Flying Blue is one of the biggest rewards programs in the world, used by Air France, KLM, and the rest of the SkyTeam alliance. A homegrown airline like WestJet generally holds more value for Canadians – but if you frequently fly across the Atlantic, you could benefit from Flying Blue's array of travel perks and rewards.
This article explains how members can get top value from this program, warns of which redemption options you should skip, walks you through Flying Blue's elite status membership tiers, and much more.
Key Takeaways
- Flying Blue is the official loyalty program of Air France and KLM.
- Flying Blue miles are worth an average of 1.23 cents on Economy flights.
- Members earn miles by travelling with Air France, KLM, and other SkyTeam airlines.
- Flying Blue Miles can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, and charitable donations
- The fastest way to earn Flying Blue miles is to book flights with Air France and KLM flights, preferably using the American Express Cobalt Card.
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What is Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, two of the world's largest airlines. Anyone can join for free, but the program is most beneficial to frequent flyers who travel with Air France, KLM, Delta, or one of 30+ partner airlines.
The more you fly, the more miles you earn, which you can spend on future flights, hotel stays, merchandise, travel upgrades, and even charitable donations. You'll also earn Experience Points (XP) toward advanced membership status and exclusive travel benefits.
Flying Blue overview
Currency: Flying Blue Miles, Experience Points (XP)
Redemption options: Charity, flights, hotels, travel upgrades, and merchandise
Pros:
- 37 airline partners, 15 hotel partners, 12 car rental partners, 9 retail partners, 4 experience partners, and 6 point conversion partners
- 8 ways to earn miles
- 5 membership tiers with exclusive benefits
- 5 redemption options
- Miles worth 1.23 cents CAD when redeemed for Economy flights
- Free membership
- Miles can be gifted, pooled, and transferred
Cons:
- Miles worth as little as 0.36 cents CAD
- Limited ways to earn miles in Canada
- Limited ways to spend miles in Canada
- Only 1 co-branded credit card available in Canada
How much are Flying Blue miles worth?
To get the most from your Flying Blue points, you'll want to redeem them for Economy flights. The average point value is only 0.64 cents per mile (CPM), but redeeming for Economy flights offers an average value of 1.23 CPM.
In our 2026 flight price review, we found Economy flight values ranging from 0.28 CPM (Quebec – Hong Kong roundtrip) and as high as 2.59 CPM (Vancouver – Munich roundtrip). If your plans are flexible, you may be able to find a better deal, but you can use 1.23 CPM as a benchmark.
If you're looking to upgrade to Business class, you may have a harder time maximizing your miles, but it's still possible. We found a Montreal – Seoul roundtrip that offered 1.78 CPM. But overall, the average value was slightly lower at 1 CPM.
Still, your miles will go farther in Business than they will in Premium, which consistently offered the worst value, offering only 0.72 CPM on average.
And, as usual with flight reward programs, flights offer far better value than other options.
Value of reward in CAD / cost of reward in miles x 100 = value in cents per mile (CPM)
| Redemption Option | Categories | Average Value |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | * Promo Reward Flights * Reward Flights | 1.03 CPM |
| Hotels | * 500,000+ properties around the world | 0.52 CPM |
| Merchandise | * Aelia Duty-Free * Electronics * Fashion * Health & Beauty * Home & Garden * Leisure & Entertainment * Travel | 0.36 CPM |
| Travel Upgrades | * Airport lounge access * Baggage * Cabin upgrades * Donations to sustainable fuel projects * In-flight goods and services * Seat selection | Varies |
Flying Blue membership tiers
Flying Blue members begin at the Explorer level with basic benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles. To advance to higher membership tiers, you must collect a certain number of Experience Points (XP) within a single calendar year by flying with Air France and SkyTeam airlines.
Flying Blue members earn XP aboard Air France, KLM, Transavia (Plus and Max fares only), Aircalin, SkyTeam airlines, and select routes on Air Corsica. The number of XP earned depends on the flight class and distance.
If you don't quite make it to the next level, you can roll over up to 300 unused XP toward next year's membership goals. Once you meet the XP requirements for a given membership tier, you'll get access to all your benefits immediately, such as:
| Explorer | Silver | Gold | Platinum | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XP Requirement | None | 100 | 180 | 300 | 900 |
| Miles Earned per €1 Spent | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Miles Never Expire and Free Standard Seat Selection | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Priority Services (boarding, check-in, customer service, etc.) | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| SkyTeam Elite Miles Bonus | ❌ | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
| SkyTeam Elite Status and Benefits | ❌ | Elite | Elite Plus | Elite Plus | Elite Plus |
| Airport Lounge Access | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Lounge Guest Allowance | ❌ | ❌ | 1 | 1 + children | 8 |
| Priority Baggage Handling | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Overdraft Miles Available for Reward Flights | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 50,000 | 100,000 |
At the Ultimate level, you'll also enjoy:
- 24/7 access to a complimentary travel concierge
- 4 free cabin upgrade vouchers
- 1 free Platinum membership card for a travelling companion
- Automatic Platinum status in the Hertz loyalty program
- Complimentary Wi-Fi, departure day rebookings, and a courtesy seat (when available)
You can even achieve Platinum status for life by maintaining Platinum or Ultimate status for 10 consecutive years.
How to earn Flying Blue miles
There are 8 ways to pick up Flying Blue miles, only some of which are available in Canada:
- Book partner experiences
- Book partner hotels
- Book partner rental cars
- Buy miles
- Fly Air France and KLM
- Fly other SkyTeam airlines
- Shop with partners
- Use an Air France / KLM or American Express credit card
Fly Air France and KLM
Air France and KLM are the pillars of the Flying Blue program. Both airlines base the miles you earn on a combination of distance flown, booking class, membership status, and money spent.
(Distance flown x booking class bonus) + (distance x SkyTeam Elite bonus) + (Flying Blue bonus x EUR spent) = Flying Blue miles earned
To simplify a complicated formula, use the following cheat sheet:
| Component | How to Calculate |
|---|---|
| Distance | * Air France: Use a minimum of 500 miles for all domestic flights and 750 miles for international flights * KLM: Use a minimum of 750 miles for every flight |
| Booking Class Bonus | * Economy: 20% – 150% of distance * Premium Economy: 50% – 100% of distance * Business: 75% – 175% of distance * First: 300% – 450% of distance |
| SkyTeam Elite Bonus | * Silver: 50% of distance * Gold: 75% of distance * Platinum and Ultimate: 100% of distance |
| Flying Blue Bonus | * Explorer: 4 miles per €1 spent * Silver: 6 miles per €1 spent * Gold: 7 miles per €1 spent * Platinum: 8 miles per €1 spent * Ultimate: 9 miles per €1 spent |
* Excluding government taxes and fees
For example, a short-haul, domestic flight aboard KLM starts with a minimum distance of 750 miles. Add a 150% bonus for booking a W seat in Economy, your SkyTeam Elite bonus, and multiply your Flying Blue bonus by €300 of base airfare and carrier surcharges.
Depending on your Flying Blue status, you could earn anywhere from 2,325 miles as an Explorer to 4,575 miles as a Platinum member.
Air France and KLM service 7 Canadian airports. If you don't live near a major hub, like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Ottawa, Flying Blue probably isn't the loyalty program for you.
Fly other SkyTeam airlines
Other SkyTeam airlines use a similar formula to calculate how many Flying Blue miles you earn, but they sometimes use different minimum distances and booking class bonuses. Only Air France, KLM, and Transavia award Flying Blue bonuses – and not every airline awards XP.
