Testing ChatGPT to Help Plan a Path to Air Canada Super Elite Status in 2025

For years, I’ve aspired to and sometimes hovered just shy of Air Canada’s Super Elite status — the top Aeroplan tier that opens the door to upgrades, concierge support, priority everything, and an entirely different kind of travel experience.

How I Used ChatGPT to Plan My Way to Air Canada Super Elite Status

This year, I decided to stop flying blind.
Instead of guesstimating my way through mileage charts and fare classes, I turned to ChatGPT, gave it my data, and asked: “What’s the smartest way to earn 75K or Super Elite before the end of the year?”

Here’s what happened — and how it worked remarkably well.

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Starting Line: What I’d Already Flown in 2025

By early August, thanks to some domestic Canadian travel plus a sunny getaway to Mexico I had 40,000 Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and $4,400 Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) under my belt. That progress came from a mix of routes and classes:

• YOW → YVR (return) in Business Class
  → 6,612 SQM, $2,250 SQD
• YVR → YLW (return) in Economy Comfort
  → 576 SQM, $662 SQD
• YOW → YHZ (return) in Economy Comfort
  → 1,362 SQM, $636 SQD
• YOW → YYZ → HUX (return) in Economy Standard (part of an Air Canada vacation package)
  → 2,660 SQM, $857 SQD

The rest of my SQM — just under 29,000 miles — came from Aeroplan credit card spending bonuses earned through:

• American Express Aeroplan Reserve
• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege
• CIBC Aerogold Business Visa

Each card offers 1,000 bonus SQM per $5,000 spent, and without any major changes to my typical spending habits, I was able to hit that spend threshold a few times.

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The Next Big Trip: Sydney in Comfort

I had already booked a round-trip from Ottawa to Sydney, Australia via Vancouver in Comfort fare, which earns 115% SQM.

• Estimated SQM: ~22,954
• Estimated SQD: $2,400

That would bring me to new levels of:

• 62,954 SQM
• $6,800 SQD

Still a bit short of 75K or Super Elite — but still within reach!

As an aside, I would typically be looking at a business class booking for such a long flight, as long as the cost wouldn't put me in the poor-house, but for this trip I'm using a Worldwide Companion Pass to bring a friend along for only $599, and that can only be used for an economy fare (here's hoping my eUpgrade request clears, though with no upgrade space currently showing as available, it's not looking too promising -yikes!).

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Achieving Aeroplan 75K Status

Before even thinking about Super Elite, ChatGPT helped me realize that I was already well in reach of Aeroplan 75K — a prestigious status level with substantial perks of its own:

Requirements for 75K:

• 75,000 SQM
• $9,000 SQD

With the Sydney trip complete, I’d be just ~12,000 SQM and $2,200 SQD away from 75K — achievable with a single long-haul trip in Premium Economy or a couple of short-haul Business Class trips.

75K offers:

• Star Alliance Gold status
• Priority check-in, boarding, and baggage
• Access to Maple Leaf and Star Alliance lounges
• 50% bonus Aeroplan points
• eUpgrade credits and priority upgrades

It’s an excellent milestone in its own right, and if I stopped there, I’d already be unlocking a world of travel benefits.

But, what if I wanted to go the distance to SE?

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The Challenge: Reaching Super Elite

To hit the very top, Aeroplan requires:

• 100,000 SQM
• $20,000 SQD

So, from my post-Sydney total:

• I needed +37,046 SQM
• And +$13,200 SQD

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How ChatGPT Helped Me Build a Strategy

I gave ChatGPT my current balances, my upcoming flights, my credit card portfolio, and my travel preferences.

In return, it:

• Calculated projected SQM from various flights, including class-of-service bonuses
  → 125% SQM for Premium Economy
  → 150% SQM for Business
• Modeled different trip combinations
• Prioritized options with high SQM per dollar
• Respected some personal preferences that I outlined: no U.S. airports, no ultra-long layovers, no guesswork.

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The Winning Strategy: Singapore x2

ChatGPT’s top recommendation was elegant and efficient:

Two round-trips in Business Class from Ottawa to Singapore (via Vancouver).

Each round-trip earns:

• ~30,540 SQM (with 150% business class bonus)
• ~$6,000 SQD

Two trips give:

• 61,080 SQM
• $12,000 SQD

Final projected totals:

• 124,034 SQM
• $18,800 SQD

That leaves me needing just $1,200 more in SQD, which can easily be made up with:

• A domestic Business Class ticket (e.g., YOW–YYC or YOW–YVR)
• Or a last-minute international weekend hop in Premium Economy

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Alternative: Singapore + Hong Kong

If I wanted to reduce the spend slightly:

• 1x Singapore in Business (~30,540 SQM, $6,000 SQD)
• 1x Hong Kong in Premium Economy (~21,490 SQM, ~$4,000 SQD)

That still pushes me over the SQM threshold and gets close enough to SE with some additional short flights to meet the SQD.

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Would I Use ChatGPT Again?

Absolutely! It quickly turned a complex problem into a clear roadmap. It:

• Modeled exact mileage with fare class bonuses
• Highlighted efficient, non-U.S. options
• Gave me visibility into how far each dollar would take me

And the best part? It helped me plan around real life — my personal schedule and preferences.

What to Tell ChatGPT for the Best Results

To get the most accurate and tailored Aeroplan status strategy from ChatGPT, be specific and include the following:

By giving ChatGPT all of that upfront, it can simulate your current progress, calculate SQM/SQD from specific flights (with fare class bonuses), and suggest the most efficient way to reach your goal — often with route and fare suggestions you hadn’t considered.

Note, though, you do need to be aware of the rules yourself, to be able to check if ChatGPT has made any errors in logic or fact. This was especially true of further playing around I did with it to craft a travel strategy under the new 2026 rules (separate post). Bottom line, know the rules, be detailed with your input, and let the AI do the tedious fiddly bits.

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Final Thoughts

Whether your goal is to hit 35K, 50K, 75K, or go all the way to Super Elite, it pays to plan ahead. With the right tools — and a clear understanding of the Aeroplan program — elite status is more achievable than you might think.

75K is already an elite experience. Super Elite is just the next step.

Let ChatGPT be your co-pilot in figuring out the rest.

Stay tuned for another post where I use ChatGPT to help me plan my strategy to reach SE in 2026 under the new SQC system.

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