Flying Blue

Updated Nov 13, 2024
Flying Blue
Loyalty program Flying Blue
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Website Flying Blue
Customer Service
Points Value
CAD
¢1.60
EUR
c1.10
USD
¢1.20
What is the value of your points?
Value
CAD
$800
EUR
€550
USD
$600

Air FranceKLM‘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.

Last update: June 20, 2024

Registration to the Flying Blue program

Joining the Flying Blue program is free and easy. You can do this directly on this page by creating a Flying Blue account.

Flying Blue Family

You can also enroll your children in Flying Blue with Flying Blue Famille, Air France’s new program for sharing Miles between family members.

It offers access to a host of benefits, including the ability to earn Flying Blue Miles faster for award tickets, upgrades and more.

Referrers can invite up to seven family members to join their Flying Blue Family: 1 additional adult and 6 children.

It is also important to note that Flying Blue is the best frequent flyer program for family travel, as it offers its passengers a 25% discount on award tickets booked reserved for children aged 2 to 11 traveling with an adult, whether in Economy, Premium Economy or Business cabins.

Earning Flying Blue Miles

Apply for a Bank Card

In France

Air France KLM bank cards

In France, there are three Air France KLM American Express bank cards. Each offers different welcome bonuses:

As well as offering welcome bonuses, they offer their holders a range of other benefits, such as :

  • earn Flying Blue Miles on every purchase (which is rare in France and Europe);
  • extend the validity of Flying Blue Miles with each purchase;
  • obtain between 15 XP and 60 XP per year to obtain or renew Flying Blue status more easily.

Benefits AF KLM Amex Silver Card AF KLM Amex Gold Card AF KLM Amex Platinum Card
american express silver af american express gold af american express platinum af
Annual fee 0 € 180 € 636 €
XP per year 15 30 60
Earning 10€= 10 Miles 10 € = 15 Miles 10 € = 20 Miles
Miles validity extension Yes Yes Yes
Insurance Standard Optimal Maximum
Concierge No No Yes

In Canada

Marriott Bonvoy credit cards

The second method of earning Flying Blue miles in Canada is through Marriott Bonvoy Amex credit cards. You can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points into Miles from numerous frequent flyer programs, including Flying Blue, at a ratio of 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Mile.

And if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll earn 5,000 bonus Miles. Thus, 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Flying Blue Miles.

The two Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards available in Canada are:

With Flying Blue Co-Branded Credit Cards

Since October 2022, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® has been available in Canada. It allows you to earn Flying Blue Miles directly.

The earning rates of the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® are as follows:

Expenses Accumulation rate
Air France and KLM tickets (for Flying Blue members) 5 Miles per euro (in addition to regular Miles earned according to status)
Restaurants and bars 2 miles per dollar
Everything else 1 Mile per dollar
Selected BRIM trading partners Up to 30 miles per dollar

In addition to extending the validity of your Flying Blue Miles with each purchase, the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® offers you 30 XP per year, making it easier to earn or renew Flying Blue Elite Status.

In the United States

Air France KLM credit cards

In the United States, in partnership with Bank of America, Air France has launched the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, which generally offers a welcome bonus of between 25,000 and 50,000 Flying Blue Miles.

boa air france klm mastercard

With this card, you get :

  • 3 X Flying Blue Miles when flying with Air France, KLM and Skyteam airlines such as Delta Airlines
  • 1.5 X miles everywhere else
  • 5,000 Flying Blue Miles each year upon renewal
  • 60 XP the first year (20 XP the following years)
  • An additional 40 XP if you spend USD 15,000
  • No FX fee
Benefits AF KLM World Elite Mastercard
air france klm World Elite mastercard
Bonus 25,000 to 50,000 Miles
Annual fee 89 $
Renewal bonus 5,000 Miles per year
XP per year 60 XP the first year
(20 XP thereafter)
XP after US$15,000 in purchases 40 XP
Accumulation 1.5 miles per dollar
Skyteam accumulation 3 miles per dollar
Miles validity extension Yes
Insurance Optimal
Benefits No currency conversion fees

Transfer American Express (Amex) points into Flying Blue Miles

In France

The American Express Membership Rewards program allows you to transfer points to the Flying Blue program. The transfer rate is as follows:

  • 5,000 Membership Rewards points = 4,000 Flying Blue Miles

In France, there are many American Express cards affiliated to the Flying Blue program that earn Flying Blue Miles through welcome offers and purchases made with the cards. Our favorites? American Express cards for individuals and professionals.

