There’s a great new transfer bonus for those with Amex Membership Rewards points.
In this post:
Amex offering 25% Flying Blue transfer bonus
Between November 16, 2022, and Wednesday, December 7, 2022, you can receive a 25% bonus when you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
This promotion is being offered on Amex’s end (in the United States), and is hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you should see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer. You can take advantage of this offer an unlimited number of times, though you’re limited to transferring 999,999 points per transaction (not that this is a limit that will impact many people).
There are lots of fantastic cards for earning Amex Membership Rewards points, so this is an awesome opportunity. Transfers from Amex to Flying Blue are generally instant.
Should you transfer Amex points to Flying Blue?
Flying Blue nowadays has dynamic and roughly distance based award pricing. I get quite a bit of value through the program, thanks to the reasonable award pricing for travel on Air France and KLM.
On top of that, Air France and KLM make more award seats available to members of the Flying Blue program, than to members of partner programs. So even when Flying Blue’s pricing isn’t the best, there are situations where it could make sense to book through Flying Blue (though with all of the Delta SkyMiles devaluations we’ve seen, typically you will find the best pricing through Flying Blue).
There’s always value in having a stash of Flying Blue miles if you think you’ll be traveling transatlantic in the coming months. I redeem through Flying Blue every year (usually multiple times per year), and consistently get value.
Bottom line
At the moment you can receive a 25% bonus when you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
I’m always conflicted when it comes to transferring points during transfer bonuses. On one hand, a lot of the value from transferrable points comes from the flexibility you have of being able to transfer them to any program once you actually have a specific redemption in mind. That’s the best way to protect yourself from devaluations.
At the same time, you’re going to get the most value if you can transfer points while there’s also a bonus, since your points can be stretched a lot further.
Do you plan on transferring Amex points to Flying Blue with a 25% bonus?
Just transferred some points. Fact of the matter is, Air France doesn't currently have any business class upgrades available even though they have plenty of business class seats available for purchase. 90,000 points each for an upgrade if it becomes available.
Denise. I think you need to look the flights your interested in up on the KLM/Air France site. I’ve found business class flights for as little as 141 k RT for business class from USA to Italy. You may have to be willing to choose alternate dates to find best prices. Buying through American Express is never the cheapest way to go.
I just called the company that manages miles/points for Air France “Flying Blue” to book a flight back from Italy to US. I could purchase the exact ticket through AMEX directly for approx. 425k point (Business Class) - Flying Blue said it would take 680,000 POINTS to cover the VERY same ticket. So that 25% bonus is being accounted for in upcharging…plus more! Crazy, I saved points by going thru Amex directly and using their...
I just called the company that manages miles/points for Air France “Flying Blue” to book a flight back from Italy to US. I could purchase the exact ticket through AMEX directly for approx. 425k point (Business Class) - Flying Blue said it would take 680,000 POINTS to cover the VERY same ticket. So that 25% bonus is being accounted for in upcharging…plus more! Crazy, I saved points by going thru Amex directly and using their points. I told the lady she was crazy, I just transferred Amex point to Emirates and for 150k Amex points purchased TWO Business Class tickets on Emirates to get to Italy. FLYING BLUE is ripping people off!
Is this also applicable to Amex Platinum members in The Netherlands or only USA?
It is only for American Express Membership Rewards accounts associated with U.S.-issued cards. Typically, in Europe (and for what I know in France), the ratio is not 1MR = 1 mile like in the U.S. (with sometimes the 25% bonus like here), but rather 5MR = 4 miles.
As an Amex Platinum cardholder of both the French one and the U.S., I have found that the U.S. MR are better for transfer to airline miles (except U.S. airlines because of the excise tax).
Flying Blue mileage expiration policy would be helpful additional info in post.
The expiration is 24 months from the last qualifying activity, although the trick is that Flying Blue makes the distinction between miles earned by flying and miles earned by non-flying activities (through partners).
Extract from the Flying Blue website:
"All your Miles are valid for life as long as you take an eligible flight on Air France, KLM, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM or other airline partners at least once every 2 years, or if...
The expiration is 24 months from the last qualifying activity, although the trick is that Flying Blue makes the distinction between miles earned by flying and miles earned by non-flying activities (through partners).
Extract from the Flying Blue website:
"All your Miles are valid for life as long as you take an eligible flight on Air France, KLM, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM or other airline partners at least once every 2 years, or if you're an Elite or Elite Plus member, or if you make a purchase with an eligible co-branded credit card at least once every 2 years. 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 (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. Please note, "Partial extending activities" do not extend the validity of Miles earned from "Overall extending activities"."