In episode 31 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Daniel, Jeff, and Josh from FrugalFlyer.ca discuss everything about the Flying Blue loyalty program, from earning miles to redeeming them effectively.
The discussion includes the improved transfer ratios from American Express Membership Rewards to Flying Blue, the associated benefits, and the attractiveness of the program for transatlantic travel.
Detailed insights are provided on earning, transferring, and redeeming Flying Blue miles in Canada, with tips on maximizing value through promotions, partner airlines, and special programs like family sharing.
(00:50) Membership Rewards to Flying Blue: Transfer Ratio Update
American Express Membership Rewards in Canada can now be transferred to Air France KLM Flying Blue at a ratio of 1:1, up from a previous ratio of 1:0.75 (a 33% increase).
- Learn More: American Express Canada Transfer Partners Guide
(02:15) What is Air France KLM Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. This program is valuable as it gives access to redemptions within the SkyTeam alliance, which includes partner airlines that are otherwise hard to make redemptions on in Canada. However, the program also has higher taxes and fees on redemptions.
- Learn More: Flying Blue Loyalty Program Guide
(03:46) Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard & Travel Insurance
There is one co-branded Flying Blue credit card available in Canada, the Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, and if you pay for the taxes and fees on your Flying Blue award booking with this card, you will be eligible to receive insurance coverage.
- Learn More: Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard
(05:55) Earning Flying Blue Miles in Canada
There are several ways to earn Flying Blue Miles in Canada including transferring Membership Rewards points earned on an eligible American Express card, crediting eligible flights to Flying Blue, and the one co-branded Flying Blue card in Canada.
(07:57) Earning Flying Blue Miles in the United States
The Flying Blue loyalty program partners with the majority of bank loyalty programs in the United States, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Wells Fargo Rewards. All of these programs transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Learn More: Miles & Points Partner Transfer Tool
(09:25) Alternative Ways to Earn Flying Blue Miles
There are a few alternative ways to earn even more Flying Blue Miles, including Air France’s shopping portal, Flying Blue Experiences, Flying Blue Hotels, and via car rentals. Always compare what you will earn to other available portals, such as Rakuten or Rove Miles.
(12:01) Purchasing or Subscribing for Flying Blue Miles
Similar to other frequent flyer programs, Flying Blue sells miles and often runs promotions where you can receive 100% bonus miles on your purchase. On the flip side, they do have a ‘Subscribe to Miles’ service that provides some surprising value.
(17:11) Promo Rewards & Child Discounts
Flying Blue Promo Rewards are launched monthly and offer deep discounts for Flying Blue Miles redemption on economy, premium economy, and business class travel across the Atlantic Ocean from North America. They also offer a 25% discount on redemption tickets for children aged 2-11, which is a major plus for parents.
- Read More: Flying Blue Promo Rewards Guide
(20:59) Award Saver Rates & Partner Airlines
Award saver rates are reasonable on Flying Blue, and if you can find them, they cost 30,000 miles in economy, 40,000 miles in premium economy, and 60,000 miles in business class. Flying Blue also unlocks redemption opportunities for some great partner airlines, including for China Airlines to Asia.
- Read More: China Airlines Business Class Review
(25:11) Flying Blue Tips and Tricks
Connecting through Paris or Amsterdam to a second destination can sometimes unlock additional saver space for cheaper redemption pricing. You can also add a train segment as part of your redemption, often for no additional charge in points.
- Read More: Combined Air-Rail Ticket Redemptions Guide
(27:25) Redeeming Flying Blue Miles for WestJet Flights
Flying Blue Miles can be redeemed for flights on WestJet, which can offer ok to excellent value depending on the route and dates of travel.
(30:13) Flying Blue Stopover Program
Flying Blue offers a stopover program where you can add a stopover to your itinerary at no cost. You do have to call in when booking to take advantage of this benefit.
- Read More: Flying Blue Stopovers Explained
(31:12) Finding Flying Blue Award Availability
Searching for award availability month-by-month is easy with Flying Blue, as you only need to leave the departure date field blank when searching. We would still recommend using award search tools as a secondary option.
- Read More: Award Search Tools Compared & Seats.Aero Guide
(33:34) Flying Blue Status Matches
Flying Blue does offer paid status matches, which can offer some value if you already hold status in a different frequent flyer program.
(35:43) Flying Blue Family Sharing Program
Flying Blue offers family accounts, which are an easy way to share miles amongst members of the same household.
- Read More: Flying Blue Family Accounts Explained
(38:16) Flying Blue Miles Expiry
Flying Blue Miles do expire after two years of inactivity, but it’s very easy to keep your account active, as you can transfer in a small amount of points to keep your account active.
(38:58) Flying Blue Extra Program
The Flying Blue Extra Program is a new addition and provides several benefits that can be valuable to members, but membership in this program does not come cheaply.
(45:05) Conclusion
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Join us for the next episode, where the Frugal Flyer team keeps you up to date on the latest news in miles and points, including WestJet seating configuration changes, new airline routes for Canadians, AIR MILES transitioning to Blue Rewards, new RBC credit card offers, and more.
Listen to Miles Ahead: Episode 32 – Miles & Points News + Listener Questions.