In Canada

In Canada, American Express Membership Rewards cards allow you to transfer your Membership Rewards points into Flying Blue Miles at a ratio of 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 750 Flying Blue Miles.

Here are the American Express Rewards Cards available in Canada:

Travel with Air France, KLM or a partner

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

Air France and KLM

The number of Flying Blue Miles you can earn depends on two factors:

  • Ticket price in euros
  • Status in the Flying Blue program
Status Cumulative
Explore 4 Miles/euro spent
Silver 6 Miles/euro spent
Gold 7 Miles/euro spent
Platinum 8 Miles/euro spent
Ultimate 9 Miles/euro spent

The expenditure taken into account is the price of the ticket, excluding taxes and fuel surcharges. All related expenses also earn miles, such as :

This method of calculation tends to favor full-fare travelers, especially those in premium cabins such as Business and La Première.

Partner companies

For other Skyteam member airlines, the number of Miles earned in-flight depends on the booking class, the distance flown and the contract between Air France-KLM and its partners.

For other Skyteam member airlines, the number of Miles earned in-flight depends on the booking class, the distance flown and the contract between Air France-KLM and the partner. If you fly in the Economy cabin, you could receive up to 50% of your airfare in Flying Blue Miles, depending on the partner. If you travel in the upper cabins, on the other hand, you could receive up to 150% of your ticket price in Flying Blue Miles.

Here, for example, is the scale used for flights with Air Mauritius.

Cabin Accumulation
Business J, D, C, R, I: 150
Premium Economy W, A: 125
Economic Y: 100%; K, H: 75%; T, U, V, S, L: 50%; Q, M, O, X, G, B, E, N: 25%.

In North America, here is the scale used for international flights with Delta Airlines :

Cabin Accumulation
First 300 %
Business (Delta One) J, C: 200%; D: 175%; I: 150%; Z: 100%.
Premium Economy (Delta Premium Select) P: 125%; A: 100%; G: 75%.
Economy (Comfort +) W : 100%, S : 75% ;
(Main Cabin) Y, B : 100% ;M, H : 75% ; Q, K, L : 50% ; U, T, X, V : 25% ;
(Basic Economy) E : 20%.

With Flying Blue partners

In addition to airlines, Flying Blue partners with hotels, car rental agencies and other companies.

Partner Hotels

One of Flying Blue’s preferred partners is Accor Live Limitless. Thanks to Miles+Points, customers can easily convert their 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
  • Dorint Switzerland
  • Radisson Hotel Group
  • Golden Tulip
  • World of Hyatt
  • IHG Rewards
  • Shangri-La
  • WorldHotels
  • YOTEL
  • Choice Privileges

With car rental agencies

You can also earn Flying Blue Miles when you rent a car from one of these agencies:

  • Review
  • Budget
  • Enterprise

Shop for Miles

Flying Blue offers a shopping portal that earns Flying Blue Miles with every purchase from partners such as Apple, Indigo, Nike, Sephora and more.

For your first purchase on the portal, you can earn 500 Flying Blue Miles.

The way it works is similar to other online shopping portals: you need to log in to the portal, choose the merchant you are interested in and click on the corresponding link.

