Do Aeroplan Points Expire? Yes — and the Clock Restarts November 30, 2026

For years the honest answer to "do Aeroplan points expire?" was "technically, but the rule is paused." That grace period is ending. Points are protected through November 29, 2026; on November 30, the 18-month inactivity rule resumes — and on that day, any account with no qualifying activity in the previous 18 months loses its entire balance at once. Not gradually. All of it.

If you or someone in your household has a dormant Aeroplan account, this is the deadline to care about.

The rule

Eighteen months without qualifying activity expires the whole balance. One qualifying transaction — of any size — resets the clock for everything. Activity means points moving in or out of the account:

• Earning: a flight, credit-card spend, a purchase through the Aeroplan eStore, a retail or fuel partner, a transfer in from Amex Membership Rewards or a hotel program.
• Redeeming: any award booking, or even a small merchandise redemption.
• Transferring, converting, or donating any amount.

Logging in and checking your balance does not count. The clock cares about transactions, not attention.

Who never has to think about this

Two groups are exempt while their standing lasts:

1. Primary cardholders of Aeroplan co-brand credit cards — while the card account is open and in good standing, points don't expire. Any card on our Aeroplan ranking does it, including the no-fee tier.
2. Elite status members (Aeroplan 25K and up) — status year by status year.

There's also a structural fix: Family Sharing. Pool redemptions deduct proportionally from every member's account, so one family award booking resets the inactivity clock for the entire household — including the uncle who hasn't flown since 2023.

The five-minute fix for a dormant account

Any of these, once every 18 months, keeps a balance alive indefinitely:

• Buy something small through the eStore (a few dollars at a participating retailer earns points and counts).
• Transfer a small amount in from Amex MR or a hotel program.
• Redeem a token amount for anything.
• Or, structurally: put an Aeroplan card in the wallet, or join the family pool.

If points have already expired

Air Canada has historically offered reinstatement — free within six months if you fly Air Canada or open an Aeroplan credit card, otherwise at a fee that ran about 1¢ per point plus a $30 charge. Treat those figures as indicative: they trace to the pre-pause policy, and the terms that apply after November 30, 2026 should be confirmed with Air Canada directly. At 1.9¢ per point, paying ~1¢ to reinstate a large balance can actually be worth it — which tells you how much value expiry destroys in the first place.

The bottom line

Aeroplan expiry is the most avoidable loss in Canadian loyalty: the reset costs nothing, the exemptions are cards most Aeroplan collectors already hold, and the deadline — November 30, 2026 — is public. Check the dormant accounts in your household now, and if the balance is worth anything, spend five minutes making it move. What it's worth is exactly what our Aeroplan points value guide computes.

Policy details verified July 11, 2026 against Air Canada's published inactivity policy and independent coverage of the November 2026 resumption. Reinstatement fees should be confirmed with Air Canada once the rule is live.