Bilt Rewards Members Can Now Match Status on KLM, Air France — and Score Perks on U.S. Airlines

16.03.2024 - 21:45 / travelandleisure.com / Delta Comfort / Airlines

There’s a new way to get free elite status with Air France/KLM’s loyalty program, Flying Blue, which offers enticing perks even for U.S.-based fliers.

Bilt Rewards, the first-ever loyalty program allowing users to earn points on rent, has launched a new promotion exclusively for its top-tier Platinum status members. By transferring 10,000 Bilt Points to the Flying Blue loyalty program, travelers can then earn 12 months of Flying Blue Gold status. 

While it’s likely that most U.S.-based travelers won’t fly these European airlines very often, having Flying Blue status can still be quite useful for frequent fliers. Air France and KLM are part of the SkyTeam Alliance, which means elite status holders get a suite of perks when flying on nearly two dozen member airlines, including Delta Air Lines.

Travelers looking for more legroom will enjoy getting a 50 percent discount on all Delta Comfort+ seats thanks to Flying Blue Gold status. In addition, they can enjoy SkyTeam priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, and access to SkyTeam airport lounges on international flights — even when flying in economy. 

“We are very excited to deepen our partnership with Flying Blue providing Bilt members the opportunity to reach destinations all over the world just by paying rent and spending in their neighborhoods.” said Brandt Smallwood, Bilt's Chief Strategy Officer, in a statement provided exclusively to T+L.”With this new status tier benefit, being a Bilt Platinum member is even more valuable, with premium status benefits like priority check-in and boarding, free seating selections and checked baggage, and lounge access on Air France, KLM, and the SkyTeam Alliance airlines." 

Earning Bilt status is done in one of two ways — either by total points earned or total purchases on their Bilt Rewards® Mastercard in a calendar year: 

Cardholders of the no-annual-fee travel card can earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on all other purchases, including rent payments without additional fees. 

Bilt has many travel partners in addition to Flying Blue, and members can transfer over their points at a 1:1 rate. Other major players include American Airlines AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, IHG One Rewards, World of Hyatt, and more.