While SkyTeam League may not have the most robust loyalty programs, Air France-KLM . Flying Blue often considered one of the best. It prices award tickets dynamically but regularly offers great deals on transatlantic flights. One prize that often brings a lot of incentives is flights from the US to Europe.
Better yet, you can transfer points to Flying Blue from all major points transfer points programinclude:
Let’s take a closer look at these redemptions in this week’s Sweet Spot Sunday issue.
Why is it special?
Flying Blue offers great prices on one-way flights from the US to Europe. Most SkyTeam plans — for example, Delta SkyMiles — charge more than 40,000 miles one way for these rewards. Meanwhile, Flying Blue regularly offers these prizes for less than 20,000 one-way Flying Blue miles plus moderate taxes and fees — even if you exclude the limited-time Promotional Bonus.
Here is an example flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK .)) to Zagreb, Croatia. This flight only costs 16,500 miles with $82.10 in taxes and fees.
You can book flights from the West Coast for about 20,000 miles on multiple days. In my test searches I found that flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Frankfurt starts at 20,000 miles one way on some days, but prices spike on other days. You will want to be flexible to find the best deals.
It is worth mentioning that you do not always get many offers with Flying Blue. Award tickets are dynamically priced, so you’ll see different prices depending on the route, flight date, and operating airline. Regardless, if you can find flights in the 15,000-25,000 mile range, you’ll get a solid deal when compared to booking with Delta SkyMiles or other SkyTeam partners.
Related: Sweet Spot Sunday: How to fly round-trip to Europe in business class with 88,000 miles
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Business class can also be a great deal
This article focuses on economy class prizes, but it’s worth noting that you can get great value on business class tickets. One-way flights from the US to Europe start at 55,000 miles on most routes.
Keep this in mind when looking for Flying Blue award tickets to Europe. It might be worth paying more miles for business class if you want more comfort on your lake-crossing flight — especially if the price is right.
Related: Across the Atlantic on Air France 777-300ER in business class, New York to Paris
What’s wrong with taxes and fees?
One downside to booking with Flying Blue is that you are responsible for paying higher taxes and fees than some other programs. This is largely due to the continuation of Flying Blue moderate fuel surcharge on some award tickets. You also pay the usual fees such as Transportation Security Administration taxes, departure fees and applicable local taxes.
It is always best to compare the cost of a Flying Blue award ticket with a paid ticket. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to book an award ticket if the cash price is low. Here at TPG, We value blue miles at 1.2 cents per person, so try and get at least that value if you agree with our pricing.
Related: The Complete Guide to Flying Blue Monthly Promotional Rewards
How to order
Booking a Flying Blue award ticket is simple. You can book these bonuses on the Air France or KLM website. Both sites show the same price and prize space. I’m liking the KLM website more and more and will be using it to sign up for the form below.
Step 1: Login to your Flying Blue account
You will need a Flying Blue account before you can search for award tickets. If you are on the KLM site, click the “Sign Up” button in the upper right corner of the screen. You can then create your account by filling out the form on the registration page.
Step 2: Enter trip information
To make a reservation, log into your Flying Blue account and click the “Book with Miles” button in the middle of the screen. Then enter your desired itinerary and click the orange “Search Flights” button.
Step 3: Choose your flight
All flight options and their respective prices will appear in the center of the screen. You can use the filtering options at the top of the screen to narrow your search, and use the calendar search function to see flight options on other days. The cheapest prize is marked in green.
Step 4: Confirm and pay
Once you’ve found a flight you like, click on its price to start the booking process. You will first be asked to confirm your class of service and then taken to your booking overview. This shows the final score and cash price. If all is well, click the “Continue” button in the bottom right corner of the screen to complete your booking.
Don’t forget to pay taxes and fees with credit cards earn reward points on flightsPrefer Platinum Card® from American Express or Chase Sapphire Reserve. You may also want to consider paying with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card if your prize has high taxes and fees. You’ll only earn 2 miles for every dollar spent, but you can Redeem miles to cover your out-of-pocket expenses.
Related: The best sites to look up SkyTeam award availability
How to earn miles for this award
The easiest way to earn Blue Fly miles is to transfer points from different credit card points programs. As discussed in the introduction, you can transfer points from the following programs to Flying Blue:
I recommend starting with Chase Ultimate Rewards if you are new to the world of points and miles. The Chase Sapphire Priority Card Get a huge sign-up bonus and earn bonus points for travel and dining. In addition, you should open a Chase card before opening a card with other banks because Chase’s strict 5/24 application rule.
Here is a look at Best Chase credit card deals:
- Chase Sapphire Priority Card – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Ink . Business Preferred Credit Card – Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
My test Complete guide to earn and redeem with Flying Blue for more money making methods.
Related: Fly from Florida to Montana and everywhere in between with 7,500 LifeMiles
bottom line
In this article, I showed you how to use Flying Blue mile to fly from USA to Europe cheaply. Bookmark this article and refer to it the next time you travel to Europe — you might find it the best way to get to your final destination.
