Air France-KLM Flying Blue is one of the most useful loyalty programs for redeeming points for long haul, premium cabin travel. In particular, the program is really valuable if you have Flying Blue elite status, given that you get better access to award availability, and also better terms on awards.
For years, Flying Blue has been selling miles directly to consumers, with limited time promotions on purchasing miles. In late 2024, we saw the program also introduce the Subscribe to Miles concept, whereby you can buy a certain number of miles monthly at a fixed cost. Flying Blue seems to have just expanded this concept with a larger bundle, which might make the program interesting to people who didn’t consider it in the past. Let’s cover all the details.
Link: Sign-up for the Flying Blue Subscribe to Miles program
Flying Blue’s monthly mileage subscription details
Subscribe to Miles is the name of Flying Blue’s monthly mileage subscription service. The idea is that if you subscribe, you can buy a certain number of miles monthly at a fixed cost.
Subscribe to Miles now offers five subscription tiers, as follows (all prices include taxes & fees):
| Package | Miles per month | Cost per month | Cost per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 2,000 | $34.20 | 1.71 cents |
| Smart | 5,000 | $79.00 | 1.58 cents |
| Advanced | 10,000 | $146.00 | 1.46 cents |
| Complete | 17,000 | $227.80 | 1.34 cents |
| Complete+ | 30,000 | $402.00 | 1.34 cents |
Just to cover the rules and basic terms of Flying Blue Subscribe to Miles:
- You need to subscribe for a minimum of three months, but after that, you can cancel at any time; this can be done by logging into your account and selecting the “cancel subscription” prompt
- Flying Blue miles earned through this program will be credited within 72 hours, and don’t count toward elite status
- You have the right to withdraw a mileage purchase within 14 business days, without any penalty; after that, the miles become non-refundable
- Mileage purchases through this program will be processed by points.com, so wouldn’t count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending
Flying Blue also markets how if you have a subscription, your miles won’t expire while it remains active. Flying Blue miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, so since you have monthly activity this way, that would indeed qualify. Then again, any activity that generates points within that timeframe would reset your expiration.
Is Flying Blue’s Subscribe to Miles program worth it?
Let me say unequivocally that you should never sign up for one of these services unless you have a strategy in mind, have crunched the numbers, and know that you’re getting outsized value. Of course from the perspective of the loyalty program, the goal is to keep members engaged, and keep them on the hamster wheel, which is fair enough.
So, is there merit to the Flying Blue Subscribe to Miles program? While it’s not for everyone, I’d absolutely say it could be worthwhile:
- If you need to top off your Flying Blue account balance, this is an opportunity to acquire miles for as little as 1.34 cents each, which is attractive
- You can always sign up for just a few months, as you only have to commit for three months, and can cancel after that
- When Flying Blue has promotions on outright purchasing miles, we typically see at most an 80% bonus, which is an opportunity to acquire miles for 1.69 cents, so 1.34 cents per mile is much better than that
So yeah, broadly I’m not a huge fan of these kinds of monthly subscription services, even if the cost per mile is pretty good. That being said, what I like about this program is that you only have to commit for three months, so this isn’t some years-long commitment.
For example, if you know you’re planning for a redemption and you’re short miles, this could be the most economical way to top off your account, though admittedly you’ll need some advance notice. Personally I won’t take advantage of this, simply because I frequently earn Flying Blue miles through transferrable points currencies. Whenever my Flying Blue mileage balance gets low and I see a bonus on points transfers to Flying Blue, I take advantage of it.
Bottom line
Flying Blue offers the Subscribe to Miles program, whereby members can pay to purchase a fixed number of miles monthly. As you’d expect, the cost per mile is potentially pretty attractive, with the catch being that you’ll slowly acquire miles over time. The good thing is that you can cancel any time after the first three months.
This definitely isn’t for most people, but there are some niche situations where this could represent a good value, so it’s worth being aware of. In particular, this gets you a lower cost per mile than Flying Blue’s standard promotions on buying miles.
What do you make of Flying Blue’s Subscribe to Miles program?
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