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Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue frequent flyer program offers travelers worldwide the opportunity to maximize their travel experience by using Miles. These can be used as currency to obtain various benefits, such as award tickets, upgrades, free Flying Blue Store merchandise or hotel stays. However, not all these options have the same value. Curious? We reveal the most advantageous ways of using your Flying Blue Miles to maximize their value. Hint: it may not be what you think.
Before diving into the value of your Flying Blue Miles with Air France, make sure you have enough Miles in your pocket. For a transfer to be worthwhile, we recommend that you have at least 20,000 Flying Blue Miles.
If your balance is at zero, we invite you to start your search by reading our article on the best ways to earn Flying Blue Miles, or by taking out an Air France KLM American Express card. Unlike American Express cards in France and Canada, which earn Membership Rewards points, Air France KLM American Express Silver, Gold and Platinum cards earn Flying Blue Miles.
There is no standard value for Flying Blue Miles, as it varies according to the rewards you wish to earn with your Miles. That’s why it’s crucial to optimize the use of your miles by choosing only the benefits that really interest you, giving you the best possible value for every mile you earn.
Nevertheless, the most advantageous way to use your Flying Blue Miles is to purchase an award ticket or a Flying Blue Promo award ticket; as you will see in the following examples, it is when you purchase an airline ticket that the value of a Flying Blue Mile increases the most. And not just any airline ticket; tickets in the premium cabins – Premium Economy, Business and La Première – are often those that promise the best return on investment.
Let’s say, for example, that an iPhone is sold at 293,933 Miles in the Flying Blue Store, while it is sold at 949 euros on Apple. To calculate its value in Miles, divide the value in euros by the value in Miles (949/293,933 = 0.0032). This means that, to purchase the iPhone in Miles, one Mile is equivalent to 0.3 cents (0.0032 x 293,933 Miles = 949 euros).
Award tickets are tickets that can be purchased with Flying Blue Miles. Promo award tickets are also tickets that can be purchased with Flying Blue Miles, but at a discount. These offer savings of between 25% and 50% on the number of Miles normally required to purchase an award ticket, and are available in limited quantities each month.
The higher the cash value of a flight and the lower its value in Flying Blue Miles, the greater the chance that the value of a Mile will be higher. To maximize the value of your Miles, we recommend that you opt for Air France Promo Award tickets, when the number of Miles required to purchase an Award ticket is reduced by 25 to 50%.
As you can see from the following examples, the most advantageous transfer is for flights in the higher categories. To pay for an award ticket, the value of a Mile varies from 0.3 to 2.5 cents.
If you choose to pay for a short-haul flight between Paris and Lisbon in Economy cabin in the spring in Miles, you’ll have to pay 7,500 Flying Blue Miles and 34.87 euros in airport taxes (for one-way travel only).
In cash, the value of this same flight is equivalent to 54 euros (one-way only). This means that if you pay for this flight in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile will be equal to 0.3 cents ([54-34,87]/7,500). Here, the value is not at all interesting.
If you choose to pay for a long-haul flight between Paris and Montreal in Economy in the spring in Miles, you’ll have to pay 20,000 Flying Blue Miles and 113 euros in taxes (for one-way travel only).
In cash, the value of this same flight is equivalent to 180 euros (one-way only). This means that if you pay for this flight in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile will be equal to 0.3 cents ([180-113]/20,000). Here too, the value is not very interesting.
The value becomes a little more attractive for a flight between Paris and Dubai. Since the value of the flight is set at 220 euros, and Air France charges 20,000 Miles plus 72.63 in taxes, the value of a Mile is equal to 0.7 cents. For a flight between Paris and Los Angeles, the value is even 0.9 cents, given that Air France claims 15,000 Miles and 116.44 euros in tax, and that the cash value is defined at 262 euros.
If you choose to pay for a long-haul flight between Paris and Montreal in Premium Economy in the spring in Miles, you’ll have to pay 35,000 Flying Blue Miles and 175.53 euros in taxes (one-way only).
In cash, the value of this same flight is equivalent to 565 euros (one-way only). This means that if you pay for this flight in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile will be equal to 1.1 cents ([565-175,53]/35,000). Here, the value starts to look interesting.
For a flight between Paris and Mauritius in the Premium Economy cabin, the value is even more attractive. Since the value of the flight is set at 1003 euros, and Air France charges 40,000 Miles plus 147.08 in taxes, the value of a Mile is equal to 2.1 cents.
