Chase Aeroplan Credit Card
Card vs. network tier — why the Guide to Benefits says "World Elite Mastercard"
Three different things carry “World Elite Mastercard” in their name; they’re nested, not equal:
- The card — “Chase Aeroplan Card” is the specific product (its own rewards, fee, and Aeroplan perks).
- The network tier — Mastercard’s top consumer tier (World Elite > World > Standard). The Aeroplan Card is issued on this tier, the same way a specific car model is a Mitsubishi. Every Aeroplan Card is a World Elite Mastercard; not every World Elite Mastercard is an Aeroplan Card.
- The benefits package — Chase buys an insurance package (from Virginia Surety) and attaches it to its World Elite cards, then serves the Guide to Benefits by tier, not by card name — which is why BGC11365 is titled “World Elite Mastercard” rather than “Aeroplan.”
So: Aeroplan Card → issued on the Mastercard World Elite tier → receives the Chase World Elite Guide to Benefits (BGC11365). The insurance layer is shared across the tier; what makes it this card is the rewards agreement (1) and Aeroplan-specific benefits (2), which are card-specific. The same three-layer split applies to other Chase co-brands — e.g. the Prime Visa Credit Card sits on the Visa Signature tier and gets that tier’s Guide to Benefits (BGC11359).
Core Value Proposition
The Chase Aeroplan Card (US) is a cobranded Air Canada card issued as a World Elite Mastercard, with a $95 annual fee that is not waived the first year.3 Unlike most airline cards, its value doesn’t depend on flying the sponsoring airline: it grants automatic Aeroplan 25K elite status for the year of opening plus the following calendar year, and unlocks a permanent 10% transfer bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which makes it useful even if you rarely fly Air Canada.45
Value comes from three places — the sign-up bonus, elite status, and integration with the Ultimate Rewards ecosystem — layered on a mid-tier travel-protection suite (trip cancellation/interruption, trip delay, baggage delay, secondary rental) that is stronger than the Amex Gold Credit Card’s but weaker than a Sapphire card’s.
Earning
| Category | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery stores | 3x | none |
| Dining / restaurants (incl. takeout & eligible delivery) | 3x | none |
| Air Canada, purchased directly | 3x | none |
| Everything else | 1x | none |
| Monthly spend bonus | 500 pts per $2,000 | max 1,500 pts/mo ($6,000 spend)6 |
Earned as Aeroplan points.1 Points can be redeemed at 1.25¢ each via Pay Yourself Back toward travel purchases charged to the card within 90 days.7
Earning exclusions & program terms
The 3x Air Canada rate applies only to fares bought directly from Air Canada. It excludes Air Canada gift cards, car rentals / hotels / third-party partner products booked through aircanada.com, onboard Wi-Fi, and AC tickets bought via travel agencies, discount sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or bundled in a non-airline travel package — all of which earn 1x.1
The monthly bonus (500 pts per $2,000, capped at 1,500/mo) is credited to the calendar month the transaction posts — a merchant shipping delay can push a purchase into the next month — and can take up to 8 weeks to appear in your Aeroplan account.6 Standard cash-like exclusions apply (balance transfers, cash advances, FX, money orders, wagering, fees, interest) across the monthly bonus and all spend-threshold benefits.2
Points transfer automatically to your linked Aeroplan account after each billing cycle and don’t expire while the account is open; before transfer they aren’t your property, have no cash value, and can’t pass by inheritance, bankruptcy, or divorce.1 Chase names manufactured spend and repeatedly opening/maintaining accounts to generate rewards as misuse — suspected misuse or fraud lets Chase withhold untransferred points, and closing the account for misuse forfeits them.1 Program participation may generate a 1099-MISC or 1042-S; you’re liable for any tax on rewards, worth noting given the cross-border US/Canada picture.1
Key Benefits Summary
| Benefit | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus (currently 60k–75k)8 | ~$840–1,050 | At 1.4¢/pt9 |
| Aeroplan 25K status5 | $200–400/yr | Year of opening + following year |
| 20 eUpgrade credits10 | $0–2,000/yr | Only valuable on Air Canada long-haul |
| Free first checked bag (companions)11 | $35–70/trip | Air Canada only, up to 8 companions |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS credit12 | $30/yr | Up to $120 every 4 years |
| 4th Night Free (hotel redemptions)2 | Variable | Aeroplan-points hotel bookings, through Dec 31 2026 |
| DashPass + $10/qtr DoorDash credit2 | ~$120+/yr | 12 mo free if activated by Dec 31 2027 |
| Preferred pricing (AC flight rewards)2 | Variable | Fewer points on Air Canada awards |
| Every seat, every flight (no capacity controls)2 | Variable | Any AC seat bookable with points |
