Canadian points collectors got a major headline today. Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt have officially announced a long-term partnership. The two programs will open points transfers, elite status matching, dual earning, and exclusive perks on Canadian Aeroplan co-branded cards, building a more complete airline-plus-hotel ecosystem for Canadian travellers.

Further reading:
Air Canada Aeroplan: a guide to the Canadian airline program
Hyatt hotels and the World of Hyatt loyalty program

If you fly Air Canada and collect Aeroplan, or you like staying at Hyatt, this is one of the most important partnerships in years. Here’s what stands out.

First, link your Aeroplan and World of Hyatt accounts (official page: Link Accounts). Once they’re linked, you can start unlocking:

  • Two-way points transfers
  • Extra Aeroplan points on Hyatt stays
  • Faster Hyatt status for Aeroplan elites
  • A future Aeroplan Elite challenge for higher-tier Hyatt members
  • Exclusive Hyatt perks on Canadian Aeroplan co-branded cards

Linking is free. There is no extra fee.

2. Extra Hyatt benefits for Aeroplan members

🏨 When you stay at Hyatt

You can choose to earn Hyatt Points, or take 500 Aeroplan Points per eligible stay instead of Hyatt points. Which one is better depends on the room rate and which currency you would rather collect. Hyatt members earn 5x on eligible spend, so a US$100 room charge would earn 500 Hyatt Points.

More interesting if you hold a Canadian Aeroplan co-branded card: after you link accounts, Hyatt hotel spend can earn extra bonuses. Official rates:

Card type Earn per C$1 spent
Premium Card 2 Hyatt Bonus Points + 2 Aeroplan Points
Premium Business 2 Hyatt Bonus Points + 2.5 Aeroplan Points
Core Card 1 Hyatt Bonus Point + 1.5 Aeroplan Points
Core Business 1 Hyatt Bonus Point + 2 Aeroplan Points

That means one Hyatt stay can stack hotel points and Aeroplan at the same time, and the return looks meaningfully better for Canadian cardholders. Chase Hyatt co-branded cards earn an extra 4 Hyatt points per US$1 spent at Hyatt; Canadian Aeroplan cards earn an extra 2 Hyatt points plus 2 Aeroplan points per C$1. That Canadian mix can look even better.

🇨🇦 New Hyatt perks on Aeroplan Premium cards

If you have a Canadian Aeroplan Premium card and link accounts, you also get:

  • Complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status
  • 5 Hyatt Tier-Qualifying Nights each year
  • A status challenge (this one matters — more in the next section)

That puts a higher Hyatt tier a little closer.

🇨🇦 Aeroplan co-branded cards: Premium + Core

Premium cards include:

Core cards include:

3. Aeroplan Elite can fast-track Hyatt elite status

This is one of the most attractive pieces of the partnership: eligible Aeroplan Elite members, plus some Canadian Aeroplan Premium cardholders, can now do a 90-day Hyatt Status Challenge. Air Canada elites get one challenge per year; Aeroplan Premium co-brand holders get two per year.

Complete the required nights in 90 days:

  • 4 nights → Discoverist
  • 10 nights → Explorist
  • 20 nights → Globalist (Hyatt’s top published tier)

The exciting one is 20 nights for Globalist. Normally you need 60 qualifying nights in a year.

Globalist is widely seen as one of the most valuable hotel elite statuses, mainly for:

  • Complimentary breakfast (up to four guests)
  • Room upgrades (subject to availability)
  • 4 p.m. late checkout
  • Award-stay parking waived when eligible
  • Guest of Honor and other high-end perks

If you already stay at Hyatt a lot, this challenge is very valuable.

4. Higher-tier Hyatt members will later be able to challenge Aeroplan Elite

The partnership is not one-way. Officials also said that later this year, a challenge will let higher-tier Hyatt members fast-track Aeroplan Elite. At that point:

  • Hyatt Explorist
  • Hyatt Globalist

will have a path to Aeroplan Elite through a designated activity. Specific flight or spend requirements have not been published yet, so we still need to wait for the follow-up announcement.

Separately, Hyatt Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist members get a $20 Air Canada Flight Credit each year.

5. Two-way transfers are open

Hyatt Points → Aeroplan

The transfer rate is 2 Hyatt Points = 1 Aeroplan Point. The minimum is 5,000 Hyatt Points, then in 1,000-point increments.

You can also redeem points for an Aeroplan Flight Reward Certificate, starting at 30,000 points.

Aeroplan → Hyatt

The transfer rate is 2 Aeroplan Points = 1 Hyatt Point. The minimum is 500 Aeroplan Points, with a maximum of 100,000 Aeroplan Points transferred out per day and 250,000 per week.

Aeroplan can also be redeemed directly for a Hyatt Free Night Award, including a Category 1–4 Free Night (25,000 Aeroplan points) and a Category 1–7 Free Night (75,000 Aeroplan points).

My take

This partnership is well worth watching.

Canadian collectors have mostly built around Aeroplan for flights and Marriott Bonvoy for hotels. With Hyatt now in the mix, Hyatt fans get a much deeper Aeroplan tie-in. These pieces in particular have real value:

  • A 20-night Hyatt Globalist challenge
  • Aeroplan redemptions for Hyatt Free Night Awards
  • Dual earning on Hyatt hotel spend
  • Extra Hyatt bonuses on Canadian Aeroplan co-branded cards
  • A more complete Air Canada + Hyatt travel ecosystem

If Aeroplan is already your main currency, there is little reason to sit this one out.

The Globalist challenge is the headline. Instead of 60 nights, you need 20 during the challenge window — a rare shortcut if you already have travel planned. Aeroplan Free Night Awards also give the currency more to do than award flights. Stay rational on the 2:1 transfers, though: they are a wallet-vanishing trick. Only use them as an emergency, and only if the specific case still makes sense.

Overall, this is one of the most important hotel–airline partnerships Canadian points collectors have seen in years, and it further strengthens Aeroplan’s place in the Canadian travel-rewards stack.