All you need to know about the Air France KLM Flying Blue program

Flying Blue is Air France KLM’s loyalty program. Since August 2021, it has partnered with American Express Membership Rewards in Canada, which makes it far more accessible to travellers. Better still: since January 3, 2026, the transfer ratio is 1:1, so 1,000 Membership Rewards points convert to 1,000 Flying Blue Miles.

In this complete guide to the Flying Blue program in Canada, you will find every way to earn and use Flying Blue Miles, how Flying Blue status works in 2026, the real value of a Mile, and several of the program’s sweet spots. To compare all your options, also see our page of the best credit cards.

Register for the Flying Blue program

Joining Flying Blue is free and quick. You do it directly by creating a Flying Blue account. You can also enroll your children in the program, which is handy for sharing Miles as a family.

Earning Flying Blue Miles

In Canada, you earn Flying Blue Miles in several ways: by transferring credit card points, with a co-branded card, by flying, and through the program’s partners. Here is each method in detail.

With Membership Rewards cards

The main method in Canada remains American Express Membership Rewards cards. Since January 2026, you transfer your Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue Miles at a ratio of 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 1,000 Flying Blue Miles. American Express also runs regular transfer bonuses (often 25%), which improves the return even further.

Here are the American Express Membership Rewards cards available in Canada:

Thus, with a card like the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn the equivalent of up to 5 Flying Blue Miles per dollar spent in certain categories:

There are many other American Express Membership Rewards cards from which you can convert your points to Flying Blue Miles.

With Marriott Bonvoy cards

The second method in Canada is Marriott Bonvoy Amex credit cards. You transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to Flying Blue at a ratio of 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Mile. On top of that, every 60,000 points transferred earns a 5,000-Mile bonus. So 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Flying Blue Miles.

That said, this transfer is more of a backup: your Marriott points are often worth more for hotel nights. Here are the two Marriott Bonvoy cards available in Canada:

With the Air France KLM card

Since October 2022, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard^®, issued by Brim, has been available in Canada. It earns Flying Blue Miles directly and helps you reach status. Here are its earn rates:

In addition to extending the validity of your Miles with each purchase, the card offers 60 XP in the first year and 30 XP at renewal, which makes it easier to earn or maintain Flying Blue status. Note: the welcome offer is in XP, not Miles. The annual fee is $132, rebated in the first year.

With your flights

You also earn Flying Blue Miles by flying on Air France KLM and the SkyTeam alliance airlines. The number of Miles depends on two factors: the ticket price and the status you hold.

On Air France and KLM flights, earning is based on the base fare excluding taxes (excluding the YQ fuel surcharge), according to your status:

This method favours travellers paying full-fare tickets, especially in premium cabins. Extras (seat selection, additional baggage, à la carte meals, upgrades) also earn Miles. For other SkyTeam airlines and WestJet, earning depends instead on a percentage tied to the booking class and the distance flown. You can calculate it on Flying Blue’s dedicated page.

For example, here is the earning chart applied to WestJet flights:

With Flying Blue partners

Beyond airlines, Flying Blue partners with hotels, car rental agencies and other companies. Here are the main ways to take advantage.

With hotels

Flying Blue’s preferred hotel partner is Accor Live Limitless, through Miles+Points. You can earn both Accor points for your stays and Flying Blue Miles, a fairly unique combination. Besides Accor, Flying Blue partners with Booking.com, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Best Western Rewards, Radisson Hotel Group, World of Hyatt and IHG Rewards, among others.

However, for these hotels, you must choose between earning points (for free nights) or Flying Blue Miles.

With car rentals

You also earn Flying Blue Miles when renting a car from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt or Thrifty.

With online shopping

A shopping portal offers Flying Blue Miles for your online purchases with partners like Apple, Indigo, Nike or Sephora. It works like other shopping portals: log in, choose the merchant, then click the matching link. Remember to empty your cart before you start.

Note that Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard^® holders also get dedicated offers (inCard and eShop) to earn even more Miles on their purchases.

With family

Flying Blue Family lets you share Miles with relatives. Up to 8 members can join: 2 adults and a maximum of 6 children. The family head is the only person allowed to transfer Miles from members’ accounts.

After each transfer, all Flying Blue Family Miles stay valid for two years. Transfers are final and you receive a confirmation email. On top of that, you get a 25% discount on reward tickets booked for children aged 2 to 11 travelling with an adult, in economy as well as business class. Read our article on this benefit. Finally, children’s Miles do not expire before age 18.

Using Flying Blue Miles

The best way to use Flying Blue Miles is to book award tickets, especially in premium cabins. That is where you get the best value from your Flying Blue Miles. You can also use them for upgrades, in-flight options or partner purchases.

For flight tickets

Flying Blue members have access to every available seat on any flight. The price in Miles therefore varies with demand: this is the principle of dynamic pricing. There is no fixed award chart like in other programs. In practice, the same business-class seat can cost 60,000 Miles one day and far more the next.

In 2026, for flights between Canada and Europe, prices start around 25,000 Miles in economy and 60,000 Miles in business class (one way), before promotions. Each route does keep a floor price that acts as a minimum.

