Yes—you can earn Aeroplan 25K entirely from eligible credit-card spending. Under the rules for activity from January 1, 2026, an Aeroplan premium card earns 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $5,000 of eligible purchases, while a core card earns 1,000 SQC for every $20,000. Card-generated SQC are limited to a combined 25,000 per member per calendar year, across all Aeroplan cards and issuers. Because 25K requires 25,000 SQC, a premium card can reach that tier with $125,000 of eligible spend (or a core card with $500,000). Higher tiers require SQC from flights or other qualifying activity.
The current thresholds and earning rules are published on Aeroplan’s status page. This guide shows the math, what counts, how to plan a calendar year, and where card spending stops being sufficient.
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What changed for 2026 qualification
Air Canada moved to a single SQC-based path for Aeroplan Elite Status. Activity is measured from January 1 through December 31, and your status level is determined by the SQC you accumulate during that calendar year. The change was announced on August 6, 2025, and applies to eligible activity beginning January 1, 2026.
| Elite level | SQC required in the calendar year |
|---|---|
| Aeroplan 25K | 25,000 |
| Aeroplan 35K | 35,000 |
| Aeroplan 50K | 50,000 |
| Aeroplan 75K | 75,000 |
| Super Elite | 125,000 |
These are program thresholds, not a spend requirement by themselves. SQC can come from eligible card purchases, Air Canada flights and other qualifying travel or everyday partners. The card portion has its own annual ceiling.
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How Aeroplan credit-card spending earns SQC
| Card category | Published earning rate | Spend for 1,000 SQC | Maximum card SQC per member per calendar year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Aeroplan card | 1,000 SQC per $5,000 of eligible spend | $5,000 | 25,000 combined across all Aeroplan cards and issuers |
| Core Aeroplan card | 1,000 SQC per $20,000 of eligible spend | $20,000 |
The 25,000 figure is a cap on SQC generated by cards, not a cap on your total SQC. Once the card maximum is reached, eligible flights and partner activity can continue adding credits.
Premium-card calculation
At the published premium rate, every $5,000 of eligible purchases produces 1,000 SQC. Reaching the full card allowance therefore takes $125,000 in eligible premium-card spend: 25 blocks of $5,000 multiplied by 1,000 SQC. Spending beyond the amount that produces 25,000 card SQC does not create additional card SQC in that calendar year.
Core-card calculation
A core card produces 1,000 SQC for each $20,000 of eligible purchases. Reaching 25,000 card SQC requires $500,000 of eligible core-card spend. The same 25,000 combined cap applies even if you hold several core cards or combine core and premium cards.
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Combining cards
The program measures the 25,000 maximum per member, not separately for each account. For example, $50,000 of eligible premium spend corresponds to 10,000 SQC at the published rate, and $100,000 of eligible core spend corresponds to 5,000 SQC. Together, those amounts produce 15,000 card SQC, leaving 10,000 of the member-wide card allowance for the year. Opening another Aeroplan card does not create a second 25,000-SQC allowance.
What counts as eligible card spending
The rates apply to eligible net purchases. The exact definition, posting rules and exclusions are set out in the terms for the particular card and issuer. The official TD Aeroplan benefits page, for example, describes the common annual maximum that applies across issuers.
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Before forecasting SQC, check the terms for your exact product for:
- Which transactions qualify as net purchases.
- Excluded transaction types, credits, returns or adjustments.
- When a purchase is considered posted for SQC purposes.
- Whether a product change uses a different earning construct.
- What happens if the account is closed or is not in good standing.
A card account that is closed, changed to another product or not in good standing may stop accumulating SQC or earn under a different arrangement. Do not assume that every dollar appearing on a statement is eligible simply because it was charged to an Aeroplan-branded card.
Can you earn Aeroplan 25K without flying?
Yes. Aeroplan 25K requires 25,000 SQC, and the card allowance itself can supply all 25,000. The arithmetic is:
- Premium card: $125,000 of eligible purchases at 1,000 SQC per $5,000.
