Aeroplan or Airmiles which one helps you earn flight tickets fasters?

Question

I just signed up for Aeroplan, have already been using Airmiles, and i want to make online purchases from chaptersindigo.ca (a partner of both of these rewards programs) My question is which of these 2 reward programs lets you earn points faster towards plane tickets, so i could stick to one of them for making my online purchases.

Answer 1

One of the considerations is *where* you want to take your travel.  For instance, Aeroplan is your best bet if you want to travel to Asia, as Air Canada is part of Star Alliance (in fact, you can redeem miles on any Star Alliance partner).  If it's within Canada, the Air Miles will also let you redeem on West Jet.

Another consideration is your current travel patterns.  If you travel primarily based on price, Air Miles may be the better option as you can earn miles on both West Jet and Air Canada.  This is also true if you are an infrequent and primarily domestic traveller.  

If you travel internationally or enough to earn elite status (ie, over 25 flight segments or 25k miles), then you will want to stick with Air Canada, as you would also get residual benefits on Star Alliance airlines.  For instance, I am a United Premier (1P) and have Star Alliance Gold status, which allows preferential boarding on some partners, access to "preferred" seating (within economy), lounge access for international travel, etc.

A final consideration is earning miles with partners.  For instance, you can get a credit card which gives bonus miles upon signup and miles for every dollar you spend.  You can also buy flowers, car rentals, gifts, movie club memberships, mortgages, get miles for dining out, etc through frequent flyer program partners and earn miles.  Although it's the least of your considerations, it could play a factor.  

Hope that helps.