We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Ultimate Guide to Air Canada Aeroplan Miles: Part 4 – The Secret Sweet Spot That Takes You Around the World!

  • Avery

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Air Canada Aeroplan miles give you a great way to travel around the world – literally!  You can visit 3 continents for the price of a round-trip ticket.  

    These awards are called “mini” round-the-world tickets and are an incredible sweet spot.  In order to book them, you need to know Air Canada Aeroplan’s booking rules.

    Using Air Canada Aeroplan Miles, Travel Around the World and Visit Places Like Lisbon on TAP Portugal!

    I’ll explain how to book a mini round-the-world ticket using Air Canada Aeroplan, and the important rules you need to keep in mind.

    Ultimate Guide to Air Canada Aeroplan Miles Series Index

    On an international round-trip ticket outside of North America, Air Canada Aeroplan lets you have, without spending any additional miles, either:

    1. 2 stopovers plus your destination, or
    2. 1 stopover and 1 open-jaw plus your destination

    A stopover is a stop in a city for over 24 hours.  Your destination is the point on your itinerary with a stop of over 24 hours that is the furthest point from your point of departure.  An open-jaw is when you fly into one city, and fly out of another city.

    Suppose you flew from New York City to Hong Kong, stayed in Hong Kong for a week, and then flew to Bangkok.  You stayed in Bangkok for a week and then flew home.

    If You Stay in a City for More Than 24 Hours, That’s a Stopover

    In this case, because Bangkok is further than Hong Kong from New York City, Hong Kong is the stopover and Bangkok is the destination. 

    Because you’re allowed 2 stopovers, you could stop in Paris and Hong Kong, in addition to Bangkok as your destination.

    You Can Have 2 Stopovers in Addition to a Destination on a Round-Trip Ticket

    In this case, you can travel from New York City to Paris as a stopover for a week, then go to Bangkok for a week as your destination.  After Bangkok, you could travel to Hong Kong where you stay for a week as a stopover, and then go home.  This is a mini round-the-world ticket.  You can do all of this for the same number of miles required for a round-trip from New York City to Bangkok!

    This ticket would cost:

    If you paid for a similar ticket, it would cost nearly $2,000 in coach or $6,000+ in Business Class!

    Instead of having 2 stopovers, you can have 1 stopover, 1 open-jaw, and your destination.  Here’s an example of a basic open-jaw:

    An Open-Jaw Is When You Fly Into One City and Out of Another

    In this case, you’re flying from New York City to Paris, and then making your own way to Madrid.  You then fly home from Madrid.

    So you could do something like fly from New York City to Paris, have your first stopover for a week, and then fly to Bangkok, which is your destination.  You can then make your own way from Bangkok to Tokyo, and then fly home from Tokyo:

    You Can Replace a Stopover With an Open-Jaw

    An open-jaw can only be in the same departure IATA zone or the same IATA zone as your destination.  IATA, which stands for the International Air Transport Association, has divided the world into 3 zones:

    The World Is Divided Into 3 IATA Zones

    These zones are:

    This means that you can NOT do an open-jaw between Paris and Hong Kong, because Paris is in Area 2 and Hong Kong is in Area 3.

    These are the basic rules for a mini round-the-world ticket.  However, there are additional rules you need to know in order to build the perfect trip!

    Maximum Permitted Mileage

    Maximum Permitted Mileage (“MPM”) is a rule that almost all airlines use to determine whether a ticket is valid.  Air Canada Aeroplan calculates the number of miles you’re allowed to fly from your point of origin to your destination, which is the furthest stopping point on your ticket.  If your routing has you fly more than the MPM limit, Air Canada Aeroplan won’t book your ticket.

    For example, if the MPM value between New York City and London was 10,000 miles, then any routing that flew more than 10,000 miles would not be allowed.

    Unlike most airlines which use published MPM values, Air Canada Aeroplan uses their own proprietary MPM values.  There are 2 ways to get this number.  First, you can call Air Canada Aeroplan at 800-361-5373 and ask the agent for the MPM value.  However, many agents are unfamiliar with how to find the number, so this may be a waste of time.

