Let’s be honest: Managing a household budget is a full-time job. Between soccer fees, grocery runs, and the mortgage, finding extra cash for a family vacation can feel impossible.
But what if I told you that you might already have a “free” flight sitting in your family’s digital wallets right now?
If you are like most Canadian families, you probably have a scattered mess of loyalty points. Maybe you have a healthy balance, your partner has a few thousand, and your kids have random amounts from that one trip to Disney three years ago. Alone, those points are “orphaned”—too small to redeem for anything valuable.
But together? They are a ticket to your next vacation.
Enter Aeroplan Family Sharing. It is the single best feature for families who want to travel more for less.
Here is exactly how it works and how you can use it to turn “orphan points” into family memories.
What is Aeroplan Family Sharing?
In simple terms, Aeroplan Family Sharing allows you to pool points from up to 8 different accounts into one single balance.
Instead of you having 40,000 points, your partner having 15,000, and your two kids having 2,500 each, you now have a Shared Family Pool of 60,000 points.
Suddenly, you aren’t looking at four useless accounts. You are looking at three one-way tickets to Florida, or a round-trip ticket to Europe for yourself.
Why CEO Moms Love This Feature
- No More “Wasted” Points: Those 2,500 points your toddler earned flying to Grandma’s? They are no longer stuck in limbo. They contribute directly to your next family booking.
- Faster Rewards: You earn together, so you fly sooner. It’s simple math.
- Shared Elite Benefits: This is the secret sauce. If one person in the pool has an Aeroplan credit card (like the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card) or Elite Status, everyone in the pool gets Preferred Pricing. This means you can book flights for fewer points, even if the points came from your kid’s account!
5 Rules You Need to Know (The Fine Print)
Before you start inviting everyone you know, here are the ground rules. Aeroplan updated these in 2025 to prevent fraud, so they are stricter than before.
- Who can join? You can invite up to 7 other family members. This includes your spouse, partner, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, and in-laws.
- It is Free: There is zero cost to create a pool or share points. This is huge, as transferring points manually usually costs 2 cents per point (which is a rip-off).
- The “Time Out” Rule: Once a member joins a pool, they must stay for at least 3 months. If they leave, they cannot join another pool for 6 months. This prevents people from jumping between pools to game the system.
- Identity Verification: To keep your points safe, Aeroplan now requires members to verify their identity (usually via a quick selfie/ID check on your phone) before joining a pool.
- Proportional Deductions: When you book a flight using the pool, points are deducted proportionally. If you contribute 80% of the points to the pool, 80% of the points for the flight will be taken from your individual balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pool Aeroplan points with my sister?
Yes! Siblings are eligible for Family Sharing. In fact, if your sister travels for work and has Elite Status, pooling with her is a brilliant move because you will gain access to her “Preferred Pricing” discounts on flight redemptions.
Does it cost money to share points?
No. unlike many other loyalty programs that charge transaction fees to “transfer” points to a friend, Aeroplan Family Sharing is completely free. You are not transferring points; you are simply giving the “Family Lead” permission to access them.
What happens if I leave the family pool?
If you leave the pool, you take your remaining points with you. However, remember the “Time Out” rule: you won’t be able to join a new family pool for 6 months.
Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Your Family Pool
Ready to clean up your digital wallet? Follow these steps:
- Choose a “Family Lead”: Ideally, this should be the person with the highest status or the primary Aeroplan credit card holder.
- Log in to AirCanada.com: Go to your profile and select “Family Sharing”.
- Invite Members: Enter the Aeroplan number, last name, and relationship for each person you want to invite (spouse, kids, etc.).
- Accept the Invites: Log in to each family member’s account (or check their email) to accept the invitation. You may need to complete the quick ID verification step here.
- Start Booking: You will instantly see your “Family Balance” skyrocket. When you search for flights, select “Use Points,” and you will be drawing from the total pool.
One Final Tip for Parents
When you set up the pool, you can assign “Redemption Privileges.”
- Set yourself and your partner as “Buyers” (can redeem points).
- Set your kids as “Contributors” (cannot redeem points).
This ensures your teenager doesn’t accidentally spend the family’s vacation fund on a gift card for a video game console!
Your Next Step
Do you have “orphan” points collecting dust? This weekend, log in to your Aeroplan account and check your children’s balances. If they have even 1,000 points sitting there, create a Family Pool. It takes 5 minutes and could save you hundreds of dollars on your next March Break trip.
