The Air France/KLM Flying Blue loyalty program is well-liked for its month-to-month Promo Rewards in choose markets on Air France and KLM flights, distinctive redemptions on companion airways, and extra.

Flying Blue has simply launched a brand new promotion for buying miles, which could be a nice alternative to purchase Flying Blue miles in case you have plans to redeem them for increased worth. 

Purchase Flying Blue Miles with a 100% Bonus

From now till December 21, 2022, Flying Blue members can purchase miles and stand up to a 100% bonus on their buy.  

The larger your buy, the larger the bonus you’ll get. The breakdown of the present bonus promotion is as follows:

• 50% bonus whenever you purchase 4,000–12,000 miles
• 70% bonus whenever you purchase 12,000–24,000 miles
• 100% bonus whenever you purchase 24,000–100,000 miles

Flying Blue has just lately transitioned from promoting miles in euros (EUR) to US {dollars} (USD). The usual price is 3.05 cents per mile (USD), earlier than any reductions or bonuses. 

That’s a really costly price to accumulate factors, and it will virtually by no means make sense to purchase Flying Blue miles with out a promotion in play.

Nonetheless, throughout a 100% bonus occasion, you’ll get double the miles, that means that you just’re successfully buying factors at half value for 1.525 cents per mile (USD), which is equal to about 2.1 cents per mile (CAD).

That is greater than our present valuation of 1.6 cents per level (CAD), so it’s greatest to have a particular redemption in thoughts that may exceed 2.1 cents per mile (CAD) earlier than shopping for.

Word that the provide in your account could differ from the perfect out there provide. Login to your account to search out out the precise provide out there to you.

In case you’ve been ready for a sale to buy Flying Blue factors, this promotion may characterize an incredible alternative to purchase. 

What number of Flying Blue miles can you purchase?

Flying Blue members with out elite standing are restricted to buying 100,000 miles per calendar 12 months, earlier than counting any promotional bonuses. 

In case you had been to max out this present promotion as a non-elite member, it’ll price $3,050 USD ($4,100 CAD) for 200,000 Flying Blue miles.

Which bank card must you use to purchase Flying Blue miles?

Flying Blue sells its factors by way of an exterior vendor, Factors.com. Purchases made by way of Factors.com don’t rely as a journey buy as you aren’t shopping for straight by way of the airways.

As a substitute, I’d counsel any card with a excessive base earn price or maybe one the place you’re engaged on assembly the minimal spend requirement.

Importantly, since Factors.com is a Canadian-based firm that’s obligated to levy GST/HST on purchases by Canadian residents, it’s greatest to pay with a US bank card with a US billing tackle to keep away from the added tax quantities, which might dilute the worth of your buy.

Ought to You Purchase Flying Blue Miles with a 100% Bonus?

Shopping for factors will be very helpful whenever you’re quick on factors for reserving a flight and have to top-up your account on a considerably pressing foundation.

Moreover, for premium cabin award tickets the place money charges are costly, shopping for factors after which redeeming for an award ticket can provide a major low cost.

Flying Blue Promo Rewards

Flying Blue’s rotating Promo Rewards routinely provide up some pretty fascinating offers.

For instance, through the month of December 2022, flights between Montreal and Europe are bookable at a 50% low cost to the standard value in enterprise class.

Which means you possibly can ebook transatlantic enterprise class flights to Europe for less than 27,500 miles in enterprise class one-way. 

Let’s say you had been desirous about a Montreal–Amsterdam round-trip redemption in enterprise class for one passenger. That will price 55,000 miles beneath this Promo Rewards deal, which is 50% of the standard price.

By leveraging the present 100% bonus, you possibly can purchase 55,000 miles for $938 (USD), or about $1,259 (CAD). 

Even after factoring in Flying Blue’s surcharges, the overall out-of-pocket expense is a really good low cost in comparison with the perfect deal you possibly can get when paying a money fare on the identical flights.

