Air Canada to launch new Chase credit card in the US

Air Canada will also join Chase’s lineup of travel partners in 2021.

Air Canada has announced it will launch its new US credit card in collaboration with Chase Bank. Air Canada will also join Chase’s Ultimate Rewards travel partners, bringing the total number of transfer partners available with Chase to 14. The new card is set to launch in late 2021.

Air Canada’s last US credit card was in partnership with TD Bank and was discontinued in February 2020. This left Air Canada US flyers without a credit card capable of earning Aeroplan miles directly for much of the year (though this wasn’t heavily felt given US travel restrictions).

Current details on the card’s rates and fees are unknown. However, it is a cobranded card, so we can expect it to earn miles for the recently revamped Aeroplan rewards program and possibly hold a few Air Canada travel perks for cardholders.

Alternative ways to earn Aeroplan miles

While the Chase Air Canada card isn’t available yet, you still have a few ways to earn Aeroplan miles with credit cards in the meantime:

• American Express Membership Rewards points. You can transfer points earned to Air Canada at a 1:1 ratio.
• Capital One Miles. These points transfer at a 2:1.5 ratio
• Marriott Bonvoy points. If you really want, you can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to Air Canada at a 3:1 ratio. To sweeten the deal, Marriott Bonvoy will offer you 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer.

This means there are plenty of strong cards for earning Aeroplan points depending on your travel and spending needs.

The American Express Gold Card or Venture Rewards from Capital One, for example, are both great mid-range options, letting you choose accelerated rewards on restaurants and travel or a flat rate on all purchases. And for higher-end travelers, the American Express Platinum Card earns big across several everyday categories in addition to adding value through other travel perks.

Here’s a breakdown of those comparable cards:

American Express Gold Card

Rewards: 3x points on directly booked flights, 4x points at restaurants, 4x points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually and 1x points after, 1x points on everything else

Signup bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $250

Venture Rewards from Capital One

Rewards: 2x miles on all purchases

Signup bonus: 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $95

The Platinum Card from American Express

Rewards: 5x points on directly booked flights or on flights and hotels through Amex travel (Starting January 1, 2021, these points will be capped on up to $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points), 1x points on everything else

Signup bonus: 10x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets on up to $15,000 in combined purchases within your first 6 months, 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 6 months

Annual fee: $550

Chase’s cobranded card will have some stiff competition when it arrives in late 2021. Finder’s credit card experts will keep you posted with more card details and how the new Air Canada card stacks up against other airline cards as soon as we have more information.

Photo: Supplied

Originally published at https://www.finder.com on December 18, 2020.