Buy Flying Blue miles for 1.5 US cents each – an underrated FFP (and here’s why)

EXPIRED This article relates to an offer or promotion which has now expired.
 

Flying Blue, the frequent flyer programme of the Air France – KLM Group, has just launched a miles purchase offer with up to 100% bonus available for those topping up at least 24,000 miles in their account between now and 7th November 2023.

While this is a programme that hasn’t featured heavily on our radar in the past, an ongoing 20% transfer bonus from HSBC TravelOne and several OCBC credit cards in Singapore recently gave us chance to take a closer look at some of the more valuable redemption options the scheme offers.

Example Business Class awards include Singapore to Europe on Air France or KLM for 70,000 miles, Singapore to Taipei on China Airlines for 28,500 miles and Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines for 10,000 miles.

In Economy Class you can reach Europe on Air France or KLM for as little as 25,000 miles, or Perth on Qantas for 16,500 miles. You can also fly transatlantic from Europe to New York on Air France or KLM for just 15,000 miles.

100% bonus when you buy Flying Blue miles

Flying Blue is offering a bonus on miles purchased between 23rd October 2023 and 7th November 2023, which can bring the cost per mile down to 1.53 US cents each, around 2.09 Singapore cents each.

The purchase deadline of 11.59pm CET on 7th November 2023 is equivalent to 6.59am on 8th November 2023 in Singapore (SGT).

The bonus offer is tiered, as shown below.

Miles purchased	Bonus	Cost per mile
2,000	None	3.17 US ¢ (4.33 SG ¢)
4,000 – 10,000	50%	2.11 US ¢ (2.88 SG ¢)
12,000 – 22,000	70%	1.79 US ¢ (2.44 SG ¢)
24,000 – 100,000	100%	1.53 US ¢ (2.09 SG ¢)

Elite members can buy up to 300,000 miles (with a further 300,000 miles bonus), but regular Explorer members can only purchase up to 100,000 miles (with a further 100,000 miles bonus).

Bonus miles will be added to your account along with base miles instantly, following your successful purchase.

A 100% bonus is typically the highest Flying Blue offers in its miles sales, though there was a 120% bonus offer in June 2022.

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Flying Blue award ‘sweet spots’

Buying Flying Blue miles for around 2.1 Singapore cents each is certainly not for everyone, because the programme’s sweet spots for Asia-Pacific-based members are quite specific, and some are probably best described as “good” rather than “great”.

Nonetheless, there are a range of redemptions where you’ll get good value from Flying Blue miles, which may sway you to buy in this sale in order to top up your account balance for a redemption, though as always we do not advise that you do so speculatively.

You should have an available redemption in mind to lock in immediately or soon after your purchase – devaluations do happen and award space does disappear.

Here’s our rundown of some decent value awards using Flying Blue miles, here in Asia-Pacific or when you’re on a Europe trip.

Flying Blue has a semi-dynamic award chart for redemptions on its own flights, like Air France and KLM services, with starting rates for redemption seats depending on your city pair and cabin class, but think of these as KrisFlyer’s Saver awards – not always available.

Higher rates are normally offered on most dates and rather than charging a fixed “Advantage-type” rate this is where the dynamic element kicks in, so these quotes can be eye-watering depending on demand!

Nonetheless if you can access the cheapest award rates there are still some redemptions worth considering when using Flying Blue miles with Air France or KLM that can represent good value.

Here are some examples (cheapest awards).

		Effective miles cost at 100% bonus (US$)	Taxes and fees (US$)
Singapore to London Business (via CDG)	70,000 miles	$1,068	$225
Amsterdam to New York Business	56,500 miles	$862	$314
Paris to New York Business	55,000 miles	$836	$370
Singapore to Miami Premium Economy (via CDG)	55,000 miles	$836	$342
Singapore to Paris Premium Economy	40,000 miles	$610	$151
Singapore to Miami Economy	35,000 miles	$534	$223
Singapore to Lisbon Economy (via CDG)	25,000 miles	$381	$118
Paris to Los Angeles Economy	20,000 miles	$305	$163
Amsterdam to New York Economy	15,000 miles	$229	$163
London to New York Economy (via AMS)	15,000 miles	$229	$251

Another point to note is that Flying Blue has quite decent award space between Singapore and Europe on Air France – KLM flights, even in the coming days.

For example you can lock in seven award seats in Business Class on the non-stop Air France service to Paris on Monday evening next week for 70,000 miles + US$204 per person.

And yes, we checked, it really does let you book seven!

You can also head all the way to London via Paris in Economy Class on Air France on Thursday this week for only 25,000 Flying Blue miles + US$118.

The cash fare for this flight is US$677, which in theory at least makes your Flying Blue miles worth 2.2 US cents (3 Singapore cents) each on this particular redemption.

Even Singapore to Paris non-stop in Air France Premium Economy can be an amazing deal using only 40,000 Flying Blue miles (SIA wants 71,000 KrisFlyer miles for the same thing).

Flying Blue offers some decent award pricing on China Airlines services between Singapore and Taipei.

		Effective miles cost at 100% bonus (US$)	Taxes and fees (US$)
Singapore to Seoul Business (via TPE)	54,000 miles	$824	$113
Singapore to Taipei Business	28,500 miles	$435	$73
Singapore to Seoul Economy (via TPE)	24,000 miles	$366	$113
Singapore to Taipei Economy	14,500 miles	$221	$73

There is also far better award space in Business Class on China Airlines flights to and from Taipei compared to Singapore Airlines, based on our searches, so this is a good backup if you can’t find saver space on SIA for your preferred dates.

For Korean Air the Singapore to Seoul Economy Class rate is competitive, but the Business Class rate less so.

		Effective miles cost at 100% bonus (US$)	Taxes and fees (US$)
Singapore to Seoul Business	59,500 miles	$907	$46
Singapore to Seoul Economy	23,500 miles	$358	$46

Flying Blue award pricing for Qantas flights may make sense on dates where revenue tickets are more expensive, but award space is still available.

		Effective miles cost at 100% bonus (US$)	Taxes and fees (US$)
Sydney to Brisbane Economy	9,000 miles	$137	$42
Singapore to Perth Economy	16,500 miles	$252	$106
Singapore to Sydney Economy	26,500 miles	$404	$108

		Effective miles cost at 100% bonus (US$)	Taxes and fees (US$)
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur Economy	5,000 miles	$76	$53
Singapore to Kuching Economy	7,500 miles	$114	$53
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur Business	10,000 miles	$153	$53
Singapore to Kuching Business	18,500 miles	$282	$53

The key with a Malaysia Airlines redemption using Flying Blue miles is to unlock the Changi Airport Oneworld “lounge safari”, by redeeming a Business Class ticket to Kuala Lumpur for 10,000 miles + US$53 (around S$72).

Assuming you purchase sufficient miles during this promotion to unlock the 100% bonus, that’s the equivalent of US$206 (~S$281) per person, and don’t forget – you’re also getting a Business Class flight to KL for that!

Such a redemption will give you access to the following fantastic selection of lounges prior to departure, thanks to Malaysia Airlines’ Oneworld membership:

• British Airways Lounge T1 (4pm – 11pm)
• Qatar Airways Premium Lounge T1 (7.45am – 10.45am & 6pm – 2.30am)
• Qantas Business Lounge T1 (2.30pm – 11.30pm)
• Cathay Pacific Lounge T4 (7am – 1.25am)

Malaysia Airlines allows early check-in at Changi from 8am, so you can potentially spend the whole day and feasting and sipping Champagne at the lounges listed above before your flight, for this great rate.

If you check-in at around 8am for an evening departure, such as this one leaving tomorrow…

Then our suggested safari itinerary would be:

• À la carte breakfast in the Qatar Lounge
• Dim Sum lunch at the Noodle Bar in the Cathay Pacific Lounge in T4
• Back to T1 for afternoon bites in the Qantas Lounge
• Evening Champagne and bites in the British Airways Lounge
• À la carte dinner back in the Qatar Lounge

Champagne flows freely in all of these lounges, except the Qantas one where an Aussie sparkling is offered. Showers are available in all the lounges too, except the Cathay Pacific one.

Our advice? Save the shower experience for the Qatar lounge, where high-end Diptyque Paris toiletries await in the private suites.

Don’t drink too much though – you’ll still need to make your way to Terminal 2 on the SkyTrain to actually catch your Business Class flight to Kuala Lumpur after all this luxuriating!

If your lounge experiences at Changi have been limited to the SilverKris facilities and / or some of the third-party options, I strongly recommend trying this Oneworld “lounge safari” the next time you need to head to KL. Your eyes will be opened to a whole new standard.

If you’re a couple with no Flying Blue miles wanting to buy miles in this sale to experience a Oneworld “lounge safari” like this one, you’ll actually only need to purchase 20,000 Flying Blue miles, which under this offer means buying 12,000 at the 70% bonus rate, no the 100% one.

In this example you’ll receive 20,400 miles in total, for US$366 (~S$500).

Since you’ll also be on the hook for S$79 each in taxes and fees, the per-person cost comes to S$329, still a decent proposition since Malaysia Airlines is generally charging at least S$537 for these one-way flights in Business Class.

Flying Blue promo rewards

The programme also releases regular Flying Blue promo rewards, a bit like the KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes promotion, but typically for travel over the next six months to and from Amsterdam or Paris.

Asian routes don’t normally feature, but there may still be deals you can take advantage of, including Economy Class flights between Europe and the USA sometimes for as little as 11,000 miles.

Flying Blue allows free stopovers on award tickets

Flying Blue allows free stopovers on award bookings with Air France, KLM and all its partner airlines, even on one-way tickets.

For example, you can redeem Singapore to London in Business Class for 70,000 miles, with a free stopover in Paris for a few days, a few weeks or even up to a whole year, before continuing your journey to the UK.

Alternatively, a Business Class award from Singapore to Seoul for 54,000 miles on China Airlines could also have a stopover in Taipei included, for no additional miles outlay.

Unfortunately, booking Flying Blue awards with stopovers must be done by phone (but you can check award space on the individual segments you require online first).

Other things to know

• You can book Flying Blue awards up to 360 days in the future for Air France, KLM and Malaysia Airlines flights, but shorter booking windows are in place for some other partners.
• Flying Blue passes on carrier surcharges (including fuel surcharges) when you redeem, as you can probably tell from some of the taxes and fees shown in the tables above. Air France and KLM themselves do have high charges, while some partners levy little to none on top of the mandatory taxes.
• Some Flying Blue partner awards cannot be searched or booked online, including Bangkok Airways awards (but for those – Qatar Privilege Club now rules the roost anyway).
• Flying Blue miles are valid for 24 months. All the miles in your account have their validity refreshed with a qualifying earning or redemption activity within this period. However, buying miles does not extend the validity of your existing miles.
• Flying Blue awards can be changed, or cancelled with full miles redeposit, for a EUR 50 (~S$73) fee.

Flying Blue transfer partners

In Singapore, you can transfer credit card points accrued on the following cards into the Flying Blue programme:

• Citi credit cards
• HSBC TravelOne card
• OCBC credit cards
• Standard Chartered credit cards

Obviously if you have sufficient points in these, it’s better to transfer them into Flying Blue rather than buy miles during this promotion, though you may wish to consider a top-up purchase if you still fall short of a desired redemption, or you’re saving the points in those cards for other uses, like a KrisFlyer transfer.

Those with HSBC TravelOne and OCBC credit cards can also currently take advantage of a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue miles, which is running until the end of October, further reducing the effective cost of the redemptions outlined above.

Citi PayAll alternative

If you’re a Citi credit card customer in Singapore, you can currently buy Flying Blue miles indirectly through Citi PayAll for 1.22 cents each, thanks to an ongoing 1.8 mpd earning rate promotion.

That’s obviously a far better rate than a direct purchase, even during this 100% bonus promotion, but there are a few drawbacks to be aware of even if you are a Citi customer:

• You’ll need legitimate expenses of S$8,000+ between now and the end of February 2024 to make via the platform
• You’ll wait until mid-2024 to see the bonus miles or points reflected in your Citi rewards account, so a transfer to Flying Blue to lock in a redemption like those outlined above may not be possible for quite some time

Which card to use

If you are going to buy in this promotion, and assuming like most of our readers you are based in Singapore, you’ll want to achieve the maximum number of credit card miles for the purchase itself when buying Flying Blue miles.

The transaction itself happens in US dollars (i.e. non-SGD) and is processed by points.com.

You can earn the most extra miles for the purchase transaction by using one of the following Singapore issued credit cards if you can:

Card	Miles per S$1	Notes
Citi Rewards (see our review)	4.0	4 mpd on all online spend per statement month, capped at S$1,000 per card.
DBS WWMC* (see our review)	4.0*	4 mpd on all online spend in a calendar month, capped at S$2,000.
UOB Visa Signature (see our review)	4.0	4 mpd on all overseas spend of at least S$1,000 in a statement period, capped at S$2,000 spend.
Standard Chartered VI (see our review)	3.0	3 mpd on all non-SGD spend, provided total card spend (any currency) is S$2,000+ in the same statement month.
HSBC T1	2.4	All non-SGD spend.
UOB PRVI Miles (see our review)	2.4	All non-SGD spend.
OCBC Voyage Visa (see our review)	2.2	All non-SGD spend.
DBS Vantage	2.2	All non-SGD spend.
Citi PremierMiles (see our review)	2.0	All non-SGD spend.
Citi Prestige (see our review)	2.0	All non-SGD spend.

* Note: Our readers have reported that using the DBS WWMC card via points.com does not automatically award the higher 4 mpd earn rate. You must usually appeal and claim the bonus miles later.

Air France – KLM’s Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is selling its miles with a 100% bonus between now and 7th November 2023, which means buying for 2.1 Singapore cents per mile – good value for some redemptions among the programme’s ‘sweet spots’.

However, depending on your circumstances a direct transfer of credit card points from one of four banks in Singapore is probably a better way to accrue Flying Blue miles even during this sale, especially with a 20% bonus on offer from HSBC and OCBC.

Buying Flying Blue miles indirectly via Citi PayAll may also be worth considering during the bank’s ongoing promotion.

However if you’re still short of miles and can see a good deal that’s available to redeem, buying directly and instantly at 2.1 Singapore cents per mile could be well worth considering.

(Cover Photo: KLM)