Nowadays I don’t seek out airline elite status as I used to in the past. While I still think there’s huge value to earning airline miles, the value of status simply isn’t there in the way that it used to be — upgrades are tougher to come by, premium cabins are often priced more reasonably in cash, and all the while airlines have (mostly) made status harder to earn.
That being said, over the past year, I’ve been the most intrigued by the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, as I think it’s a super fun program. I’ve just qualified for Platinum status with Flying Blue, and would like to go over the basics of elite status in the program, and then share my strategy.
In this post:
Flying Blue elite status requirements
What does it take to earn elite status in the Flying Blue program? Flying Blue uses “XP” (which stands for “experience points”) as the metric for earning status. That’s the only metric by which you earn status, so there’s no minimum number of segments that you have to fly on Air France-KLM in order to earn status.
The system of qualifying for status works a bit differently than with other programs:
- 100 XPs gets you Flying Blue Silver status
- You then need 180 additional XPs to earn Flying Blue Gold status
- You then need 300 additional XPs to earn Flying Blue Platinum status
However, there’s a bit more nuance to this, which also makes it easier to earn status. For example, you don’t need 580 XPs in a year to earn Platinum status:
- Once you earn 100 XPs in a membership year, you’ll earn Silver status
- Your status will then be reset, and you’ll need to earn 180 XPs over the next 12 months to earn Gold status
- Your status will then be reset, and you’ll need to earn 300 XPs over the next 12 months to earn Platinum status
- Maintaining status on an ongoing basis simply requires 100 XPs for Silver, 180 XPs for Gold, and 300 XPs for Platinum
There are a few other things that I want to point out:
- If you earn Flying Blue Platinum status for 10 years in a row, then you receive Flying Blue Platinum status for life
- Flying Blue offers rollover XPs if you exceed the elite requirements for a particular tier, though nowadays you’re limited to 300 rollover XPs at a time, which is the equivalent of extending Platinum status for a year
- Flying Blue also has Ultimate status, which requires 900 UXPs in a year, rather than the 300 required for Platinum; the difference between XPs and UXPs (the “U” stands for Ultimate) is that the latter can only be earned from travel on Air France-KLM, and not from travel on partner airlines
- Flying Blue elite status membership doesn’t follow the calendar year, but rather is based on when you reach a particular threshold, and then you have 12 months to requalify (really it’s through the end of the 12th month)
How to earn XPs in the Flying Blue program
Above I talked about how many XPs you need to earn elite status with Flying Blue. But how do you actually earn XPs in the program? You can earn XPs for travel on Air France and partner airlines, and the earnings structure is actually pretty straightforward.
Below is the chart showing how many XPs you earn per segment on Air France-KLM, or on SkyTeam partner airlines (non-SkyTeam partner airlines can earn you miles, but not XPs). Let me emphasize that there’s no requirement to actually fly Air France-KLM, so you could earn status exclusively through travel on partner airlines, if you wanted to.
It’s definitely easiest to rack up XPs with short haul international flights. Just to give a few examples:
- A roundtrip nonstop Delta business class ticket from Tampa to New York would earn you 12 XPs
- A roundtrip Air France business class ticket from Frankfurt to London via Paris would earn you 60 XPs
- A roundtrip Aeromexico business class ticket from Miami to Lima via Mexico City would earn you 78 XPs
- A roundtrip Aeromexico business class ticket from New York to Sao Paulo via Mexico City would earn you 108 XPs
While flying is of course the primary way to earn XPs, it’s not the only way. Flying Blue awards members with XPs for buying carbon offsets, purchasing sustainable aviation fuel, and donating to charity, and you can generate XPs that way.
Sustainable aviation fuel can typically be purchased in conjunction with a flight ticket, even if you’re booking an award. For example, looking at a New York to Paris business class award, you could purchase sustainable aviation fuel for $899.90, and earn 84 XPs. Generally you can expect XPs will cost around €10 each using this method.
You can make donations to charity completely separate from travel, and you’ll earn one XP for every 2,000 miles donated, and there are lots of charities to choose from.
Personally I’d rather earn one XP for €10 rather than for 2,000 miles, but the benefit of the latter is that it can be done without taking a flight.
You can also earn XPs on Flying Blue’s co-branded credit card in the United States. The card often offers up to 100 XPs as part of the welcome bonus, and also offers an anniversary bonus of up to 60 XPs (20 automatically, plus 40 more if you spend $15,000 on the card during the year).
