As I’ve posted before, you can convert your Aeroplan points into US Airways points at a 1:0.84 ratio through Points.com. When converting points, you’re allowed to transfer a maximum of 100,000 points in a year. Today’s Sunday Reader Question (asked by a reader who recognized me on a flight!) is: Should I convert my Aeroplan points to USDM/AA?
There are a bunch of great Canadian fares roaming around, but the following catch my attention:
– Vancouver YVR – Shanghai PVG $488 on Delta
Award tickets have value – there’s the cost of the taxes and fees and the value of the points redeemed. Wouldn’t it be great if you could apply the value of your Aeroplan ticket as a tax deduction? Canadian law, nor the CRA, provides much guidance on this matter. However, a 2010 case at the Tax Court of Canada, Johnson v Canada, provides some guidance on how award redemptions may be used as a deduction on taxes.
A while ago, I booked a trip between Sydney SYD and Nuku’Alofa (Tonga) TBU using Aeroplan. On Star Alliance, the only routing available is via Auckland AKL on Air New Zealand, and only in economy (Air New Zealand barely releases business inventory to partner airlines – however, you can typically find one business seat on Shanghai PVG to Auckland AKL). Unfortunately, the AKL-TBU segment is extremely challenging to get two seats on, so I was pretty lucky that I got dates that worked for my itinerary.
On a recent Aeroplan pricing error, I booked two passengers between Toronto to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines business for a total of 100,000 points. Since the pricing error was short lived, I didn’t do any research or make any plans prior to booking. Now that my trip is a month out, my travel companion and I sat down last night to figure out a plan.
The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite offer, with 25,000 Aeroplan points and first year free (FYF) has come back. If you apply for the card through Great Canadian Rebates, you'll also get a $50 cheque mailed to you.
