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.
Key Takeaways
- Flying Blue is the official loyalty program of Air France and KLM.
- Members earn miles by travelling with Air France, KLM, and other SkyTeam airlines, which they can spend on future travel, merchandise, and charity
- Flying Blue miles are worth an average of 2.89 cents each.
- The fastest way to earn Flying Blue miles is to book Air France and KLM flights with the American Express Cobalt Card.
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What is Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France and KLM, two of the world’s largest airlines. Sign-up is free, but if you want to get the most out of the program, you’ll need to become a frequent flyer aboard Air France, KLM, Delta, and 35 other 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, 13 hotel partners, 10 car rental partners, 4 retail partners, 4 experience partners, and 1 point conversion partner
- 8 ways to earn miles
- 5 membership tiers with exclusive benefits
- 5 redemption options
- Miles worth as much as 14 cents CAD
- Free membership
- Miles can be gifted, pooled, and transferred
Cons:
- Miles worth as little as 0.11 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?
If you want to get the most value out of the Flying Blue program, choosing a redemption option is your most important decision. Depending on how you spend them, you could reap an average of 2.89 cents per mile (CPM).
Value of reward in CAD / cost of reward in miles x 100 = value in cents per mile (CPM)
We crunched the numbers to determine the most valuable uses of your miles and ranked them from best to worst:
| Redemption option | Categories | Average value* |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | * Promo Reward Flights * Reward Flights | 2.89 CPM |
| Hotels | * 400,000+ properties around the world | 0.68 CPM |
| Merchandise | * Aelia Duty-Free * Electronics * Fashion * Health & Beauty * Home & Garden * Leisure & Entertainment * Travel | 0.55 CPM |
| Travel upgrades | * Airport lounge access * Baggage * Cabin upgrades * Donations to sustainable fuel projects * In-flight goods and services * Seat selection | Estimated 4 CPM |
| Donations | * Children * Education * Environment * Health care * Social development | Estimated 2.89 CPM |
* 1 EUR = 1.49 CAD at the time of writing
Flying Blue membership tiers
Free 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 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 |
| Complimentary checked bags | ❌ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Miles never expire and free standard seat selection | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Priority boarding, baggage drop-off, check-ins, customer service, waitlists, and standby | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 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
We’ve ordered each method from most to least effective and provided several strategies for Canadians to top up their accounts.
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 membership status, you could earn 2,325 miles as an Explorer or up to 4,575 miles as a Platinum member.
Air France and KLM service 6 Canadian airports in total; if you don’t live near a major hub such as 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 use, 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 35 partner airlines available, which we’ve grouped according to broad similarities in their miles-earning strategies:
| Airline(s) | 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 1,000 destinations in more than 160 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 nifty little tool that earns up to 5 miles per €1 spent on Air France and KLM – add a Flying Blue membership bonus and you’ve got up to 14 miles per €1 spent.
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 4:3 ratio.
Assuming you spent about $2,000 per month (or $24,000 per year), your top 3 earners would be:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Rewards | Miles earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt Card | $155.88 | * 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants * 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 | 40,500 miles |
| Air France KLM World Elite MasterCard | $132 | * 2 miles per $1 spent on restaurants * 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases | 25,800 miles |
| American Express Gold Rewards Card | * $250 * None | * 2 points for every $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstores, and travel * 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases | 26,550 miles |
Shop with partners
Like Aeroplan Rewards 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 29 miles for every CAD spent at 38 retailers, including Sephora, Microsoft, and Apple. 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. You aren’t restricted to renting solely in France or Europe, either; many of these companies offer rental locations around the world:
| Company | Miles earning rate | Promotions |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | Up to 900 miles | * Get 1,000 miles when you book 3+ days * Get 500 miles and a free upgrade voucher when you join Avis Preferred |
| Budget | Up to 1,000 miles per rental | |
| Dollar | Up to 4 miles per €1 spent | |
| Enterprise | Up to 4 miles per €1 spent | |
| Europcar | Up to 5 miles per €1 spent | * Get up to 20% off with Flying Blue advanced membership status |
| 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 1,200 miles per rental | * Up to 20% off with Flying Blue advanced membership status |
| Thrifty | Up to 8 miles per €1 spent | * 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 sleep your way to your next reward:
| Hotel chain | Miles/points earning rate | Convert points to miles |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | Miles earning rate | Promotions |
|---|---|---|
| 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* | |
| Get Your Guide | 3 miles per €1 spent | |
| Voyageurs du Monde | Up to 10,000 miles per traveller |
* 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 losing about X% of the maximum value of your miles.
How to redeem Flying Blue miles
Flying Blue offers members a total of 5 redemption options:
- Donations
- Flights
- Hotels
- Merchandise
- Travel upgrades
Although Canadian members have limited options, there are still a few ways to spend your miles on this side of the pond, which we’ve ordered from most to least valuable below.
Flights
Average value: 2.89 CPM
Categories: Promo Reward Flights, Reward Flights
Best option: A one-way Promo Reward Flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Toronto (YYZ) in Business during off-peak for $8,381 CAD or 60,000 miles (13.97 CPM)
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 6 major Canadian cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ), Quebec City, 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. Unfortunately, the only Canadian route available is Europe to Toronto (YYZ) – in other words, you can only use a Promo Reward ticket on the return leg of your journey.
We calculated the value of 44 flight routes in Economy, Premium, and Business class, comparing prices across peak and off-peak seasons and Reward and Promo Reward tickets.
The average flight yielded 2.89 CPM, with values averaging 2.64 CPM for Economy, 2.75 CPM for Premium Economy, and 3.24 CPM for Business. Off-peak, Promo Reward, and Air France flights each offer about 7% more value than their peak, Reward, and KLM counterparts.
Looking at the data, we recommend using your miles on a Promo Reward flight in Business class during off-peak season.
Hotels
Average value: 0.68 CPM
Categories: 400,000+ properties from major hotel chains around the world
Best option: 2 nights in Paris in February for $205.62 CAD + 51,700 miles (1.19 CPM)
How to redeem: Visit and log into Hotels for Miles to earn and redeem Flying Blue miles on hotel stays
Not only can your miles take you overseas, they can also take you straight to a boutique hotel or bed and breakfast to sleep off the jet lag. There are over 400,000 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 0.68 CPM, with the choice of destination, travel dates, and class of hotel making little difference. You can, however, get a little over 1 CPM when you redeem the fewest number of miles possible and pay the rest in cash.
Merchandise
Average value: 0.55 CPM
Categories: Aelia Duty-Free, Electronics, Fashion, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Leisure & Entertainment, and Travel
Best option: Redeem 250 miles for €1 off at all French Aelia Duty-Free stores (0.6 CPM)
How to redeem: Log in and shop the Flying Blue or Aelia Duty Free store
If we have one recommendation, it’s to skip Flying Blue’s merchandise rewards entirely. With just one exception, most of the electronic, travel, and promotional products on the store yielded less than 0.8 CPM. One went as low as 0.11 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.
Although we couldn’t find an official statement on the value of donated Flying Blue miles, it’s possible they average about 2.89 CPM. 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 into the Gift or Transfer miles page to buy miles for a member or transfer them 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.
FAQ
What airlines are part of Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is the official loyalty program of Air France and KLM, but other SkyTeam alliance airlines – including Delta Airlines, Etihad, and Qantas – can also contribute miles to your account.
What is the highest tier in Flying Blue?
The highest Flying Blue membership tier is Ultimate, which includes complimentary airport lounge access, priority boarding, concierge services, and more. You must collect at least 900 eXperience Points (XP) in one calendar year to achieve Ultimate status.
Is Flying Blue the same as Delta?
Flying Blue is the frequent flier program of Air France and KLM, while Delta is an American-based airline with its own rewards program, SkyMiles. Because Air France, KLM, and Delta belong to the SkyTeam alliance, you can choose to earn or redeem Flying Blue miles whenever you book a flight with Delta.
Do Flying Blue members get lounge access?
Gold, Platinum, and Ultimate Flying Blue members receive complimentary access to all Air France, SkyTeam, and KLM Crown lounges. Gold members can bring 1 guest; Platinum members can bring 1 guest and their children; and Ultimate members can bring up to 8 guests into the lounge.
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