For example, here is the cost of a one-way flight between Montreal and Paris, in economy from 21,500 Miles and $135:

In business class from 53,000 Miles and $348:

The fare changes a lot from day to day. Also, the higher the cabin, the larger the cash portion: these are the carrier surcharges. You can estimate the number of Miles required on this page.

The partner airlines

With your Flying Blue Miles, you fly on Air France KLM, all SkyTeam airlines and partners like WestJet. You book online on the Air France KLM website for Air France, KLM, Aircalin, GOL, Japan Airlines, Kenya Airways, TAROM, WestJet and the SkyTeam carriers (Delta Airlines, Korean Air, Air Europa, China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, among others). For Transavia, you book directly on the Transavia website.

In North America

In North America, you use Flying Blue Miles on WestJet and Delta Airlines. Here are a few one-way fare examples:

Promo Rewards

Each month, Flying Blue offers a deal called Promo Rewards. During the month, you can book award tickets at a reduced rate: 25% to 50% off depending on the routes and cabins. These promotions often cover long travel windows, which gives you flexibility.

For example, it has been possible to book a Promo Reward aboard Air France’s A350 between Toronto and Paris for just 32,000 Miles in business class. Check our Promo Rewards each month to grab the best deals:

A tip to find awards

On the Air France KLM website, a trick lets you display a 30-day award calendar. Rather than searching for a one-way, run a round-trip search using the same date for the outbound and return. This unlocks a 30-day calendar of Miles prices.

Then pick the date with the best price in Miles and proceed with the booking. Before searching, learn your SkyTeam geography using a site like Flight Connections to spot the airlines and routes to your destinations.

Flying Blue sweet spots

The Flying Blue program hides several sweet spots that are especially rewarding for Canadian travellers. Here are our favourites, seen on award tickets (one-way fares, subject to dynamic pricing):

Tip: for South America, aim instead for domestic flights, like Buenos Aires – Ushuaia for just 17,500 Miles and $8. These pricing quirks often appear on the networks of partner airlines.

For upgrades

You can use your Flying Blue Miles to upgrade a ticket. This can be done in advance (up to 24 hours before the flight), subject to availability, provided the ticket was booked in an eligible class (award tickets are excluded from this option). A last-minute upgrade is still possible just before boarding, or even on board; this time, even award tickets are eligible.

For Air France La Première

La Première, Air France’s first class, ranks among the best in the world. To book it with Flying Blue Miles, you must hold Platinum status. It is one of the finest possible uses of your Miles.

For in-flight options

You can also use Flying Blue Miles for various travel options:

Value of a Flying Blue mile

How much is a Flying Blue Mile worth? It all depends on how you use it. Based on our analysis, the value of a Flying Blue Mile ranges from 0.2 to 2.5 euro cents. The math is simple: divide the euro value of your ticket by the number of Miles spent. Here are our ranges by type of use:

The lesson is clear: your Miles are worth the most in premium cabins, especially on Promo Rewards. Conversely, using them in the store or for hotel nights gives a poor return. For the full calculation, read our analysis of the real value of Flying Blue Miles.

Flying Blue miles expiration

Flying Blue Miles stay valid as long as your account remains active. In practice, they do not expire if one of these conditions is met:

Careful: only cards carrying the Flying Blue logo extend validity (such as the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard). American Express Membership Rewards transfers do not count for this condition. So remember to book at least one flight every two years using your Flying Blue number.

Flying Blue status levels

The program has five status levels: Explorer, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Ultimate. To move up, you earn Experience Points (XP) on your flights. Here are the thresholds in effect in 2026:

The way it works has changed since the program launched. You now have a 12-month qualification period that starts as soon as you earn your first Mile or XP. If you reach a new status, the period resets from the month of your upgrade. Good news: surplus XP (up to 300) can roll over to the next period, which helps you keep your status.

The very top tier, Ultimate, is not a simple XP level: it is an exclusive status above Platinum, earned with a separate currency (UXP), accumulated only on Air France and KLM flights. For the detailed steps, read our guide on Flying Blue status.

XP is calculated based on the flight type (domestic, medium-haul, long-haul) and the cabin. Here is the chart for flights operated by SkyTeam airlines:

The benefits of status

Aside from Platinum and Ultimate, which are mostly for very frequent flyers, the best benefits-to-effort status is Gold. It matches SkyTeam Elite Plus status with other alliance carriers. With Gold, you get:

To rack up XP, be strategic: every flight earns some, and international flights earn more. You could, for example, favour WestJet or Delta Airlines to the United States, or route through Amsterdam to reach France.

Conclusion

The Air France KLM Flying Blue program deserves a place in every Canadian traveller’s strategy. It is more accessible than ever thanks to the 1:1 transfer from American Express Membership Rewards and the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard. To get the most out of it, target awards in premium cabins and Promo Rewards, where your Miles are worth the most.

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Flying Blue – Frequently asked questions

Here are questions frequently asked in the milesopedia community about the Flying Blue program.

Go further with Flying Blue

To dig deeper, read our complete guide to the Flying Blue program and our ranking of the best cards to earn Flying Blue Miles in Canada. And if a Miles purchase promotion is running, take advantage of it with our guide to buying Flying Blue Miles.