Air France-KLM Mastercard review: Good for Air France and KLM loyalists but no one else

23.09.2024 - 21:25 / thepointsguy.com

Many seasoned points and miles fans have at least one or two cobranded airline cards. If you're currently seeking a new airline card to add to your wallet, the Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard® may be the right choice for you. With a solid earnings structure and bonus anniversary miles, this card is best suited for frequent Air France and KLM flyers. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐

Once you've opened a core set of cards that earn transferable points, it's time to move on to cobranded airline cards. Opening a card or two with your favorite airline can provide additional perks, a faster path to elite status and the opportunity to earn additional rewards on every purchase.

The Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard isn't too different from its mid-tier airline card peers. While its perks are slimmer than some other options, it still provides good value for those who fly with Air France and KLM at least a couple of times per year.

This card has an $89 annual fee, and we recommend a credit score of 700 or higher for the best chance of approval.

Let's dive into this card's details so you can decide if it's the right airline card for you.

The information for the Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

For a limited time, new cardholders can receive 70,000 bonus miles and 40 Experience Points (XP) after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days from account opening. Plus, new cardholders will receive an additional 60 XP upon account approval.

XP is the elite status currency for Air France and KLM's Flying Blue program. If you earn all of the XP possible through this welcome offer, you'll have enough XP to reach Flying Blue Silver status for 12 months.

As of September 2024, TPG values Flying Blue miles at 1.3 cents per mile. That means this welcome offer is worth $910, not including the potential value of Flying Blue Silver status.

It's important to note that you'll need to apply for this card through Air France's landing page to receive this limited-time offer.

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The Air France-KLM Mastercard has limited benefits for a card with an $89 annual fee, but there are still a few noteworthy perks.

This card's most notable feature is a bonus of 5,000 miles on each account anniversary. However, the anniversary bonus has a spending requirement, which is unusual. Fortunately, the spending requirement is exceptionally low: $50 in the previous cardmember year. Even if you rarely use this card, that's not a hard threshold to meet.

According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, these 5,000 miles are worth $65. That almost completely covers the card's