Flying Blue elite status perks & benefits
So, what are the perks of Flying Blue elite status? Let’s go over the incremental perks offered at each tier.
Flying Blue Silver status offers:
- The ability to earn 6x miles per € spent on airfare
- Priority check-in, baggage drop off, and boarding, on Air France and KLM
- Free selection of standard seats at time of booking
- Some free premium seat options 24 hours before departure
- One free extra checked bag on SkyTeam flights
Flying Blue Gold status incrementally offers:
- The ability to earn 7x miles per € spent on airfare
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status, which offers priority check-in, priority security, priority boarding, extra baggage, lounge access, and much more, whether flying with Air France, KLM, or a SkyTeam partner
- Some free premium seat options 72 hours before departure
Flying Blue Platinum status incrementally offers:
- The ability to earn 8x miles per € spent on airfare
- The ability to redeem Flying Blue miles for Air France first class (La Premiere)
- Free premium seat options at the time of booking; you can even pre-reserve the bulkhead seats in Air France’s new Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 business class, which I’d consider to be the world’s best business class seats
- Two additional checked bags, beyond the standard limit for the fare you’re traveling on
- Access to a dedicated Platinum phone service line
- Waived change & cancelation fees on Flying Blue awards
I think for many, the most exciting incremental perk of Flying Blue Platinum status is the ability to redeem miles for Air France first class. I rank Air France as having one of the best first class products in the world (and the ground experience is the best in the world), though you can only redeem miles for it if you have Flying Blue Platinum status or above.
Admittedly even if you have elite status, these awards aren’t cheap. While some first class awards may be as cheap as 160,000 miles one-way, they typically go for anywhere from 220,000-400,000 miles, depending on the routing. While the cost is steep, I’d argue that there are cases where this could be a good option:
- Flying Blue is transfer partners with all major transferable points currencies, and we frequently see transfer bonuses of 25%
- Air France first class award availability is quite good, and you can often snag a seat well in advance (some flights even have two or three first class award seats)
- Air France is introducing a new first class product within the next year, which I of course hope to experience
- Scoring transatlantic first class awards continues to get more difficult — American is eliminating first class, British Airways has reduced the size of first class cabins and has high surcharges, and I can’t imagine Lufthansa will have many partner with the introduction of the new first class
My Flying Blue elite status strategy
In March of this year, I began my quest for Flying Blue Platinum status, and under nine months later, I’ve qualified for that status. I must admit that it has been fun to learn all about a new program, given how long it has been since I’ve pursued elite status with a program I’m not that familiar with.
Let me also acknowledge that I’ve largely taken some shortcuts here. I hope to maintain this status for years to come, so plan to qualify for this status largely through flights on Air France-KLM and SkyTeam partner airlines, generating interesting reviews.
But due to some personal circumstances (which I’ll cover as well, but I don’t want to change the topic), I haven’t been traveling much in recent times. Furthermore, I wanted to get to Platinum ASAP, so that I could start playing around with some of the perks of the status. So I’m by no means suggesting that I earned it as efficiently as possible, but I’ll share my experience nonetheless.
How I earned Flying Blue Gold status
In 2023, Bilt Rewards and Flying Blue expanded their partnership. With this, Bilt Platinum members can receive Flying Blue Gold status. The status is valid for 12 months, and you just need to transfer 10,000 points from Bilt Rewards in order to activate this.
In theory, this isn’t necessarily a one-time match, as this is an ongoing perk, though it could be pulled in the future. Being able to earn Flying Blue Gold status so easily is awesome, as it gives you a pathway to SkyTeam Elite Plus status, and to being able to select the best seats on Air France and KLM.
I just took advantage of this back in March 2024, and the Flying Blue Gold status posted within days. That couldn’t have been easier, and it meant that I only needed to earn an additional 300 XPs for Flying Blue Platinum (when I would need 580 XPs if starting from scratch).
Note that if you don’t get Bilt elite status, Flying Blue also has a paid status match promotion that’s valid in select regions.
How I earned Flying Blue Platinum status
The Flying Blue credit card in the United States often has a welcome offer that includes up to 100 XPs — you can earn 60 XPs upon approval, plus 40 XPs after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days. I decided to apply for the card back in March 2024, and was instantly approved, so that earned me my first 100 of the 300 XPs needed for Flying Blue Platinum status.
So, how did I earn the remaining XPs?
