Air France KLM Credit Card Review
Key Takeaways
This card offers value mainly through its welcome bonus and 20 Experience Points, which can help with Flying Blue status. However, it lacks standard airline perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, or lounge access. Since Flying Blue miles transfer from all major credit card programs, most travelers are better off using this card only for the initial bonus before reassessing its worth in year two.
Why This Card Could Be Right For You
The biggest perks of the Air France KLM card comes through its signup bonus:
- Earn 50,000 Flying Blue miles after spending $2,000 in your first 90 days with the card
- Receive 20 Experience Points (XPs) toward elite status immediately upon approval, giving you a head start toward the 100 Experience Points needed for Silver Status
The card's earning structure rewards loyalty to SkyTeam airlines while providing decent returns on everyday spending. You'll earn 3x points on restaurants and on all purchases made with Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam airlines. You'll then earn 1.5x points on everything else, making it easy to accumulate miles even when you're not traveling.
For those who keep the card beyond the first year, you'll receive the following benefits:
- Anniversary Bonus: Receive 5,000 Flying Blue miles annually on your account anniversary (valued at approximately $60)
- Additional Status Opportunity: Earn 20 more Experience Points on your card anniversary
- Status Through Spending: Earn an additional 80 Experience Points by spending $15,000 within your anniversary year, and earn an additional 60 Experience Points (totaling 160 XP) if you spend $25,000.
The $89 annual fee is relatively modest compared to many premium travel cards. However, we typically recommend directing significant spending toward new card welcome bonuses rather than focusing on the Experience Points spending threshold.
Flying Blue Rewards offer excellent flexibility, as they can be redeemed for flights with Air France, KLM, or any of the 18 member airlines in the SkyTeam alliance, giving you access to destinations worldwide.
When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply
Consider these situations where another card might serve you better:
- Other airline co-branded cards offer superior perks like free checked baggage, companion certificates, and better status benefits for similar annual fees
- You don't fly SkyTeam partners frequently enough to justify the card
- You'll receive better value from another travel rewards card that allows point transfers to Flying Blue
What to Know About Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)
We don’t recommend actively collecting Flying Blue points, but their monthly Promo Rewards are worth monitoring
- They are partners with all major point systems, making it easy to jump on a Promo Reward or top off
- You can transfer Flying Blue Rewards to all SkyTeam partner airlines
- Flying Blue offers free stopovers to Paris or Amsterdam to maximize your point redemption
- United is still our go-to for international flights, but Flying Blue Rewards offer competitive redemptions on long haul flights
How The Air France KLM Credit Card Fits In The Flying Blue (Air France-KLM) Ecosystem
This is the only co-branded card for Air France/KLM/Flying Blue, so there are no direct comparisons for those seeking a co-branded airline card specifically for these airlines. However, since Flying Blue partners with all major credit card programs, you might find better value with a different card offering superior welcome bonuses that can still be transferred to Flying Blue plus other, more valuable benefits .
Air France and KLM belong to the SkyTeam Alliance, allowing you to use Flying Blue points with numerous partner airlines. They also maintain partnerships outside SkyTeam, making Flying Blue one of the most versatile and valuable currencies in the travel rewards space. The issue isn't with Flying Blue points themselves, but rather that this particular card doesn't offer the best value proposition, even for Flying Blue loyalists.
Card Information
Bonus Extra
Differentiating Perks
Rules
Historical Card Offers
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Air France KLM Application Rules
Bank of America limits the number of personal cards issued by the bank that you can get within a certain time frame
Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule