Airlines Credit Cards

Capital One 20% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue

an airplane with seats and monitors

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Capital One 20% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue

We’ve seen a lot of transfer bonuses to Air France/KLM Flying Blue since the start of the year and Capital One has jumped on the train. Let’s take a look at this 20% transfer bonus, if it makes sense, and some cool ways to make use of it!

a bed in a plane

Capital One to Air France/KLM Flying Blue with a 20% bonus

  • Must transfer by 09/29/24
  • 1000 Cap1 Miles = 1200 Flying Blue Miles
  • Transfers are 1 way and can’t be reversed
  • Account names must match exactly

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What is a Transfer Bonus?

Pretty simple. Effectively, you’re taking a flexible currency and turning it into one of the transfer partner currencies with a stipulated bonus. In this case, it’s turning 1000 Capital One Miles into 1200 Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles.

Should I just go ahead and transfer?

Not unless you have a flight in mind that you want to book. Airlines devalue their programs without notice and you don’t want your flexible points stuck in a fixed currency.

Check out Flying Blue Promo Awards for even more value

Every month FlyingBlue has a list of promo awards that specifically target cities and cabins around the world. Go here to read all about them

Have you flown Air France or KLM?

Yes, I’ve flown KLM business class on their 777 and Air France on both the A350 and 77W in business class. Personally, I enjoyed AF’s 77W seat more than the A350, and I would certainly prioritize looking for KLM’s dreamliners vs their older 777s

a seat in a plane

What are the programs that partner with Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

Flying Blue is a transfer partner of 6 different transferrable point currencies and are some of the easiest miles to accrue as a result. If you’re short on Chase points you could always shore up your account with these programs.

  • American Express
  • Brex
  • Bilt
  • Capital One
  • Citi
  • Chase
  • Marriott
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Capital One Transfer Partners
Citi Thank You Transfer Partners

 

Is this the best transfer bonus we’ve seen?

I believe 20% is the best we’ve seen

  • August 2024: 20% Bonus
  • July 2023: 20% Bonus
  • August 2022: 20% Bonus

Should I go ahead and transfer without a trip in mind?

Absolutely not, I would never advise speculatively transferring points without having a definitive award booking available you want to book. Programs devalue all the time, without warning or notice.

a man holding a cup on a street corner

 

Great uses of Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

Looking to make use of your newly minted Flying Blue miles? Here are a few great redemptions.

Air France Business Class

There are many great uses, but in particular redeeming miles for Air France business class is a wonderful use. Normal rates begin at 53k miles – this is a super competitive rate, but keep in mind a couple hundred in taxes and fees will also apply

a man sitting in an airplane holding a drink and a stuffed animalVirgin Atlantic Upper Class

Starting as low as 61,500 miles and a couple hundred in taxes and fees its a great way to fly on a super cool product and pay fewer taxes and fees than Virgin Atlantic would charge

a person in a garment sitting in an airplane

KLM Business Class

KLM offers world class service and a great business class – keep your eye out for the planes that offer reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration ( primarily the 787-9 ).

an airplane with rows of seats and monitors

Overall:

If you have a trip coming up and you’ve found award availability, this could be an excellent time to transfer with a bonus and book.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market.  It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening 

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

Earn

  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travelâ„ 
  • NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
  • NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
    • Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
  • 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • 2x on all other travel
  • 1x on everyday purchases
  • 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
  • 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.

Benefits and Credits

  • $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travelâ„ 
  • NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
  • NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
  • Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
  • Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex®  and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® ,  Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travelâ„  you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year.  It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.

One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3. 

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

2 Comments

  • Nicole October 13, 2024

    My favorite travel card right now – thank you if you use my link 🥰
    https://i.capitalone.com/JDHQu1Og5

  • Emily October 4, 2024

    Hey! I love my Capital One travel card and I think you will too! You get unlimited miles on every purchase with a card that fits your lifestyle. I can get a bonus if you apply through my referral link: https://capital.one/3iLS8ol

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