As I've noted upthread, I didn't come anywhere close to spending the ridiculous $60K in my first year to secure Aeroplan Gold in year two. However, in January this year (which was 12 months after applying), the expiry of my Gold status on the Aeroplan website changed from 12/24 (which is what it was after I met the minimum spend 12 months ago) to 12/25. The app shows the same and I recently received a new physical card also showing 12/25. This all happened before the second year annual fee was levied. My credit card is still active, but I will be cancelling it when a disputed transaction is closed.