The American Express AeroplanPlus Card: A Small Card With Big Travel Perks

The American Express AeroplanPlus card comes with a great deal of benefits for its cardholders. It is a charge card that, rather than just allowing cardholders to charge purchases to the card so they can pay later, rewards the cardholder for making such purchases. Rather than just paying cash, individuals can charge purchases so that a great deal of travel, shopping, and entertainment benefits can be realized.

Cardholders start earning points with the first purchase to get them started. After that, miles are earned through purchases with the card. Double miles can be earned when making purchases with Aeroplan Partners. If supplementary cards are needed, they are free the first year and only a fraction of the annual fee of the primary card, which is a low and competitive fee.

Key Benefits

There are a wide range of key benefits that come with this card. They include the welcome bonus, the ability to earn Aeroplan miles on every dollar spent on the card, online fraud guarantee when you've taken measures to protect the card details, 24/7 customer service, and Front of the Line program access that allows you to buy tickets to specific events before they go on sale to the public.

When it comes to travel, which is a major area of focus for this card, cardholders are able to travel to over 180 countries using Star Alliance Member Airlines and Air Canada. Cardholders are also able to take advantage of the Aeroplan Classic Flight Rewards or the Star Alliance Flight rewards. The number of miles is predetermined based upon the class of service and the destination.

Cardholders may also use ClassicPlus Flight Rewards to choose from Executive of Economy Class seats. With this, you have unrestricted access to any seat that is available on Air Canada Express and Air Canada.

In addition to flights, miles can be redeemed for vacation packages, hotel stays, car rentals, merchandise, and experiential rewards. If you enjoy all of these benefits, then you probably have friends that will too. You can refer your friends and receive bonus Aeroplan miles for every approved referral. It is important that every referral is someone that you know personally so that you are guaranteed miles if they are approved.

Protections

When traveling, there are a number of protections that are afforded to cardholders. The first is the Travel Accident Insurance. This is accidental death and dismemberment insurance that covers the cardholder, the cardholder's spouse, and any traveling children. If there are supplementary cardholders, those cardholders, their spouses, and their children are also covered when traveling.

The Travel Emergency Assistance provides referrals for medical and legal assistance when traveling anywhere around the world. This assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that you do not have to be confused about where to receive help when you need it.

When you use your card to shop, the items that are charged to the card can be protected by the Buyer's Assurance Protection Plan. This plan extends the original manufacturer's warranty when the entire price of the item is charged to the card.

The Purchase Protection Plan protects items purchased with the card from accidental physical damage and theft. You do not need to register the item for it to qualify for this coverage. Instead, you have the receipt and the purchase history on the card to prove the purchase.

Comprehensive Customer Service

The customer service is also a significant benefit to the AeroplanPlus card. The 24/7 customer service is available when you are. You do not have to worry about no one being available when you finally have a chance to call. You can talk about account information, report card loss, request a card replacement, and much more.

If you don't want to call to check out simple details of the account, you can enroll for online account management. This is very convenient in that you can check your account balance, pay off the balance, track transactions, and sign up for account alerts so that you know what is happening in your account even when you are on the go.

Also when on the go, there is the option of Emergency Card Replacement when the card is lost or stolen and you are far away from home. Arrangements can be made at some point along your itinerary for you to pick up the card. You can pick it up at a post office or you can have it delivered to a specific address if there is one for you to have it delivered to.

The Fraud Protection Guarantee is in place to protect you against fraudulent charges. Even when a cardholder protects their account details, they can still be compromised online, offline, or the card could be lost or stolen. When you have demonstrated that you have protected your details up until the point the card was fraudulently used, you are not responsible for the fraudulent charges.

Applying

To apply for this charge card, you must be a Canadian resident and have a credit file. You also have to be the age of majority for your province or territory and an annual income of at least $20,000. You also need to have credit that meets American Express's standards and that means not having a bankruptcy on your record within the past 7 years.

Because this is a charge card, it is important to understand that the balance needs to be paid in full every month. If the balance is not paid in full, there is an annual interest rate that applies to the balance. To avoid finance charges, the payments must be received and processed by the day the next monthly statement is issued.

Conclusion

Overall, the AeroplanPlus card is a way to receive rewards for spending money. Because you pay the balance in full each month, it is practically the same as using cash and getting perks for it. This is why many individuals prefer to use their American Express card to make purchases rather than pay straight cash. They can receive extended warranties, protect purchased items, and also earn miles to make travel cheaper and give peace of mind.