Air Canada Aeroplan is sending out advanced notice of some upcoming changes to the program’s general Terms and Conditions. The changes will be effective February 2024 as they look to curb the fraud and misuse of family sharing.
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Air CanadaSummary of Aeroplan Terms and Conditions changes
Summary of revisions as provided by Aeroplan:
- We have clarified some terms with respect to Aeroplan Accounts, including that attempts to register more than one account using different email addresses or other identification methods are prohibited.
- We have clarified that a member may be eligible to create or join a Family Pool and have clarified that how we handle fraud in a Family Pool also applies when a Family Member has undertaken actual or suspected fraudulent or illicit activity.
- The time period after which we may close an inactive Aeroplan Account and terminate Aeroplan Membership has been shortened to three consecutive years.
- We have added some terms regarding the earning of new card bonuses on our cobrand Aeroplan credit cards.
- We have added some terms that prohibit the participation in our program via script, macro or other automated means.
- We have clarified some terms regarding our handling of prohibited activity or suspected prohibited activity in the program, including that we have the right to audit Members’ Accounts at any time and without notice to verify compliance with our Terms and Conditions.
Expanded details of key changes
Here are the key changes to the terms that everyone should be aware of (numbers corresponds with the summary above):
1. You can only enroll in the Aeroplan Program once, individually, using your full legal name exactly as it appears on your passport or if you don’t have a passport, on a government-issued identification. Each Member may only have one Account. Any attempt by an individual to register more than one Account by using the same or multiple different email addresses, identities, registrations, logins, or any other method(s), may void all Aeroplan Points that have been awarded or scheduled to be awarded to that Member, and that Member may be disqualified from participating in the Aeroplan Program or any aspect thereof.
2. Aeroplan reserves the right to request that you validate your family relationship with other Family Members at any time. If we suspect any untruthful, fraudulent or illicit activity related to a Pool or a Family Member in the Pool in any way, we may, at our sole discretion, in addition to all other rights and remedies available to us, temporarily or permanently prohibit any or all Family Members from participating in a Pool or from accumulating or redeeming Aeroplan Points, or we may suspend or terminate the Pool, any or all of the associated Aeroplan Memberships and close any or all of the associated Accounts.
4. In connection with a New Card Bonus being made available for becoming a holder of an Aeroplan Credit Card, such New Card Bonus is intended as an incentive for a Member to become a holder of an Aeroplan Credit Card where that Member is neither currently, nor was previously, a holder of that type of Aeroplan Credit Card, regardless of issuer (e.g., entry, core, premium, core small business, premium small business, or any other card that has a substantially similar level of benefits) for which the New Card Bonus is being offered. This means that a Member may be granted a maximum of one New Card Bonus for each type of Aeroplan Credit Card that the Member becomes a holder of, regardless of issuer.
From time to time, bonus or incentive Aeroplan Points may be offered by us or participating partners and suppliers to acquire products or services (“Products and Services”) as part of the Aeroplan Program. In connection with bonus or incentive Aeroplan Points being offered as an incentive related to Products and Services, such bonus Aeroplan Points incentives are intended for a Member who has not previously received bonus Aeroplan Points for the same Products or Services, to acquire such Products or Services.
Aeroplan may, in its sole discretion, choose to limit the number of New Card Bonuses or similar bonuses or incentives a Member may receive in any period, and, in addition to the other remedies set forth in these Terms and Conditions, reserves the right to suspend, revoke or terminate the Account of any person who engages in a behaviour of excessive use, abuse or misuse of the New Card Bonus offers. Such behaviours include but are not limited to: (i) applying for, transferring or switching (including upgrading or downgrading), or completing any other product changes between multiple Aeroplan Credit Cards across one or more product types, or across one or more financial institutions that issue an Aeroplan Credit Card; (ii) a pattern of cancelling, or disengaging in, an Aeroplan Credit Card shortly after receiving a New Card Bonus (or any portion of a New Card Bonus) or similar bonus or incentive; (iii) a pattern of purchasing and then cancelling or returning any product or service for which Aeroplan Points were issued; and (iv) linking your Aeroplan Credit Card to an Account that is not your own Account.
Conclusion
In general, these modifications are unlikely to impact the majority of Aeroplan members who use the program regularly and are content with their current Aeroplan credit card. The aim of these changes is to enhance the prevention of program misuse and fraudulent activities, particularly in relation to the family sharing program and its impact on partner award availability.
Regarding credit card welcome bonuses, now referred to as New Card Bonuses in the updated terms and conditions, the program has already taken measures to restrict the excessive churning of card products since the last terms and conditions update a year ago. The rules have now been expanded to make these bonuses a one-time opportunity per card type throughout a member’s lifetime. This effectively means that a member can receive a maximum of five card bonuses (one each for entry, core, premium, core small business, premium small business) over the course of their Aeroplan membership. However, there is uncertainty about what constitutes excessive behavior according to the terms and conditions.
