United awards moved to dynamic pricing; short-haul business doubles, transatlantic business rises 33%

6,000 / 15,000 points (LAX–SFO United economy/business, one-way) → 10,000 / 30,000 points

Effective March 25, 2025, Aeroplan replaced fixed partner pricing on United Airlines with dynamic "Air Canada and Select Partners" pricing, a change announced several weeks earlier without specifics. One-way United awards from Los Angeles to San Francisco rose from 6,000 to 10,000 points in economy and from 15,000 to 30,000 in business; Newark to London rose from 35,000 to 40,000 in economy and 60,000 to 80,000 in business; Houston to Buenos Aires rose from 43,000 to 45,000 in economy and 60,000 to 100,000 in business. Aeroplan gained no additional United award availability under the new pricing. The same update extended dynamic pricing to Etihad and to Canadian regional partners, restoring Etihad business class bookability at high rates. Aeroplan receives 1:1 transfers from American Express, Chase, Capital One and Bilt, so the change hit one of the most common Star Alliance routes for US flexible points.

What to do: For United-operated awards, compare MileagePlus, Turkish Miles&Smiles and LifeMiles before transferring to Aeroplan.