    You can actually get the MPM value quickly online:

    Step 1.   Go to Aeroplan’s Website

    Link:   Air Canada Aeroplan

    First, go to the Air Canada Aeroplan website.  Login to your account by clicking “Log In” or open an account for FREE online.

    You Can Open a FREE Air Canada Aeroplan Account Online

    Step 2.   Go to Award Seat Search Engine

    After logging in to your account, hover your mouse over the menu item “Use Your Miles” and click on “Travel.”

    Click on “Use Your Miles” and “Travel”

    Step 3.   Use Multi-City Search Engine

    Say we want to calculate the MPM value between New York City and Bangkok.  To do that, put a New York City airport in the first search box, and then any airport that you know is geographically closer than Bangkok to New York City.  In this case, we’ll put Chicago.  In the next box, enter Chicago to Bangkok.  Finally, enter Bangkok to the same New York City area airport for the return flight.

    You can enter any date you please, and just enter 1 passenger in coach.  Click “Search“

    Use the Multi-City Tool to Calculate Maximum Permitted Mileage

    Step 4.   Copy & Paste Code

    Once search results have loaded, copy and paste this URL into the same address bar where you did the Aeroplan search:

    https://www.aeroplan.com/adr/Results_Ajax.jsp?searchType=multicity&forceIkk=false

    Click enter.  After a minute, a website full of code will load.  Click “Ctrl + F ” on a PC and “⌘ + F” on a Mac to bring up a text search bar.  Search for “MPM“.  The website will then direct you to the MPM value for New York City to Bangkok:

    The Number Beside “MPM” Is the Maximum Permitted Mileage Value

    So the MPM value between New York City and Bangkok is 14,354 miles.  That means you can book a ticket, with stopovers, that does not exceed flying 14,354 miles from New York City to Bangkok.

    Searching for Award Seats

    Now that you know the rules behind mini round-the-world tickets, and how to find the MPM value, you can start searching for award travel.  You can use Air Canada Aeroplan’s website to search for available seats.

    Say you wanted to go from New York City to Bangkok with a stopover in Paris on the way to Bangkok, and a stop in Hong Kong on the way home.  You would search on the Air Canada Aeroplan website from New York City to Paris and write down which flights you want.  Then you would search from Paris to Bangkok, and then from Bangkok to Hong Kong, and finally from Hong Kong to New York City.

    Once you’ve found your preferred route, you can use the Great Circle Mapper to calculate how many miles you’d be flying on your desired flights.  So long as your flights are within the MPM value and follow the previously described routing rules, it should be a valid booking.

    Booking a Mini Round-the-World Ticket

    Now for the easy part!  Once you’ve found the flights you want and confirmed they follow routing rules, call Air Canada Aeroplan at 800-361-5373.  You can NOT book a mini round-the-world ticket online.  Tell the agent the exact flights you’re looking for, and they’ll build the itinerary.  If your trip follows the routing rules, the agent will “validate” your ticket and give you a tax quote.

    Note:   Air Canada Aeroplan charges 30 Canadian dollars per person to book by telephone.  There is no way to avoid this fee.

    Once you receive a tax quote, the agent will deduct the required number of miles and charge your credit card for the taxes and fees.  You’ll receive an email with your e-ticket and partner confirmation codes so you can select seats on each airline’s website.

    Earn Air Canada Aeroplan Miles

    You might have access to Air Canada Aeroplan miles and not know it!

    American Express Membership Rewards convert at a 1:1 ratio instantly to Air Canada Aeroplan miles.

    You can also transfer Starwood points at a 1:1 ratio to Air Canada Aeroplan miles.  For every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer, you’ll get an additional 5,000 mile bonus!  It’s best to wait for a hotel point transfer bonus to Aeroplan, which happens occasionally.

    With these cards, you’ll earn Starwood points:

    Bottom Line

    Air Canada Aeroplan is a complicated program that offers tremendous value.  Mini round-the-world tickets are one of the best uses of miles out there.

    By making the most of Air Canada’s routing rules, you can visit 3 continents and travel around the globe for the price of a regular round-trip ticket!

    It’s easy to earn Air Canada Aeroplan miles by transferring flexible points from American Express Membership Rewards or Starwood.

    In the next post, I’ll show you how to avoid fuel surcharges booking award tickets with Air Canada Aeroplan miles!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)