There are 41 partner airlines available, which we've grouped according to broad similarities in their miles-earning strategies:
| Airlines | Earn XP | SkyTeam Elite bonus | Min. distance | Booking class bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Aircalin * Aerolíneas Argentinas * Aeromexico * Air Corsica * China Eastern * Delta Airlines * Garuda Indonesia * ITA Airways * Kenya Airways * Korean Air * Middle East Airlines * Saudi Arabian Airlines * Tarom * Vietnam Airlines * Virgin Atlantic * Xiamen Airlines | ✅ | ✅ | 310 – 750 miles | 10% – 300% |
| * Air Europa | ✅ | ✅ | 15% – 100% | |
| * Air Mauritius * China Southern Airlines * Copa Airlines * El Al Israel * GOL * Japan Airlines * Malaysia Airlines * Oman Air * Twin Jet * WestJet * Winair | ❌ | 500 – 750 miles | 20% – 275% | |
| * Chalair Aviation * Etihad Airways * Qantas | ❌ | 25% – 400% | ||
| * China Airlines * Scandinavian Airlines | ✅ | 500 miles | 10% – 200% | |
| * Transavia | ✅ | 150 – 800 miles |
The SkyTeam airline alliance offers over 900 destinations in more than 140 countries. If you're committed to Flying Blue at every opportunity, you should have no problem getting around the globe and earning miles along the way.
Flying with WestJet? You can opt to earn Flying Blue miles instead of WestJet dollars. When booking a flight, select Air France or KLM in the loyalty program drop-down menu.
Use an Air France / KLM or Amex credit card
There's only one official Air France / KLM credit card available in Canada: the Air France KLM World Elite MasterCard. Issued by Brim Financial, it's a convenient product that earns up to 5 miles per €1 spent on Air France and KLM on top of the card's regular earning.
The card also provides up to 30 miles per $1 CAD spent with select retail partners and a yearly 30-XP boost, but it's not your only option. You can transfer the American Express Membership Rewards points you earn with an Amex credit card to the Flying Blue program at a 1:1 ratio.
Here are our top picks for credit cards that allow you to transfer points to Flying Blue or otherwise provide valuable rewards:
| Card Name | Annual Fee | Rewards | Welcome Bonus | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt® Card | $191.88 | * 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants (up to $2,500 spent per month) * 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services * 2 points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit, and ride share purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | Up to 15,000 bonus points (terms) | Learn more |
| Air France KLM World Elite MasterCard | $132 | * 2 miles per $1 spent on restaurants * 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases | 30,000 bonus points (terms) | Learn more |
| American Express® Gold Rewards Card | * $250 | * 2 points for every $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstores, and travel * 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases | Up to 60,000 bonus points (terms) | Learn more |
Shop with partners
Like Aeroplan members, Flying Blue members can earn miles on much more than travel by using an online shopping portal.
The Shop For Miles store awards up to 43 miles for every CAD spent at 19 retailers, including Sephora, Nike, and Dyson. You can also earn miles on the Air France Shopping page when you buy luggage, accessories, kids' toys, and model airplanes sporting the iconic red, blue, and white stripes.
Note: Shop for Miles and Air France Shopping both deliver to Canada, but customs duties and taxes may apply.
Book partner rental cars
Similar to hotels, you can earn Flying Blue miles instead of points with 10 rental car companies and driver services. And you don't have to rent in France or Europe, either. Many of these companies have locations around the world:
| Company | Earn rate | Current Promos |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | * Earn 5 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for an electric car * Earn 4 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for regular cars | * Get 500 miles when you join Avis Preferred |
| Budget | * Earn 3 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for an electric car * Earn 2 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for regular cars | * N/A |
| Dollar | * Earn 4 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for an electric car * Earn 2 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for regular cars | * N/A |
| Enterprise | * Up to 4 miles per €1 spent | * N/A |
| Europcar | * Earn 5 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for an electric or hybrid car * Earn 4 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for regular cars | * Earn up to 3X Miles on your next road trip. Limited time offer until August 31, 2026 |