- I earned 58 XPs through flights on a combination of Delta and ITA Airways
- I then earned 114 XPs by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel for a one-way Air France business class award flight across the Atlantic this past summer, at the cost of $1,213 (though I had an Amex Offers deal, which provided some additional savings)
- I then earned 28 XPs by donating 56,000 Flying Blue miles to charity
With that, I got the incremental 300 XPs needed for status, and the second I donated the miles, my account updated.
Let me again emphasize that this is by no means the most efficient way one could earn Flying Blue Platinum status, but in subsequent posts I’ll share why I found it valuable to go for the status now. So far, Air France-KLM is coming out ahead, as I’ve basically just made donations, so at least it’s a feel-good status quest, eh? That’s not how I’ll qualify in the future, but for this year, it was the right move for me.
Bottom line
I tend to think that Air France-KLM Flying Blue is the most valuable SkyTeam frequent flyer program. It’s one that I use all the time for redemptions, and now I’ve earned Platinum status with the program. It’s always fun to play around with new frequent flyer programs, and I’m very much enjoying Flying Blue so far, and look forward to sharing more experiences with the program.
What do you make of Flying Blue elite status?
Now Mr Lucky can entertain my fellow Tim extolling the virtues of Delta, the most premium airline of America and the American partner of Air France.
"Sustainable Aviation Fuel" LOL. I'm in the wrong business. I knew I should have gotten in on the ground floor with carbon credit schemes years ago but earning $899 for some future theory takes the cake.
I agree the real sweet spot is short-haul international flights in business or first.
If a person has intended flights, sure. If it's via mileage runs, it's an otherwise unnecessary expense. Some don't have the time or desire to do mileage runs. So, as a practical matter, the sustainable fuel thing provides an alternative unnecessary expense. Whether saving the environment is real or a joke doesn't matter. We don't have to get into science or politics. A person can buy XPs for $X and achieve tier status. That's all that matters. Period.
Hi Ben! I just re-qualified for Platinum with over six months left on my yearly cycle and was worried about the rollover conditions (should I simply stop flying AFKLM and Flying Blue?), so I called the FB Platinum line to query about the rollovers. My understanding and the agent confirmed there were changes to the Platinum rollover conditions recently, especially with FB Ultimate. As of the November 2024, rollover are no longer limited to 300...
Hi Ben! I just re-qualified for Platinum with over six months left on my yearly cycle and was worried about the rollover conditions (should I simply stop flying AFKLM and Flying Blue?), so I called the FB Platinum line to query about the rollovers. My understanding and the agent confirmed there were changes to the Platinum rollover conditions recently, especially with FB Ultimate. As of the November 2024, rollover are no longer limited to 300 XP, they are however, limited to 300 XP at a time. What this means is that after you re-qualify for Platinum, any additional XP earned are taken in 300 XP segments at the end of your cycle (in my case June 30, 2025) for additional Platinum years.
For example, if I end with 600 additional XP on June 30, it counts as 2 additional years and no loss of XP. If on June 30 I have 950 additional XP, I receive 3 years of Plat but lose 50 XP.
It's a very recent development, but makes the program even more interesting, since it doesn't punish those that continue flying AFFB and Skyteam at incredible rates, and in my case, can even shot for UXP!
Thanks for the update.
The agent is incorrect (or you are misinterpreting). The 300XP for an extra year towards Platinum for Life is a one-time transitional step for one's renewals between 1 November 2024 and 31 October 2025 and will apply in such a way that XP will be forfeit if one doesn't land exactly on a multiple of 300XP. 950XP will be:
* 300XP deducted to renew Platinum for another year
* 300XP reserved for rollover
...
The agent is incorrect (or you are misinterpreting). The 300XP for an extra year towards Platinum for Life is a one-time transitional step for one's renewals between 1 November 2024 and 31 October 2025 and will apply in such a way that XP will be forfeit if one doesn't land exactly on a multiple of 300XP. 950XP will be:
* 300XP deducted to renew Platinum for another year
* 300XP reserved for rollover
* 300XP converted to an extra year towards PfL
* 50XP forfeit
However, for renewals after 31 October 2025, XP balances above 600 will be forfeit and there will be no extra PfL years counted.