| 10% UR transfer bonus4 | Variable | Requires 50k+ point transfer |
| World Elite perks (Concierge, no FTF, Zero Liability)2 | — | Mastercard World Elite baseline |
| Travel & purchase protection13 | Variable | See coverage tables below |
Elite Status, SQC & Baggage Rules
The card grants Aeroplan 25K status for the calendar year the account is opened plus the following year — so applying in early January maximizes it.5 25K includes priority check-in, Group 2 boarding, 20 eUpgrade credits, and Star Alliance Silver.10 The new-cardmember status grant is not available if you received it within the prior 60 months.5 If you already hold a higher status by other means, you keep the higher one.5
Status Qualifying Credits (SQC). Air Canada’s 2026 revenue-based model replaced the old requalification mechanics. The card feeds SQC three ways, subject to a combined 25,000 SQC/year cap across all Aeroplan cards regardless of issuer (the “Annual Credit Card Maximum”):2
| Source | SQC | Trigger | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cardmember credit | 5,000 | Automatic — on card approval, then by end of Feb each year | — |
| Spend tier 1 | +10,000 | $25,000 in purchases in a calendar year | 6–8 wks after threshold |
| Spend tier 2 | +10,000 | $50,000 in purchases in a calendar year | 6–8 wks after threshold |
Two SQC caveats worth knowing: you get only one annual 5,000 credit per member per year no matter how many Aeroplan cards you hold, and closing the account claws back that year’s annual 5,000 SQC — and can reverse any Elite Status those credits earned.2 SQC only count toward status qualification; they aren’t redeemable and don’t count toward Million Mile Status.2
Separately, spending 75,000/year grants 35K status for the rest of that year plus the next (posts in 6–8 weeks).1415 The spend calculation resets to zero every January 1.2 Very high spend unlocks Aeroplan Priority Reward vouchers at 250k/750k (each = 50% off the base fare in points for one passenger, valid one year) and the Global +1 companion benefit at $1M (points for a designated companion’s base fare refunded after travel).2
Baggage benefits apply to Air Canada flights only, and two separate benefits stack:11
| Benefit source | What you get | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Aeroplan card | 1 free first checked bag (up to 50 lb) | You + up to 8 companions on same reservation |
| Aeroplan 25K status | 1 free bag (dropped from 2 in Feb 2026)16 | You only |
The card benefit only applies when checking in with Air Canada (incl. Rouge / Air Canada Express) at the counter before security — not gate-checked bags, and not if check-in is with another airline; if the first bag is already free (from status or fare), no extra bag is granted.11 Star Alliance Silver provides only priority waitlist and standby on partners — no free bags, lounge, or priority boarding.17 25K status also exempts you from Air Canada’s Basic Economy carry-on restriction.18
Hotel, dining & travel perks
4th Night Free on hotel redemptions: booking a 4-night (or longer) consecutive stay at a participating hotel using only Aeroplan points on the cxLoyalty booking site gets one night free, calculated as the average points-cost across the stay. Points-and-cash and cash-only bookings don’t qualify; local/resort fees still apply at the property. Runs through Dec 31, 2026 unless extended.2
Every seat, every flight, no restrictions: as a cardmember you can redeem points for any available seat on any Air Canada-operated flight — Air Canada removes award-capacity controls for cardholders, so availability isn’t gated the way partner awards are.2
Preferred pricing: as primary cardmember you often need fewer Aeroplan points to redeem Air Canada flight rewards than non-cardholders — applies to Air Canada-operated awards only, not partners.2
DashPass: 12 months complimentary on DoorDash and Caviar if activated with the card by Dec 31, 2027, then auto-renews at the going rate until cancelled; plus $10 off one non-restaurant DoorDash order each quarter while enrolled (subtotal only, no rollover).2
World Elite Mastercard baseline: Mastercard Concierge (24/7), no foreign transaction fees, Zero Liability, and contactless tap-to-pay.2 Authorized users get the same charging privileges (and are reported to the credit bureaus) but aren’t financially responsible; the primary owes all balances.2
Travel protection
Provided under the Chase World Elite Mastercard Guide to Benefits (BGC11365, effective 10/01/24), underwritten by Virginia Surety Company (an Assurant company).13 All are secondary and require charging at least part of the common-carrier fare to the card (award taxes/fees count, and coverage extends to travel booked with Ultimate Rewards points). Contrast with the Amex Gold Credit Card, which carries no trip-cancellation cover at all — that’s the key reason to pay for Air Canada / Star Alliance fares on this card.
