I have just received an email from Air Canadas frequent flyer program, where they claim that they are now making the rewards more flexible.
The email reads as follows:
I’m pleased to share some changes designed to make Aeroplan more flexible and member friendly. We’re excited to introduce a new, more rewarding loyalty program next year, and in the meantime, we’re committed to listening to you and implementing improvements like the ones below. With this in mind, the following changes take effect immediately:
Complimentary, full refunds within 24 hours of booking
Travel plans can change, so Aeroplan members will now be able to cancel and refund Flight Rewards for free within 24 hours of booking.
Option to refund your Flight Reward up to 2 hours before departure
Aeroplan members can now cancel and refund their Flight Reward booking for a fee up until 2 hours prior to departure. Rather than keeping cancelled tickets open for future travel, Aeroplan Miles, taxes and fees will be refunded, and members may book new tickets anytime in the future, delivering greater flexibility than before.
Reduction of the aeroplan.com Refund Fee
Aeroplan will lower the Refund Fee to $125 for refunds completed via aeroplan.com, and eligible members will continue to enjoy a lower fee amount, where applicable.
New for Air Canada Altitude Super Elite 100K members: Complimentary changes and refunds
Now, Altitude Super Elite 100K members will no longer be charged a fee when they request a change to their Flight Reward booking, or when they refund their bookings.
Being transparent is essential to us, so it’s also important to share that we’re temporarily suspending two features of the Aeroplan Program later this year. In both cases, these changes will allow us to make important system upgrades to deliver better service and offer new, more flexible stopover options with the launch of our new loyalty program. Furthermore, they affect less than 0.3% of all Flight Rewards booked each year:
Multi-City Flight Reward Bookings
Beginning September 1, 2019, members can continue to make Flight Reward bookings to multiple cities, but they will be limited to a maximum of one stopover or one open jaw, in addition to the point-of-turnaround. As today, for travel within the same continent (except for travel wholly within North America**), one open jaw is permitted but stopovers are not permitted.
Around the World Flight Rewards
Around the World Flight Rewards will be discontinued as of September 1, 2019.
Click here to learn more about these changes, and thank you for your continued loyalty.
Sincerely,