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Are you looking for ways to get the most out of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
We may have the perfect solution for you!
If you’re a frequent traveler with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you may be interested in taking advantage of the current transfer bonus to Flying Blue Air France/KLM.
This limited-time offer allows you to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) account with a 25% bonus.
Whether you’re jet-setting around the world or planning weekend trips closer to home, with this simple and easy transfer option available at your fingertips, you cannot limit what you can do.
Keep reading to learn how to use this fantastic opportunity to maximize and make the most out of all those hard-earned Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.
The Transfer Bonus
| Transfer: Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Program: Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) Bonus: 25% Expires: May 15, 2023 Limit: No limit on the number of points you can transfer Example: Transfer 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Flying Blue, and you will receive 12,500 Flying Blue miles (10,000 + 2,500 bonus) |
What Are Chase Ultimate Rewards Points?
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points is one of the most popular points currencies among frequent travelers and frugal tourists like myself.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, earned through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, can be used for travel expenses such as flights, hotels, or car rentals.
The points can also be transferred to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs, and one of those programs is Flying Blue (Air France/KLM).
Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points is relatively easy and can be accrued by using any of the following credit cards below:
Chase Personal Credit Cards:
- Chase Freedom Flex® Credit Card
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® Credit Card($550 annual fee)
Chase Business Credit Cards:
- Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
What is Flying Blue Air France/KLM?
Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France/KLM, two of the world’s largest airlines.
Flying Blue Miles are earned by flying with Air France and KLM. The Flying Blue program allows you to earn and redeem miles for flights, upgrades, and other travel-related expenses.
As a Flying Blue member, you can also earn miles by using your credit cards, shopping with partner retailers, and staying at partner hotels.
Since Air France and KLM are members of Sky Team, you can technically earn Flying Blue Miles whenever you fly with an alliance partner.
Here are the current Sky Team Alliance partners:
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentina
- Aeromexico
- AirEuropa
- Air France
- ITA
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Garuda Indonesia
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- MEA
- Saudia
- Tarom
- Vietnam Airlines
- Xiamen Air
To earn Flying Blue miles when flying with Sky Team partners, make sure to indicate your Flying Blue account number when flying with Sky Team carriers so your points get credited to Flying Blue.
How Do You Earn Flying Blue Miles?
Aside from earning Flying Blue miles by flying with Air France, KLM, and their Sky Team partners, another way to earn them is through credit card sign-up bonuses and points.
Transferring points from travel credit cards is arguably the easiest and fastest method to accumulate Flying Blue Miles.
Currently, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One are all Flying Blue transfer partners.
In this blog post, I will walk you through the steps on how to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Flying Blue so you can maximize this 25% transfer bonus promotion.
How Does the Chase Transfer Bonus Work?
With this transfer bonus promotion, you can move your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Flying Blue and receive a 25% bonus on the total amount transferred.
Since the minimum amount of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points that you can transfer to Flying Blue is 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, this transfer bonus will give you an extra 250 Flying Blue miles for every 1,000 Chase points you convert.
For example, transferring 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your Flying Blue account will give you an additional 25,000 bonus miles (25% transfer bonus).
This transfer bonus is available for a limited time and ends on May 15, 2023.
There is no limit to the number of times you can take advantage of this offer, but you must have a Chase Ultimate Rewards account and a Flying Blue account to participate.
We see this promotion offered occasionally, so do not worry if you do not have Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to transfer this time. This transfer bonus will hopefully come back soon.
Before You Transfer Your Chase Points: Check For Flying Blue Award Space Availability
Before starting the transfer process, you want to ensure that actual bookable award space on your particular dates is available on Flying Blue.
It goes without saying that the more flexible your travel dates are, the more likely you’ll find award availability that can be booked on points.
My recommended steps are as follows:
STEP 1:
First, you must create a Flying Blue Account, which should take less than 5 minutes.
STEP 2:
Once you are done signing up for your Flying Blue account, keep your login credentials handy, as you will need them when searching for award space on either Air France’s or KLM’s websites.
STEP 3:
Using your Flying Blue account, initiate your search on AirFrance’s or KLM’s website.
I like using the Air France website and will use their search engine as the source of my examples in this post.
