NEW: earn Avios and British Airways tier points on one particular KLM route
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One of the quirks of British Airways Executive Club is that you can earn Avios and BA tier points when flying on Emirates. Very few people know this. All you need to do is book on a Qantas codeshare and ensure that your boarding pass has a QF flight number and not an EK flight number.
Not every Emirates route is a Qantas codeshare, but most destinations eastwards are included. In this article (click) I show how my wife earned BA tier points flying Emirates to Singapore using Qantas flight codes.
There is now a new way of exploiting this trick.
From 31st October, Qantas has been codesharing with KLM on its flights from Amsterdam to Singapore. In return, KLM has added its flight codes to Qantas services from Singapore to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
If you book Amsterdam to Singapore on KLM, but using the Qantas flight code, you can credit it to British Airways Executive Club and earn tier points and Avios.
Qantas is the ONLY oneworld airline which works this way. You do NOT receive Avios or tier points if you book a codeshare flight with any other oneworld airline if the actual flight is operated by a non-oneworld carrier.
The carve-out for Qantas is outlined on this page of ba.com. In small print under Qantas it says:
Executive Club Members can collect Avios on:
- Flights marketed and operated by Qantas or Qantas Airlines affiliates under the QF designated code.
- Flights marketed by Qantas but operated by Jetstar booked as oneworld fare in L class only.
- Flights marketed by Qantas or Qantas Airlines affiliates and operated by Qantas, a Qantas affiliate, BA, another oneworld carrier, or another third party under a codeshare agreement.
There is no similar wording for any other partner.
You can find out more about the codeshare on klm.com here.
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How to earn Flying Blue miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)
Air France and KLM do not have a UK Flying Blue credit card. However, you can earn Flying Blue miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.
These cards earn Membership Rewards points:
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
- The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Flying Blue miles
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
- American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for life.
Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Flying Blue miles which is an attractive rate. The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Flying Blue mile.
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Air France and KLM but with any airline.
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