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KLM Crown Lounges (Amsterdam – AMS), La Première Lounge (Paris – CDG); Access to partner lounges in the U.S. include: KLM lounges in Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Washington (IAD); Air France lounges in Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Washington (IAD)
The Air France-KLM frequent flyer program is called Flying Blue, and the program can be used for SkyTeam redemptions like flights on Delta.
Both Air France and KLM fly from a number of U.S. destinations to Europe, giving you plenty of ways to fly to Europe.
Flying Blue miles can be earned in many ways — here are the 3 most common:
The Flying Blue program is free to join by simply completing this application.
When your application is complete, you’ll have the ability to earn miles by flying with Air France, KLM or their partner airlines, earn elite status, and redeem miles for award flights.
Head to the Flying Blue login page and enter your membership number and password.
Hot Tip: Both the KLM and Air France websites require you to log in using your Flying Blue account number to search for award flights.
The easiest way to check your Air France mileage balance is to:
The easiest way to check your KLM mileage balance is to:
Air France and KLM state that it may take a couple of weeks for qualifying activity to appear in your account.
Mileage expiration will depend on your Flying Blue elite status.
Air France and KLM miles will expire after 2 years of no qualifying activity for Explorer Members.
All Flying Blue Miles are valid for life as long as one of the following is true:
These “overall extending activities” extend the validity of all miles 2 years from the date of the activity.
You can also extend the validity of miles earned with all other partners (airline partners not mentioned above, car rental partners, hotel partners, and experience partners) for 2 years by earning miles with any of these other partners.
These “partial extending activities” with other partners will extend the validity of miles earned with any of these other partners by 2 years from the date of the activity.
“Partial extending activities” do not extend the validity of miles earned from “overall extending activities.”
The Flying Blue program has 3 elite tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Silver: The lowest elite tier offered by Flying Blue, which comes with the following benefits:
*Flying Blue will convert your currency to euros to determine the miles you will earn.
Gold: After earning this status level, you’ll have access to additional benefits including:
Platinum: The highest elite tier that you can earn comes with the following benefits:
If you’re interested in diving into more detail about the elite benefits at each tier, go here.
Earning elite status with Flying Blue makes the most sense if you fly Air France and/or KLM regularly, or you are looking for elite benefits when flying a SkyTeam partner like Delta.
If you meet one of these criteria, access to premium lounges and earning additional miles when flying are benefits to consider.
The number of XP you earn is based on your flight type and cabin.
For example, fly New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) in Economy and you’ll earn 10 XP; New York to Paris in Economy is “Long 2” in the chart below.
The best way to determine the number of XP that you’ll earn is to use both the chart below and the flight simulator at the bottom of this page.
You have a 12-month window to earn enough XP to move up to the next elite tier. The 12-month period begins as soon as you earn your first Flying Blue miles or you earn your first XP after joining the program.
Once you earn enough XP to move up to the next level, you’ll be upgraded to that level instantly.
Elite tiers work as follows:
Find more details about the requirements for each elite tier level here.
With Flying Blue, you’ve got 3 main ways to earn miles:
Using a combination of all 3, you’ll have no problem earning Flying Blue miles.
The number of Flying Blue miles that you earn on flights marketed by Air France, KLM, Joon and HOP! is driven by 3 factors: cost of the ticket, carrier surcharge, and your elite level.
If you are flying other Flying Blue or SkyTeam partner-marketed flights, the miles you earn are based on distance, booking class earning percentage, and elite bonus earning percentage.
The booking class earning percentage determines the earning percentage to apply to the distance. Each airline has a different earning percentage that can be found on this page.
Elite bonus earning percentage are the additional miles that you earn based on your elite status. Flying Blue offers bonus miles for elites at the following rates:
The elite bonus is applied to the distance multiplied by the booking class earning percentage.
