While I travel a lot, I generally don’t value airline elite status as much as I used to, since the perks aren’t as generous as in the past. The one program I’ve been excited about is Air France-KLM Flying Blue, as I’ve recently earned Platinum status with the program.
In this post I wanted to talk about the Flying Blue program’s rollover elite status feature. While Flying Blue recently added significant restrictions to its rollover elite status feature, it’s still much lucrative than most programs, so let’s go over all the details.
In this post:
Rollover elite status is a great concept
Well-run loyalty programs should try to find ways to foster long-term loyalty with members, and to encourage incremental business.
Typically members earn elite status on an annual basis. Once you’ve qualified for elite status in a particular year, how can programs encourage a member to continue being loyal? One great idea is rollover elite status qualification, whereby any activity you earn beyond what’s required is rolled over to the following year.
This is something that we’ve seen several loyalty programs introduce over the years, though we’ve also increasingly seen them add limits to this. In some ways, I can see why — if someone just consistently way over qualifies and has status in the bag for a decade to come, that doesn’t actually do much to generate incremental business.
Anyway, in general I appreciate the idea of rollover elite qualification, especially when your travel patterns aren’t totally consistent between years. On a similar note, I think the concept of lifetime elite status also gives members a long term incentive to be loyal to an airline. It’s an area that airlines put a different amount of effort into — just look at American AAdvantage vs. United MileagePlus, for example.
Flying Blue rollover elite status (XP) basics
Before we talk about Flying Blue’s rollover elite status feature, let’s cover some of the basics of earning status with the program. Flying Blue uses “XPs” (which stands for “experience points”) as the metric for earning 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 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
With that in mind, Flying Blue offers an elite status rollover feature. With the updated program, you can have up to 300 rollover XPs per year. This means that if you earn 600 XPs in a year, you’d really earn Platinum status for two years. Any XPs earned can be rolled over — this includes those earned through buying sustainable aviation fuel, or donating miles to charity.
It’s worth noting that up until late 2024, Flying Blue offered unlimited rollover XPs. I can understand why these restrictions were added, and Flying Blue’s program is still more generous than a vast majority of programs.
What’s also nice is that Flying Blue doesn’t have a minimum number of flights you need to complete on Air France-KLM in a particular year, so you could truly maintain your status for an extra year without having to step on a plane, if you have enough rollover XPs.
There’s one other quirk I should address. Flying Blue also has Ultimate status, which requires earning 900 UXPs per year. What differentiates UXPs from XPs is that the former can exclusively be earned through Air France-KLM, and not through travel on partner airlines. If you earn Flying Blue Ultimate status, you automatically get 300 rollover XPs. That’s because when you earn Ultimate status, you get 900 UXPs deducted, while your XPs aren’t deducted, so the maximum will rollover.
Flying Blue status soft landings & lifetime status
On the topic of earning elite status with Flying Blue, it’s also worth noting two other cool features of the program, when it comes to maintaining status.
First, Flying Blue also formally offers status soft landings. That means you’ll never drop more than one status tier in a year, even without any activity:
- If you’re a Platinum member and don’t requalify, you’ll only drop down to Gold
- Even with no further activity, after a year you’ll only drop to Silver
- Then with no further activity, you’d finally lose your elite status after a further year
Lastly, Flying Blue offers lifetime Platinum status after earning Platinum for 10 consecutive years. Elite status rollover years count toward that.
Bottom line
The Flying Blue program has some unique features for earning and maintaining status. The program offers rollover XPs (the metric of earning status), and you can bank up to 300 rollover XPs per year.
Between this and the program’s soft landing and lifetime status program, I quite like the setup in terms of fostering long term loyalty. While I wouldn’t say Flying Blue is the richest program in terms of elite perks (you primarily get standard SkyTeam Elite Plus perks, plus Platinum members get access to Air France first class awards), status also isn’t that hard to earn.
What do you make of the Flying Blue rollover elite status feature?
