Bank of america flying blue credit card

The information and associated card details on this page for the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard has been in the US market for a few years now, and is issued by Bank of America. We’re increasingly seeing non-US airlines launch credit cards in the United States, and that’s pretty cool.

We’ve recently seen a new limited-time welcome bonus rolled out on this card, which is the best bonus I’ve ever seen on this card. Specifically, you can earn 70,000 Flying Blue miles upon completing minimum spending, plus can get quite a bit of help toward status.

Let’s take a closer look at the card…

• Air France-KLM Credit Card details
• My take on the Air France-KLM Credit Card
• Bottom line

Here are the basics of the Air France-KLM credit card:

• Welcome bonus: earn 70,000 bonus miles plus plus 40 XP after making $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days, plus 60 XP upon approval
• Annual fee: $89 (not waived the first year)
• Return on spending: 3x miles per dollar spent directly with Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam member airlines, 1.5x miles per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Other benefits: 5,000 miles every year on your account anniversary after you spend $50 or more on purchases within the anniversary year, plus 20 XP on your account anniversary every year without any spend requirement, plus 40 additional XP on your account anniversary when you spend $15,000 in purchases within the cardmember year
• Foreign transaction fees: None

For context on XPs, that’s the metric by which you earn status with Flying Blue:

• 100 XPs gets you Silver status, which you could earn with this bonus
• You then need 180 additional XPs to earn Gold status
• You then need 300 additional XPs to earn Platinum status

My take on the Air France-KLM Credit Card

In general I don’t recommend using an airline credit card for a majority of your spending, as there are typically better credit cards for everyday spending. That’s more general commentary than something specific to this card.

That’s simply because cards that accrue transferable points give you a lot more flexibility, and often have better bonus categories and welcome bonuses.

Is this the most amazing airline credit card ever? No. But I do think it offers some solid perks and unique benefits that could make it a keeper:

• Earning 1.5x miles per dollar spent on all purchases is better than average for an airline credit card
• While the card has an $89 annual fee, the 5,000 bonus miles when spending $50 on the card in a year (which is a reasonable threshold) should nearly cover the annual fee in terms of value
• The card can help you earn XPs toward Flying Blue status, which some may find to be worthwhile

Personally I don’t have the card. Flying Blue is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou. I’d rather maximize my rewards with some of those credit cards, since many of them offer 1.5-2x points per dollar spent.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• 3x points on dining
• 2x points on travel purchases
• $95

• 3x points on Travel after the $300 Annual Travel Credit
• 3x points on Dining
• $300 Travel Credit
• $550

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

• Earn 3x points on travel
• Earn 3x points on shipping purchases
• Cell Phone Protection
• $95

American Express® Gold Card

• 4x points at restaurants
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
• $250

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
• $200 Annual Uber Credit
• Amex Centurion Lounge Access
• $695

• Earn 3x Points on Airfare
• Earn 3x Points on Hotels
• Earn 3x Points at Restaurants
• $95

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Earn 2x Venture miles on every purchase
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
• $395

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

• Earn 2x Venture miles on every purchase
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
• $95

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

• Unlimited 2x miles per dollar
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Primary Car Rental Coverage
• $0 intro for first year; $95 after that

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

• Earn 6x points at Marriott
• Free Night Award Annually
• 15 Elite Nights Towards Status Annually
• $95

On top of that, we even sometimes see transfer bonuses to Flying Blue (typically around 25%), which can improve your points earning rates even more.

Bottom line

The Air France-KLM Card is one that many people may not have considered, but it could be worthwhile. The card currently has a bonus of 70,000 Flying Blue miles plus 100 XPs upon completing minimum spending.

This is an excellent offer for those who have had most other cards but not this one. But in the long run I think there are more lucrative cards out there.

Anyone plan on picking up the Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard?