Chase is offering a new way to get even more value out of your Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the *chase sapphire preferred* or your *chase sapphire reserve* by offering a 20% bonus on transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
Flying Blue is one of the best airline mileage programs, period. It’s a great way to get from the U.S. to Europe using fewer points … or booking Delta flights and saving SkyMiles in the process – and this transfer bonus makes it even better. You have just over a month to put it to use: This bonus ends Jan. 15.
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on Chase transfer partners and how to make it happen!
Using transfer partners like Air France/KLM is one of the best ways to use Chase 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.
We typically see Chase roll out a big transfer bonus to Air France/KLM once or twice a year, and now it’s back. No matter how appealing this 20% bonus might be, it’s rarely a good idea to transfer credit card points without a plan to use them. This is a one-way street: Once you send your credit card points to an airline account, you can’t get them back.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to put this bonus to use…
Read more: All the Current Transfer Bonuses to Get More From Your Points & Miles
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.
This is just the start – read our full guide on the best ways to use Flying Blue miles!
Fly Air France or KLM to Europe for Less
After slashing award rates last year, you can still find flights flying business class to Europe for as low as 50,000 miles each way – whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere in Europe.
Factor in this transfer bonus, you’d need just 42,000 Ultimate Rewards points to make it happen. Though it’s gotten harder to find the availability to book at these ultra-low rates lately, this remains one of the best ways to book business class.
But with Flying Blue’s dynamic award pricing means award rates can be all over the map, so you may see rates of 200,000 miles or more – especially in business class. But if you’re flexible, you can find a deal like this.
Luckily, Air France and KLM allow you to easily scroll through up to a month’s worth of flights to find the best deals.
Thrifty Tip: Leave your date(s) blank when searching for award tickets to pull up a monthly calendar – check out our full walkthrough on using Flying Blue miles!
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. 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!
You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from most U.S. cities for 20,000 miles. But the cash surcharges Flying Blue passes on, even on economy award tickets, can make that less appealing. While it can easily be worth paying $200 or so for a one-way business class ticket to Europe, that’s less competitive when it comes to economy class pricing.
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 great one, offering deeply discounted economy rates to Europe from a handful of U.S. cities … and, a few deep discounts for premium economy and business class, too.
Just beware: You’ll have to act fast, as availability at these rates tends to go fast (or has already disappeared). With fares as low as 15,000 miles each way (12,000 with the transfer bonus!), it could easily be worth paying $150 or so in taxes and fees to pull off a trip to Europe this fall or winter.
For travel through May 2025, you can book:
- Economy from New York City (JFK) starting at 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Portland (PDX) starting at 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy fro Montreal (YUL) starting at 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Toronto (YYZ) starting at 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
- Premium Economy from New York City (JFK) starting at 26,250 miles
- Premium Economy from Toronto (YYZ) starting at 26,250 miles
- Business class from Ottawa (YOW) starting at 37,500 miles
- Business class from Edmonton (YEG) starting at 37,500 miles
No matter which route or cabin you choose, this 20% bonus just makes these flights even cheaper. For instance, this 37,500-mile redemption flying Air France business class from Ottawa (YOW) all the way to Rome (FCO) could be yours after transferring just 32,000 Chase points with a 20% bonus.
Book Delta Flights for Less
If you fly Delta and have SkyMiles, you know just how frustrating it can be with constantly changing award rates. Flying Blue miles can be your solution.
Because they’re close partners in the SkyTeam alliance, you can use Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles to book Delta flights – often for a fraction of what Delta itself is charging. These days, booking through Flying Blue is almost always the best workaround to score Delta flights for less.
Here’s just one example: For a trip down to Mexico City (MEX) this spring, Delta is charging 66,000 SkyMiles for roundtrip flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP).
But using Flying Blue miles, you can book those exact same flights for just 30,000 miles total – less than half the cost! Factor in this 20% transfer bonus and you need just 25,000 Chase points to make it happen.
Along with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, using Air France/KLM miles is one of the best workarounds to book Delta flights for less. And after Virgin raised many Delta award rates recently, Flying Blue might just be your best bet now, period.
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, give or take a few thousand miles.
Factor in this 20% transfer bonus, and you’ll need to transfer just 75,000 Chase points or a tad 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 20% bonus when transferring Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a great one.
Just be sure to use it by Jan. 15, 2025, when this promotion expires.
Lead photo courtesy of Chris Lundberg via Flickr
