Chase's Aeroplan Card Just Got a $100 Fee Hike - Plus a Montana Ranch for 220,000 Hilton Points

$4,700 a night. That's what RiverView Ranch in Montana charges in cash during peak season. And someone just booked two nights there using a Hilton free night certificate and 220,000 Hilton points. That's the kind of redemption that makes you remember why you collect these things in the first place.

More on that in a moment. First, a card refresh that landed yesterday and changes the math for anyone flying Air Canada or redeeming Aeroplan points.

The Chase Aeroplan card just introduced automatic elite status with no spending requirement. What status level do cardholders now receive automatically?

The answer is waiting near the bottom - keep scrolling. 👇

The Chase Air Canada Aeroplan card went through a significant refresh, and the headline change is one you don't see often: automatic Aeroplan 25K status, granted every year to cardholders with no minimum spend and no flights required. That's a real benefit for anyone who flies Air Canada even occasionally, since 25K status gets you priority check-in, seat selection perks, and lounge access on eligible fares.

The card also now gives 15% off eligible Air Canada award bookings and up to $100 in annual Air Canada statement credits, split across two semi-annual periods. Earning rates were bumped to 3x on a broad travel category. All meaningful upgrades.

Here's the catch: the annual fee jumped from $95 to $195. That's a $100 increase, which means the card now has to work harder to justify its place in your wallet. For frequent Air Canada flyers, the automatic status alone likely clears that bar. For occasional travelers, the math gets tighter.

The good news for new applicants: there's a limited-time welcome offer of up to 115,000 bonus Aeroplan points right now. There's also a live 20% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan through September 30 - so if you're topping up an Aeroplan balance, transferring from Chase is 20% more valuable than usual for the next 19 days.

If you already have the card and fly Air Canada at least a few times a year, the refresh probably tips positive for you. If you're new to the card, the 115,000-point welcome offer plus automatic status makes this worth a serious look before the elevated offer disappears.

Frequent Miler published a full review of RiverView Ranch today, calling it probably the single most aspirational points stay available in the United States. The property is a Small Luxury Hotel (SLH) near Missoula, Montana - an all-inclusive ranch resort with in-season cash rates of $4,700 per night. Greg booked two nights there: one using a Hilton free night certificate and one for 220,000 Hilton points. The total cash equivalent value of that stay was close to $9,400.

SLH properties can be booked directly through Hilton, which makes them accessible to Hilton Honors members and Hilton credit cardholders. The Hilton Honors Amex Aspire Card currently carries a highest-ever welcome offer of 200,000 bonus points - which is nearly enough for a single night at RiverView Ranch in a single swoop. Annual free night certificates from Hilton cards also work here.

If you've been accumulating Hilton points without a clear destination in mind, RiverView Ranch is worth bookmarking. There's also a 30% Amex Membership Rewards to Hilton transfer bonus running through October 14 - so if you're short on Hilton points, transferring from Amex right now gives you 30% more bang for your Membership Rewards balance.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express card just launched a compelling limited-time welcome offer: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points plus a free night award after meeting the spending requirement. That combination is genuinely strong - the 100K points alone covers multiple award nights at mid-tier properties, and the free night award adds a standalone redemption on top of that.

Marriott has over 9,000 properties across 35 brands, and Bonvoy points are transferable to over 40 airline programs - usually at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus when you transfer 60,000 points. The card also helps with Marriott elite status, since card spending counts toward elite night credits.

If you've been considering a Marriott business card, this is one of the stronger entry points we've seen. Before applying, check our eligibility guide to make sure you qualify - Marriott has complex rules about which cards you can hold and when.

Also worth knowing: if you're weighing whether Marriott points fit into your overall strategy, our Marriott Points Calculator can help you work out the value of what you'd be earning.

United MileagePlus just launched a new buy-miles sale. The honest take: most of the time, buying miles is a bad deal. The math rarely works out in your favor unless you're targeting a specific redemption at a specific price per mile. The exception is when you need a small top-up to reach an award threshold - buying 5,000 or 10,000 miles to complete a booking you already have in hand can make sense if the alternative is missing the redemption entirely.

If you're doing the math on whether this sale works for your situation, our buy points promotions tracker has all the current offers in one place - including this United sale alongside 19 other live promotions.

The bigger opportunity this week in the buy-points space: JetBlue is running a 120% bonus on purchased TrueBlue points through October 1, and Copa Airlines is offering an 80% bonus on ConnectMiles through October 2. For anyone eyeing a specific JetBlue or Copa redemption, those are the standout values right now.

If you've been sitting on Amex Membership Rewards and have any interest in Avios - British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus - the 30% transfer bonus to all three programs ends September 27. That's 16 days from now.

A 30% bonus means every 10,000 Membership Rewards points becomes 13,000 Avios. For short-haul redemptions on British Airways, those extra points can cover an entire additional segment. Award Travel Finder has been surfacing some genuinely good BA availability this month - worth checking before the bonus window closes.

UK readers - Smart With Points has a full breakdown of how to use the Avios transfer bonus across all three programs, including some Iberia-specific sweet spots that most US-focused guides miss.

The answer is B - Aeroplan 25K Status. The refreshed Chase Air Canada Aeroplan card now grants automatic Aeroplan 25K Status every cardmember year, with no minimum spending requirement and no flights needed to qualify. That's a genuinely rare benefit for a cobranded card at any price point.

Hilton vs. Marriott - which hotel program do you find yourself actually using more? I'm curious whether the SLH access through Hilton is changing anyone's calculus lately. Hit reply and let me know - I read every response and this one genuinely interests me.

The RiverView Ranch story is the kind of thing that reminds me why Hilton points have been underrated for so long. A $4,700-a-night ranch in Montana for points and a free night certificate - that's the whole game right there.

- Jack

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Business Gold Card: 200,000 points after spending $15,000 in 3 months ($3.75/yr)

2. American Express Green Card: 175,000 points ($8.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($5.5/yr)

Here's what we're seeing in award availability right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo - Tokyo, JP | 3.4cpp value | 121,000 pts/night

• W Osaka - Osaka, JP | 5.3cpp value | 58,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi - Male, MV | 4.4cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• Calala Island, an SLH Hotel - NiCaribbean, NI | 2.9cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels Boston - Boston, MA, US | 1.6cpp value | 75,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue (New Markets) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → Aer Lingus Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 16 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → British Airways Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 16 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends October 14 (in 33 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Iberia Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 16 days)

• Capital One Miles → JAL (Japan Airlines) Mileage Bank: +30% bonus - ends September 30 (in 19 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Air Canada Aeroplan: +20% bonus - ends September 30 (in 19 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends October 11 (in 30 days)

• Copa Airlines (ConnectMiles): 80% bonus at - ends October 2 (in 21 days)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends October 31 (in 50 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends October 11 (in 30 days)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 100% bonus at - ends September 30 (in 19 days)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 120% bonus at - ends October 1 (in 20 days)

Full live tracker → milesandpointsdaily.com/buy-points-promotions

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

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