If you choose to pay for a long-haul flight between Paris and Montreal in Business cabin in the spring in Miles, you’ll have to pay 37,500 Flying Blue Miles and 307.09 euros in taxes (for one-way travel only).
In cash, the value of this same flight is equivalent to 1259 euros (one-way only). This means that if you pay for this flight in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile will be equal to 2.5 cents ([1259-307,09]/37,500). Here, the value is very interesting.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Paris-Montreal flight is one of the cheapest long-haul flights in thehistory of Air France, and not all Business cabin flights are as good value as this one. We sometimes find flights between Paris and Montreal at 130,000 Flying Blue Miles (or even more), which brings the value of a Mile down to 1 cent. So it’s important to take the time to choose the best possible offer to get the best return on your investment.
For a flight between Paris and Mauritius in Business cabin, for example, the value of a Mile is also set at 1.1 centimes (1,189 euros one-way – 256.32 taxes/70,000 Miles).
If you choose to pay for a flight between Paris and Dubai in the La Première cabin with Miles, you’ll have to pay 220,000 Flying Blue Miles and 215.36 euros in taxes (for one-way travel only).
In cash, the value of this same flight is equivalent to 3,486 euros (one-way only). This means that if you pay for this flight in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile will be equal to 1.5 cents ([3486-215,36]/220,000).
For a flight between Paris and New York, the value is even better. Since the value of the flight is set at 5294 euros, and Air France charges 266,000 Miles plus 367.35 in taxes, the value of a Mile is equal to 1.9 cents.
Thanks to the Hotels for Miles platform, you can book one of Flying Blue’s 400,000 partner establishments with Miles. This allows you to filter institutions by price, category, rating, hotel chain and neighborhood.
To pay for a hotel stay, the value of a Mile varies from 0.3 to 0.6 cents . As you can see, the value is far less attractive than for a premium cabin award ticket.
A stay at the Park Hyatt Paris – Vendôme, one of the capital’s finest hotels and palaces in December, will cost you 335,700 Miles. In cash terms, the value of a night in this hotel on this date is equivalent to 1,350 euros. This means that if you pay for a night in Miles, the value of a Flying Blue Mile in this case will be equal to 0.3 cents (1350/335,700). Here, the value is not at all interesting.
For a night at the Kimpton St Honoré Paris, a recently opened 5-star hotel in one of Paris’s trendiest districts, the value of a night in cash is 412 euros and in miles 104,100, making the value of a mile 0.4 cents.
Unlike flights, where the higher you go upmarket, the more attractive the value of Miles becomes, hotel stays go in the opposite direction. The more you stay in a lower-end hotel, the higher the value of your Miles. For a night at the Best Western Hotel Ronceray Opera, a 3-star hotel, the value of a Mile is around 0.5 cents. To increase this value even further, it might be worth taking a look at the possibility of paying with Cash + Miles, i.e. combining a purchase with Miles and cash.
For example, if you choose to pay 11,900 Miles and 105 euros for a night in a hotel, the value rises to 0.6 cents.
You can make purchases in the Flying Blue Store using Miles or Cash + Miles. It offers a wide range of everyday items, from household appliances and home and garden accessories to health and beauty products.
Flying Blue partners include :
To pay for a product in the Flying Blue Store, the value of a Mile varies from 0.2 to 0.4 cents . As you can see, here too, the value is far less attractive than for an award ticket in the premium cabin.
Of course, all the values detailed in this article are approximate and are given as examples only. They vary according to promotional offers, booking classes and dates. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt about the best way to use your Flying Blue Miles: you’ll get the best return by purchasing Flying Blue Promo Award tickets in superior cabins, whether Premium Economy, Business or La Première.
In this case, your Miles can have a value of over 2 cents, whereas if you spend them in the Flying Blue Store or on hotel stays, the value is around 0.4 cents. It’s also possible to use your Miles for in-flight upgrades and options, but here too the value is not attractive, although it depends on the destination, initial cabin and distance flown.
If you travel regularly, the credit card you carry makes a real difference – travel insurance, points earning, airport lounge access and no foreign exchange fees. Use our credit card comparator to filter through 200+ Canadian cards based on your needs, or browse the best credit cards in Canada, ranked monthly by the Milesopedia team. To earn Flying Blue Miles, the American Express Cobalt Card transfers Membership Rewards 1:1 to Flying Blue.
To maximize your Flying Blue Miles earning, check our complete Flying Blue program guide and our best credit cards to earn Flying Blue Miles in Canada ranking. And if a Miles purchase promotion is running, take advantage via our Flying Blue Miles purchase guide with Air France.
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