Estore your way to Status

This is a edited re-release of a post made during the eStore promo of July 2024 with some changes to generalize the content. I'm going to make the case for the Aeroplan eStore and why its worth your time, especially if you're new to Aeroplan and want to get to 25K frequent flyer status quickly. If you already have 25K status but aren't familiar with eStore then jump down and see how it can still help your earn. I also try to keep a running list of the current biggest multipliers.

An initial note that this is not sponsored content, but I have a referral links at the bottom along with a disclaimer. If you found it helpful please let me know.

Intro to Aeroplan Status

Similar to most frequent flyer/royalty programs, the Aeroplan (AP) program has multiple tiers of status which come with both escalating benefits and requirements. These benefits range from minor (eg. free checked bags) to major (eg. eupgrade credits to upgrade your fare class, or priority reward vouchers for 50% off point costs for redemptions).

Unfortunately there are no Canadian credit cards that offer an easy way to jump status levels unlike hotels (eg. Marriott and Hilton gold with an Amex Platinum card) or car rental agencies. Furthermore, with the exception of the first tier (25K), you will have to have to specifically fly on Air Canada ticketed flights and pay in cash to get higher status, the only exception is the US Chase Aeroplan card which can give you 25K status for signing up and a status upgrade for $50k spending in a calendar year.  This is because the tiers are typically rewarded when a combination of miles (SQM) or segments (SQS) AND dollars (SQD) spent on AC Metal. Canadian Aeroplan credit cards can earn you SQM/SQS via spending and allow them to roll over to the next year, but SQD again requires dollars spent on flights taken - so you have to fly if you want status in Canada.

But I mentioned an exception for 25K status, and that exception is called EQD or everyday qualifying dollars. Earn 100k aeroplan points (APP) via spending, be it using an AP credit card for your regular shopping, or bonus points from partnerships with the LCBO, Journie, or Starbucks and 25K status is yours. See here for what that will get you.

That said, even with a premium card that adds up to a lot of spend… Consider the TD AP VIP card which has a base earn rate of 1.25x - it would take $80k of spending in the calendar year to hit 25K status without any bonuses! Crazy since the Chase card awards you 25K just for signing up and upgrades you for $50k in a year, but this is the life of Canadian credit cards vs the US.

Fortunately there is an amazing way to juice up that earn…

Aeroplan Estore

In my opinion eStore one of the best ways to supercharge your EDQ earn if you’re not yet 25K status with Aeroplan.

Estore is a referral/partnership based shopping portal where you can earn or redeem APP (do NOT redeem them here as it’s universally a bad exchange!). Each partner has a multiplier rate and various restrictions to consider which I would advise you to read before making a big purchase, but in general you will earn on the pre tax/shipping cost of items purchased that meet their criteria, and these points count to EDQ.

On a typical day these bonuses range from 1-5x with a small number of vendors offering higher 7 or even 10x multipliers. Furthermore, they have a couple of promotions a year where the values are increased even further. In April 2024 they increased all of the vendors to 5x, and added another 5x if you purchased using an AP credit card. Then in July 2024 they increased selected vendors to 10x points. They often have a Black Friday promo, so I would familiarize myself with it before then and get ready for incredible point earnings.

If you add a 10x multiplier to your base 1.25x rate, you can see how quickly you can reach the 100k points needed to upgrade to 25K status (only $8.9k instead of $80k!!). Plus those points are valuable, with a reasonable target value of 2 cents per point, you're looking at 22.5% back on your purchase, even more after you hit 25K status and unlock an additional 2pts per dollar on eStore purchases.

What Stores are Included

I’d advise you to look at the website for the latest as merchants are periodically added and removed, but some examples include:

-         Electronics companies – Dell, LG, Lenovo, HP, Best Buy

-         Cosmetic companies – Kerastase, Kiehls, Sephora, Clarins, MAC etc.

-         Furniture companies – Wayfair, Aosom

-         Clothing companies – roots, lululemon, le chateau, banana republic etc.

-         And many more, some notable ones to me were Petsmart, Dyson, Viator, Marriott Bonvoy, Clearly glasses/contacts

You can then make your regular purchases through their portal, and consider holding on to big purchases to use them during point promotion events. For the motivated there are other ways to take this benefit to the next level. Check out my list of current big multipliers.

Amplifying the Benefit

If you are a business owner, combining a business purchase with point promotion can be particularly powerful as the out of pocket cost is low and the reward can still be high.

If youre an Amex credit card holder you can combine their statement credit bonuses with eStore and since the point totals are calculated based on the amount charged they aren't reduced by the statement credit you receive back. For example Amex Business Platinum card holders get $100 in statement credits every 6 months for Dell products, and Dell is frequently a high multiplier merchant on eStore.

In the ideal circumstance you could have a business purchase of a Dell computer, get the big point bonus and get $100 back on your statement. The Amex card itself would also earn valuable Amex MR points, although those points specifically wouldn't count towards your EDQ target.

Another option that could be worth exploring for you would be anything that can be reimbursed by insurance. If your insurance covers prescription eyewear/contacts you could order through Lenscrafters or Clearly on the eStore. If it covers massage its worth exploring if a Wayspa partner near you offers massages at a good price.

Reach out to me if you want to discuss other tricks to supercharge your estore return.

Conclusion

The eStore is the fastest way to hit 25K aeroplan status without having to fly and is another powerful earning approach to give you a steady stream of points along side your main credit card and Amex Cobalt.

Cautions

Amazon is included on the list but note that the bonus rate varies by item category, so they might be advertising 4x, but the item you want may be a lower bonus amount if any at all.

Estore tracking can be buggy and can miss your purchases, fortunately there are some things you can do to to help (my post on it) in short:

-         Track what you bought when, for how much, at what multiplier

-         Use a clean browser that you don’t normally use that doesn’t have any adblocker (ex. Edge)

-         Accept all cookies

-         Don’t use third party coupons or rewards (think Rakuten)

-         Make sure that you start with an empty cart

I often initially browse on my usual browser, make a list of what I want, then open Edge, Estore, the store I want, then add to cart and buy.

I’ve had some purchases missed, but good news is that once you wait long enough you can submit a claim and they’ve been great about rewarding me points up till now.

Referral links

With its best in market 5x multiplier Amex Cobalt is a powerful point earner that can get you on flying for free 5 times faster than much of the competition - sign up here.

To see the access the best offers for different Amex card such as the Business Gold, or Platinum click here. Or to compare all the cards I can refer to, check out my card comparison tool.

You're going to need somewhere to stay after all of these free flights. The Amex Bonvoy or the Business Bonvoy card will earn you free hotel stays and can be combined with the Aeroplan eStore for some incredible double dipped rewards.

If you're on the fence, or wondering about other cards reach out to me for a free consult, and if you sign up for a card through my link, let me know and I will walk you through advanced tricks and personalized advice to help you get the maximum benefit both from earning and redeeming points - getting your travel journey going faster than you ever thought possible.

Check out my Keeper Cards series to see other cards worth exploring

Disclaimer

This should not be taken as financial advice and details are subject to change. I have made good intentioned efforts to be accurate but ultimately consult card terms and conditions