Best for cheap international flights
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
3.7
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Air France and KLM’s joint Flying Blue program is part of the SkyTeam alliance and offers some of the cheapest international flights using miles. The program partners with five transferable rewards programs, making it easy to save up miles for an award flight.
Not only are Flying Blue miles easy to earn, but they’ll go a long way thanks to generous sweet spot awards. Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards offer value beyond its standard award chart, with discounts of up to 50 percent.
Network coverage: 5/5
Flying Blue has a strong route network, thanks to its SkyTeam membership. SkyTeam serves over 1,000 destinations in over 160 countries worldwide. With Flying Blue miles, you’re not just earning and redeeming miles on KLM and Flying Blue: You can also fly Delta Air Lines, ITA Airways, Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic, to name a few.
Co-brand and transfer partnerships: 5/5
Flying Blue is one of the best loyalty programs when it comes to earning miles via co-branded cards and transfer partnerships. While the program offers just one co-branded credit card in the U.S. (the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard®*), it offers a generous welcome bonus and benefits at a reasonable $89 annual fee.
But where Flying Blue shines is in its transfer partnerships: The program is a 1:1 transfer partner of every major rewards program: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards. These partnerships make Flying Blue miles incredibly accessible and easy to earn.
Ease of redeeming miles: 2/5
While earning Flying Blue miles is easy, redeeming them can be challenging. Not all transfer partner flights are bookable online, so you may have to call the airline for some bookings. But Flying Blue does have an award calculator (based on this award chart) that can help you figure out how many miles you’ll need for a flight.
The program also offers deep discounts on award flights through monthly Promo Rewards. Considering long-haul flights between the U.S. and Europe start at just 30,000 miles round-trip, this is an excellent program for stretching your rewards further.
Elite status requirements and benefits: 4/5
FlyingBlue has four elite status levels, starting with Silver and going up to Ultimate. Members have to earn Experience Points (XP) for status, which is calculated based on flight distance, cabin and elite status. Members can earn between two and 60 XP, depending on these factors.
Furthermore, you can earn XPs by buying carbon credits, donating to charity or via the Flying Blue credit card, which offers 20 XP on every account anniversary and an additional 40 XP after you spend $15,000 or more on purchases within the anniversary year – that’s 60 percent of the way to Silver status.
Silver status requires earning 100 XP and provides benefits like free checked bags and seat selection, priority check-in, complimentary free checked bag on SkyTeam flights and 6 miles per Euro spent on flights.
Top-Tier Ultimate status requires earning 900 UXP (Ultimate Experience Points) in a year, earned entirely from Air France or KLM flights. These elites receive ultra-luxury perks like a dedicated Platinum Service Line, 8 miles per Euro spent on flights, Sky Priority access at airports, lounge access with guest privileges and more.
Point expiration: 2/5
Unfortunately, simply earning and redeeming miles won’t keep your Flying Blue miles from expiring after two years. You have to travel at least once every two years on Air France, KLM or a partner airline flight. Mileage expiration is waived if you’re a Flying Blue Silver, Gold or Platinum member during this period. You can also avoid mileage expiration by making a purchase with a co-branded credit card once every two years.
Airline reliability: 4/5
According to OAG, KLM and Air France rank 11th and 12th, respectively in terms of on-time performance in 2023. Air France achieved 72.10 percent on-time performance while KLM reached 73.06 percent. While this isn’t going to be a priority for U.S.-based travelers, it’s useful information to have when traveling abroad.