This has been confirmed by people with December 1 renewals and in writing in correspondence with Ben Lipsey (the head of Flying Blue)
Hi Levi, I called again and just got a different answer again! Now it seems that the max is 900 XP per year (or maybe 300 for renewal and the extra 600 for UXP needed)? But did confirm what you say about this transition year. Up and until each individuals yearly cycle, the XP is technically unlimited but needs to be in 300 XP segments for LtP years to count.
This sounds more like it. The "uncapped" only applies to those who *already* have more than 600 XPs at the year of *this* membership year and the excess will be applied to future years credit towards Platinum For Life. Those who don't *already* have more than 600 XPs will be subject to the forfeiture at the end of each membership year. That is, 300 XPs towards the ensuing year's re-qualification plus 300 XPs rolled over...
This sounds more like it. The "uncapped" only applies to those who *already* have more than 600 XPs at the year of *this* membership year and the excess will be applied to future years credit towards Platinum For Life. Those who don't *already* have more than 600 XPs will be subject to the forfeiture at the end of each membership year. That is, 300 XPs towards the ensuing year's re-qualification plus 300 XPs rolled over for one extra year.
By the way, ECM, don't set your expectations too high regarding Ultimate . . . or Club 2000 for that matter.
"But due to some personal circumstances (which I’ll cover as well, but I don’t want to change the topic), I haven’t been traveling much in recent times."
Is it because ..... you and Ford have a brother or sister for Miles?
580 points to get Flying Blue platinum. What is that equivalent to? Like how much would you have to spend or how far would you have to fly?
In business class/DL First:
* Ten TATL round-trips to CDG/AMS from a US airport with a nonstop (60 XP each)
* Nine TATL round-trips to CDG/AMS with a US connection (72 XP each)
* Seven TATL round-trips with a connection to short haul in CDG/AMS (90 XP each)
* Six TATL round-trips with double connections (102 XP each)
* 25 domestic round-trips with connections in Delta First
The cheapest way to do it is with intra-European tickets with double connections (i.e. via both AMS and CDG, maybe something similar can be done with SAS). I seem to recall there were people on Flyertalk doing it ex-KRK paying something like €560 for 90XPs.
Yeah during the pandemic, the LIS-CDG-AMS-KRK fares were really low. Not so much now.
In a way, XPs are per segment like BA's tier points. Like BA, XPs are based on distance. Like BA, a person would seek multi-segment flights. Like BA, you figure cost per XP. @Throwawayname's suggestion is one easy way for some and comes out to about US$ 7 per XP. That's a pretty efficient number. Not an easy number in Canada or the US.
Seemingly to punish Canadian and US members, their domestic flights receive...
In a way, XPs are per segment like BA's tier points. Like BA, XPs are based on distance. Like BA, a person would seek multi-segment flights. Like BA, you figure cost per XP. @Throwawayname's suggestion is one easy way for some and comes out to about US$ 7 per XP. That's a pretty efficient number. Not an easy number in Canada or the US.
Seemingly to punish Canadian and US members, their domestic flights receive few points even if long distances. One-way transcon in J only receives 6 XPs, while CDG-LHR receives 15 XPs.
I did the Bilt head start to FB Gold but the way that I earned my 300 XPs for FB Platinum might give you some ideas on how to get to 580 XPs:
- Bank of America FB credit card when it has the 100 XP offer (note: 60 XPs on renewal with $15k spending)
- Use Amex Business Platinum points to buy Delta domestic first, credit to FB for 144 XPs per year
- Use FB points to book JFK to Europe one-way and do max sustainable fuel 85 XPs for 850 Euros
- Use FB points to book JFK to Africa one-way and do max sustainable fuel 105 XPs for 1050 Euros
Not a single mileage run. All intended travel. All using points. Only cash was for sustainable fuel. Call it $2k.
I hope this helps.
Ben, (or anyone) how do you keep your flights from crediting to the wrong program? I just flew a domestic round trip on Delta and everything credited to Sky Mile instead of my Flying Blue. I put in my flying blue account when I booked but somehow it still switched over. I didn’t even log into my Delta account in the hopes it wouldn’t register. Por is there a way to switch them back?
Presumably booking through an OTA would stop that. Alternatively you should have better luck if you just avoid the apps and do it on a normal website using an incognito browser window.
If you're paying cash for a Delta flight, you do exactly this. Desk-top browser and don't log in. If you're booking with points via Amex Business Platinum 35% rebate, you put in NO frequent flyer program -- once booked, you immediately call Amex Travel and have the agent enter your FB number. Works every time. After the flight, you might need to "chat" with FB service to credit the flight. But, it's super easy.