Please refer to the image below to guide you in performing an award search on Air France’s website.
Make sure you fill out the following details correctly:
- Under “Book a Flight“, select “Book With Miles“
- Indicate whether you are searching for One-Way or Round-Trip. Currently, it is not possible to make multi-city award redemptions, but that should change soon.
- Plug in your departure city and destination.
- Indicate the departure date, number of passengers, and your preferred class of service.
- Click “Search“
Again, flexibility is critical in finding the lowest-priced award seat on the calendar.
Since Flying Blue generates dynamic pricing, expect significant mileage/price variability across dates and airlines.
It is still quite unclear to me what exactly drives a price up or down dramatically between carriers. Let’s look at the image below to illustrate this fact.
As you can see, the difference in miles required for the flight between Tel Aviv and San Francisco on the same day is absurd: 72K, 265K, and 375K.
STEP 4:
Select your preferred flights and record the information on a piece of paper or your spreadsheet.
Afterward, you can do any of these two options:
a. Call Flying Blue to put this ticket on hold before you jumpstart your transfer. Calling also eliminates the risk of transferring points to Flying Blue prematurely.
b. Transfer your points and hope the award space does not disappear while your points are in transit.
While Flying Blue can hold Air France and KLM tickets for 72 hours, they can only guarantee a 24-hour hold for partner airlines like Virgin Atlantic.
Pro-Tip: Websites periodically show phantom award space that disappears as soon as you are ready to book, so speaking with an agent to confirm availability and putting the seat/s on hold are suggested steps before transferring points. Alternatively, you can also risk transferring without placing your flights on hold. Fingers crossed that the points transfer instantly so that you can book those award flights immediately. Both options have worked for me.
STEP 5:
Once you have the ticket on hold, initiate the transfer process by following the steps below.
Steps on How to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
Transferring to Flying Blue is simple, assuming you already have your Ultimate Rewards Points in one of your Chase premium cards (Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Ink Business Preferred).
If your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points are in a no-annual-fee cashback card like the Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Ink Business Cash, or Chase Ink Business Unlimited, check out this article on how to turn your cashback Chase points into Chase travel points.
STEP 1: You Need a Chase Premium Card Before You Can Transfer to Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
Go to Chase.com, then Click One of Your Premium Cards.
Each premium card will give you the option to access Ultimate Rewards.
Click “Redeem Ultimate Rewards points.”
In this example, I transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards Points from my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, a premium card.
You can transfer points from your other no-annual-fee Chase cards to your premium card if you need more points.
STEP 2: Select Transfer to Travel Partners
Click the Earn/Use drop-down menu and then navigate to “Transfer to Travel Partners”
Flying Blue (Air France / KLM) is one of Chase’s many travel partners.
STEP 3: Scroll Down to Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
Select Airlines, then Look for Flying Blue (Air France / KLM) and Click Transfer Points
STEP 4: Type In Your Flying Blue Frequent Flier Number
Enter your Details and Flying Blue Member ID Number
STEP 5: Enter the Number of Points You Would Like to Transfer to Flying Blue
Type in the number of points you would like to transfer in 1,000 Ultimate Rewards increments.
The transfer ratio is 1:1, so 1 Ultimate Rewards Point = 1 Flying Blue Mile.
The minimum amount Chase allow for transfers is 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
STEP 6: Confirm and Submit
Confirm if all the info is correct, then click Submit.
STEP 7: Wait for Flying Blue Miles to Show Up In Your Account
How Long Does It Take for Ultimate Rewards Points to Transfer to Flying Blue?
In my experience, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer instantly to Flying Blue (Air France / KLM).
I suggest checking your Flying Blue online account immediately to verify if the transfer was successful.
STEP 8: Book Your Flying Blue Award Flight
Once the miles are in your Flying Blue account, call Flying Blue again to book the ticket you put on hold.
Or, if you did not have the award space placed on hold, book the award space once the points show up in your account. You have 24 hours to cancel the award tickets if plans change.
Pro-Tip: Since the transfer is usually instantaneous, executing the transfer while on the phone with a Flying Blue agent and waiting for the points transfer to be completed is also an alternative.