Here’s an example of how this works in practice:
A Japan Airlines flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT): 5,451 miles
Miles earned = (5,451 x 125%) + Elite Bonus (5,451 x 75% x 75%) = 6,814 + 3,066 = 9,880 miles
The best way to earn points from credit card spending is to focus on the cards offered by flexible point programs. When you earn flexible points, these points can be transferred directly to the program’s airline partners.
Flying Blue partners with all 4 major flexible point programs, giving you more than enough ways to earn points for a redemption.
The Flying Blue program has a number of ways to earn Flying Blue miles without flying.
The airline partners with hotels like Hyatt and car rental companies like Enterprise.
Flying Blue is one of a handful of award programs that partners with all of the flexible point programs.
Flying Blue recently released its Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard, which is issued by Bank of America.
While the credit card comes with a 25,000 point welcome offer bonus after making $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days, we recommend focusing your spending with credit cards by American Express, Chase, Citi, and Marriott that earn transferable points.
Amex credit cards are a great way to earn Amex points that can be transferred directly to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio.
With its impressive selection of personal and business credit cards, you’ll have more than enough ways to earn miles for your next redemption.
Amex also has regular bonuses with some of its airline partners when you transfer your points into airline miles, making this a valuable program to earn points in.
Brex is an interesting small-business card unlike other credit cards. Points from Brex transfer to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio
Capital One has been upping its game in the realm of transfer partners and this includes its relationship with Flying Blue. You can transfer over your Capital One Miles to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio.
Terms Apply / Rates & Fees
The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.
Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.
But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?
Chase is another flexible point program that has Flying Blue as a Chase airline partner, giving you an excellent way to earn miles.
Chase stacks up with Amex in terms of the number of personal and business credit cards it has that earn Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred directly to Flying Blue.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
If you’re a business owner, see our list of recommended Chase credit cards.
Citi falls short of Amex and Chase with the number of credit cards it has that earn transferable ThankYou points. But that doesn’t mean the program should be ignored!
Citi, like Amex, has regular bonuses when transferring points to some of its airline partners, which can provide significant value.
The only credit card available to new applicants that earns ThankYou points is the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. You can find more about it here:
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great all-around travel rewards card that allows you to earn big rewards on a variety of purchases like air travel, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and more, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.
This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.
The Citi Rewards+ card is an excellent way to earn Citi ThankYou points with a $0 annual fee while receiving perks like point round-ups, a 10% point redemption rebate, and more.
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
The Citi Double Cash® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!
This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, without an annual fee!
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, with a $0 annual fee.
Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.
Marriott credit cards provide yet another way to earn flexible points that can be transferred directly to Flying Blue.
What makes this transfer even better is the fact that you’ll receive a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 points that you convert into airline miles.
Marriott points convert into airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, so 60,000 miles become 25,000 airline miles with the 5,000 point bonus.
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Transferring other hotel points to Flying Blue will result in a terrible transfer ratio, so we recommend avoiding this if at all possible.
If you are topping off an airline account or are in a bind, this option can be used as a last-ditch effort.
Flying Blue does not have an award chart. The number of miles for your flight will vary, so it’s best to use the Miles Price Estimator and either the Air France or KLM search engine.
The program also uses Promo Awards that offer discounts of up to 50% on award tickets between select destinations.
Hot Tip: If you’re trying to determine how to use your miles, we put together a piece with the best ways to use Flying Blue miles.
Since Flying Blue is in the SkyTeam alliance, you can use Flying Blue miles to fly on any airline in the alliance.
Separately, you can use your Flying Blue miles to fly on the airline’s partners outside of the SkyTeam alliance.
The Flying Blue website search engine can be a great way to book Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam flights.
For Star Alliance partner flights, you’ll want to use United Airlines, Aeroplan, or ANA to search for award space.
If you’re looking to book a Oneworld partner flight, you’ll want to use British Airways or Qantas to search for award space.
The Flying Blue website will allow you to book most SkyTeam partner flights. If the partner you are trying to book can’t be booked on Air France or KLM, call the program at 800-375-8723 to search for award space and ticket the award flight.
