One of the things that worries people about Aeroplan is that the points expire and while it is true, it really isn’t something to worry about. Aeroplan points expire 1 year after the last account activity but keep in mind that Aeroplan is a very prevalent rewards program in Canada so there are a lot of partners that you can use to get points. One single point in your account extends the validity of your points for another year.
The simplest way to get that single point is to have a $3.00 fill up at any Esso station as you receive 1 point for every $3.00 in gas and there are a ton of Esso stations throughout Canada … just remember to swipe your Aeroplan card.
Now what if you don’t want to ever worry about your points expiring and don’t want to bother with using a program like AwardWallet which tells you when your points are expiring? I recently covered the use and benefits of AwardWallet in a previous post.
Well, that’s quite an attitude you’ve got there mister … but to each their own. For people that fall into that category, I have a solution for you.
In Canada, you cannot bind someone not of age (18) to a contract unless the contract benefits them or it is a contract for necessities of life such as food, shelter, education and medical services. Because Aeroplan points do not fall into any of these categories, someone under the age of 18 is able get an Aeroplan account but will not be subject to the expiry rules that adults are. I’m sure my oversimplification of this matter will horrify a lawyer at some point but what I say is for all intents and purposes true.
My daughter, now aged 7, has had an Aeroplan account for some time but because she is not the age of majority, her points don’t expire (even without account activity) until 1 year after she turns 18.
I would have provided you with a screenshot of her Aeroplan account but the site was down for maintenance so you’ll just have to look at her AwardWallet expiry date and believe me.
As you can see above, her points do not expire for 11.4 years. That’s exactly when she will turn 19 (the age of majority + 1 year).
Now why is this important? Well first off, you can use this account to hold your Aeroplan points and consolidate everything in one account. With Aeroplan, you can book anyone a ticket so I could use Sarei’s account to book flights for our family if I so wished. Or we can simply pile in a bunch of points and give them to her as a graduation gift so she can see the world. In either case, you don’t have to worry about points expiring.
While this may only be useful for a small niche of people, it is something good to know and something to keep in mind.
Is this the same for other mileage programs such as Asia Miles?
Hi James,
Each program is going to be different and will often be dependent on the laws of the country that the program is based. I don’t know for sure but as Asia Miles is for Cathay and they are based in Hong Kong, I would expect the program to be the same. It’s best to consult the terms and conditions of the program to be sure. Cheers.
Jayce