Purchase Flying Blue Miles With a 45% Discount [Through October 27]

While there’s no shortage of ways to earn a large number of points and miles quickly via credit cards, on occasion, it may make sense to strategically purchase miles for an upcoming redemption if it gives you added flexibility or puts you over the threshold needed for a specific award.

If you’re considering buying points or miles, we strongly recommend doing so when the airline or hotel program is running a purchase promotion. This will help you to either earn more points for your purchase or reduce the cash cost to purchase a certain number of points.

Right now, the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program is offering a 45% discount on the purchase of miles — here are all the details you need to know and how you can leverage this promotion to your advantage.

Purchase Flying Blue Miles With a 45% Discount

Through Sunday, October 27, you can receive up to a 45% discount when purchasing Flying Blue miles.

This promotion is targeted, so your account should either display the opportunity to receive bonus miles or a discount on purchased miles:

• Buy 4,000 to 10,000 miles, get a 35% discount
• Buy 12,000 to 22,000 miles, get a 40% discount
• Buy 24,000 to 100,000 miles, get a 45% discount

Miles can be purchased in 2,000-mile increments, and the standard price for each Flying Blue mile is about 3 cents apiece. However, with the 45% discount, that price effectively drops to ∼1.68 cents per mile.

Those with Flying Blue elite status can purchase unlimited miles, while non-elite members can purchase up to 100,000 miles per calendar year. Given that, if you’re a non-elite member looking to max out the promotion, it would cost you $1,677.50 to purchase 100,000 miles, including the discount.

Why You May Want To Purchase Flying Blue Miles

An obvious reason to purchase Flying Blue miles is to put you over the threshold needed to book a certain award ticket.

In this case, a nominal fee can be the difference between your ability to book an award ticket and having to pay cash for your flight. Remember, though, that virtually every major transferable point currency transfers to the Flying Blue program — this includes American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Another great reason to purchase points is that it effectively allows you to purchase a discounted premium cabin ticket.

Consider the following example: a business class flight with Air France between New York (JFK) and Paris (CDG) might set you back around $2,500, depending on the time of year you travel. However, if there’s Saver-level award availability around the time you’re hoping to fly, you could book this ticket for as low as 50,000 Flying Blue miles, plus about $200 in taxes and fees.

Therefore, it would cost you $840 to purchase the miles needed for this award. When you add in the taxes and fees for the award ticket, your total out-of-pocket cost is roughly $1,040 — a savings of $1,460 compared to the typical cash fare!

Since these purchased miles won’t code as airfare, we recommend buying miles with a card that’s best for everyday spending. For instance, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. earns 2x miles per $1 spent on all non-bonus purchases.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t always make sense to buy points and miles — especially if you don’t have an immediate use for them or already have large balances of points burning a hole in your pocket.

That said, if you’re strategic about it, you can easily use promotions such as these to save yourself hundreds or even thousands — compared to those paying cash for their tickets.