| Free2move | * Up to 2 miles per €1 spent | * Get a complimentary shuttle transfer between the parking lot and airport |
| Hertz | * Up to 12 miles per €1 spent | * Get 500 miles on your first rental * Get 15% off all rentals worldwide |
| Hertz DriveU | * 3 miles per €1 spent | * Complimentary flight-tracking * Complimentary waiting time of up to 90 minutes |
| Sixt | * Up to 3 miles per €1 spent | * Up to 20% off with Flying Blue advanced membership status |
| Thrifty | * Earn 8 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for an electric car * Earn 4 Flying Blue Miles per € spent for regular cars | * Get 500 miles on your first rental * Get 10% off all rentals when you book online |
Book partner hotels
In lieu of earning hotel points, you can earn Flying Blue miles with 13 major hotel chains and snooze your way to your next reward:
| Hotel Chain | Earn Rate | Points-to-Miles Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless (all) | 1 mile per €1 spent | 1:1 |
| Best Western | 250 miles per stay | 6:1 |
| Booking.com | 2 miles per €1 spent | N/A |
| Choice Privileges | 10 points per $1 USD spent | 5:1 |
| Dorint Hotels | 1 mile per €1 spent | N/A |
| Hilton Honors | 10 points per $1 USD spent | 2:1 |
| Hotels for Miles | Up to 10,000 miles per night and up to 1,000,000 Miles per booking | N/A |
| Hyatt Hotels & Resorts | 500 miles per stay | 5:2 |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | 1 – 2 miles per €1 spent | 5:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 5 – 10 points per $1 USD spent | 3:1 |
| Radisson | Up to 36 points per $1 USD spent | 10:1 |
| Shangri-La | 500 miles per stay | N/A |
| WorldHotels | 500 miles per stay | N/A |
Book partner experiences
Flying Blue gives you 4 ways to earn miles with novel and exciting experiences. Like hotels and car rentals, these partners and their offerings span the globe:
| Experience Partner | Earn Rate | Current Promos |
|---|---|---|
| e-Rewards | 1 – 8 points per survey, which you can convert to miles | * Get 250 miles when you complete your first survey |
| Ticketmaster | 10 miles per €10 spent | * N/A |
| Get Your Guide | 3 miles per €1 spent | * N/A |
| Voyageurs du Monde | Up to 10,000 miles per traveller | * N/A |
* Excluding taxes and fees
Buy miles
Last and least, you can always buy the miles you need for your next reward. Visit the Flying Blue website and log in to buy a minimum of 2,000 miles for $63.40 CAD, up to a maximum of 100,000 miles for $3,050 CAD.
Buying at least 10,000 miles for $305 CAD (or 3.05 cents per mile) gives you 4% more value than the usual 3.17 cents per mile – but either way, you're still not getting enough value from the miles to justify buying them.
How to redeem Flying Blue miles
Flying Blue offers members a total of 5 redemption options:
- Donations
- Flights
- Hotels
- Merchandise
- Travel upgrades
Flights
Average value: 1.03 CPM
Categories: Promo Reward Flights, Reward Flights
Best option: A round-trip Reward Flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Munich (MUC) in Economy for $1,917 CAD or 50,000 miles plus $623 CAD (2.59 CPM). Economy flights consistently offer better value than Business and Premium.
How to redeem: Visit the Air France or KLM website and log in to redeem miles for flights.
If you want to "fly blue," you'll have to depart from one of 7 major Canadian cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ), Ottawa, Quebec City (seasonal), or Vancouver (YVR). Air France and KLM offer service to (and through) hubs in Paris (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS).
From there, you can go almost anywhere in the world with a Reward Flight paid for in Flying Blue miles (plus government taxes, fees, and charges). Certain direct flight routes, known as Promo Rewards, offer up to 25% off the usual cost of a Reward Flight.
Promo Reward tickets are released on the first weekday of each month. Promo Reward tickets are available for Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal airports.
Hotels
Average value: 0.52 CPM
Categories: 500,000+ properties from major hotel chains around the world
Best option: The cheapest option was for Dubai in June for $22.28 USD + 7,900 miles (0.7 CPM)
How to redeem: Visit and log in to Hotels for Miles to earn and redeem Flying Blue miles on hotel stays
Not only can your miles take you overseas, but they can also take you straight to a boutique hotel or bed and breakfast to sleep off the jet lag. There are over 500,000 properties on the Hotels for Miles website whose price includes taxes and fees, but we recommend choosing Cash + Miles instead.
Flying Blue hotels average about 0.52 CPM, with the choice of destination, travel dates, and class of hotel making little difference. However, you can get closer to 0.7 CPM when you redeem the fewest number of miles possible and pay the rest in cash.