| Benefit | Covered? | Limit | File within |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip cancellation / interruption | Yes | 6,000/trip19 | Notify 20 days / docs 90 |
| Trip delay | Yes | $500/traveler, delay over 12 hrs or overnight20 | Notify 60 days / docs 100 |
| Baggage delay | Yes | $100/day up to 3 days, delay over 6 hrs21 | Notify 20 days / docs 90 |
| Auto rental (collision/theft) | Yes | Secondary in US, up to $60,000, 31 days22 | Notify 100 days / docs 365 |
| Roadside assistance | Yes (pay-per-use) | Fees billed to card at dispatch23 | — |
| Purchase protection | Yes | 50,000/yr24 | Notify 90 days / docs 120 |
Trip cancellation / interruption — the covered-reason gate
Reimburses pre-paid, non-refundable passenger fares up to 6,000/trip when a trip (max 60 days) is cancelled or cut short for a covered reason.19 Chase’s covered reasons center on: the accidental death, serious illness, or serious injury of you, a traveling companion, or a family member; severe weather that prevents a trip from continuing; a change in military orders; a call to jury duty or receipt of a subpoena that can’t be waived; your home being made uninhabitable; or a terrorist action / hijacking.19 Notable exclusions: cancellation for financial or business reasons or simple change of plans, pre-existing conditions, travel against a physician’s advice or for medical treatment, and — stated explicitly — a pandemic or epidemic or the resulting government prohibitions.19 The Family Member definition is broad (spouse/domestic partner, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, and more).19
Trip delay — the 12-hour gate
Covers unreimbursed expenses (meals, lodging, toiletries, medication) when common-carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, up to $500/traveler.20 The delay must stem from a Covered Hazard — defined in the Guide as equipment failure, inclement weather, a Common Carrier employee strike, or hijacking/skyjacking — and coverage is void for any hazard that was made public or known to you before you bought the ticket.20 This is roughly the mirror image of the Amex Gold Credit Card’s trip-delay gate, which pays only on four narrower losses and not on strikes. Coverage is secondary: costs the airline already covers (a hotel it pays for) can’t be claimed.20
Baggage delay & rental (quick reference)
Baggage delay reimburses essentials (toiletries, clothing) at 60,000 for the first 31 consecutive days; excludes expensive/exotic and antique vehicles, vans, trucks, and rentals in certain countries (e.g. Israel, Jamaica, Ireland).22
Filing
File through the benefits administrator (chasebenefits.com, or the number on the back of the card). Deadlines are benefit-specific — see the “File within” column above; each has a notification window and a longer proof-of-loss window. For travel-disruption claims you must first file with the common carrier and obtain a carrier verification statement, then submit expense receipts, the fare receipt (showing the card and/or points paid the fare), the original itinerary, and the covered-card statement showing the last four digits.192021
Purchase protection (shopping)
Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to 50,000 per account per year.24 New York residents: the coverage period is 90 days, not 120.24 Narrower than the Amex Gold Credit Card, which runs $10,000/item and adds an extended-warranty benefit the Aeroplan card lacks.
Transfer Bonus Strategy
The card unlocks a permanent 10% bonus when transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan — minimum 50k per transaction, max 25k bonus points/year, credited within 7 days.4 It requires holding a separate eligible Ultimate Rewards card, and the transfer must go to the primary cardmember’s own Aeroplan account (not an authorized user’s).42
During promotional periods this stacks:25
Base transfer: 1.00x
Card bonus: +0.10x (permanent)
Promo bonus: +0.25x (periodic)
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Total: 1.35x
Combined with Pay Yourself Back at 1.25¢/pt for travel:7
This exceeds even the Chase Sapphire Reserve portal value of 1.5¢/pt.
