Aeroplan Introduces New Boost Points Feature

Aeroplan has added a new Boost Points feature in partnership with Points.com, which allows members to multiply their recently earned points for a proportional fee.

On the surface, Boost Points doesn’t offer too much value, and is merely the standard Buy Points feature dressed up in a different way.

Still, it’s a creative new concept that I haven’t seen offered by a loyalty program before, and it opens the door for some interesting promotions in the future. Let’s go over how it works.

Aeroplan’s New Boost Points Feature

Aeroplan’s new Boost Points feature allows members to multiply their recently earned points at a preferential rate. 

You’ll find the Boost Points feature listed on the Points.com Aeroplan page, alongside the Buy Points and Gift Points features that we’re already familiar with. 

Once you click through to the Boost Points page, you’ll be presented with a screen that shows you how many Aeroplan points you have that are eligible to be boosted. 

This is based on how many Aeroplan points you’ve earned through sources that are eligible for Boost Points over the past month, which include points earned on Aeroplan co-branded credit card transactions, eStore purchases, or through everyday retail, car, or hotel partnerships. 

On the basis of this eligible number of points, you then have the option to multiply the points by 1x, 3x, or 5x.

As you can see in the above example, I’ve earned 34,001 Aeroplan points through eligible sources in the past month. That means that I can use Boost Points with the following multiples:

• 1x: Buy 34,001 Aeroplan points
• 3x: Buy 102,003 Aeroplan points
• 5x: Buy 170,005 Aeroplan points

The standard purchase price is exactly the same as the Buy Points feature: 3 Canadian cents per point (cpp). On that basis, each Boost Points option is eligible for a discount, which increases proportionally to the selected multiple. 

Until December 8, 2021, the Boost Points feature has launched with promotional discounts of “up to 30%”, with the 30% discount being offered to Aeroplan credit card holders who boost points at the 5x level.

Therefore, as you can see, I’m eligible for the following purchase prices:

• 1x: Buy 34,001 Aeroplan points for $918.30 (2.7cpp), a 10% discount from the standard price of $1,020.03 (3cpp)
• 3x: Buy 102,003 Aeroplan points for $2,448.07 (2.4cpp), a 20% discount from the standard price of $3,060.09 (3cpp)
• 5x: Buy 170,005 Aeroplan points for $3,570.11 (2.1cpp), a 30% discount from the standard price of $5,100.15 (3cpp)

Like the Buy Points feature, Boost Points purchases are subject to GST/HST if you use a credit card with a Canadian billing address. It would be best to use a US credit card with no foreign transaction fees to save on the taxes. 

Aeroplan members can boost a maximum of 600,000 Aeroplan points per year for a maximum of 3,000,000 extra Aeroplan points per year. 

Does Boost Points Offer Good Value?

Boost Points can be thought of as an “always-on” Buy Points promotion, with varying limits depending on how many Aeroplan points you’ve earned through eligible sources over the past month.

However, the 10–30% discounts that we’re currently seeing don’t really move the needle on the value proposition of effectively buying points straight from the program, because the standard price point of 3cpp is fairly expensive. 

Earning Aeroplan points this way should only be thought of as a last resort, to be used if you urgently need points and can’t pursue the many cheaper but slower acquisition methods like credit card welcome bonuses. 

Indeed, the existing Buy Points feature often comes with promotions of up to 80–100%, especially around special occasions like Valentine’s Day or Black Friday.I’m surprised that Aeroplan hasn’t chosen to offer a similarly elevated level of discount to celebrate the launch of Boost Points, instead only putting forth a meagre 30% maximum. 

If you’re interested in acquiring points directly from the program, I’d definitely recommend waiting for one of the regular points sales to come around with a higher discount to the standard 3cpp, rather than using Boost Points. 

I suppose Boost Points might come in handy if you’ve already reached your annual maximum purchase limit under Buy Points and need a further top-up. 

Alternatively, I’d like to see Aeroplan offer some interesting promotions with Boost Points in the future, such as limited-time bigger discounts of 80–100% or counting Boost Points towards Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD). 

As things stand, however, I can’t see myself wanting to take advantage of Boost Points for any reason in particular.

Conclusion

Aeroplan has added a Boost Points feature to its direct points transaction capabilities through Points.com.

Aeroplan members can multiply the eligible points they’ve earned over the past month by up to 5x at a preferential rate, although the initial discounts aren’t meaningful enough to make it worthwhile. 

I like the creativity behind the feature, however, and there should be ample room for Aeroplan to offer interesting twists on Boost Points in the future, so I’ll be waiting for that to happen before giving Boost Points a try.