When booking discounted travel, numerous opportunities are available, ranging from paid ticket sales to redemption promotions. However, one of the most reliable deals is the monthly Promo Rewards offered by Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
These exclusive discounts are on the Flying Blue website and apply to flights to and from specific cities or region pairs for booking until the end of each month, with a specified travel window.
This month, there are enticing offers for one-way economy flights to various European cities, requiring fewer than 12,000 miles. This represents a significant discount compared to what other loyalty programs typically charge for similar award tickets. If you’re planning a fall or winter trip to Europe, this could be an exceptional deal worth considering.
Deal basics
Airline: Air France and KLM.
Routes: Economy awards between Europe and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB), Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD), Denver International Airport (DEN), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
Cost: Varies by the airport, with awards starting at 11,250 miles.
Travel dates: Travel from Aug. 1 through March 31. You must book by Aug. 31.
Related: The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming with Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Promo Rewards between North America and Europe
The cheapest awards are from Detroit, Newark, Chicago, Montreal and Quebec.
There’s also award space for 12,750 miles from Washington, D.C.
As you can see from this calendar search, economy-class award space from Houston to Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) is plentiful:
While not a Promo Reward, there’s widespread business-class award space between New York and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in the winter for 55,000 miles.
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Related: The best ways to get to Europe using points and miles
How to book
Book Promo Rewards tickets on the Air France or KLM website. Log in to your account and click the “Book with Miles” button on the home screen. Then, enter your desired itinerary and click the “Search flights” button.
Now, select the flight you’d like to book and follow the on-screen prompts to complete your booking.
If you plan to transfer points to book this award, find award space first and then transfer your points; you never want to transfer points without concrete dates in mind.
If you want to add a free stopover on an eligible award ticket, you’ll need to call Flying Blue to book your itinerary.
Related: When should I transfer points to airline and hotel partners?
Earning Flying Blue miles
Boosting your Flying Blue balance is easy since the program partners with all major transferable points currencies.
You can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards. You can also transfer Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.
Based on our tests, Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase and Citi transfers should post almost instantly. However, that wasn’t the case with our test transfer from Marriott, which took three days to arrive in our Flying Blue account. Because of this, credit card points are your best bet if you hope to book right away, although Flying Blue generally allows three-day holds on award tickets when you call.
Related: Use Flying Blue miles to fly to Hawaii for just 35,000 miles round-trip
Maximize your purchase
Use a card that earns additional points on airfare purchases to pay taxes and fees on your award ticket.
Some of the best cards include The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), the Citi Premier® Card (3 points per dollar on air travel; see rates and fees), the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on travel), the American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel).
Bottom line
Few sales are as reliable as the Promo Rewards we see each month from Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Boosting your Flying Blue balance is easy since the program partners with all major transferable points currencies. And since you can reserve these tickets on the Air France or KLM website, they’re simple for anyone to book.
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Additional reporting by Ehsan Haque, Clint Henderson, Andrew Kunesh and Benji Stawski.