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Air France KLM Card Review: Decent Rewards, Skimpy Perks
The Bottom Line
3.2
Even if you’re a Flying Blue loyalist, you might be better served by a general-purpose travel credit card that offers straightforward rewards and the flexibility to redeem them however you please — including transferring them to Flying Blue.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$89
Rewards rate
1.5x-3x
Bonus offer
Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles + 100 Experience Points (XP) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.74%-27.74% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: See Terms
Penalty APR: 29.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
5% of the amount of each transaction
Foreign transaction fee
None
More details from Bank of America
More details from Bank of America
- Limited Time Online Offer! Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles + 100 Experience Points (XP) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
- Low $89 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
- Earn 3 Miles for every $1 spent on eligible Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and SkyTeam member airline purchases. Earn 3 Miles for every $1 spent on eligible dining purchases. And, earn 1.5 Miles for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 5,000 Miles every year on your account anniversary after you spend $50 or more on purchases within the anniversary year.
- Redeem Miles toward flights with any SkyTeam member airline to over 1,000 destinations worldwide.
- Receive 20 XP every year on your account anniversary. Earn an additional 80 XP (totaling 100 XP) on the account anniversary after you spend $15,000 or more on purchases within the anniversary year. Plus, earn an additional 60 XP (totaling 160 XP) on the account anniversary after you spend $25,000 or more on purchases within the anniversary year.
- This offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
Pros and Cons
Pros
High rewards rate
Earns points toward status
New cardholder bonus offer
Cons
Has annual fee
Free checked bag must be earned
Priority boarding must be earned
Detailed Review
The $89-annual-fee Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card — issued by Bank of America® — is a solid and reasonably priced rewards earner, especially for Flying Blue loyalists who dine out often. It's also not a bad daily driver either, since the worst you'll do is 1.5X back (in Flying Blue miles) on non-restaurant and non-Air France-related purchases.
There's even a way to earn rewards on your rent payments, though you'll have to jump through some hoops in order to snag and maximize those rewards.
Unfortunately, the card lacks some otherwise standard perks typically featured on cards near its price point. Most conspicuously, it doesn't offer automatic free checked bags, nor will you get benefits like a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit. It doesn't even grant you automatic priority boarding (though you can get it via status within the Flying Blue loyalty program).
It's also worth noting that many general-purpose travel credit cards already feature Air France-KLM Flying Blue as a 1:1 transfer partner, meaning there are other ways to earn Flying Blue miles, many of which may be more flexible or lucrative than the Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card.
Here’s what you should consider.
Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card: Basics
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $89.
APR: The ongoing APR is 19.74%-27.74% Variable APR.
Welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles + 100 Experience Points (XP) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
XP is what you collect to earn elite status within the Flying Blue program. 100 XP is enough for Silver elite status, which offers perks like extra baggage allowance, priority check-in, priority boarding and more.
Rewards:
3 Miles per $1 spent on eligible Air France, KLM & SkyTeam purchases.
3 Miles per $1 spent on eligible dining purchases.
1.5 Miles per $1 spent on all other purchases.
NerdWallet values Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles at about 1.0 cent each. You can redeem miles toward flights with Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines or any SkyTeam member airline to over 1,000 destinations worldwide.
The Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card also earns 3 Miles per $1 spent on rent payments through Bilt (on up to $50,000 annually), but there are a few caveats to consider. You'll have another app to manage since rent payments must be set up through Bilt's app. Extra effort is also required to offset the cost of the 3% transaction fee charged for using the card to pay rent. The miles aren't worth the hassle unless you redeem them for a booking where they're valued at over 1 cent a piece.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other perks:
5,000 Miles every year on your account anniversary after you spend $50 or more on purchases within the anniversary year.
Receive 20 XP (Experience Points) every year on your account anniversary.
Earn an additional 80 XP (totaling 100 XP) on the account anniversary after you spend at least $15,000 or more on purchases within the anniversary year.
Earn an additional 60 XP (totaling 160 XP) on the account anniversary after you spend $25,000 or more on purchases within the anniversary year.
Benefits and Perks
A relatively low annual fee
The Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card has an annual fee of $89, which is quite reasonable given the value it offers in return. In fact, it's less expensive to hold than many other airline credit cards in this class, which typically carry annual fees around $100 and sometimes more. You can certainly find airline cards with no annual fee at all, but their incentives are more modest.
A jet-setting welcome offer
As a new cardholder, you’ll get a chance to snag a welcome offer: Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles + 100 Experience Points (XP) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
Solid ongoing rewards
You’ll earn elevated rewards on eligible Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and SkyTeam member airline purchases, as well as on dining. And unlike some other credit cards, you’ll also get a slightly higher base rate of 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. Typically, the base rate on other airline cards is just 1 mile per dollar spent in non-bonus categories.
Anniversary perks
Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll earn 5,000 miles after you spend $50 or more within that year. You'll also snag 20 XP (Experience Points) each year you hold the card, with no spending requirement. These points get you closer to reaching the next elite status tier with Air France and the perks that come with it.
You can earn an additional 80 XP on your account anniversary after you spend at least $15,000 or more on purchases within that year. You'll get 60 more XP on the account anniversary if you spend $25,000 or more within that year. These are steep thresholds to hit, but if you’re already a big spender, you might be able to boost your status tier with minimal effort.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Dining rewards might not land
If you're more of a homebody who'd rather cook than go out, aim for a card that earns solid rewards at the supermarket — or, better yet, on all purchases. For simpler rewards, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases (5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel). Plus, Capital One also features Air France as a partner, so you can transfer your miles to Flying Blue if you want to. New cardholders can earn a rich welcome offer: LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $300 to use on hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s more than $1,000 in travel value. There’s a $95 annual fee, but it offers some credits that defray the cost.
Full list of Capital One transfer partners
Airlines
Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).
Air Canada (1:1 ratio).
Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).
Avianca (1:1 ratio).
British Airways (1:1 ratio).
Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio).
Emirates (2:1.5 ratio).
Etihad (1:1 ratio).
EVA (2:1.5 ratio).
Finnair (1:1 ratio).
Japan Airlines (2:1.5 ratio).
JetBlue (5:3 ratio).
Qantas (1:1 ratio).
Qatar Airways (1:1 ratio).
Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).
TAP Air Portugal (1:1 ratio).
Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio).
Virgin Red (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
Accor (2:1 ratio).
Choice Privileges Hotels (1:1 ratio).
I Prefer Hotel Rewards (1:2 ratio).
Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).
No free checked bags or credits
Unlike many other airline credit cards with annual fees, the Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card does not offer free checked bags, which is a big drawback. Checked-bag fees with Air France start at $55 and can go as high as $285, depending on the route and the type of baggage. The card also doesn't offer statement credits that could defray such fees or any other incidentals. The $95-annual-fee Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, on the other hand, offers credits that can be used to cover a variety of travel purchases, including up to $100 in airline incidental statement credits annually for qualifying purchases like seat upgrades, checked bag fees, in-flight services and airport lounge fees. It also offers a statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees every four years. Dining and travel purchases earn 2 points per dollar spent with the card, and you’ll get 1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Other cards are more flexible
Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are part of the SkyTeam alliance network, but you’re still limited to the type of travel you can book. A card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, on the other hand, can offer more flexibility and rewards-earning categories — and it also happens to feature Air France-KLM Flying Blue among its many transfer partners. The card earns 5 points per $1 spent on travel booked through Chase; 3 points per $1 spent on eligible dining, gas and EV charging, select streaming services, eligible online grocery purchases, and select vacation rentals; 2 points per $1 spent on all other travel; and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. It has a $95 annual fee, but it offers ways to make up the cost, including a $100 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Chase. It also offers a statement credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fees.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
Unless you can make the most out of all the card’s incentives, you won’t extract much value from the Air France KLM Visa Signature® credit card. It doesn’t even offer an easy incentive to make up the cost of the $89annual fee. Other credit cards with similar annual fees might offer anniversary perks, travel credits or other incentives that don’t come with a spending requirement. They can also offer the flexibility to earn and redeem rewards on a variety of travel expenses.
Points on travel and everyday purchases
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee, but it offers ways to make up that cost. It earns 5 points per $1 spent on travel booked through Chase; 3 points per $1 spent on eligible dining, gas and EV charging, select streaming services, eligible online grocery purchases, and select vacation rentals; 2 points per $1 spent on all other travel; and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Rewards can be redeemed for cash, gift cards, travel and more. You can also transfer your rewards to various travel partners, including to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