- Core card: $500,000 of eligible purchases at 1,000 SQC per $20,000.
This answers the narrow “without flying” question, but it is not a recommendation to manufacture spending or carry a balance. Interest, fees, returns and excluded transactions can make a strategy uneconomic, and the card terms—not the headline rate—determine whether a purchase qualifies.
Why card spending cannot reach the higher tiers by itself
The card mechanism tops out at 25,000 SQC per member in a calendar year. That is exactly the 25K threshold, but it is below every higher threshold.
| Target status | Total SQC required | Additional SQC after a full 25,000-card allowance |
|---|---|---|
| 25K | 25,000 | 0 |
| 35K | 35,000 | 10,000 |
| 50K | 50,000 | 25,000 |
| 75K | 75,000 | 50,000 |
| Super Elite | 125,000 | 100,000 |
The additional amount must come from eligible flying or other activities recognized by Aeroplan. Card spending can be the foundation of a plan for 35K or above, but it cannot be the entire plan.
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A practical calculation method for your own spending
Use a calendar-year worksheet rather than a monthly guess. Keep separate running totals for premium-card and core-card eligible purchases, then convert each total at its applicable rate. Stop the card calculation at the member-wide 25,000-SQC ceiling.
- Identify the product category. Confirm whether each account is classified as premium or core under the current Aeroplan terms.
- Estimate eligible net purchases. Exclude transactions that the issuer’s terms exclude, and allow for returns or credits that reduce eligible spend.
- Convert the totals. Divide premium eligible spend by $5,000 and core eligible spend by $20,000, applying the published 1,000-SQC unit to each rate. Use exact posted amounts from your account records rather than an expected statement total.
- Apply the combined ceiling. Add the card-derived SQC from every Aeroplan card and stop at 25,000 for the member and calendar year.
- Compare with the status threshold. Any amount above 25,000 must be earned through qualifying travel or partner activity.
Worked examples
| Eligible spending pattern | Premium-card SQC | Core-card SQC | Combined card SQC |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 premium spend | 5,000 | 0 | 5,000 |
| $50,000 premium spend plus $100,000 core spend | 10,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| $125,000 premium spend | 25,000 | 0 | 25,000 cap reached |
| $500,000 core spend | 0 | 25,000 | 25,000 cap reached |
The examples show the conversion rates, not a promise that an issuer will award credits for every transaction in those totals. Eligibility, posting and account status remain governed by the card’s terms.
How to build a 2026 status plan
1. Start with the status you actually want
Set a target of 25K, 35K, 50K, 75K or Super Elite before choosing a spending goal. If your target is 25K, card spending may be sufficient. If it is higher, reserve part of the target for flights or other qualifying activity from the beginning.
2. Confirm the card’s category and terms
Do not infer the category from the card’s annual fee, welcome materials or a points-earning rate. Verify the current Aeroplan benefit terms for the specific product. Pay particular attention to eligible net purchases, exclusions and the treatment of account changes.
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3. Set a conservative eligible-spend forecast
Use recurring expenses you would otherwise pay, and discount the forecast for refunds, credits and purchases that may be excluded. A $125,000 premium target is a large annual amount; a realistic forecast may leave you below the 25,000-card maximum, in which case the shortfall must be covered elsewhere.
4. Track the member-wide total
If you hold multiple Aeroplan cards, maintain one ledger for all of them. The 25,000 limit is combined across cards and issuers, so a second account changes where spend is posted but not the maximum card SQC available to you.
5. Reconcile after statements post
Compare posted eligible purchases with the SQC credited to your Aeroplan account. Investigate returns, account changes or transactions that the terms classify differently before assuming the annual threshold has been met.
6. Plan the non-card portion early
For a goal above 25K, calculate the remaining SQC after your card forecast and schedule qualifying activity before the end of December. Waiting until the final weeks can leave too little time for a flight to post or for a transaction to be corrected.
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For eligible Air Canada flights taken on or after January 1, 2026, SQC are calculated from the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges. Taxes, fees and third-party charges are excluded, and Basic fares do not earn SQC.
