Got a big stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points? Or working on a massive, 100,000-point bonus from a new *chase sapphire preferred*? Here's an easy way to get even more out of them.
To kick off May, Chase just rolled out a new 25% transfer bonus when sending Ultimate Rewards points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue. You've got more than a month to take advantage, as this new bonus runs through June 15. There's also an identical 25% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic now available to Chase cardholders, too.
Unfortunately, if you had your sights set on using this bonus to fly Air France or KLM to Europe, you'll now need even more points to make it happen. From economy to business class, Flying Blue devalued awards on it's own planes by as much as 25% earlier this year. Ouch!
Even so, Flying Blue remains one of the better airline mileage programs for getting from the U.S. to Europe using fewer points … or booking Delta flights and saving SkyMiles in the process – and this transfer bonus is certainly worth your attention. Using transfer partners like Air France/KLM is one of the best ways to use Chase points for even more value.
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on Chase transfer partners and how to make it happen!
We typically see Chase roll out a big transfer bonus to Air France/KLM once or twice a year, but no matter how appealing this 25% 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
Even after this most recent devaluation, you can still find flights flying business class to Europe for as low as 60,000 miles each way – a relatively mild increase from the previous, 50,000-mile price point. You'll find this price 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 48,000 Ultimate Rewards points to make it happen.
The big kicker here is that it's gotten tough to find the availability to book at these ultra-low rates. With Flying Blue's dynamic award pricing, you're more likely to see rates of 200,000 miles or more – especially in business class. But if you're flexible, you can find a deal like this and it remains one of the best ways to book business class with miles. 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 25,000 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 couple of deep discounts for premium economy, 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 (12,500 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 June 2025, you can book:
- Economy from Atlanta (ATL) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Boston (BOS) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Miami (MIA) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Minneapolis (MSP) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Salt Lake City (SLC) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from San Francisco (SFO) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Phoenix (PHX) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Economy from Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Business class from Montreal (YUL) starting at 45,000 Flying Blue miles
No matter which route or cabin you choose, this 25% bonus just makes these flights even cheaper. For instance, this 45,000-mile redemption flying Air France business class between Montreal (YUL) and Europe could be yours by transferring just 36,000 Chase points with this 25% 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, even after a recent scare.
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 40,000 SkyMiles for roundtrip flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) … for a basic economy award ticket. For a main cabin fare with free seat selection, it's even more.
But using Flying Blue miles, you can book those exact same flights for just 19,000 miles total – less than half the cost! Factor in this 25% transfer bonus and you need just 16,000 Chase points to make it happen. While Flying Blue passes on more in taxes and fees, that's well worth it when you can book for far fewer miles.
ttAlong 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 is in China Airlines' spiffy business class seats. In fact, it might offer the single cheapest way to get to Southeast Asia in a lie-flat seat using miles.
Using Flying Blue miles – which you can transfer from all the major banks, including Chase – you can book nonstop business class flights with Taiwan-based China Airlines between North America and Taipei (TPE) for as low as 60,000 miles each way … and sometimes less! That's outstanding, considering most other airlines charge 75,000 miles, 87,500 miles, or even 100,000-plus miles for a similar redemption.
And while Flying Blue's award rates over to Europe took a hit, this deal has gotten even better recently: A year ago, the airline was charging 80,000 miles or even 90,000 miles for these same flights. Either way, they tack on taxes and fees of roughly $108 for a one-way to Taipei or $176 for a roundtrip.
Not interested in visiting Taiwan? First off, you should be. But even so, Taipei is the perfect jumping-off point to head onward throughout Southeast Asia, whether you want to go to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, or elsewhere. Why not get there in style … for a fraction of the miles it'd normally cost you?
Factor in this 25% transfer bonus, and you'll need to transfer just 48,000 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 25% bonus when transferring Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a great one.
Just be sure to take advantage before it's too late: This promotion ends Saturday, May 31!
Lead photo courtesy of Chris Lundberg via Flickr