Miles Calculator

🇨🇦 Should Canadian flyers credit Air Canada flights to another program?

Figures checked October 15, 2026

Since January 2026, Aeroplan status works entirely on what you spend. You earn Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) at 4 per Canadian dollar on Flex fares and above, 2 on Standard fares and none on Basic fares, counting the base fare and airline surcharges but not taxes. Star Alliance Gold starts at the 35K tier, which is 35,000 SQC. But the same Air Canada flights can be credited to other Star Alliance programs, and some of those count the distance you fly, not what you paid. For some Canadians that is much faster, and for others Aeroplan is clearly better. We ran four typical Canadian flyers through the status calculator.

The short version

Fares are our assumptions in Canadian dollars, so check them against what you pay. "Cents a mile" is the round-trip fare divided by the round-trip miles flown.

What you give up, and what you get

• Aeroplan points. Credit a flight to Turkish and you earn Turkish miles, not Aeroplan points. Aeroplan is the currency for Air Canada awards. Aeroplan points are also 1 per Canadian dollar, rising to 2 for 25K members and up to 6 for Super Elite.
• Air Canada's own perks. Benefits such as eUpgrades are part of Aeroplan Elite status. Star Alliance Gold from another program is recognized across the alliance, but we haven't checked which Air Canada benefits it brings.
• Lounges at home. Air Canada's Aeroplan status page appears to list Maple Leaf Lounge access as a core benefit from 50K up, not at 25K or 35K. Its lounge page lets Star Alliance Gold members in with a same-day ticket on an Air Canada or Star Alliance flight, with guests only if they fly the same flight. That page is old, so check Air Canada's current rules before you count on it.
• Credit cards. Aeroplan cards add SQC: 1,000 for every $5,000 on premium cards or every $20,000 on core cards, up to 25,000 a year across all your cards. That only counts toward Aeroplan. From 2027, premium cardholders with Elite status also get a Head Start of 10% of the previous year's SQC.

Sources: Aeroplan Elite status core benefits; Air Canada: Star Alliance Gold lounge access; Aeroplan Elite status and SQC from cards; September 2026 Elite updates. Checked October 15, 2026.

Four typical Canadian flyers

Each figure is what one round trip earns in the status calculator, multiplied by the round trips in a year. Every figure links to the calculation, and we count from no status.

1. Business traveler, Flex fares: 10 round trips Toronto–Vancouver

A consultant who flies Air Canada Flex fares between Toronto and Vancouver ten times a year. Assumed fare CA$1,100 round trip, or 26 cents a mile.

Aeroplan wins. Flex fares earn 4 SQC per dollar, so each round trip is worth 4,400 SQC and 35K takes 8 round trips. Turkish credits 4,169 miles and Elite needs 10. Thai and EVA need 12. With ten round trips Aeroplan gets there, and so does Turkish, just.

2. Short-haul regular, Flex fares: 25 round trips Toronto–Montreal

A manager who commutes between Toronto and Montreal on Flex fares, 25 round trips a year. Assumed fare CA$500 round trip, which is 79 cents a mile.

Aeroplan wins by a distance. A short flight earns few miles, but a Flex fare earns 4 SQC for every dollar whatever the distance, so each round trip is worth 2,000 SQC and 35K takes 18. Turkish gives 1,000 a round trip, because a short flight earns its minimum of 500 miles a flight, and needs 40 round trips.

3. Standard economy to Europe: 12 round trips Toronto–London

A product manager who flies Air Canada Standard economy between Toronto and London once a month. Assumed fare CA$1,300 round trip, which is 18 cents a mile.

Turkish by a little. Standard fares earn 2 SQC per dollar, so 2,600 SQC a round trip and 14 round trips for 35K. Turkish credits international Standard fares at 50% of the miles, so 3,556 a round trip and 12 for Elite. In a year of 12 round trips, Turkish gets there while Aeroplan reaches 89% of 35K. About CA$19,000 of spending on a premium Aeroplan card would add the 3,800 SQC that are missing.

4. Standard economy to Asia: 8 round trips Vancouver–Tokyo

A designer who flies Air Canada Standard economy between Vancouver and Tokyo Narita eight times a year. Assumed fare CA$1,500 round trip, or 16 cents a mile.

Turkish, and more so on Basic fares. Aeroplan gives 3,000 SQC a round trip, so 12 round trips for 35K. Turkish gives 4,674 and needs 9. On a Basic fare, Aeroplan earns no SQC at all, while Turkish still credits 2,337 a round trip, so Elite would take 18. That is slow, but it is more than nothing.

Business class goes the other way. A Toronto–London Flex or business fare of CA$5,500 earns 22,000 SQC a round trip in Aeroplan, so 35K takes 2 round trips. Turkish gives 10,669 and needs 4.

Before you try it

• Turkish credits by Air Canada's fare brand. On Air Canada domestic flights, only Flex counts, and some Flex classes earn 50%. International Standard and Basic fares earn at lower rates. See our Turkish guide and check its chart for your fare.
• One program per flight. You can credit each flight to only one program, so give the other number at booking or claim the miles afterwards.
• Aeroplan points can expire. They expire after 18 months with no activity unless you hold Elite status or an Aeroplan card. See our Aeroplan guide.
• Rules change. See the status targets page for the current numbers.

How we worked it out

Round-trip figures come from the status calculator on October 15, 2026, using Air Canada's published Aeroplan rules and Turkish's, Thai's and EVA's partner charts for Air Canada flights. Yearly totals are those figures multiplied by the trips shown. Aeroplan is counted on the fares above, with Flex at 4 SQC per dollar and Standard at 2. Credit card SQC, promotions and bonuses aren't included.