Buying Air Canada Aeroplan points

[Bazzi]

It might be married segments… the LHR-SIN may not be available on its own, but only part of the LHR-SYD trip.

Best thing to do is call aeroplan. Find availability you want for LHR-SIN, then call and effect the change.

Yes, they are married segments but there is currently availability for the LHR SIN sector. If that availability disappears online, will the Aeroplan agent be able to cancel the SIN SYD sector or would a seat still need to be available for the LHR SIN sector?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, they are married segments but there is currently availability for the LHR SIN sector. If that availability disappears online, will the Aeroplan agent be able to cancel the SIN SYD sector or would a seat still need to be available for the LHR SIN sector?

Seat needs to be available LHR-SIN. You cannot ordinarily break married segments.

 

[drron]

And some large cancellation fees.

 

[Bazzi]

Thanks MEL_traveller and drron

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And some large cancellation fees.

CAD150… which is not too bad compared to Lifemiles!

And the bonus is that the last one I had to cancel, I still got a hefty refund because of the taxes, like $150 back!

 

[drron]

I cancelled a J award on SQ SIN-BNE. The charges were a $CAD 900 cancellation fee but I got the taxes back

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I cancelled a J award on SQ SIN-BNE. The charges were a $CAD 900 cancellation fee but I got the taxes back

Something went wrong there

The fees are a standard CAD100 for changes, CAD150 for cancellation and full redeposit of miles.

Those fees are waived for the higher ‘latitude’ reward level, but the extra points required for that are basically the same as the $150 cancellation fee.

 

[anat0l]

I think this was answered upthread recently, but I'm being lazy and not manually searching:

When making a redemption, you're usually offered four pay level options of points and cash. One of them is the headline cost which you just selected - standard points and all the extras.

There's one option above that that is all points. Assumed bad value, as it always is for every programme out there.

The other two allow you to pay more money to spend less points (a bit like Part Avios Part Pay in BA system). Are these good value at all, unless you're starved for points? Rumour has it (or as I remember) that the value of "paying/purchasing" the extra points is the same as any prevailing promo, if applicable.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think this was answered upthread recently, but I'm being lazy and not manually searching:

When making a redemption, you're usually offered four pay level options of points and cash. One of them is the headline cost which you just selected - standard points and all the extras.

There's one option above that that is all points. Assumed bad value, as it always is for every programme out there.

The other two allow you to pay more money to spend less points (a bit like Part Avios Part Pay in BA system). Are these good value at all, unless you're starved for points? Rumour has it (or as I remember) that the value of "paying/purchasing" the extra points is the same as any prevailing promo, if applicable.

spot on.

 

[anat0l]

spot on.

I should probably add then, is the rate "from the promo" at the highest tier (e.g. 100% in some promos), or the lowest (because if you had gone to purchase that extra number of points, it probably wouldn't make it to a bonus tier)?

In the worst, latter case, it probably wouldn't be great value, especially if you sustain yourself in Aeroplan by purchasing points mainly, unless you were in a real hurry.

In the best, former case, when there is a promo on, if you can spot a few more dollars, this saves you a trip to the Buy Points portal, while you still get great value and without affecting your annual limit.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I should probably add then, is the rate "from the promo" at the highest tier (e.g. 100% in some promos), or the lowest (because if you had gone to purchase that extra number of points, it probably wouldn't make it to a bonus tier)?

In the worst, latter case, it probably wouldn't be great value, especially if you sustain yourself in Aeroplan by purchasing points mainly, unless you were in a real hurry.

In the best, former case, when there is a promo on, if you can spot a few more dollars, this saves you a trip to the Buy Points portal, while you still get great value and without affecting your annual limit.

The difference - usually - between 95%, 90% or 85% bonus is a cent, or fractions of a cent. In the grand scheme of things, at that reduced points level + top up, I don’t think it makes much material difference. But worth doing the math before committing. Or do a dummy booking now to get an idea of the cost differences.

 

[drron]

Well $CAD900 was what I was charged. Possibly a QFF intern moved to Canada but it definitely was 900.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Well $CAD900 was what I was charged. Possibly a QFF intern moved to Canada but it definitely was 900.

Then perhaps send them an email.

The cancellation fees are published on line, the max is $150 and has been that way for years.

The fee is reduced for top tiers, but $150 is the max.

They’ll have a record of the charge and be able to look into it. Didn’t it strike you as excessive at the time?

 

[drron]

It was for an SQ flight which might make a difference. The taxes were refunded immediately then had to pay the 900. It appears as such on my Amex.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It was for an SQ flight which might make a difference. The taxes were refunded immediately then had to pay the 900. It appears as such on my Amex.

No difference for refunding a partner award. Those are the ones I use exclusively and the charge is CAD150.

The refund fees are set out in a table on the aeroplan website.

I’d be going after your several hundred dollars!!

Aeroplan Flight Reward Policy

www.aircanada.com

See para 27 for the fees.

The maximum fee for cancellation is CAD150 whether partner airline or air Canada.

 

[I love to travel]

@drron if you fully paid for the flights with points something has gone amiss here. I have cancelled multiple SQ flights. How many sectors?

 

[drron]

Looks like I was dudded. It was just 1 sector SIN -BNE.

 

[Bazzi]

I agree with MEL-traveller, when I looked at changing the SQ LHR SYD sector to SQ LHR SIN I went through the ‘change flight’ process and the cancellation fee was only CAD$150.

As I mentioned, I am very new to Aeroplan so this might be in the T&Cs.
Interestingly, when I originally made the SYD LHR booking, the points required were 130k points and I was short 23k points so I purchased the extra points during the transaction for CAD$498. The current points required for LHR SIN are 93.5k. When I looked at dropping the SIN SYD sector, the new costing was 74k for LHR SIN which should have left me with 56k points but it seems as though they would take back the extra points I purchased in the form of a refund, less the CAD$150 cancellation fee as the refund total in points was only 30k.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I agree with MEL-traveller, when I looked at changing the SQ LHR SYD sector to SQ LHR SIN I went through the ‘change flight’ process and the cancellation fee was only CAD$150.

As I mentioned, I am very new to Aeroplan so this might be in the T&Cs.
Interestingly, when I originally made the SYD LHR booking, the points required were 130k points and I was short 23k points so I purchased the extra points during the transaction for CAD$498. The current points required for LHR SIN are 93.5k. When I looked at dropping the SIN SYD sector, the new costing was 74k for LHR SIN which should have left me with 56k points but it seems as though they would take back the extra points I purchased in the form of a refund, less the CAD$150 cancellation fee as the refund total in points was only 30k.

LHR- SIN is 92500 points. If you paid 130 originally, you’re due back 37500 points.

Purchased points are yours, aeroplan doesn’t take them back. Unless you used more dollars and fewer points. But either way, you get a full refund of the points and any taxes, minus the partner award fee of $30 and cancellation fee.