Aeroplan Adds PYB Warning
Chase Aeroplan cardholders have the option to participate in the Pay Yourself Back program where you can redeem points to cover purchases made with your credit card.
You can redeem Aeroplan points for a statement credit using Pay Yourself Back for purchases in the travel category made with your Chase Aeroplan Card within 90 days from the redemption date. There’s no limit on how many points you can redeem through December 31, 2023. But for the following years there’s a cap of 50,000 points.
While you can earn Aeroplan points by flying or using your Aeroplan card, you can also transfer from other loyalty programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One Miles. There’s no distinction in your account where your Aeroplan points come from, but not all points are meant to be redeemed through Pay Yourself Back.
And Aeroplan has now added a warning to the redemption page, to clarify how the program should be used:
REMINDER: Only Aeroplan Points earned under the Aeroplan Program, the Chase Aeroplan Card, and Chase Ultimate Rewards can be used for Chase Pay Yourself Back. Points converted from other programs are not eligible. If you proceed contrary to these terms, the Aeroplan Program and Chase Aeroplan Card reserves the right to reverse your point redemption or freeze your Aeroplan Membership account.
This was conveyed by Aeroplan’s team soon after the program launched back in January, saying that “Air Canada and Aeroplan’s intention is that the Pay Yourself Back feature be used for points earned with Chase, through the Chase Aeroplan Card or Ultimate Rewards Points Transfer.” They have also shut down people for abusing PYB.
Conclusion
The warning has been added recently and clearly states what points can be used through Pay Yourself Back. However, the best solution would have been to only allow eligible points to be redeemed through PYB. That would make it much easier for cardholders, since the points in Aeroplan accounts are not divided based on where they originated from.
I doubt Chase and Aeroplan will go after people who redeem small amounts or do so unintentionally. But it’s still not an ideal setup.
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