World of Hyatt Explorists and Globalists can now register for a 90-day Aeroplan Elite Status Challenge, according to Air Canada's Aeroplan page for it, read October 14, 2026. Fly eligible Air Canada flights inside the window and an Explorist can earn Aeroplan 25K status, while a Globalist can reach as high as 75K.
Hyatt said in its July 15, 2026 release that this challenge was coming later in 2026. The same release set up the other direction, a Hyatt status challenge for Aeroplan Elite members and eligible premium cardholders, and we cover it below with the points offers.
Who Can Register
You need an Aeroplan account in good standing, a World of Hyatt account in good standing, the two accounts linked, and Explorist or Globalist status on the day you register. World of Hyatt members without one of those two statuses aren't eligible.
Air Canada says you register with the Register button on Hyatt's Aeroplan Elite Status Challenge offer page while logged in to your World of Hyatt account. Processing can take up to 48 hours, and your 90 days start when Aeroplan records the registration, not when you click. A confirmation email gives your start and end dates.
You get one challenge per calendar year. If you don't finish, you can try again next year, and only after your 90 days have ended.
What You Need to Earn
The target depends on your Hyatt status when you register, and it doesn't change if your Hyatt status does. An Explorist who becomes a Globalist mid-challenge stays in the Explorist challenge. Air Canada measures progress in Status Qualifying Credits (SQC):
- Explorist: 8,000 SQC for Aeroplan 25K status.
- Globalist: 8,000 SQC for 25K, 12,000 for 35K, 17,000 for 50K or 25,000 for 75K.
What Counts Toward It
Only SQC from eligible Air Canada activity during the 90 days count. That means flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada Rouge in Economy Standard or higher, and flights on Star Alliance and select partner airlines ticketed by Air Canada (ticket numbers starting with 014) in Economy Standard or higher. Air Canada Vacations packages count on their full value, taxes and fees included. Flights must depart within the 90 days.
Economy Basic fares and Aeroplan flight rewards, including Points + Cash bookings, earn no SQC toward the challenge. SQC from flight promotions, campaigns or offers don't count either. On its Canadian-edition page, which prices in Canadian dollars, Air Canada lists 4 SQC per $1 on Economy Flex or higher and 2 per $1 on Economy Standard, counted on base fare and carrier surcharges, not taxes and fees. A vacations package earns 1 SQC per $1 on its full value.
SQC can take up to 14 days to post, and Air Canada gives a 120-day crediting window after the challenge ends for flights you flew inside the 90 days.
What You Keep
Status earned through the challenge lasts until January 31 of the second calendar year after the year you registered. Air Canada's own example: register on November 1, 2026 and the status runs to January 31, 2028.
You can't register if you already hold Aeroplan status, earned outside the challenge, that's equal to or higher than the top tier the challenge offers you and valid through the following calendar year. An Explorist holding 25K that runs to January 31, 2027 can still enroll during 2026. If you reach the top tier available to you by other means during the challenge, Air Canada removes you from it, you keep the status, and you can't re-enter that year.
The Other Direction and the Points Offers
Aeroplan Elite members can take a 90-day challenge for Hyatt status: Discoverist with 4 nights, Explorist with 10 or Globalist with 20, according to Hyatt's July 15 release. Aeroplan Premium cardholders get two attempts a year plus Discoverist status. Hyatt's release says linked Aeroplan cardholders with cards issued in Canada earn extra points at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts, with Premium cards earning 2 World of Hyatt Bonus Points plus 2 Aeroplan points per eligible $1 CAD. Air Canada's list of those cards names TD, American Express and CIBC Aeroplan cards.
Points move between the programs too. World of Hyatt points convert to Aeroplan at 2 to 1, with a minimum of 5,000 World of Hyatt points, and Air Canada's terms add an extra 5,000 Aeroplan points when you convert 50,000 or more. Air Canada's FAQ also lists a Flight Reward Certificate worth 30,000 Aeroplan points for up to 50,000 World of Hyatt points. It reduces the base fare in points on one Aeroplan flight reward for one passenger and expires 365 days after it posts.
Going the other way, Aeroplan points buy Hyatt Category 1-4 or Category 1-7 Free Night Awards starting at 25,000 points. Aeroplan Elite members can also convert Aeroplan points to World of Hyatt Bonus Points at 2 to 1, with a 500-point minimum. Linked Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist members get an annual Air Canada flight credit worth $20 CAD on a round trip or $10 CAD one way.
What to Do
If you're an Explorist or Globalist who already flies Air Canada, or books partner flights on Air Canada tickets, link your accounts first. Then book the flights before you register, because the 90 days start at registration and you get one try a year. Compare your planned flights against the thresholds above before you click. If you aren't a member yet, you can join World of Hyatt for free.
Our guide to how to earn Aeroplan points in the U.S. covers the other routes into the program, and our World of Hyatt elite status guide covers the three elite tiers.
