Some you win …. important updates to recent Flying Blue and Accor articles

Here are two important bits of news on deals I have covered this week.

Number 1 – The generous transfer rate from Accor to Iberia Avios

As I wrote here, this deal is back after a hiatus of a few days.  However, Accor has now confirmed that it will end on 28th February and the Iberia transfer rate will align with the BA one.  If you have any Accor points, try to transfer them before the end of next month.

Number 2 – The Flying Blue status match

Flying Blue has now changed the terms and conditions of the status match I posted about here.  Instead of running until May and having no restrictions on eligibility, it now says:

Flying Blue offer is valid until 28 February, 2013 and is only valid for Danish residents

The alternative versions restrict it to Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish residents.

So, you now have two options if you want to take part.

1.  Find a friend who lives in Denmark, Norway, Sweden or Finland who will let you use their address

or

2.  Use this rather cheeky method which I outlined in my original post:

1.  Create a false Danish street address in your Flying Blue profile

2.  Let them match you – the card will be mailed to your fake Danish address, but will take months to be ‘returned to sender’

3.  Change your address to your UK address, and request a replacement card from them (not sure if this can be done online, but most airlines let you do it via their website)

It remains to be seen what will happen to people who applied before they changed the rules and the closing date.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Flying Blue miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Air France and KLM do not have a UK Flying Blue credit card.  However, you can earn Flying Blue miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Flying Blue miles

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Flying Blue miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Flying Blue mile.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Air France and KLM but with any airline.