Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program for a number of carriers: Air France, KLM, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM and Transavia. While none of these airlines have a huge presence in the United States, American travelers can still earn and use Flying Blue miles via SkyTeam partners. With that in mind, this loyalty program could be a solid travel tool to have in your arsenal. For other options, you can check out our best frequent flyer programs for earning & redeeming points/miles here.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about Flying Blue.
| Airline Alliance | SkyTeam |
| Hubs | Amsterdam, Paris |
| U.S. Destinations | Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. |
| Credit Cards | Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® (BoA) |
| Redemption Options | Award flights, seat upgrades, baggage, inflight meals, lounge access, hotel stays, car rentals, experiences, merchandise, magazines & newspapers, miles transfer |
| Average Mile Value | $0.012 |
DELTA SKYMILES RESERVE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card has an offer for 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This card earns 3X Miles on Delta purchases and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
Upon the annual renewal of your Card, receive a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate. *Payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
You and up to 8 travel companions get your first checked bag free on Delta Flights. You’ll also receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
This card gets a Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
Another great benefit is the complimentary Delta Sky Club access. You’ll also get complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge – The Centurion® Studio Partner when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $550.
Flying Blue Elite Status
Earn more miles and unlock more perks with Flying Blue’s elite status program. There are four status tiers: Explorer, Silver, Gold and Platinum. When you sign up, you automatically have Explorer status.
Work your way up Flying Blue status tiers by collecting Experience Points (XP). Earn XP on eligible flights with Air France, KLM, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM, Transavia and SkyTeam partners.
To gain Silver, Gold or Platinum status, you’ll need:
| TIER | REQUIREMENT |
| Silver | 100 XP within 12 months |
| Gold | 180 XP within 12 months |
| Platinum | 300 XP within 12 months |
For the most up-to-date requirements to gain Flying Blue elite status, click here. Once you reach a tier, you have that status for 15 months.
At the basic Flying Blue Explorer tier, you’ll enjoy:
- Checked luggage discounts
- Free seat selection at check-in
- Seat upgrade discounts
- Lounge access
- Use your miles to book & upgrade seats
- Exclusive Flying Blue offers
- Special partner offers
Moving up Flying Blue elite tiers unlocks additional benefits to make your travel more convenient and pleasant. Notable perks include:
Silver Status –
- All Explorer benefits
- 50% miles bonus
- 1 free checked bag
- Priority check-in
- Priority baggage drop off
- Priority boarding
- Preferred waitlist & standby
- Keep your miles for life
- Keep surplus XP
Gold Status –
- All Silver benefits
- 75% miles bonus
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status
- Priority immigration
- Priority security
- Priority ticket office
- Priority transfer desk
- Priority baggage delivery
- Lounge access for you +1
- Free transfers between CDG & ORY
Platinum Status –
- All Gold benefits
- 100% miles bonus
- Free seat upgrades
- Platinum service line
For a full and detailed list of all status benefits, click here.
Earning Flying Blue Miles
Earn Flying Blue miles by spending on Air France, KLM, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM and Transavia. The number of miles you’ll get depends on how much you spend and your elite status:
| STATUS | EARNING RATE |
| Explorer | 4 miles per €1 |
| Silver | 6 miles per €1 |
| Gold | 7 miles per €1 |
| Platinum | 8 miles per €1 |
For the most up-to-date miles earned per spending, click here.
You can also earn Flying Blue miles on partner flights. The amount depends on distance and booking class as well as your elite status. Partner airlines include (check their website for up-to-date partners):
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Corsica
- AirEuropa
- Air Mauritius
- Alitalia
- Bangkok Airways
- Chalair Aviation
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Southern Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Japan Airlines
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudi Arabian Airlines
- TAAG
- Twin Jet
- Vietnam Airlines
- WestJet
- Xiamen Airlines
With Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, issued by Bank of America, United States residents can earn Flying Blue miles by spending with the co-branded credit card.
| Welcome Bonus | 50,000 miles + 60 XP |
| Bonus Spend | $2,000 in 90 days |
| Bonus Value | $600 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 3x miles on Air France, KLM & SkyTeam purchases 1.5x miles on all other purchases |
| Anniversary Bonus | 5,000 miles when you spend at least $50 within one membership year + 20 XP every anniversary |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | None |
| Annual Fee | $89 |
The information for the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by MoneysMyLife. The product details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the bank.
Like other frequent flyer programs, members can earn miles with Flying Blue’s hotel partners:
- Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
- Best Western
- Booking.com
- Golden Tulip Hotels
- Hilton Honors
- Hotels for Miles
- IHG
- Marriott Bonvoy
- My Boutique Hotel
- Radisson Hotel Group
- Shangri-La
- World of Hyatt
- WorldHotels Collection
- YOTEL
*For up-to-date Flying Blue hotel partners, click here.
- Avis
- Budget
- Driving Blue
- Enterprise
- Europcar
- Hertz
- Sixt
- Thrifty
*For up-to-date Flying Blue car rental partners, click here.
You can also earn Flying Blue miles with shopping partners, experience partners and more.
If you’re short a few miles, you can buy additional ones. The rate starts at €55 for 2,000 miles ($0.0275 each). Explorer members can purchase a maximum of 75,000 miles each year, while Silver members or higher do not have any limits on how many Flying Blue miles they can buy.
Earning Flying Blue Miles With Transfer Partners
Earn Flying Blue miles when you transfer from the following credit card rewards programs:
| CREDIT CARD PROGRAM | TRANSFER RATIO |
| Amex Membership Rewards | 1:1 |
| Capital One Rewards | 2:1.5 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards | 1:1 |
We recommend the following credit cards from a couple of the programs mentioned above:
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
AMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The American Express® Gold Card has a welcome bonus for 60,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
Membership Rewards Points have great flexibility. We value each point to be worth up to an average 2 cents per point. At this value, 60k Membership Rewards Points can be worth up to $1,200.
The Amex Gold Card has plentiful perks. You’ll get:
- Choice between Gold or Rose Gold.
- 4X points at restaurants, including takeouts and deliveries in the U.S.
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (1X thereafter)
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits (get up to $10 monthly statement credits)
- No foreign transaction fees
The annual fee is $250. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
Spending Flying Blue Miles
Your Flying Blue miles won’t expire as long as:
- You take an eligible flight on Air France, KLM, Kenya Airways, TAROM or other airline partners at least once every 2 years.
- You make a purchase with an eligible co-branded credit card at least once every 2 years.
- You earn miles with any other Flying Blue partner at least once every 2 years.
- You’re a SkyTeam Elite or Elite Plus member.
Not let’s look at all the ways you can spend Flying Blue miles:
Use Flying Blue miles to book a flight for yourself or a guest with Air France, KLM or Transavia. Mileage pricing depends on origin, destination, booking class and your flight date.
You can also use your miles to book flights for yourself or a guest in Economy or Business with SkyTeam and non-alliance partners. Mileage pricing for all partner flights is based on booking class and flight distance.
With Miles & Cash, you can pay up to 25% of your ticket in cash if you don’t have enough miles to book an award flight.
For a more comfortable journey, use your Flying Blue miles to upgrade your seat. You’ll enjoy more leg room, premium onboard service, extra baggage allowance, lounge access, priority boarding and more. You can request a seat upgrade in advance, before boarding or at the very last minute while you’re on board.
You can also use your Flying Blue miles for:
- More baggage
- More comfortable seats
- A la carte meals
- Lounge access
You can spend your Flying Blue miles on:
- Hotel stays via the Flying Blue hotel portal.
- Rental cars with Avis, Hertz and Sixt.
- Experiences in France and the Netherlands.
- Retail items via the Flying Blue store.
- Magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
You can also transfer Flying Blue miles to another member. There’s a €3 fee for every 250 miles you transfer, with a limit of up to 50,000 miles.
Flying Blue Tips & Tricks
Promotional flight awards offer 20% to 50% savings off regular award pricing, which change from month to month. These awards have limited availability. For current promo awards, click here.
If you look into Flying Blue’s regions, you’ll find some great deals at its boundaries. Pay particular attention to the Middle East and North Africa.
Based on information we have at the time of publishing, below are some of our favorite Flying Blue sweet spots:
| FLIGHT DETAILS | MILES |
| U.S. to Mexico | Roundtrip | Delta Economy | 14,500 |
| U.S. to Mexico | One Way | Delta Business | 36,000 |
| U.S. to Hawaii | One Way | Delta Economy | 17,500 |
| U.S. to Israel | One Way | Economy | 25,000 |
| U.S. to Israel | One Way | Business | 53,000 |
| U.S. to N. Africa | One Way | Economy | 21,500 |
| U.S. to N. Africa | One Way | Business | 53,000 |
Flying Blue lets you use miles for around-the-world travel on Flying Blue and SkyTeam airlines. With a Round the World award, you’re allowed a maximum of six stopovers, three in the same continent.
Keep in mind:
- Open jaw flights are considered a stopover.
- You must include one Trans-Atlantic flight.
- You must include one Trans-Pacific flight.
- You must fly in one direction (East to West or West to East).
- You must contact the Flying Blue service center in writing with at least 14 days in advance to book.
Bottom Line
With the ability to earn and burn with a large number of global airlines partners, Flying Blue could be a very useful frequent flyer program. You also get decent transfer ratios, if you earn most of your points via American Express, Chase and Citi credit cards. And with promo awards and Round the World tickets, Flying Blue is worth a serious consideration.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