Hold an eye fixed out for future Promo Rewards like this, which rotate on a month-to-month foundation, as there’s at all times some worth to be captured if the offers align together with your upcoming journeys. 

Reserving an Aspirational Flight

Even with out Promo Rewards, Flying Blue can provide some handy routing choices at affordable value factors when travelling in enterprise class.

For instance, KLM operates the one direct transatlantic flight out of Edmonton, and it’s priced at 60,500 Flying Blue miles for the one-way journey to Amsterdam, or 121,000 miles for a round-trip.

In case you’re eyeing the quickest path to Europe as an Edmontonian, shopping for 122,000 Flying Blue miles for $1,861 (USD) ($2,497 CAD) brings the enterprise class flight a lot nearer inside attain in comparison with paying money.

The identical precept applies to Air France and KLM’s different North American routes, together with Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec Metropolis, all of that are priced within the area of 55,000–60,000 Flying Blue miles for a one-way flight in enterprise class. 

Different Methods to Earn Flying Blue Miles

Earlier than deciding to accumulate Flying Blue miles with a 100% bonus, needless to say there are a lot of slower however cheaper methods to get Flying Blue miles, which can be price contemplating in the event you aren’t in a rush to ebook.

Canadian Credit score Playing cards

There are many methods to earn Flying Blue by way of the bank cards we now have in Canada.

American Specific Membership Rewards will be transferred to Flying Blue at a 1:0.75 ratio. Any of the Membership Rewards playing cards could be a good selection, with the excessive annual charges representing a chance to successfully “purchase” miles.

Brim Monetary has launched the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, the place you may earn Flying Blue miles in your each day purchases. Sadly, the cardboard debuted with out a welcome bonus, so your efforts are higher spent with different American Specific playing cards presently.

US Credit score Playing cards

Along with the playing cards issued by Amex Canada, the foremost US bank cards provide a mess of how to rack up Flying Blue miles.

Amex US Membership Rewards, Chase Final Rewards, Citi ThankYou factors, and Capital One factors can all be transferred to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio. With ample welcome bonuses throughout the board, you may earn factors with every of the 4 main issuers and pool them right into a single Flying Blue account.

Moreover, Financial institution of America points the Air France/KLM World Elite Mastercard within the US. The cardboard at present gives 50,000 Flying Blue miles in trade for an $89 (USD) annual charge.

With Financial institution of America, you’ll want to go to a department to use in the event you’re utilizing an Particular person Taxpayer Identification Quantity (ITIN).

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy factors will be transferred to Flying Blue at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000 mile bonus when transferred in chunks of 60,000 Bonvoy factors.

At our current valuation of 0.9 cents per level (CAD), 60,000 Bonvoy factors are price $540. When transferred to Flying Blue, that is equal to purchasing 25,000 miles at 2.13 cents per mile (CAD).

That’s roughly on par with the present promotional price to purchase miles outright at 2.1 cents per level (CAD). Thus, shopping for miles straight from Flying Blue would really be about the identical worth, until you’ve a large Bonvoy stability that you just’d like to dump and comparatively few significant lodge redemption targets.

Earlier Promotions

As you weigh whether or not this promotion is an efficient alternative so that you can meet your journey targets, right here’s a snapshot of Air France/KLM Flying Blue’s earlier gives on mileage gross sales, masking all promotions through the previous 12 months:

Conclusion

Shopping for Flying Blue miles throughout one of many program’s bonus occasions will be a pretty technique in the event you’re eyeing a transatlantic reward flight with Air France, KLM, or certainly one of their SkyTeam companions.

This present bonus of 100% is in keeping with this system’s customary promotional bonuses, though we now have seen it go as excessive as 120% earlier than. In case you’re within the 100% bonus, remember to take motion earlier than the deal ends on December 21, 2022. 

Nonetheless, in the event you don’t have a particular use of Flying Blue miles in thoughts, then it’d be higher to steadily gather transferable factors like Amex Membership Rewards as an alternative and convert them to Flying Blue miles when it’s time to ebook.