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For 2026, Canadian Aeroplan cards earn status-qualifying credits (SQC) only after you reach the applicable eligible-spend threshold: 1,000 SQC for each $5,000 on an eligible premium card or 1,000 SQC for each $20,000 on an eligible core card. Card-derived SQC is capped at 25,000 per Aeroplan member per calendar year across all Aeroplan cards and issuers.
The reliable way to track progress is to identify your country and exact card, total eligible net purchases rather than every statement dollar, count completed thresholds, and reconcile the resulting SQC with your Aeroplan account after the card’s posting cycle. The Canadian TD terms reviewed for 2026 award the credit at the end of the next billing period after a threshold is met, so individual purchases should not be expected to appear as SQC immediately.
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The 2026 Canadian Aeroplan spending rules
Air Canada’s 2026 status information separates card spending into premium and core card benefits. The thresholds below apply to eligible Canadian products described on the current program and issuer pages, not automatically to every card that earns Aeroplan points.
| Card benefit | Eligible spending required | SQC awarded | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium card | $5,000 | 1,000 SQC | That your exact card is included as an eligible premium product and how the issuer defines net purchases |
| Core card | $20,000 | 1,000 SQC | That your exact card is included as an eligible core product and which transactions are excluded |
| All eligible Aeroplan cards combined | Not a separate spending tier | Up to 25,000 card-derived SQC per member per calendar year | The cap applies cumulatively across cards and issuers |
The $5,000 and $20,000 figures are program thresholds for 2026, not general points-earning rates. A card can earn Aeroplan points on a transaction without that transaction necessarily being eligible for SQC. Read the benefit language for the specific product before projecting status progress.
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What the annual cap means
The 25,000-SQC ceiling is shared by the member, not assigned separately to each card. Opening or using another Aeroplan card does not create another 25,000-credit allowance. Once the combined card-derived credits reach the calendar-year limit, additional eligible card spend cannot produce more card-derived SQC for that year, although it may still earn ordinary points under the card’s rewards terms.
As arithmetic illustrations, reaching 25,000 SQC entirely through a 1,000-per-$5,000 benefit would require 25 completed thresholds, or $125,000 of eligible spending. Reaching the same ceiling entirely through a 1,000-per-$20,000 benefit would require $500,000. Those calculations do not change the issuer’s eligibility rules and should not be treated as a recommendation to spend toward the cap.
Start by identifying your market and card
Aeroplan status-credit rules are not universal. The Canadian page lists the 2026 premium and core thresholds and the shared annual cap. Air Canada’s United States page describes different rules for U.S.-issued cards, including a 5,000-SQC annual bonus for eligible members and product-specific spending thresholds. Because the U.S. page does not establish one threshold that applies to every U.S. card, do not use the Canadian ratios for a U.S. account.
| Account location | What is established | How to track |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2026 premium and core ratios, plus a 25,000 combined card-derived SQC cap | Use the benefit for your exact Canadian card and the issuer’s eligible-net-purchase definition |
| United States | A 5,000-SQC annual bonus for eligible members and card-specific spend thresholds | Use the exact U.S. product terms; do not import Canadian thresholds |
Before entering a number in a tracker, record the issuing country, issuer, card product, card tier if the terms use one, and the calendar year. If you hold more than one card, record each product separately and maintain one combined SQC total so the shared cap is visible.
Which purchases count toward the threshold?
The relevant base is eligible spending under the card’s status benefit, not simply the total shown on a monthly statement. The Canadian TD terms reviewed specify net purchases: eligible purchases after the applicable returns and credits are taken into account. Other issuers can define eligible purchases differently, so their exclusions and adjustments control your calculation.
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Use eligible net purchases, not gross authorizations
A purchase that is later returned should not remain in your qualifying total when the terms require returns to be deducted. The same applies to credits that reverse or reduce a purchase. Keep a running total that can be adjusted when a return posts rather than treating the original authorization as permanently qualifying.
Separate ordinary points from status credits
Rewards points and SQC are different transaction types. A transaction may earn points under a card’s rewards schedule while failing the status-benefit definition, and SQC may post later than the points. Your tracker should therefore have a column for eligible spend and another for SQC actually credited.
