Bank of America Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard
By Williem Vacek
Who would get this card?
The Bank of America Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard is a very niche card, as is the case with foreign airline credit cards. I personally have my status with KLM which was the reason I applied for this card in March of 2021. KLM/Air France status is very easy to earn for international travelers and provides benefits on Delta and any other SkyTeam partner airline, however domestic travel doesn’t earn status nearly as quickly regardless, however, I will review the entire Flying Blue reward program in another article. So this card would be for any savvy travelers who are looking for a quick way to SkyTeam status or for individuals whose status already is with KLM or Air France and have an opportunity to apply for a US credit card. I believe this card is vastly superior to the Flying Blue American Express cards offered in Europe, I currently have the Silver card, and have held the Gold card for a very long time but recently choose to downgrade.
Sign up bonus
At the time of writing this, you will find one of three sign-up bonuses, however, they only vary slightly. The first is 50,000 miles after $2,000 spend in the first 90 days, there are two other offers sometimes offered through KLM’s or Air France which on top of this will offer a $100 or $200 statement credit on top of the miles. You will also receive 60 XP upon approval which is the progression of Flying Blue status and is something rather unique. In order to receive silver status with KLM or Air France, you need 100 XP so this sign-up bonus will take you more than halfway there, the value of these is very subjective, but I will cover the cost of earning XP in my Flying Blue overview soon. I personally value Flying Blue miles around 1.2 CPP. So this would translate to a sign-up bonus value between $600 to $800 dollars depending on which offer you apply within, which is nothing extraordinary but still very solid.
Perks, benefits, and annual fee
The miles earning rate is very simple:
3 Flying Blue miles per dollar on all SkyTeam travel
1.5 Flying Blue miles per dollar spent on everything else
I personally think this is one best earning rates on an airline credit card out there. 3 miles per dollar on all SkyTeam travel is incredibly versatile, meaning you will earn this regardless of whether booking on KLM, Delta, or even AeroMéxico. Flying Blue miles are valued similarly to Delta miles which can range between 1 to 1.3 CPP. Meaning you will actually earn more miles on booking Delta flights with this card than if you were to book with the Delta Blue or Gold American Express Cards, and will match the Delta Platinum and Reserve card, both of which have much high annual fees at $250 and $550 respectively. Comparatively the Bank of America Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard only has an $89 dollar annual fee.
Full List of all Skyteam members eligible for 3 Flying Blue miles per dollar as of Jan, 2022:
Aeroflot
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aeroméxico
Air Europa
Air France
China Airlines
China Eastern
Czech Airlines
Delta Airlines
Garuda Indonesia
ITA Airways
Kenya Airways
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Korean Air
Middle East Airlines
Saudia
TAROM
Vietnam Airlines
Xiamen Airlines
The 1.5 miles on everything else also make this a great catch-all card, it translates to about 1.8% cashback on everything, which is still fantastic since it’s only a secondary earning category, and has the potential to be even more with some better award redemptions.
The card also has some benefits:
5,000 miles on card anniversary with a minimum of $50 dollar spend in the anniversary year
20 XP on card anniversary, with an additional 40 XP with a minimum of $15,000 dollar spend in the anniversary year
With the card being a World Elite Mastercard it comes with the additional benefits:
Cell phone protection: Coverage for stolen or damage to your cell phone if you pay your full bill with this World Elite Mastercard
- $1000 total coverage annually
- $600 coverage per claim
- Limit of 2 claims annually
Monthly Lyft Credit: Take three eligible paid rides paid for fully or partially by this card to receive $5 in monthly valid for 30 days after earning. Able to earn $5 once every calendar month. This benefit ends 9/30/22.
Shop Runner Membership: Free 2-day shipping and free returns on 100+ retailers.
Conclusion
I think the BOA KLM World Elite Mastercard is an incredibly underrated card. It boasts a very broad 3x category with a large selection of eligible airlines and a very strong catch 1.5x multiplier on everything else. With flying blue miles being worth on average 1.2 CPP this translates to 3.6% and 1.8% respectively. The annual fee is $89, this is offset by an annual 5,000 flying blue miles on your card anniversary if you have a minimum spend of $50, and 20XP which gets raised to 60XP if you managed to spend $15,000 in the prior year. I am currently in my fourth year of Platinum Flying Blue, and this card is a huge help towards achieving lifetime Platinum status. Overall the card is a very solid pick if you intend to collect Flying Blue miles, which are very easy to earn and very easy to redeem, the airline category is very broad and its annual benefits offset the annual fee, the card also has a relatively enticing sign up bonus.
Overall ranking 8/10
