeps 25K status while the eligible card remains open, linked to the member’s Aeroplan number and in good standing. No annual spending requirement applies.

Which Aeroplan awards receive the 15% discount?

An inbound or outbound reward portion qualifies when its corresponding segment is fully operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada Rouge. Partner-only awards do not qualify, and the reduction applies to the eligible points portion rather than taxes, fees or cash copays.

Sebby’s Take

After both credits, the effective annual cost is $95. I’d pay that only if the 25K benefits or Air Canada award discount would save me more than $95 during the year. Cardmembers who mainly valued 3X dining and grocery store purchases, monthly spending bonuses or the 10% Chase transfer bonus have a weaker card in 2027.