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Answers (7)

Flying Blue “Fraud” Issues

Flying Blue “Fraud” Issues

  1. dantheman Member

    Hi Tiffany/Lucky, I was just reading [URL=’https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-france-klm-other-partners-flying-blue/1962260-air-france-fb-says-my-317-000-mr-transfer-fraud-help.html’][U]this thread[/U][/URL] on FT today about Flying Blue essentially confiscating 317,000 of someone’s newly-transferred miles for “fraud”, even after he went to the airport ticket counter with passport/ID and had them call Flying Blue to verify identity. He only got them back after weeks of hounding them, and he could’ve easily lost them for good if he gave up along the way. What happened to him is crazy!

    I know in the past you’ve touched on Flying Blue’s sensitivity towards new accounts booking award tickets, but I think you (and other bloggers too) could do people a real service by spotlighting this and putting some public pressure on Flying Blue to explain themselves. Everyone should know about this and in my opinion, it really is a big strike against the usefulness of the program. I would be hesitant to transfer miles in (and maybe to even earn miles with them) even though I have done it before and successfully redeemed for tix. The fact that this person had to go through weeks of aggravation because of some arcane, unpublished rule Flying Blue has seems totally unreasonable. At the very least, perhaps you could get them to reveal exactly how old an account has to be (30 days?) before they won’t flag it for fraud if booking a ticket for someone else.

    This is relevant to me because I’m currently helping my parents try to book a one-way ticket CDG-JFK using flying blue and worried this will happen to them. My father has an aged Flying Blue account I’m planning on transferring his UR into, but the ticket is for my mother (same last name, luckily). I guess i could open an account under her name, but it seems risky as it may be considered a “new” account and flagged for fraud if we book the ticket in the next few weeks.

  2. Anonymous Guest

    All this fraud nonsense is triggered by interacting with the US website.

    For your folks, call beforehand to put the award on hold (ideally calling Paris), transfer the points in, and then ticket using a credit card in the name of the account holder. You’ll be just fine.

  3. dantheman Member

    [QUOTE=”Tiffany, post: 63901, member: 7″]All this fraud nonsense is triggered by interacting with the US website.

    For your folks, call beforehand to put the award on hold (ideally calling Paris), transfer the points in, and then ticket using a credit card in the name of the account holder. You’ll be just fine.[/QUOTE]
    Thanks for the tip!

  4. Landing Gear New Member

    [QUOTE=”Tiffany, post: 63901, member: 7″][B]All this fraud nonsense is triggered by interacting with the US website.[/B]

    For your folks, call beforehand to put the award on hold (ideally calling Paris), transfer the points in, and then ticket using a credit card in the name of the account holder. You’ll be just fine. (emphasis added) [/QUOTE]

    Hi Tiffany,

    Glad to be here.

    I was a participant in the FlyerTalk thread referenced although not the OP.

    Any updated word on this? Are you speaking about this website? [URL]https://www.flyingblue.us/en/partners/financial/financial-services-american-express-membership-rewards/presentation[/URL] Or is it [URL]https://www.airfrance.us[/URL] ?

    If I want to redeem Amex Membership Rewards for Air France tickets in the name of me and my spouse (same last name) what is the best way? Are you saying to [B]avoid[/B] the Air France USA website? (By the way, it is possible to VPN your way to air france.fr. if that matters.)

    I have never transferred MR points to an airline so I am clueless.

  5. Clem Diamond

    For what it’s worth, and I haven’t confirmed it myself but many data points suggest so, it also happens on Flying Blue accounts that have no activity at all (like it was created and points were transferred). As long as there is some flight activity, it looks like there isn’t an issue. This is a huge inconvenience of course and I wasn’t aware about the US site thing!

  6. Landing Gear New Member

    [QUOTE=”Clem, post: 70901, member: 2278″]
    As long as there is some flight activity, it looks like there isn’t an issue. This is a huge inconvenience of course and I wasn’t aware about the US site thing![/QUOTE]

    This is bizarre. I have no flight activity but I do have posted miles from my FB co-branded card as well as purchases on the AF shopping website. If trying to actually [I]redeem[/I] miles is labelled “fraud” then that’s what this entire Membership Rewards–Flying Blue connection should be called.

  7. Clem Diamond

    [QUOTE=”Landing Gear, post: 70902, member: 6940″]This is bizarre. I have no flight activity but I do have posted miles from my FB co-branded card as well as purchases on the AF shopping website. If trying to actually [I]redeem[/I] miles is labelled “fraud” then that’s what this entire Membership Rewards–Flying Blue connection should be called.[/QUOTE]

    That’s actually a really good point. I think that it will be OK if you have any sort of mileage activity – not just flight but points from credit card activity and shopping. Either way, I’d follow [USER=7]@Tiffany[/USER] ‘s recommendations with the US/FR sites and you’ll be OK.

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