Air Canada has launched Air Canada Embarq, a free booking and travel management platform for Canadian businesses. Travellers who book work trips through it earn 50% more Aeroplan points, and during the launch offer, eligible fares are up to 5% off. If your company flies Air Canada often, this is close to free value. Just remember it is a tool built by an airline, so keep checking what you would have paid elsewhere.
What is Air Canada Embarq?
Air Canada Embarq is a no cost booking and travel management platform made for Canadian businesses. It is Air Canada's own tool for booking and managing work travel.
Travel management tools are not new. Big companies have used them for years to keep trips in one place, track spending and set travel rules. What stands out here is an airline offering one to Canadian businesses for free, and paying travellers extra points to use it. That is a clear sign Air Canada wants more of your work travel, and it is willing to pay you for it.
How many extra Aeroplan points do you earn?
You earn 50% more Aeroplan points on eligible work trips booked through Embarq. The bonus goes to the traveller.
Here is why that matters. Aeroplan points go furthest when you use them for business class. A long flight to Europe or Asia in business class takes a lot of points, so anything that grows your balance faster gets you into that seat sooner. If you and your team already fly Air Canada for work, a 50% boost on the same trips is an easy win. You are not changing how you travel. You are just booking in a different place.
There is also a discount. During the launch offer, eligible fares are up to 5% off. Pay attention to the words "up to" and "eligible". Some fares may get the full 5%, some may get less, and some may not qualify at all.
Is Air Canada Embarq worth it for your business?
For most small and mid sized Canadian businesses that fly Air Canada a lot, yes, in our view. It costs nothing, the points stack up, and the launch discount is a nice extra on top.
The case against is simple. An airline built this tool, and an airline wants you on its own planes. Our worry is habit. Once your team books everything in one place, people stop checking WestJet, Porter or a cheaper connection on another carrier. A 50% points bonus is great, but it does not help if the fare was much higher than what you could have found elsewhere.
There is also a people angle. If the points go to the traveller, your staff get a real perk for flying for work. That can be a nice thing to offer a team. If you are the one who flies, the points land with you.
Who should skip it?
Skip Air Canada Embarq if your team mostly flies other airlines, or if you always shop every fare across every airline and book the cheapest one. In those cases, a tool built around one airline will not save you much.
You may also want to wait if you already use a travel platform you like and switching would cause more work than the points are worth.
Everyone else should take a quick look this week. Sign up, search a few routes you fly often, and compare the price to what you normally pay. If the fares match or beat what you see elsewhere, the extra points are a clear bonus. If they do not, you have lost nothing but a few minutes.
If you run a business, the money you already spend on cards and travel may cover more business class trips than you think. You can see what your spending buys.