Merchandise
Average value: 0.36 CPM
Categories: Aelia Duty-Free, Electronics, Fashion, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Leisure & Entertainment, and Travel
Best option: Sony Wireless BT Headphones for 14,229 miles (0.7 CPM)
How to redeem: Log in and shop the Flying Blue or Aelia Duty Free stores
If we have a recommendation, it's to skip Flying Blue's merchandise rewards entirely. With just one exception, most of the electronic, travel, and promotional products in the store yielded less than 0.7 CPM. One went as low as 0.19 CPM.
Be wary of paying in Cash + Miles, too. Redeeming the fewest number of miles possible can provide less than half the value of the miles-only price.
Travel upgrades
Estimated average value: 4 CPM
Categories: Airport lounge access, baggage fees, cabin upgrades, seat selection fees, sustainable fuel donations, and in-flight meals and Wi-Fi
How to redeem: Before your flight, you can upgrade your cabin online or by contacting Flying Blue customer service. Grab last-minute upgrades in miles, cash, or Cash + Miles after check-in opens by going online or inquiring at the airport or on the plane.
You can pay for almost any travel extras you can think of in Flying Blue miles, cash, or a combination of both. Although we weren't able to verify the value of in-flight meals, Wi-Fi, and other add-ons, we used the flight data we collected to estimate the average value of a cabin upgrade – about 4 CPM.
Donations
Estimated average value: 2.89 CPM
Categories: Children, education, environment, healthcare, and social development
How to redeem: Visit the Donate Miles page to make a non-tax-deductible donation to an organization of your choice.
We couldn't find an official statement on the value of donated Flying Blue miles. The donation page for Médecins Sans Frontières, which has reached its yearly donation goal of 443,782 miles, states donated miles will be used for travel.
Bonus: Gift or transfer miles
How to redeem: Log in to the Gift or Transfer miles page to buy miles for a member or transfer at least 250 existing miles.
If you'd like to make a difference closer to home, you can always gift or transfer Flying Blue miles to another member. Gift prices range from $63.40 CAD for 2,000 miles to $9,150 for 300,000 miles and follow the same rules as buying miles. Note that transfers take 72 hours to process and incur a fee, which varies depending on the number of miles transferred.
What users say about Flying Blue
If you've been a Flying Blue member for several years, you've probably noticed a pretty dramatic shift in the value of your points.
You're not alone. Several Redditors also mention that the program isn't as valuable as it was before the reward structure changed.
As this user notes, even if you do find a decent reward flight, you have to pay attention to the fees and taxes for the flight.
FAQ
Which airlines are a part of Flying Blue?
Air France and KLM are the 2 airlines behind Flying Blue, but the program also includes other SkyTeam partners, such as Delta. That means you can earn and use Flying Blue miles on flights with a range of partner airlines.
Is WestJet part of Flying Blue?
Yes, WestJet is partners with Flying Blue, so you'll earn Flying Blue miles based on the distance and fare class of your WestJet flight. Just be aware that you won't earn Flying Blue miles on your WestJet reward flights.
How do I earn KLM Flying Blue points?
Once you've signed up for the Flying Blue program, you'll earn miles for flying with Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam partner airlines. You can also get miles for shopping with partners, using co-branded credit cards, booking experiences, staying at partnering hotels, and booking with partnering car rental agencies.
Is the Flying Blue Air France program worth it?
Since the program devalued its miles, you could argue that they're not as valuable as they used to be. That said, if you're a loyal Air France or KLM traveller, you probably won't mind sticking with a program that maximizes your frequent bookings.
Are KLM points the same as Flying Blue points?
Yes, KLM points are the same as Flying Blue miles. You may see them used interchangeably, but it's all one program, which means that KLM points and Flying Blue points can be earned and redeemed in exactly the same way.
How can I earn points with Flying Blue in Canada?
You can earn points by using the one co-branded credit card and by booking flights with KLM/Air France and Flying Blue partners. You can also take advantage of Flying Blue's online retail shop or book travel with hotel and rental car partners.
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