Transfer Bonuses are the gold dust of the points and miles game. They can add substantial value to your Aeroplan or other points, especially if you can then go on to leverage them for premium cabin travel. Unfortunately, transfer bonuses are not as a regular occurrence as we would like. Not only that, but some issuers are less generous than others.
For instance, while American Express Membership Rewards regularly runs transfer bonus promotions, Chase is much more circumspect and only has a few offerings to a few partners every year. However, that said, there is a way to receive a 10% bonus every single time you transfer Chase Ultimate Reward points to Aeroplan points.
How the Chase Transfer Bonus Works
To receive the transfer bonus, all you need to do is two things:
- Hold the Aeroplan Credit Card issued by Chase.
- Transfer a minimum of 50,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points.
If your transfer meets both those criteria, you will automatically receive a 10% transfer bonus. However, one thing to remember is that the 50,000 points need to be transferred in one hit. The bonus does not apply to cumulative transactions. So, if you make two transfers of 25,000 points, you will not receive a bonus compared to one transaction of 50,000 points.
Transfer Bonus Restrictions
One thing to keep in mind is that some limits exist to the current transfer bonus. While these are not major drawbacks, they do mean you need to plan better if you want to maximize the value of your transfer.
There is an upper limit on the number of bonus points you can receive with the promotion. You can only receive 25,000 bonus Aeroplan points per year, which is what you would receive when you transfer 250,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points. Any points transferred after that are ineligible for promotion.
You need to allow up to 72 hours for the bonus point to post to your account. This can be a problem, especially if you are looking to strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of an award that is available now. Although typically Chase transfers are virtually immediate, this does not seem to be the case with the bonus points. As far as we can tell, you will receive your regular points virtually instantly, but the bonus can take some time. This reduces the utility of the bonus, but not so much to make it unworkable or too difficult to use.
Chase Aeroplan Credit Card
If you are an Air Canada Aeroplan aficionado, then the Aeroplan® Credit Card is a powerhouse of a card. The co-brand offering from Chase delivers a host of a wide range of benefits. These include excellent earning rates, and carries a very reasonable annual fee of $95.
Aeroplan® Credit Card Featurs
• Earn 3X per dollar spent with Aeroplan. • Earn 3X per dollar at restaurants and Grocery stores. • Earn 1X on all other purchases. • Receive 500 bonus points for every $2,000 spent on your card up to 1,500 points per month. • Free first checked bag. • $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every 4 years.
Learn MoreFee:$95
Terms Apply
One thing to keep in mind is while the 10% transfer bonus is excellent value. The card has some other outstanding perks like the best companion ticket pass in the world.
Chase Aeroplan Companion Certificates
When it comes to companion certificates, the one from Chase is hard to beat. The catch is that you do have to out $1 million on your card in a year. However, for the lucky few that do so and redeem heavily for points and miles, it opens the travel genie’s box. The certificate is valid for the year it was earned in and the following year.
You can travel as many times as you like with your companion on any partner, in any class of travel, and the mileage for their fare will always be reimbursed. Sadly, the certificate benefit can only apply to one person. Even so, compared to other companion certificates out there, there is nothing like it to be found.
How Valuable is A 10% Bonus
While 10% does not seem much at first, it can seriously add up over time and give you a massive boost to your points and miles. If you regularly redeem 300,000 miles every year, that is a saving of 30,000 miles.
While 30,000 may not seem like a lot, it can soon add. Before long you have enough for a premium cabin award that would typically set you back several thousand dollars. Consider that after two years, you would have saved 60,000 Aeroplan Points. Per the Aeroplan award chart, that is enough miles for a one-way business class partner award from the east coast of the US to Europe or from Seattle to Tokyo. Or any city pairing between North and South America.
Final thoughts
At first glance, a 10% bonus does not seem that much, and you may be tempted to ignore it. However, the points and miles game is one of fine margins. Where value is built by accumulating small percentage points here and there instead of one big win.
Consider if you regularly redeem Aeroplan points, and those 10% will soon add up. Quickly you will have saved enough points for a premium award redemption either on Air Canada or on partner metal. This does not even take into account the enhanced earnings from spending on Air Canada that you would receive courtesy of holding the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
Table Of Contents