I miss rollover with Delta so I get the appeal of this but for US-based folks the problem with FB continues to be the lousy domestic XP earn. A roundtrip transcon up front with Delta would earn a paltry 12 XP.
In terms of investing in a non-US carrier's program BAEC doesn't have rollover but earning with AA/AS is a whole lot better, as are reciprocal OneWorld benefits vs. SkyTeam.
FB may be among the more generous programs to earn and retain, but it's also pretty limited in terms of benefits. No upgrades, no domestic SkyClub access, no expanded (other than La Première) or discount awards.
Question: I'm at 585 XPs right now. As of next week, I'll have well over 600 XPs. So...I know I have Plat for next year, but what about 2026? Or is this the year when they simply take away the extra XPs and add a year to the overall count toward lifetime Plat? This is one I've not been able to figure out.
By the sound of it, your current qualification year will end under the new system. If so, 300 XPs will be subtracted from your total XPs for Platinum renewal and 300 XPs will be allowed to roll over. All XPs remaining will be lost. The only thing that comes into play is whether you currently have sufficient UXPs to qualify for Ultimate. To me, Ultimate's incremental benefits are minor. Side thought: Ultimate and Delta 360...
By the sound of it, your current qualification year will end under the new system. If so, 300 XPs will be subtracted from your total XPs for Platinum renewal and 300 XPs will be allowed to roll over. All XPs remaining will be lost. The only thing that comes into play is whether you currently have sufficient UXPs to qualify for Ultimate. To me, Ultimate's incremental benefits are minor. Side thought: Ultimate and Delta 360 should provide reciprocal benefits. Five or so years ago, I suggested to AA and BA that CKs and GGLs be given reciprocal benefits . . . and they implemented it.
Thank you, Fred.
Quick follow up:
Say I end 2024 with 650 XPs.
I have 300 that go to 2025 plat. status.
I have 300 that will rollover and sit there in 2025, but then be applied for plat. status for 2026.
The final 50 go poof.
Is that your understanding?
Thanks again!
Yes. The information provided by FB was ambiguous, and there was a long debate about it on FT. We then got on the best authority that the calculus is: burn the first 300, roll the next 300 over, and (this year only) give a year credit to Platinum for life for each 300 after that.
The way it works in practice is: a day or two before the end of the month, accounts with...
Yes. The information provided by FB was ambiguous, and there was a long debate about it on FT. We then got on the best authority that the calculus is: burn the first 300, roll the next 300 over, and (this year only) give a year credit to Platinum for life for each 300 after that.
The way it works in practice is: a day or two before the end of the month, accounts with 900 or more XP are shaved to below 900, with one year added to the PfL counter per 300 XP (this year only). Then, at the end of the month, 300 XP is deducted for Platinum for the next year (and the PfL counter is incremented). Then, up to 300 is banked for then next year. Everything else (up to 299 XP) is junked.
Next year, any XP above 600 is simply lost.
My year ends this month. I have 1201 XP. I will get two years added to PFL (taking me to 8), qualify for next year (9), and get 300 towards qualification the year after (PfL). I will lose one XP, which could help towards Ultimate, if I had to fly that much.
I was the first wave to have experience the restrictive XP roll over (Nov 2024). Per FlyingBlue email, my understanding is that with 680XP, 300XP is used to qualify this year, 300XP to count as one year for Plat for Life, and 80XP to roll over (under the 300XP) restriction.
Unfortunately, it’s 300XP used to qualify this year, 300XP to rollover, and 80XP to forfeit (not multiples of 300XP). Their email communication didn’t explain the...
I was the first wave to have experience the restrictive XP roll over (Nov 2024). Per FlyingBlue email, my understanding is that with 680XP, 300XP is used to qualify this year, 300XP to count as one year for Plat for Life, and 80XP to roll over (under the 300XP) restriction.
Unfortunately, it’s 300XP used to qualify this year, 300XP to rollover, and 80XP to forfeit (not multiples of 300XP). Their email communication didn’t explain the method to calculate, only said: during the transition period, your XPs won’t go to waste!
Disappointed