Last Chance: Get a 25% Amex Transfer Bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles may have lost some of their shine after some painful changes last month, but a big transfer bonus can take some of the sting out.

Earlier this month, American Express rolled out a big 25% bonus on transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, a great mileage program to get from the U.S. to Europe – or even for travelers with their hearts set on flying Delta. That means 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.

But if you’ve been planning to take advantage of this offer, you’ve got just three days left: This bonus ends this Saturday, Oct. 31! There’s also a 20% transfer bonus from Amex to Aeromexico, but absent finding a good deal on an Aeromexico promo reward, that one’s probably not worth your while. 

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.

And a 25% bonus is nothing to scoff at – for the last year or two, Amex has consistently offered bonuses of 20% to Air France and KLM. Still, 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 before you transfer your points.

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, Flying Blue miles was one of the best ways to book business class to Europe for years. 

Things have changed … but this transfer bonus makes the picture a bit better. 

Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere flying business class to Europe, Flying Blue charges as low as 60,000 each way. Availability has gotten much harder to find, but if you do, you’d need just 48,000 Amex points to book it with this transfer bonus.

But it gets more complicated. Flying Blue’s new, three-tier award chart – with dreadful new “Light” fares at that lowest, 60,000-mile price point – means you don’t get lounge access at this lowest price point. Worst of all, these fares can’t be changed or canceled, period. 

Want a “Standard” fare that gets those perks back? It’ll be at least 75,000 miles each way. 

With this 25% transfer bonus, you could book that old standard fare for 60,000 points. 

You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for 25,000 miles or even less if you time it with a monthly Promo Rewards discount. 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 $350 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 on every 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. After an increase earlier this year, Flying Blue now typically tacks on about $350 for a one-way business class award to Europe – and about $400 or more for the way back. As steep as it sounds, that’s a small price to pay for $6,000-plus flights.

And 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!

Occasionally, though, the deals get even better.

Book Discounted Promo Rewards

Every month, Flying Blue unleashes a set of discounted routes it calls Promo Rewards. And the airlines’ latest monthly promo is a decent one, offering deeply discounted economy rates to Europe from a handful of U.S. cities – plus a few in premium economy and one in business class.

Just beware: You’ll have to act fast, as availability at these rates tends to go fast (or has already disappeared). With fares under 19,000 miles each way (16,000 with the transfer bonus!), it could easily be worth paying a few hundred in taxes and fees.

For travel through March 2027, you can book flights to Europe from:

• Boston (BOS) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles 
• Houston-Intercontinental Bush (IAH) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles 
• Raleigh (RDU) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
• Montreal (YUL) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles 
• Ottawa (YOW) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
• Toronto (YYZ) in economy starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
• Austin (AUS) in premium economy starting at 30,000 Flying Blue miles
• Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) in premium economy starting at 30,000 Flying Blue miles
• Las Vegas (LAS) in premium economy starting at 30,000 Flying Blue miles
• Miami (MIA) in premium economy starting at 30,000 Flying Blue miles
• Seattle (SEA) in business class starting at 45,000 Flying Blue Miles
• Mexico City (MEX) in business class starting at 45,000 Flying Blue miles

Just keep in mind that these lowest rates will book you into those pesky “Light” fares. On the plus side, this also means that Standard fares are slightly cheaper as well.

Book Delta for Less!

For years, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club was the go-to method to book Delta-operated flights when the airline was charging far too many SkyMiles. But after a slew of devaluations in recent years to that program, those days are over. 

Now, Flying Blue is the best workaround to book many Delta flights. And this 25% transfer bonus means you can do it for even fewer Amex points. 

Want to book short Delta domestic flights? Flying Blue charges as few as 6,000 or so miles, like for these flights from Minneapolis to Chicago-O’Hare (ORD). With that 25% bonus, you’d need only transfer 6,000 Amex points to Air France/KLM.

Delta might be charging 70,000 SkyMiles or more for roundtrip flights to Hawaii, but you can book those exact same flights for under 40,000 miles through Flying Blue. With this transfer bonus, that’s just 30,000 Amex points. 

Flights down to Mexico and the Caribbean are a serious sweet spot for Flying Blue, like this flight on the route from Minneapolis to Aruba (AUA) for just 41,000 miles roundtrip. With that 25% transfer bonus, that’s just 33,000 Amex points!

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.

You could fly from Vancouver (YVR) to Taipei (TPE) for just 61,000 Flying Blue miles and about $100 in taxes and fees.

Factor in this 25% transfer bonus, and you’ll need to transfer just 49,000 Amex points. Not bad for a 12-plus hour flight in seats like these, right?
 

Unfortunately, finding business class award space between North America and Taipei has been rough lately. Aside from a few drips and drabs here or there, this one has gotten a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Nonetheless, it’s possible – and when you can do it, it’s a fantastic deal! 

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.

If more Flying Blue miles fit your travel plans, and they likely do, be sure to take advantage of this bonus before it ends this Saturday, Oct. 31.