STEP 9: Write Down Your Confirmation Numbers and Record Locators
Write down the confirmation numbers and/or record locators for your flights.
If you are flying multiple carriers, each airline will have a different confirmation code, so take note of each.
You will need this information when you call those airlines to select seats.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Flying Blue on the Chase Mobile App
Performing the above functions, such as combining points and transferring to travel partners, using the Chase Mobile app can initially be a bit confusing.
Here are the steps on how to navigate the Chase Mobile App, so you can quickly transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to the Flying Blue program wherever you are.
STEP 1:
Log in to your Chase account using your Chase Mobile App. Select a Chase Premium Card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred).
Select a Chase Premium Card. In this example, I will access my Chase Ultimate Rewards points through my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card.
STEP 2:
Under your premium card, navigate to the Rewards and Benefits section.
STEP 3:
Click “Ultimate Rewards”
STEP 4:
Click the three lines on the upper left-hand corner. See the image below.
STEP 5:
Select “Transfer to Travel Partners” to move your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to the Flying Blue Program (Air France/KLM).
Choose “Combine Points” If you would like to move points between Chase credit cards.
STEP 6:
Select Air France / KLM from the list of Chase’s travel partners.
STEP 7:
Enter your Flying Blue Account Number.
Make sure you sign-up for a Flying Blue account first before transferring your points as Chase will require this information.
STEP 8:
Indicate the number of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points you would like to transfer to Flying Blue.
Remember that this is a one-way street. Any points transferred from Chase to Flying Blue are irreversible, so make sure the award space is available before proceeding with this transfer.
STEP 9:
Review transfer details, then “Submit”
Reminder to only transfer points when you see award availability. The transfer process is irreversible – you can not transfer Flying Blue miles back to Chase Ultimate Rewards.
STEP 10:
Run your award search. I prefer using the Air France app when searching for Flying Blue award flights.
- Select either round-trip or one-way. The multi-city award search feature cannot yet run on the app.
- Indicate your departure city, destination, and the class of service.
- Add the number of passengers.
- Toggle “Use My Miles“
- Click “Select Date”
STEP 11:
Select your flight and book when you find a fantastic deal. You can always cancel within 24 hours.
Sample Flying Blue Redemptions
One of the primary benefits of choosing Flying Blue Miles is accessing more destinations with partner airlines, allowing you to explore new places and create unforgettable memories.
As mentioned above, you can redeem your Flying Blue miles to fly on any of Sky Team’s alliance carriers.
Booking with Sky Team partners is undoubtedly one of my favorite benefits of using the Flying Blue program.
Let me walk you through some of the Sky Team award flights I have booked for myself and others using Flying Blue miles.
Flying Blue: Air France
Route: San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG)
Economy: 20,000 Flying Blue miles and 60 Euros
25% Transfer Bonus: 16,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points + 4,000 bonus
Sky Team Partner: Aerolineas Argentina
Route: Iguazu Falls (IGR) to Buenos Aires (EZE)
Economy: 10,000 Flying Blue miles and 13 Euros
25% Transfer Bonus: 8,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points + 2,000 bonus
Sky Team Partner: Vietnam Airlines
Route: Hanoi, Vietnam (HAN) to Siem Reap, Cambodia (REP)
Economy: 8,500 Flying Blue miles and 59 Euros
25% Transfer Bonus: 7,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points + 1,750 bonus
How to Maximize Your Flying Blue Miles
Once you’ve transferred your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your Flying Blue account, you can use your miles to book flights on Air France, KLM, and other SkyTeam partners.
To get the most value out of your Flying Blue miles, it’s essential to do your research and look for opportunities to book flights at the lowest possible redemption rates.
Some tips to consider include the following:
a. Look for “Promo Rewards,” which are special deals that offer up to 50% off regular redemption rates. More about this next section.
b. Book flights in off-peak seasons or during weekdays, when redemption rates are typically lower.
c. Consider booking one-way instead of round-trip tickets, saving you miles.
d. Search for flights with flexible dates and be open to changing your travel plans if it means a better redemption rate.
Stack With Flying Blue Promo Rewards
Flying Blue Promo Awards are a special promotion that allows travelers to redeem their Flying Blue miles for flights at a discounted rate.
