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Heads up, the 50% discount to buy Flying Blue miles ends tomorrow, February 29, 2024. Members can buy Flying Blue miles for as low as 1.53 Cents Per Mile (CPM) through this promotion. If your account was targeted for a 50% discount, this is a good price point to purchase outright for a high-value redemption – especially during Promo rewards when Business Class routes can be discounted by up to 50%. The discount to buy miles starts at 35% and can go up to 50%, depending on the total miles purchased.
Buy Flying Blue Miles – up to 50% Discount
Until February 29, 2024, members can buy Flying Blue Miles at a 50% discount. For my family accounts, the discount is tiered as follows;
- Buy 4,000 – 10,000 miles = 35% discount
- Buy 12,000 – 22,000 miles = 40% discount
- Buy 24,000 – 100,000 miles = 50% discount
With a specific use in mind, I purchased 100,000 miles for $1525 (USD), translating to 1.53 CPM. Technically, I bought the points for $1723.25 due to the HST charged based on my Ontario residency.
10000 miles for $1525 (1.53 CPM)
100,000 miles for $1723.25 (GST/HST incl.)
Paying with a US credit card and with a US address is the best way to avoid value erosion by HST. Note that Elite members can buy a maximum of 300,000 Miles in a calendar year, while Explorer members can buy a maximum of 100,000. Points.com processes the points purchase, so it is best to use a credit card that maximizes earnings on non-bonus categories.
Buy Flying Blue Miles – is it worth it?
The best use of purchased miles is to redeem them during Flying Blue Promo Rewards (refreshed monthly), when reward tickets can be discounted by as much as 50%. Even at a standard 25% discount, travel to Europe in Business Class from several Canadian gateway cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City) can be as cheap as 37,500 miles (+$300 in taxes) each way. The taxes can be paid with a flexible currency like Scotia Scene+ points to further leverage value.
However, as with most points and miles purchases, speculative buying is discouraged, and it is best to purchase the miles with a specific use in mind.
Alternate ways to fund your Flying Blue account would include;
- Transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to Flying Blue miles at a 3:1 ratio. For every 60,000 points transferred, you would receive 25,000 Flying Blue miles.
- Transferring Amex Membership Rewards (Canada) to Flying Blue at a 1:0.75 ratio
- Acquiring Air France World Elite Mastercard, which earns Flying Blue miles on daily expenses
- Several US-issued credit cards by Amex, Citi, and Chase also transfer to Flying Blue Miles at a more favourable rate of 1:1
Takeaway
This is an excellent promotion to buy Flying Blue Miles at 1.53 CPM and redeem them for a reward ticket during the monthly Flying Blue Promo Rewards promotion.
Title Image Source: AirFranceKLM Group (via X)