Related
- Amex Gold Credit Card — food-and-groceries card with lighter travel cover and no trip cancellation; the two are complementary (pay Air Canada / Star Alliance fares here, dining/groceries there)
- Airline Cash Compensation — where this card’s trip-delay/cancellation cover fits alongside APPR and statutory regimes
- Chase Ultimate Rewards — the points ecosystem that feeds Aeroplan
- Chase 5-24 Rule — approval restriction affecting this card
- Aeroplan Program — the loyalty program behind the card
- Star Alliance — partner airline network
- eUpgrade — Air Canada upgrade currency (20 credits included)
- Air Canada Travel Voucher — related Air Canada payment method
- Stoozing — related credit-card optimization strategy
References
Footnotes
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Chase Aeroplan Card Rewards Program Agreement (RPA0538, 02/09/2024) — 3x on grocery, dining (incl. takeout & eligible delivery), and Air Canada purchased directly; 1x everything else. Air Canada 3x excludes AC gift cards, car rentals/hotels/third-party partner products booked via aircanada.com, onboard Wi-Fi, and AC tickets bought through travel agencies, discount sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or bundled in a non-airline travel package. Points transfer to the linked Aeroplan account after each billing cycle and don’t expire while the account is open; before transfer they have no cash value, aren’t property, and don’t pass by inheritance/bankruptcy/divorce. Manufactured spend and opening/maintaining accounts to generate rewards are named misuse; suspected misuse/fraud allows Chase to withhold untransferred points, and closure for misuse forfeits them. Participation may generate a 1099-MISC or 1042-S; cardholder is liable for any tax on program benefits. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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Chase Aeroplan Card benefits hub Terms & Conditions (signed-in card-benefits page for the Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard; full T&C slide-in text). Primary source for: SQC structure — annual 5,000 SQC (deposited on approval then by end of Feb each year; one per member per year regardless of number of Aeroplan cards), plus 10,000 at 50k spend, all under a combined 25,000 SQC/year Annual Credit Card Maximum across all issuers; closing the account claws back that year’s annual 5,000 SQC and can reverse the status it earned; SQC don’t count toward Million Mile Status. Spend thresholds — 75k grants 35K, resets each Jan 1. Priority Reward vouchers at 250k/750k (50% off base fare in points, one passenger, expires 1 year from issue) and Global +1 at 10 off one non-restaurant DoorDash order each quarter while enrolled. World Elite Mastercard perks — Mastercard Concierge, Zero Liability, no foreign transaction fees, contactless tap-to-pay; authorized users share charging privileges and are reported to bureaus but aren’t financially responsible. Benefit activation — allow up to 72 hours after approval; Aeroplan account must be in good standing and linked; airline benefits end on Aeroplan account closure or product change. Governs alongside the Cardmember Agreement (no-FTF) and the Guide to Benefits (insurance, footnotes 20–26). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19
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Chase Aeroplan Card, official product page — $95 annual fee, not waived the first year; World Elite Mastercard; 3x grocery/dining/Air Canada, 1x else. ↩
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Chase Aeroplan Benefits — 10% transfer bonus terms — primary cardmember with an eligible Ultimate Rewards card receives a 10% bonus after transferring 50,000+ UR points in a single transaction to Aeroplan; max 25,000 bonus points/calendar year; posts within 7 days; transfers to an authorized user’s or any non-primary Aeroplan account are ineligible. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Chase Aeroplan Benefits — Aeroplan 25K Status for New Cardmembers — 25K status for the calendar year the account is opened plus the following calendar year; a higher status earned by other means is retained; benefit unavailable to those who received it within the last 60 months; non-transferable; account must be linked to the Aeroplan number and not in default. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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Chase Aeroplan Card benefits Terms & Conditions — Monthly Bonus Points — 500 bonus points per 6,000 in purchases (max 1,500 bonus points/month); credited to the calendar month the qualifying transaction posts (a merchant shipping delay can shift it to the next month); allow up to 8 weeks to post to the Aeroplan account; account must be open and not in default at fulfillment. Cash-like transactions, wagering, fees, and interest are excluded. ↩ ↩2
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Chase Aeroplan Benefits — Pay Yourself Back terms — Aeroplan points redeem for a statement credit via Pay Yourself Back toward eligible travel purchases charged to the card within 90 days of purchase; redemption value shown before redemption. (Widely quoted at 1.25¢/pt for travel; see also AwardWallet.) ↩ ↩2
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The Points Guy — Chase Aeroplan review — as of April 2026, 60,000 points after 840 at TPG valuation); enhanced offers have run at 75k after $4k/3mo. Subject to Chase 5/24. ↩
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The Points Guy — Aeroplan valuation — TPG’s April 2026 valuations peg Aeroplan points at 1.4¢ each (down from the 1.5¢ used in older TPG reviews). ↩
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Prince of Travel — Air Canada eUpgrades guide — Aeroplan 25K status includes 20 eUpgrade credits as a core benefit. ↩ ↩2
