Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers here.There’s just one week left to take advantage of Flying Blue’s latest buy miles promotion where you can get a 100% bonus on purchased miles, with a maximum of 75,000 bonus miles. The promotion lasts through September 25, 2017, at 6:59pm ET, and you can buy Flying Blue miles for 1.38 euro cents per point (or 1.65 cents per point when converted to US dollars).Throughout the rest of the promotion, you can purchase miles in increments of 2,000, with the lowest level starting at €55 (~$66). You won’t earn the 100% bonus until you reach the 4,000-mile threshold, which will cost you €110 (~$132). So, in that case, you’d be getting 8,000 Flying Blue miles for just over $130. Based on TPG’s most recent valuations, those 8,000 miles are worth about $104.Where this promotion could become especially valuable is when you look at the Flying Blue award chart. One highlight of the chart is the option to fly between Europe and North America for 62,500 miles one-way in business class.If you wanted to fly from New York to Paris one-way in business class at the 62,500-mile rate, you’d need to purchase 32,000 Flying Blue miles and get the additional 32,000 miles with a price tag of €880 (~$1,053). Based on TPG’s valuations, those 64,000 miles are worth $832, so you’d be paying more than the miles are worth. Plus, you’ll have to pay the taxes and fees on the award ticket.But, if you compare the cost in cash of a sample flight, you see how valuable the miles can be. For example, on a standard date, a one-way award flight in business class from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) costs 62,500 miles + €199.85 (~$239). On the same date, that flight costs $7,277. So, if you were to purchase the Flying Blue miles in order to get the miles needed for this award, you’d be coming out ahead in terms of cash spent — $1,053 + $239 vs. $7,277. For that redemption, you’d be getting a solid value of 11.26 cents per point (factoring in the cost of the taxes and fees on the award ticket).Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Air France’s 777-300ER business-class cabin. Image by Adam Kotkin.If you’re looking to fly in business class with Air France or KLM to Europe, this could be an option worth exploring. Even with the 100% bonus, you’re still paying slightly more per mile (1.65 cents when converted to US dollars as opposed to TPG’s valuation of 1.3 cents apiece). However, when comparing the value you could get out of those purchased miles, this could be a good deal.Note that the purchase is processed by Points.com, so you won’t get any travel category bonuses from this purchase. Make sure to use the best non-bonus category credit card for your situation. Based on TPG’s valuations, the Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express’s 2x Membership Rewards or Chase Freedom Unlimited’s 1.5% cash back would be the most rewarding choice.
