Unless you’re following Angelina Jolie on social media, you may not know that today is World Refugee Day. I don’t blame you – as an actual refugee, it often goes over my head. But this year, there’s more reason to spread awareness and support organizations helping refugees because Air Canada is partnering with Miles4Migrants to offer 7,500 Aeroplan points for every $100 donation.
You can earn 75 points per $1 donated – an extremely generous amount for charitable donations or any spending. You can earn up to 75,000 Aeroplan points through this promotion, which ends once they’ve reached their fundraising goal of $250,000.
Miles4Migrants is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations may be tax deductible (talk to a professional to determine if that’s the case).
How it works
If you’re interested in supporting a great cause and effectively buying miles at a substantial discount, follow these steps:
- Go to miles4migrants.org/aeroplan
- Enter the amount you want to donate into the donation box.
- Click “donate now.”
- Enter your first name, last name and email address.
- Confirm the amount you want to donate and whether you want to cover the transaction costs (8%). Uncheck the box if you don’t want to cover this fee.
- Choose your payment method. You can use a credit card, PayPal or Google Pay.
- Once you submit your payment information, you’ll be prompted to enter your Aeroplan number.
- Your points will be credited to your Aeroplan account within eight weeks.
Is this a good deal?
If you’re strictly focused on cost-per-point, this offer is a good deal. You’ll buy Aeroplan points at 1.3 cents each, which is lower than Aeroplan’s current buy-points promotion (1.5 cents per point).
Earning points via donations to Miles4Migrant works out cheaper and may be tax-deductible since it’s a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
If you need more than 75,000 points, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. For a limited time, you’ll even get 30% bonus points.
How to maximize this promotion
Donating to Miles4Migrants as part of this campaign can be a great way to top off your Aeroplan balance. A great way to maximize this promotion is to leverage it to meet credit card spending requirements. Most credit cards have spending requirements ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. You can knock out a substantial amount by charging a $1,000 donation to Miles4Migrants to your card.
Don’t have a spending requirement to complete? Then I recommend using any credit card that earns more than 1 point per dollar spent (i.e., Capital One Venture) or offers spend-based incentives (i.e., elite night credits via the Hyatt credit cards).
How to redeem 75,000 Aeroplan points
Are 75,000 Aeroplan points worth $1,000? With the right redemption, yes. You can easily get three times this value by redeeming Aeroplan points for business and first-class travel. With 75,000 points, you can book a one-way business class ticket to Australia. Typically, these tickets cost at least $2,500 each way.
Alternatively, you could book a business class flight to Europe for 60,000-70,000 points each way. With flights starting at 6,000 points each way, Aeroplan miles can go a long way – even for economy-class bookings.
For example, I recently redeemed 20,000 Aeroplan points for a last-minute economy ticket between Sacramento (SMF) and Denver (DEN). The cash fare was $600, so this redemption was worth 3 cents a point.
What is Miles4Migrants?
Miles4Migrants is a non-profit organization that provides travel assistance to refugees using donated points, miles, and cash. The organization works with major airlines and non-profit organizations to arrange flights for refugees who can’t otherwise afford the cost of travel to their new homes.
By leveraging donated miles and points, Miles4Migrants facilitates their journeys to safety, aiding in family reunification and providing access to safer environments.
I’ve seen the organization’s impact first-hand. Some of you may recall that I worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Catholic Charities to assist newly arrived Afghan refugees back in 2021. I spent three months at military bases in Virginia and Wisconsin, working on efforts to resettle these refugees and help them adjust to life in the U.S.
Miles4Migrants was instrumental in speeding up this process by making their travel arrangements. Considering the many logistical hurdles involved, this extra pair of hands made it possible to get people to their new homes faster.
When you’re fleeing a war zone or unsafe living conditions, the cost of travel can be a matter of life and death. Organizations that help with these costs are making a tremendous difference.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Miles4Migrants is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so donations should be tax deductible. However, you should consult with a tax professional to determine eligibility.
Regardless of whether donations are tax-deductible, this campaign can be a great way to stock up on Aeroplan points for less.
Bottom line
Donating money to a non-profit organization can be a great way to earn points while supporting a good cause.
If you’re considering buying Aeroplan points anyway, donating to Miles4Migrants during this campaign is cheaper and the money goes to a good cause. Since donations can be tax-deductible, there’s virtually no downside to contributing.
Featured image courtesy of Air Canada