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Chase Aeroplan Benefits — Free First Checked Bags terms — primary cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation (max nine travelers) each get a free first checked bag up to 50 lb; only when checking in with Air Canada / Air Canada Rouge / Air Canada Express at the designated counter before security; not gate-checked bags; not available if check-in is with another airline; not applied retroactively; if the first bag is already complimentary via status or fare, no additional bag is provided. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Chase Aeroplan Benefits — Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS statement credit — one statement credit up to $120 every four years after the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS is charged to the card; must be paid directly to DHS/CBP/TSA or an authorized enrollment provider (not third-party services). ↩
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Chase Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard Guide to Benefits (BGC11365_v2, effective 10/01/24) — the authoritative benefits certificate for the card, retrieved via the chasebenefits.com card lookup. Contains the six travel/purchase protections (Trip Cancellation & Interruption, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay, Auto Rental CDW, Roadside Assistance, Purchase Protection), each with limits, exclusions, notification/proof-of-loss deadlines, and definitions. Underwritten by Virginia Surety Company, Inc. (an Assurant company); administered by the benefit administrator, who is solely responsible for claims. Coverage is secondary. The Guide is served by card tier (World Elite Mastercard), which is the tier the Aeroplan Card is issued on — confirmed by its six sections matching the Aeroplan benefits hub one-for-one. ↩ ↩2
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Chase Aeroplan Card benefits Terms & Conditions — Maintain Aeroplan 25K Status — spending at least $15,000 in purchases in a calendar year earns 25K status through the following calendar year; spend calculation resets to zero each January 1; allow up to 2 weeks after qualifying to be applied. ↩
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Chase Aeroplan Card benefits Terms & Conditions — Qualify for Aeroplan 35K Status — spending at least $75,000 in purchases in a calendar year grants Aeroplan 35K status for the remainder of that year and the next calendar year; allow 6–8 weeks after qualifying to be applied. ↩
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My Global Viewpoint — Air Canada elite status guide — Aeroplan 25K’s own checked-bag allowance dropped from two bags to one as of February 2026. ↩
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Star Alliance Silver benefits — Silver status includes only priority reservation waitlist and airport standby; no free checked bags, lounge access, or priority boarding on partners. ↩
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Air Canada Basic Economy / travel news — Aeroplan Elite members are exempt from Air Canada’s Basic Economy carry-on restriction. ↩
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Guide to Benefits — Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance — up to 6,000 per trip (trip max 60 days) for pre-paid, non-refundable common-carrier passenger fares when a trip is cancelled or interrupted for a Covered Reason (accidental death/serious illness/serious injury of the cardholder, a traveling companion, or a Family Member; severe weather; change in military orders; non-waivable jury duty or subpoena; home made uninhabitable; terrorist action/hijacking). Excludes cancellation for financial/business reasons or change of mind, pre-existing conditions, travel against physician advice or for medical treatment, and pandemic/epidemic or resulting government prohibitions. Broad Family Member definition. Notify the benefit administrator within 20 days; submit proof of loss within 90 days. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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Guide to Benefits — Trip Delay Reimbursement — up to $500 per covered traveler for reasonable expenses (meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, personal items) when common-carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, due to a Covered Hazard: equipment failure, inclement weather, a Common Carrier employee strike, or hijacking/skyjacking. Coverage is void if the hazard was public knowledge or known to the cardholder when the ticket was purchased. Secondary. Notify within 60 days; proof of loss within 100 days. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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Guide to Benefits — Baggage Delay Insurance — up to $100/day for up to 3 days for essential purchases (toiletries, clothing) when checked baggage is delayed more than 6 hours from arrival on a common carrier where the fare was charged to the card. Notify within 20 days; proof of loss within 90 days. (No lost/stolen baggage insurance is included — delay only.) ↩ ↩2
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Guide to Benefits — Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — reimburses theft of, and collision damage to, a rental vehicle up to $60,000 for the first 31 consecutive days, when the full rental is charged to the card and the counter CDW/LDW is declined. Secondary in the US (primary when renting for business or when the cardholder has no personal auto insurance). Excludes expensive/exotic and antique vehicles, certain vans and trucks, and rentals in some countries (e.g. Israel, Jamaica, Ireland). Notify within 100 days; proof of loss within 365 days. ↩ ↩2
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Guide to Benefits — Roadside Assistance / Dispatch — pay-per-use roadside dispatch (tow, jump-start, tire change, lockout, fuel delivery); the service fee is billed to the card at the time of dispatch — it is not complimentary. ↩
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Guide to Benefits — Purchase Protection — covers eligible new purchases against theft or damage for 120 days from the purchase date (90 days for New York residents), up to 50,000 per account per year. Secondary to other coverage. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Prince of Travel — Chase Aeroplan card offer — transfer-bonus stacking with periodic promotional Ultimate Rewards → Aeroplan transfer bonuses. ↩