Program Guides
Aeroplan Elite Status in 2026: The New SQC System, Explained
Aeroplan's elite program was rebuilt on January 1, 2026. The three old currencies — Status Qualifying Miles, Segments, and Dollars — are gone, replaced by a single number: Status Qualifying Credits (SQC), earned mostly on what you spend rather than how far you fly. If you're reading advice organized around SQM thresholds, it's describing a program that no longer exists.
The tiers
| Tier | SQC required |
|---|---|
| Aeroplan 25K | 25,000 |
| Aeroplan 35K | 35,000 |
| Aeroplan 50K | 50,000 |
| Aeroplan 75K | 75,000 |
| Super Elite | 125,000 |
The headline benefit boundary is 50K: that's where Maple Leaf Lounge access and Star Alliance Gold begin. Below 50K, status buys eUpgrades, priority services, and Preferred Pricing on award flights — real, but not the lounge.
How SQC is earned
Flying Air Canada (tickets on AC's own stock): standard fares earn 2 SQC per pre-tax dollar; Flex fares and above — including premium economy and business — earn 4 SQC per dollar; basic economy earns nothing. There's no cap on SQC from Air Canada spend. A $2,000 business-class fare is 8,000 SQC; the same route on a basic-economy sale fare is zero.
Partner flights: 1 SQC per 5 Aeroplan points earned on eligible Star Alliance and partner flights, capped at 25,000 SQC a year.
Credit cards: premium Aeroplan cards — the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege and Amex Aeroplan Reserve — earn 1,000 SQC per $5,000 of everyday spend; core cards like the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite earn 1,000 SQC per $20,000. Card-earned SQC caps at 25,000 per calendar year across all your Aeroplan cards — meaning $125,000 of premium-card spend can, on its own, deliver 25K status.
Everyday Status Qualification is the separate back door: earn 100,000 Aeroplan points in a calendar year from non-flying sources — card spend, the eStore, retail partners — and 25K status is yours automatically through the end of the following year. On a premium card earning 1.25 points per dollar, that's roughly $80,000 of annual spend: attainable for a household routing everything through one card, and the clearest signal that Air Canada now sells status through wallets, not just boarding passes.
Milestone benefits along the way
Instead of all-or-nothing tiers, every 10,000 SQC unlocks a Milestone Benefit — automatic eUpgrade credits at the early milestones, then a choice at 70,000+ SQC among things like Priority Rewards (50% off a redemption), Maple Leaf Lounge guest passes, bonus points, or status gifts for a companion. From 2027, premium Aeroplan cardholders also get a 10% SQC head start on the new year based on prior-year earning.
Is chasing status worth it?
Be honest about the math the way we are about card fees: status pays through lounge access (50K+), eUpgrades you'll actually clear, and Preferred Pricing on awards. A traveller flying Air Canada four to six times a year in paid economy will land somewhere in 25K–35K territory naturally — pleasant, not transformative. Deliberately buying up to 50K through card spend alone means $125,000 through a premium card; at that point, weigh whether a card that simply includes lounge access solves your actual problem for $599 or less.
Program rules verified July 11, 2026 against Air Canada's published 2026 program and three independent guides. Air Canada's status-match challenge program was paused as of publication.