Flying Blue

Flying Blue Family also offers the possibility to accumulate Miles faster to obtain award tickets and upgrades.

Earning Flying Blue Miles

Several methods allow you to earn Flying Blue Miles in Canada: subscribing to a credit card, transferring points from a partner program, flying with Air France, KLM, or a member of the SkyTeam alliance, or spending with commercial partners.

Flying Blue Credit Card in Canada

Since October 2022, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard^® has been available in Canada. Issued by Brim Financial, it allows you to earn Flying Blue Miles directly on every purchase.

In addition to extending the validity of your Miles with each purchase, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard^® gives you 60 XP in the first year (30 annual XP plus 30 welcome XP for new cardholders), then 30 XP per year. Its annual fee is also waived for the first year. These XP make it easier to earn or renew a Flying Blue status.

Flying Blue Card in the United States

In the United States, in partnership with Bank of America, Air France offers the Air France KLM Visa Signature Card (formerly World Elite Mastercard, converted to Visa in March 2026). Its online offer gives 50,000 Flying Blue Miles and 100 XP after US$2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days, for an annual fee of US$89.

Transfer points into Flying Blue Miles

In Canada

Since January 3, 2026, American Express Membership Rewards cards allow you to transfer your points to Flying Blue Miles at a ratio of 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 1,000 Flying Blue Miles. This is the fastest method to accumulate a large number of Miles in Canada. For example, with the American Express Cobalt Card, you get the equivalent of 5 Flying Blue Miles per dollar on groceries, restaurants and food delivery, up to the card's monthly cap.

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points into Flying Blue Miles at a ratio of 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Mile. By transferring in increments of 60,000 points, you receive a 5,000-Mile bonus, meaning 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Flying Blue Miles.

In the United States

In the United States, Flying Blue is a transfer partner of all major flexible points programs. Here are the transfer ratios:

Transfers from US programs are generally instantaneous, while transfers from American Express Canada take approximately 2-3 days.

« >Consult the best Flying Blue credit cards in the United States on Milesopedia USA.

Flying with Air France, KLM, or a partner

For flights, cabins, baggage, and connections from Canada, read our practical Air France and KLM guide.

You earn Flying Blue Miles by flying with Air France, KLM, and any partner airline or member of the SkyTeam alliance.

Air France and KLM

On Air France and KLM flights, the number of Miles accumulated depends on the ticket price (excluding taxes and fuel surcharges) and your status in the program:

All ancillary expenses also allow you to earn Miles: seat selection, purchase of an additional baggage allowance, selection of an à la carte menu, and purchase of an upgrade. This method favors travelers paying full-fare tickets, especially those traveling in Business or La Première.

Partner companies

For other SkyTeam member airlines, the number of Miles accumulated depends on the booking class, the distance traveled, and the contract between Air France-KLM and its partners.

In the Economy cabin, you could receive up to 50% of your ticket price in Miles, depending on the partner. In premium cabins, this rate can climb to 150%. Here is an example of the earning chart for international flights operated by Delta Air Lines:

Spending with partners

Beyond airlines, Flying Blue partners with hotels, car rental agencies, and various businesses.

Partner Hotels

Accor Live Limitless is one of Flying Blue’s preferred partners. Thanks to Miles+Points, you can convert your Reward points into Flying Blue Miles, and vice versa. In addition to Accor, Flying Blue partners with Booking.com, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Best Western Rewards, IHG Rewards, World of Hyatt, Radisson Hotel Group, Shangri-La, Choice Privileges, YOTEL, Golden Tulip, Dorint Suisse, and WorldHotels.

Car rentals

You can earn Miles by renting a car from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, or Thrifty.

Shop for Miles

Flying Blue offers an online shopping portal offering Miles for every purchase with partners like Apple, Nike, Sephora, and more.

The process is similar to other online shopping portals: log in to the portal, choose the merchant, and click on the corresponding link to finalize your purchase.

Flying Blue Miles Redemption

Buy award tickets

The best way to use your Miles is to book flight tickets with Air France, Transavia, or any member airline of the SkyTeam alliance, including Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, ITA Airways, China Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines.

Unlike other airline programs, Flying Blue uses dynamic pricing. Prices vary according to dates, seasons, and destinations. The more you travel in premium cabins, the higher the airport taxes and additional cash fees will be.

Examples of Air France and KLM fares

For a one-way trip between Paris and Montreal in the Economy cabin, fares start around 20,000 Miles and 113 euros. In the Premium Economy cabin, expect approximately 35,000 Miles and 175 euros.

