Bank of America Leaks Flying Blue Card Changes Early—Much Faster Air France KLM Elite Status Earning

Air France KLM is out with a new value proposition for its Bank of America credit card in the U.S. – and it goes further earning elite status in the Flying Blue program. Existing cardmembers will get the new benefits starting in March. The card’s $89 annual fee doesn’t change.

Information on the change was supposed to come out Wednesday, when applications for the product open. Bank of American emailed their existing cardmembers early.

Flying Blue is the best program in SkyTeam, and they’re a points transfer partner of all the major bank currencies. But they also have their own credit card, which is primarily useful if you’re looking to spend for elite status.

• Limited-time initial bonus offer: 70,000 bonus miles + 100 elite status credits after spending $3,000 within 90 days of account opening.

• Earning: 3x on Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam bookings and 3x on dining, as well as 1.5x on all other purchases.

• Annual and spend rewards: 5,000 bonus miles after $50 in purchases each year; 20 XP (elite status credits) each card anniversary; 80 XP if you spend at least $15,000 on the card in a year and an additional 60 XP after $25,000 in annual purchases. (That’s an improvement over earning a total of 60 XP per year with card spend.)

This means with $25,000 in spend you earn 160 status credits per year (and with this limited-time offer, you’d earn 260 the first year). And here’s what it takes to earn status:

• Silver: 100 XP
  
• Gold: 180 XP (from Silver)
  
• Platinum: 300 XP (from Gold)
  
• Ultimate: 900 XP (only on Air France KLM-marketed flights)

The way it works is that if you have no status, and you earn 100 XPs in a membership year, you become similar. Then your XP balance resets, and you need to earn 180 XP over the next 12 months to earn Gold, etc. If you already have Gold, you need 180 XPs to maintain it. The same goes for Platinum.

I’m a Flying Blue Gold from my Bilt Platinum status. Air France KLM has also had status match opportunities though these have been more limited for U.S. residents. I’ve benefited from priority check-in and boarding, free checked bags and free exit row seats flying Delta.

Honestly, though, I want Flying Blue Platinum because Platinum status is required to be allowed to redeem for Air France first class.

As a spending card this is pretty good (1.5x on all spend) but you can do better even if you want Air France KLM’s points. For instance Capital One Venture earns 2x on everything and transfers to Flying Blue or to other programs, to give just one example. Most of the bank programs with transferable points will generate Flying Blue points faster. So the play here really is Air France KLM status.

And it’s great that this is a Bank of America card, because there are likely fewer of those you’re interested in (e.g. the Alaska card is Bank of America also).

Generally you can open up to 2 BofA cards in 2 months, no more than in a year, and no more than 4 in two years. And they won’t usually approve cardmembers who have 3 or more new accounts open with any issuer in the past 12 months (though if you have a deposit account with them it’s 7 accounts in 12 months) however I’ve seen mixed data points on this guideline.