Include additional cardholders only under the account rules
Spending by a secondary cardholder on the account may contribute to the primary member’s qualifying total when the applicable card terms allow it. Do not assume that a secondary cardholder creates a separate SQC account or a separate annual cap. Confirm how the issuer attributes that spending before combining it with the primary cardholder’s purchases.
Do not invent exclusions
The available program information does not provide one universal list of merchant categories, cash-like transactions, fees, interest, balance transfers, or other exclusions. Instead of guessing, copy the issuer’s definition of eligible net purchases into your notes and flag transactions that the terms exclude. If the terms are unclear, ask the issuer before relying on the transaction for status planning.
Calculate your progress in completed thresholds
For a Canadian card, calculate qualifying progress as:
Eligible net purchases ÷ the card’s threshold, rounded down to completed thresholds = threshold count.
Multiply the completed-threshold count by 1,000 SQC, then stop when your combined card-derived SQC reaches the 25,000 annual cap. A partial threshold is useful for your next milestone but does not become a partial SQC award under the stated benefit.
Illustrative premium-card calculation
| Eligible net purchases in the relevant year | Completed $5,000 thresholds | Calculated card-derived SQC before the annual cap |
|---|---|---|
| $4,999 | 0 | 0 |
| $5,000 | 1 | 1,000 |
| $12,400 | 2 | 2,000 |
| $125,000 | 25 | 25,000, subject to the member cap |
These are mathematical examples using the 2026 premium ratio. Your account can show a different result if a transaction is not eligible, a return reduces the net total, another card has already generated SQC, or the product terms use a different measurement period.
Illustrative core-card calculation
| Eligible net purchases in the relevant year | Completed $20,000 thresholds | Calculated card-derived SQC before the annual cap |
|---|---|---|
| $19,999 | 0 | 0 |
| $20,000 | 1 | 1,000 |
| $48,500 | 2 | 2,000 |
| $500,000 | 25 | 25,000, subject to the member cap |
The core examples use the 2026 core ratio solely to show the rounding method. They are not a forecast of how quickly a particular account will post credits.
When you use more than one card
Calculate each card using its own benefit, add the SQC that each product generates, and compare the combined result with 25,000 for the calendar year. For example, if one eligible card produces 3,000 SQC and another produces 2,000, your card-derived total is 5,000, not 5,000 on each card. Keep a separate spend ledger for each account so a return or product change can be traced to the correct calculation.
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Build a tracker that can be reconciled to your account
A spreadsheet is sufficient; the important feature is that every amount can be traced to a statement and then to the Aeroplan account. Use one row per statement period or transaction batch, depending on how much detail you need.
| Column | What to record |
|---|---|
| Calendar year | The year in which the purchase is being measured |
| Country and issuer | Canada or United States and the card issuer |
| Card product and tier | The exact product name and premium/core designation, if applicable |
| Statement period | The billing period containing the posted purchase or adjustment |
| Gross purchases | Purchases that appear on the statement before adjustments |
| Returns and credits | Reductions required by the card terms |
| Eligible net purchases | The amount you actually use for the threshold calculation |
| Completed thresholds | Whole thresholds reached after adding the eligible net amount |
| Expected SQC | Thresholds multiplied by the card’s stated SQC amount |
| Posted SQC | The credit visible in your Aeroplan account |
| Reconciliation note | Posting date, adjustment, or support case reference |
A practical monthly routine
- Save the statement. At the end of each billing period, download or retain the statement that lists posted purchases, returns, and credits.
- Apply the issuer’s definition. Remove transactions that the card’s status terms exclude and subtract returns or credits where required.
- Update the running total. Add eligible net purchases to that card’s year-to-date amount, then calculate only newly completed thresholds.
- Update the member total. Add expected SQC from every eligible Aeroplan card and check the 25,000 calendar-year ceiling.
- Allow for posting. For the Canadian TD terms reviewed, look for the credit after the billing period following the period in which the threshold was met, rather than immediately after each purchase.
- Reconcile the account. Compare posted SQC in Aeroplan with the expected amount and record any difference before the next statement arrives.
Tracking by statement period prevents a common mistake: counting a pending authorization in one month and then counting the same purchase again when it posts. Use posted transactions and retain the statement that supports each adjustment.
When should card-derived SQC appear?
