2026 is right here, which implies two issues could be true without delay: Air Canada’s “new period” of revenue-based incomes is now kicking in, and Aeroplan’s On a regular basis Standing Qualification (EDQ) continues to be doing its quiet little factor within the background.
If you need the total rundown of what’s altering with factors incomes and Elite Standing going ahead, we’ve lined it in our devoted information piece. For this information, we’re staying centered on the enjoyable half: incomes Aeroplan 25K Standing with out even setting foot on a aircraft.
With the beginning of 2026, On a regular basis Standing Qualification has been reset, and for us miles and factors nerds, it’s time to start out grinding towards 100,000 On a regular basis Qualifying Factors once more.
Since this standing could be earned with out flying, there’s no higher time to start out. And with Fundamental fares being a lot much less pleasant about carry-ons on many routes, Aeroplan 25K Standing continues to be extra helpful than you’d count on for “entry-level” standing.
Earn Aeroplan 25K Standing With out Flying
Aeroplan members who earn 100,000 EDQ in a calendar yr from eligible transactions will mechanically qualify for Aeroplan 25K Standing.
When you qualify, you’ll have standing for the remainder of the present calendar yr, and thru the tip of the next yr.
Thus, in the event you earn 100,000 EDQ between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026, you’ll have Aeroplan 25K Standing till the tip of 2027.
All year long, you’ll be capable to observe your progress in the direction of On a regular basis Standing Qualification in your Aeroplan dashboard. Nevertheless, it’s solely seen to members who don’t presently have standing.
Hopefully this may change sooner or later, as present standing members may additionally want to safe a minimum of Aeroplan 25K Standing the next yr via this channel.
Not each Aeroplan level you earn counts towards On a regular basis Standing Qualification. The next transactions are eligible:
And these actions are excluded:
- Bank card welcome bonuses
- Factors transformed from different packages, equivalent to American Categorical Membership Rewards
- Shopping for, gifting, or transferring factors between members
- eStore bonus factors awarded on the idea of Aeroplan Elite Standing
- Factors + Money tickets
- Contests and different promotional bonuses
Eligible transactions can be flagged with “EDQ” in your Aeroplan exercise log:
In the event you plan on sustaining Aeroplan 25K Standing via on a regular basis spending, it will be finest to make use of an Aeroplan bank card and earn everyday-qualifying factors immediately.
American Categorical Aeroplan Reserve Card
- Earn 60,000 Aeroplan factors upon spending $7,500 within the first three months
- Plus, earn 25,000 Aeroplan factors upon spending $2,500 in month 13 as a cardholder
- At all times earn 3x Aeroplan factors on Air Canada purchases and 2x Aeroplan factors on eating and meals supply
- And, earn 1.25x Aeroplan factors on all different eligible purchases
- Aeroplan most well-liked pricing, free first checked bag, precedence check-in and boarding on Air Canada flights
- Limitless Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge entry in North America
- Bonus Aeroplan factors for referring household and pals
- Get an Air Canada Annual Worldwide Cross upon spending $25,000 annually
- No minimal earnings requirement
- Annual payment: $599
| Credit score Card | Finest Supply | Worth | |
|---|---|---|---|
As much as 75,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free |
As much as 75,000 Aeroplan factors† | $2,415 |
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As much as 95,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual payment |
As much as 95,000 Aeroplan factors | $1,147 |
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As much as 85,000 Aeroplan factors† $599 annual payment |
As much as 85,000 Aeroplan factors† | $871 |
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85,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual payment |
85,000 Aeroplan factors | $858 |
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As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free |
As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors† | $756 |
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As much as 45,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free |
As much as 45,000 Aeroplan factors† | $683 |
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45,000 Aeroplan factors $120 annual payment |
45,000 Aeroplan factors | $678 |
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100,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual payment |
100,000 Aeroplan factors | $582 |
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As much as 15,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free |
As much as 15,000 Aeroplan factors† | $329 |
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10,000 Aeroplan factors† $0 annual payment |
10,000 Aeroplan factors† | $105 |
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As your major technique to earn Aeroplan factors, it will take $100,000 spent on a core Aeroplan card (TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, or the American Categorical Aeroplan Card), $80,000 spent on a premium Aeroplan card (TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, or Amex Aeroplan Reserve Card), or much less in the event you benefit from bonuses on some spending classes.
(In the event you use an American Categorical MR-earning card as an alternative, you wouldn’t earn everyday-qualifying exercise if you switch these rewards to Aeroplan.)
Advantages of Aeroplan 25K Standing
Let’s be trustworthy – Aeroplan 25K Standing is the entry-level tier, and it’s not going to revolutionize your journey expertise.
You’ll be behind higher-tier elites who earn standing via paid flights, and Air Canada is not going to roll out a purple carpet since you earned standing through grocery multipliers.
That stated, 25K can completely be value it, particularly in the event you fly Air Canada even a handful of instances per yr.
You’ll get a bundle of sensible perks like precedence check-in, precedence boarding, and precedence standby. You’ll additionally get complimentary checked baggage on Air Canada flights, and also you’ll obtain Star Alliance Silver recognition.
Whereas many of those advantages overlap with premium Aeroplan bank cards, On a regular basis Standing Qualification is a stable different for individuals who’d somewhat skip the hefty $599 annual payment.
And sure, the “quietly clutch” perk continues to be the identical one many individuals care about most:
A carry-on even on Fundamental fares
Air Canada’s Fundamental fares have been aggressively stripped down, and carry-on restrictions are an enormous a part of that. Aeroplan Elite members nonetheless get to convey a carry-on, even on Fundamental fare, which is nice in the event you’d somewhat not play “will my backpack rely as a private merchandise” on the gate.
It’s not glamorous, however neither is paying baggage charges out of pure spite.
