Why I'm giving up on Aeroplan

For more than seven years, I’ve been collecting Aeroplan points and for the last four, I have been using a CIBC Aerogold credit card to collect them. The card comes with a $120 annual fee which I thought would be worth it, but my experiences with Aeroplan have been disappointing and I'm canceling the card. .

The tipping point came this week when I had to pay a $90 fee to redeem a flight credit given to me a year ago. I had planned a trip to South Carolina with my sisters, but at the last minute,  I had to cancel and was given a year to use the the 25,000 unused points or lose them.  

Rebooking fees

This week I called Aeroplan to rebook using the credited 25,000 points  and was told there was a  $90 fee on top of taxes.  The agent said a $30 fee would have applied if it had been a regular booking because I was using the phone rather than the internet  to book the flight.

Non-transferable

I also discovered that since the original ticket was in my name, the only person that can use the credit is me. 

Had I booked a refundable ticket directly through Air Canada, I would be able to get my money back and then rebook for my husband or someone else. This is a much more flexible option.

Blackout periods and unpredictable points

My other issue with Aeroplan is that there are blackout periods during peak travel times and points required for flights vary a lot.   While you typically get the most bang for point-buck with  business class tickets, there are times when the points required can be more than five times the typical allocation.

When I went looking for a business class flight to Vancouver next June, I found that a ticket cost 544,000 points. I didn’t look for a  ticket costing these many miles. I searched the one date I need to travel and this is what I found. It shows that there are exceptions to every rule and Aeroplan point allocation can be very unpredictable.

My new card

The card both my husband and I are switching to is the Capital One Aspire Travel World MasterCard. This card was chosen by Rewards Canada as the top travel points credit card with a fee in 2011.

The card is attractive because you earn 2 points for every dollar spent as opposed to the typical 1.5. Where you earn points isn’t limited to just grocery stores and gas bars either.

Other perks are that you get 10,000 anniversary reward miles every year, points don’t expire and there’s great emergency medical and trip insurance.

Aside from these great benefits, what I like most about the card is how you book your travel. You actually go out and book your travel with your credit card and then redeem your points online or by phone.

This means that you can search out the lowest possible price for travel, and book it whatever way you want. You could book on Expedia, Hotwire, hotels.ca or other discounted travel sites. With daily deal sites now offering vacation packages, there’s some great ways to save if you’re willing to spend the time.

Another perk is that if you call to redeem your points, there’s no fee.

“We talked to a lot of people and learned that they were tired of hidden fees or paying extra for their rewards,” said Laurel Ostfield, spokesperson, Capital One Canada.

If travel isn’t your thing, you can redeem points for gift cards or even cash.

Summary

The web is making travel cheaper, and more accessible. The last thing I want to do is use my hard earned points on a flight when I could find it cheaper elsewhere. Sure, I could just use cash and book the cheaper flight, but the whole beauty of rewards is that you shouldn’t have to. This year, I’m going to earn and spend points smarter. If anyone's going to find me the cheapest travel deal that keeps more money in my pocket, I'm banking on me, not a rewards company.

Also read:

Using Aeroplan points: which reward is best

Jennifer Stewart lives in Ottawa. Email her at jennifer@jscommunications.ca or follow her on Twitter: @js_coms