A major devaluation & what that means for you.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Colin Stroud
January 17, 2025

It’s a sad day in points & miles land (where I live 4-10hrs/day).

Air France/KLM Flying Blue just announced a major devaluation.

That means it costs more points to get their flights, meaning your points with them are worth less.

Today, I’ll break down what you need to know about the changes and offer a fiery word of encouragement.

Spoiler alert: it will be to book travel NOW.

Read carefully.

Best pricing for Air France/KLM Flying Blue flights from the U.S. to Europe WAS:

NOW, it’s:

Not horrible, not great.

This beautiful flight used to be 20k:( I’m sad.

But here’s the good news:

1) This is still a pretty solid deal to Europe. Even with the devaluation, this is still one of the best programs out there.

2) Transfer bonuses to Flying Blue are very common! So, it won’t be hard to get the prices back down to where they were.

3) Flying Blue monthly promo rewards aren’t going away so occasionally your home airport will have great deals.

4) There may be more availability… check this out:

Some fine reporting from the fine people at Frequent Miler.

So I’m feeling pretty good about all of this.

My biggest issue (and my clients) is not having enough points for trips, it’s finding availability.

So if we have to pay more to actually be able to find premium economy & business class seats, fine with me!

Those points you’ve been saving for years for that big trip in 2027?

Stop.

Book a trip today.

Nothing is guaranteed.

Devaluations happen every year. Rules changes. Life changes. Points could disappear altogether!

Stop saving up your points and just go do something amazing with your family.

Remember, points are not money. They are a currency, but you shouldn’t be conservative with them and hoard them like you do with money.

Enjoy them. That’s why they’re called rewards.

I just drained my entire Chase points balance at a moments notice to get a great deal at the Park Hyatt Saint Kitts.

Why? Because nothing is guaranteed. While I have the ability to take my family on a $10k trip to the Caribbean, I’m gonna do it.

If you need help booking your next trip with points & miles - this is what I do for a living.

Check out my trip planning services here.