It is sometimes possible to find flights in the Business cabin at a fare similar to Premium Economy. A one-way Paris-Montreal flight in Business has been listed for 37,000 Miles and 307 euros. Dynamic pricing can therefore work in your favor if you remain flexible with your dates.

Partner companies

You can also book WestJet flights with your Miles. For example, a one-way Montreal-Los Angeles flight costs about 14,500 Miles and 99 dollars. For Montreal-Honolulu with WestJet, expect approximately 17,500 Flying Blue Miles and 112 dollars.

Flying Blue Promo Reward Tickets

The most profitable strategy for using your Miles is to take advantage of Flying Blue Promo Rewards. These tickets, offered in limited numbers at the beginning of each month, allow for savings of 25% to 50% on the number of Miles normally required.

For example, a one-way trip between Nice and Montreal in Economy can drop to 7,500 Miles and 150 euros during a promotion. Combined with a 25% transfer bonus from American Express, this strategy significantly reduces the cost of a transatlantic flight.

Upgrades

After check-in opens, upgrades are available online, at the airport, and on board. They are payable in Miles, cash, or a combination of both.

To find out the cost of an upgrade, consult your reservation on the Air France website and click on « Upgrade with Miles. » Although Flying Blue does not publish an official chart, the value of Miles for an upgrade is between 0.4 and 0.9 cents depending on the flight.

Flying in the La Première cabin

The La Première cabin is the most exclusive from Air France. To treat yourself to an upgrade with Miles, you must hold Platinum or Ultimate status in the Flying Blue program. Gold status holders can also purchase an upgrade, but only by paying in cash. The same rule applies to award tickets: only Platinum and Ultimate members can book La Première with their Miles.

In-flight options payable in Miles

You can use your Flying Blue Miles for various in-flight options with Air France:

Free stopover on rewards

Flying Blue allows you to add a free stopover of up to one year on any reward reservation, across all partner airlines. For example, you could fly Toronto-Amsterdam-Nairobi for 95,000 Miles with an extended stopover in Amsterdam. To take advantage of this, you must book by phone through the Flying Blue contact center.

Expiry of Flying Blue Miles

Since May 4, 2026, Flying Blue has simplified its expiration policy. Any qualifying activity (flight, hotel stay, car rental or purchase with a partner) extends your entire Miles balance by 24 months. Previously, Miles earned with partners only extended their own validity. If you are counting on a points transfer to extend your balance, check the expiration date shown in your Flying Blue account afterwards.

Miles never expire for Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Ultimate members, nor for holders of a co-branded Flying Blue credit card, children under 18, or Flying Blue Extra subscribers.

Status

The Flying Blue program has five status levels: Explorer, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Ultimate. To move up, you must accumulate Experience Points (XP) by flying with Air France, KLM, Transavia, SkyTeam airlines, and certain partner airlines.

XP scale and validity

Explorer status is offered upon registration. You then have 12 months to earn enough XP to reach the next status level. As soon as you reach a status, the XP for that threshold are deducted from your counter and a new 12-month period begins. If you are an Elite member, you keep your surplus XP, up to 300 XP. Statuses remain valid for 12 months. If you do not accumulate enough XP the following year, you lose your status.

For Ultimate status, the chart is different: rather than accumulating XP, passengers must accumulate UXP by flying on flights marketed by Air France and KLM, or by purchasing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

XP gain per flight

XP gain varies according to the type of flight (domestic, medium-haul, or long-haul) and the travel cabin:

Benefits of Gold status

Apart from Platinum and Ultimate statuses, reserved for very frequent business travelers, Gold status offers the most interesting benefits:

XP via credit cards

Getting a co-branded credit card is one of the most advantageous ways to boost your XP. In Canada, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard^® offers 60 XP in the first year, then 30 XP per year. For US residents, the Air France KLM Visa Signature Card gives 100 XP with its welcome offer, then 20 XP per year, raised to 100 XP after US$15,000 in purchases during the year and to 160 XP after US$25,000.

Consult our best credit cards page to compare all available options in Canada. To receive our weekly analyses, create your free Milesopedia account.

Flying Blue Sweet Spots

A Flying Blue Mile is worth anywhere from 0.2 to more than 8 cents depending on how you use it. Hotel nights and Flying Blue Store items rarely return more than 0.6 cents: your Miles go furthest on award tickets in premium cabins, especially during Promo Rewards. Here are the sweet spots to know:

Articles on Flying Blue

Flying Blue – Frequently Asked Questions