Do you have to fly a certain number of flights on Air France each year to get/maintain status?
Nope.
Ignoring the devaluation of Delta Sky Miles as a currency, what is the advantage of being Air France/KLM platinum over Delta diamond?
The ability to be eligible for AF First Class awards, which are pretty easy to come by.
Fair enough. But it probably doesn't make sense unless you plan on redeeming miles for La Premiere, right? I'm looking at the hard benefits and they're pretty weak compared to Delta diamond.
SkyClub access in international Main Cabin (possibly even in Basic, though there's a bit of deliberate ambiguity there) is also worth noting.
The Dutch and French Platinum lines are, unlike DL's customer service phone and chat agents, not well-known for erroneously canceling bookings or assuring one that the policies they've vividly imagined will apply at the airport.
There are some soft/semi-soft benefits on AFKL metal like being offered the catering from a higher cabin or...
SkyClub access in international Main Cabin (possibly even in Basic, though there's a bit of deliberate ambiguity there) is also worth noting.
The Dutch and French Platinum lines are, unlike DL's customer service phone and chat agents, not well-known for erroneously canceling bookings or assuring one that the policies they've vividly imagined will apply at the airport.
There are some soft/semi-soft benefits on AFKL metal like being offered the catering from a higher cabin or having the seat next to you blocked or getting a PDB.
The value of Delta Diamond benefits will vary by person. While I fly Delta 20 to 30 flights per year, Diamond simply isn't worth it to me. RUCs/GUCs? Ha. Diamond's incremental value isn't worth its opportunity cost. To others, absolutely. Regarding FB, yes, access to La Premiere award inventory. But, little spoken of is the limo ride between the airport and your hotel (in France) when you're flying La Premiere. And, others. Depends on what one wants.
Access to AF first class award inventory. Pure and simple.
Flying blue has useful partnerships outside of the alliance, too. I've just redeemed 13k miles to fly GOL on a sector that's currently selling for over $300, and you can find similar value on COPA.
Etihad
Getcha, Betcha, Metcha… that’s My Strategy!
Ben - reading between the lines, hope all is ok with you and your family. Wishing the best for you all.
Agreed, take care Ben.
Is it true Air France releases more than 1 first class award seat for a flight? I thought it was limited to 1 per flight now.
They usu release >one.
That may change with new LP.
They only promise to release one per flight. It's generally believed that once there's a cash booking on a flight they won't release any more, but if no cash bookings materialize, they'll allow more awards.
If only you lived in Europe...you could get the AF Platinum Amex card and then gift Platinum status to someone else. ;)
https://www.flyingblue.com/en/financial/overview/financial-services-american-express-netherlands?country=NL
I think Ben would be out of business in 6 months if he had to peddle this kind of product. It shows the vast difference between EU cards and the rest of the western world (US, UK, Aus etc) albeit the US is by far the most lucrative per card of anywhere.
Yes, and it comes at the expense of the American consumer. In the EU card issuers are limited by law to a transaction fee of 0.3%. There are no limits in the US and the average transaction fee is around 3%, which is built into the price of everything. You might think you’re getting something for free but you are most definitely paying for it (and then some).
The experience of the EU with capping swipe fees indicates that the swipe fees almost entirely come out of retailer profits.
Won't someone think of the poor, corpulent shareholders!
That's only for Dutch residents (or those with an already-existing commercial relationship with AmEx-NL). The French card probably does the same. But the individual countries in Europe have different CC deals, and outside of France and the Netherlands, none have recurring XP or the partner deal.
Also, Platinum received as a gift doesn't count to Platinum for life.
The logic is pretty evident: Flying Blue's XP system favors those Europeans who fly through...
That's only for Dutch residents (or those with an already-existing commercial relationship with AmEx-NL). The French card probably does the same. But the individual countries in Europe have different CC deals, and outside of France and the Netherlands, none have recurring XP or the partner deal.
Also, Platinum received as a gift doesn't count to Platinum for life.
The logic is pretty evident: Flying Blue's XP system favors those Europeans who fly through hubs: you get twice the XP over a nonstop flight, provided both flights are international. Residents of France and the Netherlands are hub captives, and the card helps them earn status and offset the disparity.
Note too that nonstop flights are usually more expensive and those who connect with AF/KL usually are in European markets dominated by one of the other alliances, and the commercial reason for FB's success is evident.