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 great travel tool to have in your arsenal.
Read below for more information on everything you need to know about Flying Blue.
Flying Blue Quick Facts
| 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 |
 The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card offers 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion(R) Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you'll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together. Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card. Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a First Class, Delta Comfort+(R), or Main Cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. You'll earn: • Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. • Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. • $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required. • $200 Delta Stays Statement Credit: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members can earn up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. • Receive four Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year when you fly together on Delta. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location. • Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees. Want even more flexibility? Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. This card does come with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
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’ll 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 extra benefits to make your travel more convenient and pleasant. Some appealing perks are:
Silver Status:
- All explorer benefits
- 50% miles bonus
- 1 free checked bag
- Priority check-in
- 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 amount of miles you’ll get will depend 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 will 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 Bankcheckingsavings. The product details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the bank.
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:
The Platinum Card from American Express. Earn 60,000 points ($1,200 value) when you spend $5,000 in your first 3 months. $550 annual fee.
American Express Gold Card. Receive 60,000 ($1,200 value) when you spend $4,000 in your first 6 months. $250 annual fee.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Get 60,000 miles (~1,200 value) when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. $95 annual fee.
Citi Premier Card. Earn 60,000 points ($1,020 value) when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. $95 annual fee (waived for the first 12 months).
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 shot 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.
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.
Now, 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. It can 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
- 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.
 |
 |
Conclusion
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. With promo awards and Round the World tickets, Flying Blue is worth a serious consideration.