Flying Blue Miles Redemption

Buy award tickets

The best way to use Flying Blue Miles is by booking tickets with Air France and Transavia, or any other airline member of theSkyteam alliance:

  • Aerolineas Argentinas
  • Aeromexico
  • Air Europa
  • China Airlines
  • China Eastern Airlines
  • Czech Airlines
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Garuda Indonesia
  • ITA Airways
  • Kenya Airways
  • KLM
  • Korean Air
  • Middle East Airlines
  • Saudia
  • TAROM
  • Vietnam Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • XiamenAir

Unlike other airline programs, Flying Blue has no fixed fare structure. Prices are therefore subject to change depending on dates, seasons and destinations. It’s important to note, however, that the more high-end cabins you travel in, the higher the airport taxes and additional fees you’ll have to pay in cash. These surcharges are unfortunately unavoidable.

It is possible to pay with Cash & Miles, a combined payment option that allows you to pay 25% of the ticket price in cash.

Air France and KLM

For a one-way ticket between Paris and Montreal in Economy cabin with Air France or KLM, for example, fares range from around 20,000 Miles to 113 euros.

Paris - Montreal with Air France for 20,000 Flying Blue Miles

For the same one-way trip between Paris and Montreal, but in Premium Economy, fares vary between 35,000 Miles and 175 euros.

Billet prime entre Paris et Montréal en cabine Premium Economy, payable avec des Miles Flying Blue

Business cabin flights are sometimes available at fares similar to those in the Premium Economy cabin. For the same dates, we found a one-way ticket between Paris and Montreal in Business cabin for 37,000 Miles and 307 euros.

Paris - Montreal in Business with Air France for 37,500 Flying Blue Miles

Partner companies

For a one-way ticket between Montreal and Los Angeles with WestJet, for example, fares range from 14,500 miles to $99.

af flying blue yul lax westjet en

Want to escape to Hawaii? Thanks to WestJet and Flying Blue Miles, you could fly between Montreal and Honolulu for 17,500 Flying Blue Miles and $112.

af flying blue yul hnl westjet fr

Buy Flying Blue's Promo Rewards

The most cost-effective strategy for optimizing the use of your Miles when flying is to explore the opportunities offered by Flying Blue Promo Rewards. These tickets, offered in limited numbers at the beginning of each month, enable you to make substantial savings, ranging from 25% to 50% on the number of Miles normally required to purchase a reward ticket.

For a one-way ticket between Nice and Montreal in the Economy cabin, for example, fares for a Promo Reward ticket, when available, can be as low as 7,500 Flying Blue Miles and 150 euros.

For upgrades

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

To find out the number of Miles required for an upgrade, simply consult your online booking on the Air France website and click on the “Upgrade with Miles” option. Although the Flying Blue program has not published a scale for estimating the precise value of Miles when upgrading, the average value is between 0.4 and 0.9 cents, depending on the flights and offers available at the time of booking.

The number of Flying Blue Miles required to obtain an upgrade is determined by Air France on the basis of flight load, route and initial booking class. However, the lower the initial fare, the more Miles you will have to spend to compensate.

Flying in the La Première cabin

The La Première cabin is Air France‘s most exclusive cabin. To qualify for an upgrade, you must not only have the required number of Miles, but also be a Platinum member of theAir France frequent flyer program.

Gold status holders can also upgrade to the La Première cabin, but only with cash payment. The purchase of an upgrade in this premium cabin with Miles is reserved for Platinum and Ultimate status holders.

For in-flight options

You can use your Flying Blue Miles for various in-flight options, such as adding extra baggage, when you fly with Air France:

  • Additional baggage: From 3,000 Flying Blue Miles
  • Seat selection: From 2,000 Flying Blue Miles
  • Premium in-flightmenu:From 2,700 Flying Blue Miles
  • Access to Air France KLM or SkyTeam lounges: From 6,000 Flying Blue Miles

Expiry of Flying Blue Miles

Flying Blue Miles are valid for life, provided that one of the following conditions is met:

  • You travel on an eligible flight at least once every 2 years with Air France, KLM or one of our partner airlines.
  • You are a Silver, Gold, Platinum or Ultimate member.
  • You make a purchase with an eligible partner bank card at least once every two years.

For eligible bank cards, only cards bearing the Flying Blue logo are eligible, such as Air France KLM American Express cards.