These promotions are available for a limited time, allowing travelers to save up to 50% on flights to select destinations worldwide.
To maximize your Flying Blue Promo Awards, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Plan ahead: Flying Blue Promo Rewards are announced a few months in advance, so it’s a good idea to plan your travel accordingly. Keep an eye out on the Flying Blue website or sign up for their newsletter to stay informed about upcoming promotions.
- Be flexible: Promo Awards are available for a limited number of seats on select flights, so it’s essential to be flexible with your travel dates and destinations. If you’re open to traveling during off-peak times or to less popular destinations, you may have a better chance of finding available seats.
- Check the fine print: Read the terms and conditions of the Promo Awards before booking your flight. Some restrictions, such as blackout dates or limited availability on specific routes, may apply.
- Compare prices: While Promo Awards can offer significant savings, comparing prices with other airlines and booking sites is always a good idea to ensure you get the best bang for your mile.
- Use your miles wisely: Flying Blue miles can also be used for upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, and other travel expenses. Consider your travel goals and how to use your miles to maximize your overall travel experience.
- Positioning Flights: Lastly, be willing to take a positioning flight to where a Promo Award is currently offered. For example, if the promo award is offered in Dallas or Atlanta, you can fly from your home airport to those cities a day or two before to take advantage of these deeply-discounted flights.
Take A Positioning Flight
Taking a positioning flight is important when stacking Chase Transfer Bonus and Flying Blue Promo Rewards because the discounted rates are usually only available for certain routes and destinations.
This means that you may need to fly to a different airport or city to take advantage of the promotion.
For example, if the Promo Reward is only available for flights departing from Atlanta, but you live in New Orleans, you may need to take a positioning flight to Atlanta before you can use the discounted rate.
Taking a positioning flight can be a cost-effective way to access the promotion and save money on your overall travel expenses.
Additionally, positioning flights can also help you take advantage of more favorable flight times or connections.
By arriving in the departure city a day or two in advance, you can ensure that you won’t miss your flight due to delays or other unforeseen circumstances. Plus, you get to visit another destination in the process.
However, it’s important to note that taking a positioning flight does add additional costs and logistics to your trip, so it’s important to weigh the potential savings against the additional time and expenses involved.
It’s also important to ensure you have enough time between flights to avoid missing your connections.
In summary, taking a positioning flight can be an important strategy for maximizing Chase transfer bonuses and Flying Blue Promo Awards, but it should be carefully considered based on your individual travel needs and budget.
Credit Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
Personal Credit Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CREDIT CARD: Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within 3 months. Points can be redeemed for cash back or travel. Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred here.
CHASE FREEDOM FLEX® CREDIT CARD: Get $200 cash back or 20,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $500 within 3 months. It also has revolving categories that earn 5X, 3x in dining, 3x in drugstores, and 5X on travel booked at the Chase travel portal. You can read more about this card here.
CHASE FREEDOM UNLIMITED® CREDIT CARD: Get $200 cashback after spending $500 within 3 months. This card also earns 3X at drugstores and dining. Earn 1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for everything else. Learn more about Chase Freedom Unlimited here.
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE® CREDIT CARD: Earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Read more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve here.
Business Credit Cards that Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
INK BUSINESS CASH® CREDIT CARD: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Ink Business Cash also earns 5 Ultimate Rewards Points for every dollar spent at office supply stores, phone, internet and cable. Learn more about the card here.
INK BUSINESS UNLIMITED® CREDIT CARD: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Ink Business Unlimited also earns 1.5 Ultimate Rewards Points for all purchases. Learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited here.
INK BUSINESS PREFERRED® CREDIT CARD: Earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn more about the Ink Business Preferred here.
Related: Guide on How to Apply for your First Chase Business Card
Summary
Final Thoughts
This Chase transfer bonus to Flying Blue Air France/KLM is a great opportunity to get more value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
With a 25% bonus on transferred points, you’ll be able to get more miles for your hard-earned rewards points.
Just be sure to do your research and look for opportunities to maximize your miles when booking flights with Flying Blue.
Will you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Flying Blue to get the 25% transfer bonus before May 15th?
