American Express has been on a roll with transfer bonuses in the last few months. Just this year, we’ve seen a 25% bonus on transfers to Aeromexico Club Premier and a 15% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles. Now, Amex is running a 25% transfer promo with Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
Bonus Details
To take advantage of the Amex transfer bonus, you just need to initiate the transfer by April 29 at 11:59 pm MT. You must transfer a minimum of 1,000 points which will yield 1,250 Flying Blue miles.
You can transfer as many points as you want but, don’t forget, once you initiate a transfer, you can’t reverse it.
Great Options To/From The U.S.
Last year, Air France-KLM Flying Blue moved from a simple region-based award chart to award rates determined by origin and destination. Flying Blue also has variable award rates for flights on Air France and KLM but you can use the Miles Price Estimator to see what the saver rates should be.
If you’re booking a one-way business class ticket from the U.S., you can use 53,000 Flying Blue to reach many cities in Europe including:
- Prague (PRG)
- Munich (MUC)
- Budapest (BUD)
- Tel Aviv (TLV)
- Dublin (DUB)
- London Heathrow (LHR)
- Rome (FCO)
- Bucharest (OTP)
- Oslo (OSL)
- Stockholm (ARN)
- Athens (ATH)
- Lisbon (LIS)
With the 25% transfer bonus, you’ll only need 43,000 Amex Membership Rewards points to book a business class flight with Flying Blue miles.
Pair With Flying Blue Promo Awards
If you really want to squeeze out insane value from Amex points, see if you can pair this with one of Flying Blue’s Promo Awards. Right now, you can book 25% off awards from Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), Mexico City (MEX) and Cancun (CUN). Hopefully, we’ll see a Promo Award for U.S. cities for April.
Dates with Promo Awards can go quickly, so be ready if you see a route that works for you when the next round launches for April.
Things To Know When Booking
If you find a friendly phone agent, you can have them put an award on hold while you transfer Amex points. Transfers should process instantly so it shouldn’t be an issue, but I know some folks are more comfortable holding awards before transferring.
Both Air France and KLM operate aircraft with angled-flat business class seats. Disappointing, we know. Make sure you check which aircraft is on your desired route and the cabin layout to ensure you get a lie-flat seat — if that’s a priority.
Flying Blue does impose surcharges on award tickets on Air France and KLM. You’ll want to keep an eye on your cash cost as your total taxes/fees will be about $240-250 for a one-way business class ticket out of the U.S.
Are Speculative Transfers Worth It?
Generally, we’re not a fan of speculative transfers as keeping your points with American Express protects you from an airline devaluing its program. No one wants to get caught by a devaluation!
However, if you’re flexible with your travel dates and know you’ll use Flying Blue miles in the near future, it just might be worth it.
I don’t have a specific award ticket I’m ready to book with miles but I need a flight home from Europe later this year. With that in mind, I’ll definitely be considering a transfer before this transfer bonus expires.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I loved my business class experience on KLM’s 787-9 Dreamliner. Lie-flat seats, direct aisle access and a wonderful crew more than sold me on the airline. Okay, okay, the Delft Blue house didn’t hurt either. I’m obsessed and want another one.
Whichever airline you book, this Amex transfer bonus can help you save a ton of points on a business class ticket and even more if you book a Promo Award. We’ll be sure to let you know if there’s a great opportunity with April’s promo so you can book it ASAP.
When they have those offers do you know who runs the offers? American Express or Flying blue?
Amex transfer bonuses are run through Amex itself.
Is this a targeted offer? I can’t see the bonus anywhere.
Don’t think this one is targeted. It’s an offer from Amex on the US cards so if you have a card from another country, that would be why.
Loved how you wrote an entire article on AF biz and never once mentioned stupid high surcharges on AF award flights.
Thanks for reading, Carl. Sounds like you didn’t need a reminder about the surcharges. Appreciate you looking out for the newbies since I forgot to make a note of the taxes/fees — added a quick mention of it just now. Not sure that I’d say ~$240-250 on taxes/fees for a one-way ex-USA is “stupid high” but it is a bit steep. Certainly better than what you’ll face with British Airways!
I just called AMEX today to find out if there was a way for us to get notified when such offers start so we don’t have to log in to Amex every day, and they said that there is no way. I remember seeing this offer again last year several times and would love to get notified and leave my points at Amex until such offer is active once again.