Points Panda has partnered with a variety of financial companies including CreditCards.com for our coverage of credit card products. Points Panda and CreditCards.com may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. For more information please read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
If you have ever flown with Air France and KLM, you may already know about Flying Blue. It is the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. However, these two airlines are not separate; they merged in 2004. The program allows members to earn and redeem miles for flights, upgrades, and other rewards.
As a Flying Blue program member, you have multiple ways to earn miles, including by flying with Air France, KLM, and other partner airlines, as well as staying in hotels, renting cars, and making other travel-related transactions. Moreover, you can earn points and transfer them to Flying Blue. Notably, Flying Blue stands out among other airline loyalty programs as it partners with all three major credit card currencies and Marriott Rewards.
Flying Blue Transfer Partners
Flying Blue oiffers many ways to earn loyalty program points, and one of the easiest ways is to earn points with partners and transfer them to Flying Blue. The good news is that Flying Blue allows points to be transferred from every major transferrable points program.
Credit Card Transfer Partners
1. American Express Membership Rewards®
Earning Flying Blue miles can be particularly advantageous when using American Express Membership Rewards. As an Amex transfer partner, Membership Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. However, keep an eye out for relatively regular transfer bonuses.
This makes it a fast and convenient option to book award tickets. However, it’s worth noting that transfers are only possible in increments of 1,000 points.
American Express Credit Cards Which Earn Membership Rewards
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
2. Capital One
Capital One’s miles transfer redemption program offers great flexibility to its cardholders. So, If you hold a Capital One Credit Card, you can transfer Capital One Miles to your Flying Blue Account at a transfer ratio of 1:1. For every 1,000 Capital One miles transferred, you’ll receive 1,000 Flying Blue miles.
Capital One Credit Cards To Earn Miles
3. Chase Ultimate Rewards
Similarly, Chase Ultimate Rewards is another popular program that allows users to transfer points to Flying Blue at a ratio of 1:1. With a minimum transfer of just 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points; users can receive 1,000 Flying Blue miles.
This flexibility enables users to utilize their Ultimate Rewards points for rewards such as flights, seat upgrades, and other travel benefits. What’s more, the transfer process is almost instantaneous, allowing users to take advantage of their miles as soon as possible.
Chase Credit Cards To Earn Ultimate Rewards
4. Citi ThankYou® Rewards
As I mentioned earlier, all major credit cards offer points transfer to Flying Blue, and Citi is no exception. Transferring ThankYou Points provides a way for users to enjoy various travel benefits, including flights and seat upgrades.
Additionally, the transfer process between the two programs is speedy and efficient, allowing users to access their miles promptly. You can transfer Citi ThankYou Points on a 1:1 ratio, just like other rewards programs. Citi ThankYou Points transfer in increments of 1,000 points for 1,000 miles. There’s a maximum of 500,000 miles per transfer, and transfers can take up to 48 hours to complete.
Citi Credit Cards To Earn ThankYou Points
5. Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card pays you rent without any additional fee, and you can transfer the points earned at a ratio of 1:1, and you can transfer a minimum of 2000 points. Even if you’re not traveling with Air France, KLM, or their partner airlines, you can still accumulate miles by transferring your Bilt Points to the program at a 1:1 ratio.
It’s also worth noting that you can earn 100 Bilt Points for each loyalty program you link to your Bilt account. This means that you can earn additional points from other rewards programs and transfer them to maximize your benefits.
6. Marriott Rewards Points
You can earn rewards points while staying at the hotel and transfer them and can use them when flying Air France/KLM, isn’t that good! You earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those at a transfer ratio of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 miles bonus.
Credit Cards To Earn Marriott Rewards Points
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Summarizing
| Transfer partners | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|
| Capital One Miles | 1:1 |
| American Express Membership Rewards | 1:1 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards | 1:1 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 |
| Marriott Rewards | 3:1 |
| Bilt | 1:1 |
Transfer Hotel Loyalty Points
There are other hotels, like Marriott, from which you can earn and transfer loyalty points. Transferring hotel reward points to Flying Blue is a simple method to increase your miles balance and gain access to numerous travel incentives. Most major hotel loyalty programs, such as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honours, and IHG Rewards Club, offer variable ratios of points transferred to Flying Blue.
| Hotel Loyalty Program | Transfer Ratio |
Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 |
World of Hyatt | 2.5:1 (minimum of 5000 points required to convert) |
IHG One Rewards | 5:1 |
Hilton Honors | 10:1 (minimum of 20000 points, then increment of 10000) |
Accor Live Limitless | 1:1 (minimum 2000 points required to convert) |
Raddison Rewards Americas | 10:1 |
Flying Blue Promo Rewards
The Flying Blue program offers new rewards every month, which give a 20–50% discounts on individual award sale for travel on Flying Blue Air France and KLM. The Flying Blue Promo Reward monthly promotion allows you to gain mileage discounts on a curated selection of Air France or KLM flights.
Each month, Flying Blue releases a new list of Promo Rewards destinations, which can include both short-haul and long-haul flights. The destinations and flight routes can vary from month to month, so if you are plying to fly Air France or KLM it’s important to check the current list of Promo Rewards before making any travel plans.
Bottom Line
Flying Blue is a major frequent flyer program that provides its users with many benefits. One of its significant advantages is the ability to transfer points from major credit cards and hotels to the program. This option is ideal for consolidating point balances and redeeming awards. It allows users to combine their points from different sources, making it easier to reach the needed number of miles for a redemption. This feature is particularly useful when the points balance in each currency is not sufficient for a redemption on their own.
Interest in flying around the world using credit card points? Check out our site to learn the basics, and follow our blog for more tips on how to make your dream vacation a reality. You can also sign up for our travel concierge and get unlimited credit cards and travel assistance for one full year.
Advertiser Disclosure
PointsPanda Deal of the Week!
Looking for the best flight deals? Each week we'll send you updates with the best deals on flights and hotels both using points and cash.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.