The complete guide to Aeroplan’s stopover and routing rules

Air Canada's Aeroplan program offers a lot of value.

Points are easy to earn as a transfer partner of several credit card currencies. While redemption rates flying Air Canada are now priced dynamically, the program has kept an award chart for partner-operated flights with very reasonable redemption rates in an age when other programs make no notice increases to partner redemption rates.

A little-known but intriguing perk of the Aeroplan program involves its routing and stopover rules. You can add a stopover on a one-way itinerary for just 5,000 Aeroplan points and another stopover on the way back with a round-trip booking, costing another 5,000 points.

Let's take a detailed look at Aeroplan's current routing and stopover rules, which will help you maximize your points for longer trips that hit more cities. Also, check out the sample itineraries below for ways to add great destinations as you plan your next trip.

Maximizing Aeroplan's routing rules

Routing rules dictate how you get from your origin to your destination. This isn't so important for nonstop flights, but it helps you understand the possibilities when booking connecting itineraries.

More often than not, you'll want to book the shortest itinerary possible. So, if you're flying from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) with your Aeroplan points, there's a good chance you'll book something like ORD to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to PRG on Lufthansa. This is quick and easy.

So, what's the point of learning about these rules? Simple: You can use them to book trips to destinations with limited award space and maximize them by adding long layovers (up to 24 hours) that give you a day in a new city.

Aeroplan's routing rules are powerful and surprisingly simple. This starts with the program's loosely defined award chart: Four regions are shown in the image below. Awards are priced (more on that soon) based on the regions you're traveling between and the total flight distance, including layovers and stopovers.

Aeroplan allows you to transit via another region — whether for a layover or a stopover. This means you can fly from New York City to New Delhi via Australia if you'd like. That said, you'll pay the points required for the total distance of the flights, as Aeroplan uses a combination of region-based and distance-based pricing.

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Related: How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value

Aeroplan lets you add one stopover to a one-way flight and two to a round-trip flight for 5,000 points each. All awards are priced as one-way tickets, so you can add an open jaw (arriving in one city and then departing from another) to your itinerary on round-trip tickets.

For example, if you wanted to fly from New York City to Norway, you could add a stopover in Frankfurt for up to 45 days for only 5,000 extra points.

Another way to think about this is if you plan to visit two destinations in a single region like the Atlantic in one trip, you can add a short-haul flight to the second destination for just 5,000 points, a terrific deal.

Aeroplan permits up to six segments on a one-way ticket operated by a partner airline. According to the airline, Air Canada-operated tickets will be subject to the airline's internal routing rules.

Unfortunately, you cannot add open jaws between stopovers or other connections. This means you can't enjoy a stopover in Tokyo and fly out of Osaka, Japan, to your final destination. The open jaw must take place after you've reached your final destination.

There's no limit on the number of carriers you can fly with. Likewise, nonalliance carriers like Etihad Airways and Emirates can be combined.

Restrictions to keep in mind

You cannot add stopovers within the U.S. or Canada. Likewise, you're limited to 12-hour layovers in these countries, so tours of the U.S. are out of the question for Aeroplan rewards.

Also, you cannot backtrack through the same airport after passing through. This means you can't fly from New York City to Frankfurt to Prague and back to Frankfurt. In most cases, this isn't a big deal.

Additionally, your routing needs to stay logical. You can't book itineraries with connections 100% longer than the direct distance between two cities. This means something like New York to Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt isn't bookable on a one-way ticket.

This is because the distance is more than twice that of a direct flight between New York and Frankfurt. On the other hand, something like New York to Abu Dhabi to New Delhi is bookable, as it's considered a logical route.

If you book tickets within a single zone, they must stay within it. This means you can't fly from London to Tokyo to Madrid. You can, however, book a trip from London to Frankfurt to Madrid.

Note that Air Canada's system decides what can and cannot be booked. This means you could still run into issues on more complex itineraries. If this happens, you can try politely ending the call and calling back for another representative. In some cases, however, you may need to change your booking.

How much do Aeroplan redemptions cost?

Pricing an Aeroplan itinerary is fairly simple. The award chart is broken into four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America. Each region has a distance-based award chart for flights to and from North America and other regions. You can view these award charts on the Aeroplan website.

Here's a look at the North America to Atlantic award chart. Remember, the Atlantic region covers Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East, everything from Greenland down to South Africa.

You'll notice that Air Canada flights have price ranges. This is because Air Canada now allows Aeroplan members to book all seats on a flight, so if you're booking a busy flight at the last minute, you're more likely to pay at the upper end of the range. Flights with standard "Saver" award space will price at the low end of the pricing spectrum.

To price an award, use a tool like Great Circle Mapper to find the total distance of your flight and compare the total miles flown to the award chart. For example, a partner flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), with a stopover at Zurich Airport (ZRH), clocks in at 9,157 miles. Under the North America to Atlantic award chart, this would cost 115,000 points in business class when you factor in the 5,000-point surcharge for adding a stopover.

Here are a few examples of bookable itineraries to illustrate just how powerful Aeroplan's routing rules are. These itineraries are bookable according to what we know about Aeroplan's routing rules:

• A tour of Europe: You could fly from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), with a stopover at Lisbon Airport (LIS) in Portugal, and then fly back from Prague to New York via a stopover in Frankfurt. This would allow you to properly visit Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic and Germany all in one trip on partner airlines. This could be booked for 85,000 points in economy, which includes the 10,000-point cost for the two stopovers.
• A tour of Asia: You could fly in economy from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), with a stopover in Seoul, South Korea's Incheon International Airport (ICN) on the way there and Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) on the way back, for 130,000 Aeroplan points.
• A visit to India via Asia, returning to Europe: As India is considered part of the Atlantic zone and has lower pricing than the Pacific award chart, you could book a trip from LAX to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), with a stopover at ICN, and then return to LAX, with a stopover at Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) in Poland, for just 150,000 Aeroplan points per person.

You can book a stopover online using the multicity tool by entering the stopover airport you wish to visit.

If you're having issues with this, especially if your itinerary is complex, it's a good idea to search for your flights one at a time for each segment and then try to compile them later. You can do this on Air Canada's website or with your favorite Star Alliance search tool.

After finding the flights you want, if you can't accomplish what you want online, you can call Air Canada to book. A representative should be able to piece it together for you.

How to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points

If you want to boost your Aeroplan balance, consider applying for the Aeroplan® Credit Card. Applicants can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Plus, new cardholders will earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months of account opening. You can read our full review of the Aeroplan card here to learn more about its benefits.

Air Canada's Aeroplan program is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Other than Marriott, transfers from these other programs are at a 1:1 ratio and should occur immediately.

Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to Aeroplan are at a 3:1 ratio. Additionally, you'll get a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.

Here are some of the best welcome offers on credit cards you can transfer to Aeroplan points:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening, plus a $300 travel statement credit
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Bottom line

Aeroplan's routing and stopover rules are unique and lucrative. Using the information presented here, you can create complex itineraries that let you stretch your Aeroplan points to see more of the world.

Bookmark this article and refer to it when booking upcoming itineraries with Aeroplan. Now, you can even book stopovers online, leading to incredible savings without spending valuable time waiting for an Air Canada representative on hold.