American Express Air Canada Card Announced | 50K status for free

A few months back, online sleuths found a document for an upcoming American Express Air Canada Credit Card. Many people speculated it would be similar to the U.S. CHASE Aeroplan Card, where you’d get enhanced benefits and an opportunity to earn higher status.

Today, American Express officially announced the American Express Air Canada Card, and it’s not what anyone would have expected. It has a bit of mystique to it, like the Centurion Card, as opposed to traditional high-end credit cards.

Invite-only product

American Express has clearly made the American Express Air Canada Card a highly exclusive product as it’s an invite-only card. What’s interesting is that the exact details of who would be invited are unknown. I asked American Express directly about the conditions, but they would not reveal them to me.

To be fair, they want this card to be exclusive like the American Express Centurion Card. That means you won’t find any official wording about the card online from American Express or Aeroplan. While that may annoy some people, I think it’s kind of neat that American Express now has multiple cards that are invite-only.

American Express Air Canada Card benefits

As you can imagine, there’s limited info about what actual benefits you get, but this is what American Express shared with me in an email.

The card will unlock the very best of American Express and Aeroplan. It’ll include all the features of Aeroplan Reserve, plus an unparalleled roster of additional benefits and services, including: 

Signature services on the ground

Access to Air Canada Concierges and to all Air Canada lounges worldwide, including the Air Canada Signature Suite, for the Cardmember and a guest when departing on an Air Canada flight.

Aeroplan Elite Status: 

Access to complimentary Aeroplan 50K status for the Cardmember and Supplementary American Express Air Canada Cardmembers.

Unparalleled Service & Concierge Access

American Express Air Canada Cardmembers have access to the American Express Lifestyle Concierge, a network of dedicated professionals who will provide Cardmembers with the highest level of personalized service both at home and abroad. Wherever they are, each element of Cardmembership has been designed to reflect the highest expectations and to deliver personalized experiences. Cardmembers can have complete confidence that our experts, in partnership with Air Canada will arrange unforgettable, individually tailored experiences.

American Express Air Canada Card requirements

Again, no details have been shared, but American Express did say that the card comes with high requirements to maintaining the card on an annual basis.

Final thoughts

I can’t comment too much about this new card since I lack details. That said, since this is an invite-only card, you need to assume that they’ll be targeting people who spend a lot on their current American Express cards, or those who earn a lot of Aeroplan points. Now, if you’re a frequent Aeroplan user and already have status, I’m not sure the complimentary 50K status will be a big selling point. The extra service, such as guaranteed access to the Air Canada Signature Suite, is nice, but will it be enough to get people to sign up?

I’ll never know as I suspect I’ll never meet the requirements to get this card.