American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card Review

With American Express' personal cards, you can see if you will be approved before you apply, without impacting your credit score. To make this decision, Amex runs a soft credit check instead of a hard credit check.

Most lenders perform a hard credit check when you apply for a new card, which can temporarily impact your credit score. A soft credit check, however, does not affect your credit score.

Instant decisions are only available for personal card applications and the soft credit check process is not available for applications done by phone. 

New American Express Aeroplan Reserve Cardmembers can earn a substantial amount of bonus Aeroplan points. They add up to over thousands of dollars in value when you combine your bonus points and card benefits! Unsurprisingly then, you'll find this card on our list of best sign-up bonus credit cards in Canada.

It can be tough stuffing everything you need into a carry-on all the time, but nobody likes those extra costs on checked baggage. Luckily, with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, you can get your first checked bag free on Air Canada flights for yourself and up to 8 accompanying guests. It's this perk along with other travel-oriented benefits, that make the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card one of the best travel credit cards in Canada.

Every 4 years, American Express Reserve Cardholders are eligible to receive up to $100 in statement credits for any NEXUS program application or renewal fees charged to their card. The four year period lasts from the initial card anniversary to the day before the fourth card anniversary date.

Earn a couple of valuable titles with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, granting you access to some exclusive perks.

Here are the types of status lifts you can expect:

Aeroplan Elite Status

Claim your Aeroplan Elite Status quickly by collecting 1,000 Status Qualifying Miles and a Status Qualifying Segment for every $5,000 of net purchases. Your Aeroplan Elite Status is what gets you access to perks like complimentary checked baggage allowance, Maple Leaf lounge access, eUpgrades, priority services, and priority awards.

Primary Cardholders who also have Aeroplan Elite Status can roll over up to 200,000 unused Status Qualifying Miles to help them qualify for Aeroplan status the next year.

Also available to Primary Cardholders with Aeroplan Elite Status, earn an extra 12 months to use eUpgrade credits, giving you a full 24 months of eligibility.

Avis President’s Club

Aeroplan and Avis have partnered together to offer a complimentary upgrade to the Avis President’s Club as long as you enroll for the status. This status offers free car rental upgrades and expedited services to qualifying cardholders.

If your departure flight takes off from Toronto Pearson airport, then the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card earns you Priority Travel Perks like Priority Security lane, complimentary valet, premium parking, priority taxi and limo loans, plus a discount on parking and car care.

If that wasn’t enough, this card also grants you the following:

• Priority Check-in
• Priority Boarding
• Priority Baggage Handling
• Priority Airport Standby
• Priority Airport Upgrades for yourself, your authorized users, and up to 8 travel companions on the same Air Canada flight

If you’re looking to relax before takeoff, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card also has you covered with airport lounge passes and access. These perks land this competitor a spot on our best lounge credit cards in Canada list.

Airport Lounge Priority Pass

The Priority Pass offers you membership into a network of over 1,600 airport lounges and experiences across the globe. Here, you’ll be pampered with premium amenities to make your airport stay tranquil rather than stressful. With this card in particular, you’ll only receive the pass, which means you’ll still need to pay for entry each visit.

Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafes

Basic Cardmembers and eligible Supplementary Cardmembers will receive complimentary access to any Air Canada Cafe and Maple Leaf Lounge located in both Canada and the United States – including international terminals. Cardmembers are allowed 1 complimentary guest to accompany them at participating lounges and cafes.

When you spend $25,000 in net purchases before hitting your card anniversary date, you’re entitled to one Annual Worldwide Companion Pass. This pass allows you to purchase an accompanying Air Canada economy ticket for a travel companion. The ticket must have a base fare of at least $99 to up to $599.

For a limited time, with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, get an additional free night’s stay for every 3 hotel nights redeemed using Aeroplan points. 

It’s no secret that the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card’s annual fee is quite steep, making it less affordable for some applicants. That said, if you plan to meet the card’s minimum spending requirements, and to take advantage of all the perks on offer, then you should be able to offset the annual cost

If you were hoping to earn extra points on more popular everyday spending categories like groceries and gas, there are other competing Aeroplan point cards that meet this expectation. 

With the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, you get the most rewards through dining purchases (which is helpful since restaurant bills are expensive), plus Air Canada travel. If this simply doesn’t cover your high-spend categories, you might find a better contender later on when we compare the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card to other competing credit cards.

At this point, you might have heard about American Express having a low acceptance rate compared to other networks like Mastercard or Visa. This is important to note especially if you’re a traveller, because some places, particularly in Europe, are less likely to accept an Amex card.