SQC is not necessarily a transaction-by-transaction reward. Under the Canadian TD terms reviewed for 2026, the award is made at the end of the next credit-card billing period after the spending threshold is met. A purchase that completes a threshold can therefore remain absent from the Aeroplan account until that later cycle finishes.
This timing is product-specific. The available information does not establish one posting schedule for every Canadian issuer, nor does it establish a universal live spend tracker or a particular mobile-app label. Treat the issuer’s terms as the timing authority, and use your own statement closing dates to estimate when a completed threshold should be reviewed.
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- Identify the statement period in which your eligible net purchases first crossed a complete threshold.
- Note the end date of the following billing period if your product uses the Canadian TD timing described above.
- After that period, review the SQC activity or balance in your Aeroplan account.
- Compare the posted amount with your card ledger, including any returns, credits, and SQC already earned from other cards.
What to do when expected SQC is missing
First determine whether the problem concerns points or status credits. Aeroplan’s missing-transactions guidance treats those as different transaction types, and a request for missing points may not address missing SQC.
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Check the account and the timing
- Confirm that the threshold was completed using eligible net purchases, not gross statement activity.
- Check whether a return or account credit reduced the qualifying amount below the threshold.
- Confirm that the expected billing cycle has ended for your product.
- Review your Aeroplan account for the SQC entry rather than looking only at the card’s points summary.
- Check the combined card-derived total for the year; credits may have reached the 25,000 member cap through another Aeroplan card or issuer.
Contact the correct support channel
If eligible SQC is still absent after the applicable posting period, contact the Aeroplan Contact Centre using the support route for missing SQC. Have the card statement, threshold calculation, transaction dates, returns or credits, and the Aeroplan account details available so the representative can distinguish a missing status credit from a missing points transaction.
Do not use a form intended for a 2025 SQD discrepancy to report a 2026 card-spend SQC issue. The transaction type and program year need to match the support process.
How U.S. cardholders should avoid a Canadian-rule mistake
U.S.-issued Chase Aeroplan cards are governed by U.S. product terms. Air Canada’s U.S. information describes a 5,000-SQC annual bonus for eligible members and spending thresholds that depend on the particular product. It does not support applying the Canadian $5,000 premium or $20,000 core ratio to every U.S. card.
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Keep future-year benefits separate from 2026 spending
Air Canada’s status page discusses a 2027 premium-card Head Start benefit worth 10% for eligible primary cardholders who requalify. That is a future-year benefit and is not additional 2026 SQC earned from current card spending. Do not add it to a 2026 spend ledger or use it to predict a current-year posting.
Common tracking errors and the fix for each
| Error | Why it causes a wrong result | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Using every dollar on the statement | The status benefit is based on eligible purchases, and some terms require netting returns and credits | Apply the exact issuer definition before counting spend |
| Expecting SQC after each purchase | Credits can be awarded after a billing-cycle threshold event | Track the threshold date and review after the applicable posting period |
| Giving each card its own 25,000 allowance | The annual cap is cumulative per member across Aeroplan cards and issuers | Maintain one combined card-derived SQC total |
| Mixing Canadian and U.S. ratios | The markets use different benefits and product rules | Identify the issuing country before calculating |
| Counting a return permanently | A later credit can reduce eligible net purchases below a threshold | Post the return in the same ledger and recalculate completed thresholds |
| Filing a points request for an SQC problem | Points and status credits are separate transaction types | Use the missing-SQC support route and describe the status-credit issue |
| Adding the 2027 Head Start benefit to 2026 totals | The benefit is future-year and conditional on requalification | Keep it outside the current-year spend calculation |
A final checklist for each statement
- Is the account Canadian or U.S.-issued?
- Did you record the exact card product and applicable benefit?
- Did you count posted eligible net purchases rather than pending or gross amounts?
- Did you subtract returns and credits required by the terms?
- How many complete thresholds did the running total reach?
- Have other Aeroplan cards already contributed to the 25,000 annual card-derived cap?
- Has the product’s required billing period ended?
- Does the Aeroplan account show the expected SQC, as distinct from ordinary points?
- If not, do you have the statements and calculation ready for the Aeroplan Contact Centre?
Use the current Air Canada status information and your issuer’s benefit terms whenever you update the tracker. Thresholds, eligible-purchase definitions, posting rules, and card eligibility can change, while the figures above describe the 2026 rules identified for the applicable products.
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