Status

The Flying Blue program has five status levels:

  • Explorer
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Ultimate

To move up in the Flying Blue program, it is essential to accumulate Experience Points (XP), which are earned by flying on an eligible flight with Air France, KLM, Transavia, SkyTeam member airlines, as well as certain Air France-KLM partner airlines.

To achieve Ultimate status, on the other hand, the scale is somewhat different. Rather than accumulating XP, passengers must accumulate UXP. These can only be earned by flying on flights marketed by Air France and KLM, or by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Apart from the Platinum and Ultimate statuses, which are mainly aimed at very frequent business travellers, Gold status offers the most attractive benefits, such as :

  • Earn 7 Miles for every euro spent
  • Access to Skyteam lounges worldwide, with a guest, as well as Eurostar lounges when traveling with Train + Air
  • Access to SkyPriority
  • Free selection of your standard seat
  • Free seating options 72 hours before flight departure
  • An additional checked baggage offered on all SkyTeam member airline flights
  • Possibility of booking a ticket in Première

XP scale and validity

Here is the annual number of XP required to obtain each Flying Blue status:

Status Experience points
Explore 0
Silver 100 XP
Gold 100 XP + 180 XP
Platinum 100 XP + 180 XP + 300 XP
Ultimate 900 UXP

Explorer status is offered to anyone who registers with Flying Blue. After registration, you have 12 months to earn enough XP to move up to the next level. At the end of the 12 months, your XP counter returns to zero. This qualification period begins as soon as you earn your first Miles or your first XP, after you join the Flying Blue program.

  • To achieve Silver status, you need to earn 100 XP.
  • To achieve Gold status, you need to earn the 100 XP required for Silver status, plus 180 XP.
  • To achieve Platinum status, you need to earn the 100 XP required for Silver status, the 180 XP required for Gold status, and 300 XP.
  • To achieve Ultimate status, you need to earn 900 UXP in one year.

The statuses are valid for 12 months. If you fail to accumulate the required number of XPs in the year following your award, you will lose your current status and be demoted.

flying blue cards status

XP earning

To earn XP, you have to fly. However, the earning varies according to two factors:

  • Flight type: Domestic, medium-haul or long-haul (subdivided into 3 categories)
  • Travel cabin: Economy, Premium Economy, Business or La Première
Experience Points Domestic Medium
(less than 2,000 miles)
Long 1
(2,000 – 3,500 miles)
Long 2
(3,500 – 5,000 miles)
Long 3
(over 5,000 miles)
Economy 2 5 8 10 12
Premium Economy 4 10 16 20 24
Business 6 15 24 30 36
First 10 25 40 50 60

These rates apply to all flights on Skyteam member airlines.

In France, every Air France KLM American Express cardholder receives Experience Points every year:

Signing up for a banking card is therefore one of the most beneficial ways of quickly replenishing the number of XP earned on an annual basis.

Posts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Flying Blue?

Flying Blue is the Air FranceKLM frequent flyer program. It offers travelers around the world 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.

Is Flying Blue free?

Yes, membership of Flying Blue is completely free. Everyone who subscribes to the program receives Explorer status, the entry-level status that offers a range of exclusive benefits and promotional offers.

How do I access my Flying Blue account?

To access your Flying Blue account, simply visit the Flying Blue website and enter your membership number.

Where can I find my Flying Blue membership number?

The Flying Blue membership number is indicated in all e-mails sent by Flying Blue. It’s at the top right. You can also find it after logging into your Flying Blue account by clicking on your name at the top right of the screen.

How can I contact Flying Blue?

You can contact Flying Blue via the Flying Blue website, on the page provided for this purpose. You can also contact customer service from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on +33 9 69 39 36 54.

Which airlines are Flying Blue partners?

In total, Flying Blue has some sixty partners with whom you can earn Flying Blue Miles, or use your Flying Blue Miles balance. These include airlines (especially SkyTeam alliance member airlines), credit cards, hotel chains, car rental companies and more.

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