Buy Flying Blue Miles From Just 1.73 Cents Each & Book Seattle – Europe Business Class From $1,811 Roundtrip

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Flying Blue is back with a new mileage sale and the sale is being run at a time when Flying Blue Miles can be put to extra good use courtesy of the Special Edition Promo awards that I wrote about earlier.

Flying Blue miles can also be generated by transfers from all three big US credit card programs (Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rewards, and Citi’s ThankYou program) but if you still need some miles to get you to the award you’re looking to book, this sale may be what you need.

Headline Info

• Sale runs through 23:59 CET+1 on 7 November 2019
• A maximum bonus of 75% is on offer
• Elite members can receive a maximum bonus of 100,000 miles
• Non-elites can receive a maximum bonus of 56,250 miles

Full terms and conditions have been reproduced at the end of this post and can also be found on the sale page.

The Math

One of the very best things about this Flying Blue mileage sale is that you can buy miles at the same cost/mile regardless of whether you’re buying 4,000 miles (the smallest amount that triggers the 75% bonus)…

…or 75,000miles(the highest amount non-elites can buy)

…you will be buying miles at ~1.57 Euro Cents or ~ 1.73 US Cents.

Is This A Good Deal?

When miles purchased at this rate are put towards regular award redemptions the deal isn’t particularly good (the surcharges that Flying Blue adds to its awards are simply too high to make the deals truly worthwhile) but when used for Promo Awards or Special Promo Awards there’s definitely value to be had.

Right now Flying Blue is offering excellent Business Class awards for travel between Europe and the following 5 destinations…

• Mexico City – 36,000 miles/72,000 miles (one-way/roundtrip)
• Nairobi – 36,000 miles/72,000 miles
• Seattle – 36,000 miles/72,000 miles
• Seychelles – 38,000 miles/76,000 miles
• Toronto – 33,000 miles/64,000 miles

…and if you don’t already have enough miles to book these awards, miles bought in this sale can be an economical alternative for you.

Here’s how much each of those awards would cost if you were to buy miles in this sale to book roundtrip travel (the taxes I’ve used assume travel to/from Paris and are approximate).

• Mexico City – $1,246 + $610 taxes/surcharges = $1,856
• Nairobi – $1,246 + $485 = $1,731
• Seattle – $1,246 + $565 = $1,811
• Seychelles – $1,315 + $485 = $1,800
• Toronto – $1,107 + $537 = $1,644

Note: Taxes to/from other European cities may be lower

I don’t think many would disagree when I say that all of these deals are very good indeed and when you take a look at how easy some of these awards are to find…

…the case for buying miles to book these awards isn’t a particularly hard one to make (assuming these are routes you’d actually like to fly!)

Remember

Flying Blue sells its miles through Points.com so there’s no scope to earn a travel/flight/airline bonus by using a credit card that offers bonus points for shopping in one of those categories (e.g. the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card or the Platinum Card from American Express)

What this means is that this is a good opportunity to use a credit card on which you’re working towards a welcome bonus (check out the new Amex referral deals with no lifetime language) or to use a credit card that earns you more than a point/dollar in a valuable currency (e.g. the Blue Business Plus Credit Card or the Citi Double Cash Credit Card).

Bottom Line

if you’re planning to buy miles to use for regular Flying Blue awards you’re probably going to struggle to get good value out of this sale and I’d advise you to think again.

If, on the other hand, you’re thinking of buying miles to book a Business Class Promo Award or a Business Class Special Edition Promo award you may well be on to a good thing…but be careful.

It’s very important to do your due diligence.

• Check that awards are actually available on the route you’d like to fly and on dates you can fly.
• Check how many miles you need
• Check what taxes and surcharges Flying Blue will impose on the award booking
• Work out the actual full cost of buying miles and booking the award.

Only if the deal still looks good after all of the above should you buy Flying Blue Miles in this sale…otherwise just move on.

Link to the latest Flying Blue mileage sale

Full Terms & Conditions Per Flying Blue

During the promotional period, Elite members can receive a maximum bonus of 100,000 Miles, while Explorer members can receive a maximum bonus of 56,250 Miles. Bonus Miles will be rewarded on transactions made between 11 October and 7 November 2019, 2359 CET +1, and will be credited to the recipient’s account when the transaction is complete. Miles are sold in units of 2,000 Miles. Elite members may purchase an unlimited number of Miles, while Explorer members may only purchase or receive up to 75,000 Miles in any calendar year, unless a promotion is active in which case it is possible to either purchase or receive Bonus Miles on top of the 75,000 Miles.

Miles are sold to you by Points Inc. Miles will be deposited into your account within 72 hours of purchase. You have the right to withdraw your purchase within 14 days as provided in the Buy and Gift Miles Program Terms and Conditions. To exercise the withdrawal right or to obtain assistance with the Buy and Gift Miles Program, please contact the Customer Service Centre.