A Flying Blue status match for UK residents (with a catch ….)

A few weeks ago I wrote about the disastrously messy status match that Flying Blue (the Air France / KLM frequent flyer programme) launched in Scandinavia.

That status match was just meant for Scandinavian residents. However, Flying Blue didn’t bother adding any terms and conditions, and were bombarded with applications from around the world (including many from Head for Points readers!).

It panicked and pulled the match well before its official end date – although they have promised to match everyone who applied, wherever they lived, by April.

If you missed out on that, there is another opportunity to match any existing airline Gold cards you have to Flying Blue. This offer is specifically aimed at UK residents (and they have written the terms and conditions properly this time!). It is not the easiest match to do, though.

If you live in or near Kent, you will know that the former RAF base at Manston has been operating as a (very unpopular) civilian airport since 2004. With Flybe having dropped its services last year, KLM is picking up the baton, starting on April 2nd. It will offer two flights per day to Amsterdam.

From April 2nd to July 31st, anyone who credits a KLM flight from Manston to their Flying Blue account will qualify to have their Flying Blue account made up to Gold status – as long as you already have a Gold card from another airline.

The promotion is only valid to Flying Blue members with a UK home and business address.

It is certainly not the easiest status match to achieve.  However, if you are kicking yourself for missing out on the Scandinavian match, and of course if you have a Gold card from another airline to match from, then you might want to think about it.

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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.