How to find the cheapest redemption rates using Flying Blue miles

The frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM, Flying Blue, could be the ideal loyalty program for your next redemption.

The program offers standard-level transatlantic redemptions from anywhere in the U.S. to anywhere in Europe starting at:

• 25,000 miles in economy
• 40,000 miles in premium economy
• 60,000 miles in business class

This means you could book a business-class ticket from the West Coast to the far-flung corners of Europe for just 60,000 miles in business class each way when there's saver-level availability, which would be an excellent redemption in terms of value.

Unfortunately, these attractive rates are for the limited saver-level redemptions, with all other flights priced dynamically. As a result, you may see rates significantly higher than this, potentially with an extra zero added.

To book redemptions at saver-level rates, let's look at how Flying Blue prices redemptions.

Related: Private suites and high-tech touches: What it's like flying Air France's new business class

How Flying Blue dynamic pricing works

Several major loyalty programs price their awards dynamically. They argue that redemption prices should rise when cash fares increase (generally during periods of higher demand).

Here are some important trends to note.

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Flying Blue does not guarantee any minimum number of award seats at saver levels

Although other European loyalty programs, such as British Airways Club, guarantee a minimum number of seats on every flight when schedules open, Flying Blue makes no such promises. Even if you search 12 months in advance, the seats may only be loaded at prices far above the saver level.

Note that the standardized pricing is only for flights between the U.S. and Europe.

The carrier sometimes reduces seats to saver levels at the last minute

While low-priced awards may not immediately appear in your search results, they can pop up closer to departure. These last-minute reductions are more likely to happen on off-peak dates, outside the Northern Hemisphere's summer period and major holidays, and may be limited to flights at less appealing times, such as the first or last flight of the day.

Dynamic prices are not tied to cash prices

Many airlines align cash and award ticket prices very closely. For example, Delta Air Lines will sell you a refundable round-trip Delta One business-class flight to Paris for $5,067 or 470,000 Delta SkyMiles plus $217. This gives you almost a 1-cent-per-mile redemption value compared to the cash price.

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Flying Blue is different. An award for a flight departing at 9 a.m. could cost 200,000 Flying Blue miles, while a flight two hours later that same day could cost only 100,000 Flying Blue miles, with little difference between the cash fares of the two flights.

It is easier to find economy and premium economy saver awards than business-class saver awards

Like most programs, economy and premium economy awards to Europe are often plentiful, while business-class awards are much harder to come by. In general, it is not difficult to find business-class awards from the East Coast outside of summer, but it's often hard to find them from the West Coast, no matter when you plan on flying.

Related: Is KLM premium economy worth it on the 787 Dreamliner?

Flying Blue uses married segments when pricing awards

Just because you find availability on one itinerary doesn't mean that one (or more) of that itinerary's flights will carry over to other routings. This is due to "married-segment logic," which means the price is based on the specific itinerary, not individual segments.

For example, say you are looking to fly to Ireland next year and you see several dates with saver-level availability in February from New York, connecting through either Amsterdam or Paris to Dublin.

You might assume that if these prices are available, saver prices would also be available for just the New York to Paris or Amsterdam legs; after all, it's only one flight rather than two.

Unfortunately, Flying Blue uses married-segment logic in pricing city pairs differently based on what it believes to be the demand, and there may be more demand for a nonstop flight from New York to Paris or Amsterdam than a connecting flight to Dublin.

While you don't need to worry too much about how married segments work, the lesson is that if you can't find a flight to a hub available for a decent redemption price, consider searching with an additional short-haul leg added. You could find a much lower price, and it could be worth the short detour.

Related: 10 mistakes to avoid when redeeming airline points and miles

Always check the monthly Promo Rewards

Every month, Flying Blue publishes a list of city pairs with discounted award pricing for a set travel period (usually a few months), provided you book during that month.

It's hard to overstate how valuable these Promo Rewards can be. For example, this month, the program offers economy awards from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Europe for a reduced price. Instead of paying the usual saver price of 25,000 Flying Blue miles, you'll only need to use 18,750 miles. This means you could fly to Paris and then to Spain for a very reasonable price.

When you see prices even lower than the standardized saver levels, it's likely because they are Promo Rewards.

How to find saver-level space

The easiest way to find saver-level space is to use the Flying Blue website on your preferred route and class. However, you should leave the date field blank while searching.

Doing so will cause the monthly view to show, allowing you to easily see which months have seats at the saver level, plus which dates of the month they are available.

You can then click your preferred date to see the flights available, with prices starting from the price indicated on the calendar.

Remember, too, that Flying Blue allows you to add stopovers on award tickets for no extra charge, but you'll need to call to do so.

How to earn Flying Blue miles

Flying Blue is a transfer partner of:

• American Express Membership Rewards (1:1)
• Bilt Rewards (1:1)
• Capital One (1:1)
• Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1)
• Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1)
• Wells Fargo Rewards (1:1)
• Marriott Bonvoy (3:1)

Here are some of the welcome bonuses available right now that you could convert to Flying Blue:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you're eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points

Bottom line

Unfortunately, beyond the limited saver-level awards, there is little logic to how Flying Blue prices its redemptions. An award that costs 60,000 miles on one day could cost 300,000 miles on the next.

It's frustrating that there may be no low-priced seats in premium cabins for months at a time, and prices of 250,000 miles for a seven-hour flight in economy that might otherwise cost $400 is not uncommon.

Fortunately, viewing monthly prices across a year to find those valuable saver-level awards is straightforward, and Flying Blue miles are easy to earn. You can try adding on a short-haul flight to see more availability, and the monthly Promo Rewards regularly offer spectacular value, even on popular routes.