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| Eligible Air Canada fare | SQC rate | Included fare components |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Standard | 2 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
| Economy Flex | 4 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
| Economy Comfort | 4 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
| Economy Latitude | 4 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
| Premium Economy | 4 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
| Business | 4 SQC per eligible dollar | Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges |
The “per dollar” calculation is based on the eligible fare amount under the program rules, not the all-in amount charged at checkout. Keep the fare breakdown when estimating a trip, because taxes and other excluded amounts do not contribute.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Partner activity and the official conversion example
Eligible travel and everyday partners can also contribute SQC under Aeroplan’s program rules. Aeroplan describes a separate partner cap; the applicable partner limits and eligible activities should be checked on the current status page before using a partner activity in a qualification forecast.
Aeroplan’s own illustration shows how one hotel booking can convert points into SQC: a member earns 798 base points and 1,197 bonus points, and receives 160 SQC because 798 divided by 5 equals 159.6, rounded up to 160. The conversion applies only to base points, not the bonus points. This is the program’s example, not a guaranteed result for every booking.
The 2027 premium-card Head Start
Aeroplan announced a 10% Head Start beginning in 2027 for eligible primary holders of Aeroplan premium cards who also hold Elite Status. The bonus is based on the member’s total SQC from the prior calendar year.
For the first benefit, Aeroplan says the member must be an active primary premium-card holder by December 15, 2026, and hold at least 25K status on February 15, 2027. The first Head Start is therefore a future 2027 benefit; it is not an additional SQC deposit that can be counted toward your 2026 total. Details and updates are in Air Canada’s September 2026 Elite updates.
Common mistakes that derail a card-based plan
- Treating the cap as an account-by-account allowance. The maximum is 25,000 card SQC per member, combined across Aeroplan cards and issuers.
- Counting the full statement balance. Only eligible net purchases under the issuer’s terms count; returns, credits and exclusions can reduce the qualifying amount.
- Assuming Basic fares earn flight SQC. Basic fares do not earn SQC under the 2026 flight rules.
- Using the ticket total instead of the eligible fare. Taxes, fees and third-party charges are excluded from the Air Canada flight calculation.
- Ignoring account status. Closing, changing or allowing a card account to fall out of good standing can stop or change SQC accumulation.
- Waiting until year-end. SQC accumulate by calendar year, so a purchase or flight that posts after December 31 belongs to the next qualification year.
- Counting Head Start in the wrong year. The 2027 benefit is based on prior-year SQC and has its own eligibility dates; it does not increase the 2026 card cap.
How to evaluate an Aeroplan card for status purposes
The premium-versus-core rate is only one decision factor. When comparing eligible Aeroplan cards, evaluate the following in the same order as your own use:
- SQC category and rate: confirm whether the product is premium or core and apply the corresponding $5,000 or $20,000 spend unit.
- Eligible-purchase definition: read the issuer’s exclusions and posting rules.
- Member-wide cap: remember that every Aeroplan card contributes to the same 25,000 annual card maximum.
- Account terms: check what happens after a product change, closure or loss of good standing.
- Total card value: assess fees, insurance, welcome offers, eligibility and other benefits separately from SQC. The SQC rate alone does not establish that one card is the better financial choice.
- Head Start eligibility: if you plan for 2027, verify whether the primary-card and Elite Status conditions apply to you.
There is no evidence that a higher SQC rate makes a card worthwhile for every household. A status strategy should use spending you can afford to pay in full and should account for the card’s complete terms.
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Credit-card spending can independently deliver Aeroplan 25K: $125,000 of eligible premium-card purchases or $500,000 of eligible core-card purchases reaches the 25,000-SQC card ceiling. The ceiling is shared across all Aeroplan cards and issuers. To earn 35K, 50K, 75K or Super Elite, use the card allowance as one component and earn the remaining SQC through eligible flights or other qualifying activity. Track eligible net purchases and calendar-year posting dates against the exact terms of each account, and treat the 2027 Head Start as a separate future benefit rather than 2026 qualification credit.
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