The American Express Aeroplan Reserve Cards are getting a higher annual fee and several new benefits in early 2027, as reported by Frugal Flyer. If you carry one of these cards, you will pay more each year. Whether that is a fair trade depends on one thing: how many of the new perks you will really use.
What is changing on the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Cards?
Two things are changing. The annual fee is going up, and American Express is adding several new benefits to the cards.
The Aeroplan Reserve is the top tier of the American Express Aeroplan lineup. It is the card many Air Canada flyers pick when they want the most out of Aeroplan. So a change here matters to a lot of people who fly often and spend a lot.
We are not going to guess at the new fee or the new perks. When the full details are out, those numbers are what you should look at. Until then, what we know is simple. It will cost more, and it will come with more.
When do the changes start?
The changes are set for early 2027.
That gives you time. Your annual fee is charged once a year, on your card anniversary. So the new fee will hit you at your first renewal after the change takes effect, not on day one for everyone. Check when your card anniversary falls. That date is when you will need to decide.
Is the Aeroplan Reserve card still worth it for a business owner?
Honestly, it depends on you, and that is not a dodge. A fee hike with new perks is a math problem, not good or bad news on its own.
Here is how we think about it. Every perk on a premium card falls into one of three groups:
- Things you already pay for. If a new benefit covers a cost you have anyway, it is close to cash back. This is the good kind.
- Things you would use if they were free. Nice to have, but worth less than they look. Count them at a lower value.
- Things you will forget. Credits that need you to sign up, book a certain way, or remember a deadline. For a busy owner, these are often worth close to zero.
Our opinion: card companies love to add perks in the second and third groups and then point to the total. Do not let a long list do your thinking. Add up only what lands in the first group, plus a fair part of the second. If that beats the new fee, keep the card. If it does not, the fee hike is just a price increase.
For a business owner, there is one more thing to weigh. If you put big monthly spend on this card, the points you earn may matter more than any perk. A few hundred dollars more in fees can be small next to what your spending earns in Aeroplan points each year. Look at both sides before you decide.
What should you do before the new fee hits?
Wait for the full details, then run the numbers on your own travel.
A few simple steps:
- Find your card anniversary. That is when the new fee will first apply to you.
- List the new benefits when they are released. Sort each one into the three groups above.
- Look at your spend. How many Aeroplan points does this card earn you in a year, and what do those points buy?
- Know your options. If the math does not work, you can often switch to a lower tier card in the same family and keep your points, or move your main spend to another card.
Our take: do not cancel in a panic, and do not renew on autopilot. This is a card that can be worth a lot to the right flyer. It just needs to earn its fee, every year.
If you run a business, your spending may already cover more business class trips than you think. You can see what your spending buys.