We're always watching for transfer bonuses that allow you to get more out of your credit card points by sending them to specific airlines. There's a great one currently available for American Express cardholders … but not for much longer.
Points from cards like the *amex gold card* or *amex platinum card* can earn you a bunch of bonus miles with Air France or KLM. American Express is offering a 25% bonus on transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, a great mileage program to get from the U.S. to Europe using fewer points. It runs through this Friday, Sept. 22, so you haven't got much longer to take advantage before it's gone.
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on Amex transfer partners and how to make it happen!
Using transfer partners like Air France/KLM is one of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points for even more value. And these transfer bonuses make it even better – think of it as a way to get some free airline miles. Transfer bonuses to Air France seem to crop up a few times a year.
No matter how appealing a 25% bonus might be, you should never transfer credit card points willy nilly. This is a one-way street: Once you send your credit card points to an airline account, you can't get them back. That means you'll want to have a purpose for these miles.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to put this bonus to use. Keep reading.
Best Ways to Use This Bonus
We'll never turn down some free Flying Blue miles.
This is the combined mileage program for Air France and KLM, and it's one of the best ways to book flights with SkyTeam airlines including Delta, Korean Air, and Air France or KLM, of course.
Fly Air France or KLM to Europe
With low rates and fairly solid availability to actually book these flights with your miles, this is one of the best ways to book business class to Europe.
Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere flying business class to Europe for just 55,000 to 58,000 miles each way. It's one of the best airline programs for booking business class seats, period – and with this transfer bonus, it's even better: you’d need as low as just 44,000 Amex points to make it happen.Â
You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for less than 20,000 miles. But Flying Blue also passes on some hefty cash surcharges on award tickets that make it less appealing for economy prices, while it can easily be worth paying $228 or so for a one-way business class ticket for Europe.
Finding flights at these low rates may require some flexibility, as you won't find them one very single date. Luckily, Air France and KLM allow you to easily scroll through up to a month's worth of flights to find the best deals. Flying Blue typically tacks on about $200 for a one-way business class award to Europe – and about $380 or more for the way back. That's a small price to pay for $6,000-plus flights.
Thrifty Tip: Leave your dates blank when searching for Air France or KLM flights to get a monthly calendar view of availability!
It’s a great ride across the Atlantic ocean whether you’re flying with Air France or KLM.
Read our full Air France business class review!
You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for less than 20,000 miles. But Flying Blue also passes on some hefty cash surcharges on award tickets that make it less appealing for economy prices, while it can easily be worth paying $228 or so for a one-way business class ticket for Europe.
Book Discounted Promo Rewards
Every month, Flying Blue unleashes a set of discounted routes it calls Promo Rewards. And the airlines' latest monthly promo for September is a solid one, offering deeply discounted economy, premium economy, and business class rates to Europe from a handful of U.S. cities.
Just beware: You'll have to act fast, as availability at these rates is flying fast (or has already disappeared) – especially if you want to fly business class. But even in economy, the deals are amazing: With fares as low as 11,250 miles each way, it could easily be worth paying $100 or so in taxes and fees to pull off a trip to Europe this summer or fall.
For travel through March 2024, you can book:
Economy to Europe
- Boston (BOS) starting at 12,750 Flying Blue Miles
- New York City (JFK) starting at 11,250 Flying Blue Miles
- Newark (EWR) starting at 11,250 Flying Blue Miles
- Miami (MIA) starting at 12,750 Flying Blue MilesÂ
- Los Angeles (LAX) starting at 19,000 Flying Blue MilesÂ
- Austin (AUS) starting at 18,375 Flying Blue MilesÂ
- Ottawa (YOW) starting at 15,000 Flying Blue MilesÂ
Premium Economy to Europe
- Cancún (CUN) starting at 30,000 Flying Blue MilesÂ
Business Class to Europe
- Mexico City (MEX) starting at 60,000 Flying Blue MilesÂ
No matter which route or cabin you choose, this 25% bonus just makes these flights even cheaper.
Fly to Taipei in Business Class
One of the best ways to get to Taiwan – or connect elsewhere in Southeast Asia – is in China Airlines' spiffy business class seats. And using Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles is the best way to make it happen.
Whether you fly from San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), or all the way from New York City (JFK), you can get to Taipei (TPE) for just 89,500 Flying Blue miles or a bit more.
Factor in this 25% transfer bonus, and you'll need to transfer just 72,000 Amex points or more. Not bad for a 15-plus hour flight in seats like these, right?
Bottom Line
Transfer bonuses like this one are great – it means you need fewer points to book your next getaway. And a 25% bonus when transferring Amex points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a great one.
Just be sure to use it soon because this transfer bonus ends this Friday, Sept. 22.
Have been trying to transfer Amex miles to Flying Blue for past week. They reject the transfer and points bounce back to my Amex account. Amex says they are rejecting transfer. Very frustrating as I would like to book an award flight. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?
Can a delta skymiles number be applied to booked klm award flights?
Yes you can
But do you have to do it through Delta Website rather than KLM if you have skymiles?
I transferred some amex miles to Flying Blue couple weeks ago and did see the miles plus 25% bonus in Air France. But today when i tried to book a flight, all the miles are gone and then i realized they are back to Amex w/o getting any emails.
Do other people have the same issue?