The eUpgrade Actuality Verify for 2026
That is the half that modified meaningfully in 2026, and it’s the place lots of people will really feel that 25K isn’t fairly the identical deal anymore.
25K now comes with fewer eUpgrades as a Core Profit
Beforehand, Aeroplan 25K members obtained a significant allotment of eUpgrades every standing yr, with extra accessible via Choose Advantages and Threshold Rewards.
In 2026, Milestone Advantages substitute Choose Advantages and Threshold Rewards, and the variety of eUpgrades issued as a Core Profit now is determined by your tier.
For Aeroplan 25K, the Core Profit allotment is now solely 5 eUpgrade credit.
That’s nonetheless helpful, however it’s not precisely “Latitude Perspective season” proper out of the gate.
Milestone Advantages are actually the best way to construct an even bigger eUpgrade stability
In 2026, Aeroplan Elite members can earn further advantages as they accumulate SQC all year long.
For instance, one of many massive early Milestones is at 10,000 SQC, the place you’ll mechanically obtain 10 eUpgrade credit.
One essential nuance: Milestones solely apply when you’re an Aeroplan Elite member. In the event you begin the yr with no standing, the SQC you earn whereas “chasing” standing doesn’t assist you unlock Milestones till you’ve really certified. If you have already got standing (even 25K from final yr), then your SQC progress can begin unlocking Milestones earlier within the yr.
If somebody earns 25K purely via EDQ (100,000 qualifying factors), the path you’re taking issues loads for what number of SQC you’ll rack up, which then impacts how shortly you may earn Milestones and stack extra eUpgrades.
In the event you earn 25K through EDQ utilizing a premium Aeroplan bank card, you would possibly spend roughly $80,000, and premium playing cards earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 spent. That’s 16,000 SQC alongside the best way, which is sufficient to cross the 10,000 SQC Milestone and earn 10 further eUpgrades.
In the event you earn 25K through EDQ utilizing a core Aeroplan bank card, you would possibly spend roughly $100,000, and core playing cards earn 1,000 SQC per $20,000 spent. That’s solely 5,000 SQC, which gained’t get you to the ten,000 SQC Milestone.
Backside line: 25K earned via EDQ could be much less thrilling for eUpgrades than it was, until you’re incomes significant SQC alongside the best way, and the premium card route is the best manner to try this.
Two extra eUpgrade modifications value understanding
- Shareability improves: In 2026, you may share eUpgrades with as much as 4 journey companions on the identical reservation (up from two), plus as much as 4 further companions on the day of journey on the identical flight.
- Commonplace fare add-on charges improve: eUpgrade add-on charges for Economic system (Commonplace) improve by $100 inside North America and Solar locations, and by $150 for worldwide locations (efficient for journey on or after January 1, 2026).
Ought to You Nonetheless Chase EDQ in 2026?
In case your major purpose is snagging 25K for eUpgrades alone, EDQ is now not the slam-dunk it as soon as was, as a result of your base eUpgrade allotment at 25K is smaller.
However in the event you fly Air Canada even sometimes, 25K nonetheless delivers actual worth via precedence providers, baggage perks, and carry-on flexibility on stripped-down fares.
And in the event you’re incomes EDQ via a premium Aeroplan card anyway, the added SQC you accumulate could make Milestones (and further eUpgrades) much more achievable, which helps shut the hole.
Moreover, all Aeroplan elites earn an further 2 factors per greenback spent on all eStore purchases. For frequent consumers—whether or not for leisure or enterprise—this bonus is usually a quiet workhorse, making it simpler to rack up factors and get a head begin on re-qualifying for 25K Standing the next yr. Each little bit counts if you’re grinding in the direction of elite perks.
If the 100,000 qualifying factors feels out of attain, think about having a look on the US-issued Aeroplan® Credit score Card by Chase.
It offers eligible new cardholders an instantaneous enhance to Aeroplan 25K Standing for the rest of the calendar yr, plus the next calendar yr, together with the power to retain 25K Standing by spending $15,000 (USD) in subsequent years.
For Canadians who’re capable of apply for US bank cards, spending on the Aeroplan® Credit score Card might show to be a a lot simpler pathway in the direction of Aeroplan 25K Standing than via On a regular basis Standing Qualification.
- Earn 75,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open†
- Plus, earn 25,000 bonus factors† after you spend $20,000 on purchases within the first 12 months†
- Earn 3 factors greenback spent at grocery shops†
- Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on eating, together with takeout and eligible supply providers†
- Most well-liked Aeroplan pricing and free checked bag on Air Canada® flights†
- World Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS software payment credit score of as much as $120 each 4 years†
- No international transaction charges†
- Annual payment: $95
In the event you’ve already secured 25K Standing for this yr, there’s no pressing want to start out racking up On a regular basis Qualifying Factors immediately. That stated, the loyalty program panorama is consistently evolving, so it’s all the time smart to work on these objectives sooner somewhat than later—you by no means know when the principles would possibly change.
Conclusion
Aeroplan’s On a regular basis Standing Qualification is a wonderful entry level for newcomers diving into the Aeroplan program. It’s a helpful technique to preserve a base degree of Air Canada advantages with out counting on money fares or limitless mileage runs to earn standing.
Because the tally resets for 2026, members have one other alternative to attain or retain Aeroplan 25K Standing via 2027 by incomes 100,000 Aeroplan factors from eligible sources this calendar yr.
With airways more and more discovering methods to tack on miscellaneous charges—like the brand new fundamental fare carry-on restrictions—having elite standing is among the finest methods to defend your self from these added prices.
As journey demand continues to surge and airways tighten their insurance policies, attaining Aeroplan standing via On a regular basis Standing Qualification is extra related than ever for these seeking to maximize their journey expertise.
