Is Flying Blue Subscribe to Miles worth it?

Subscribe to Miles: the costs and when it pays off

Subscribe to Miles is a monthly subscription where you receive a fixed number of Flying Blue miles. It sounds tempting, but it is not a good deal for everyone. Whether it is worth it depends on how you ultimately spend the miles.

What does it cost?

Flying Blue offers different subscription tiers. The cost per mile is between 1.1 and 1.3 eurocent, depending on the package you choose. Larger packages are slightly more affordable per mile. You pay monthly and can cancel at any time.

When is it worth it?

Subscribe to Miles pays off if you meet at least one of these criteria:

• You spend miles on Business Class: there you get 1.5-3.0 eurocent value per mile. You buy them for 1.2 cent and spend them for 2+ cent - that is profit.
• You want to top up your miles: you almost have enough for an award ticket and want to buy the last miles. That is cheaper than Miles & Cash.
• You want to keep your miles active: Subscribe to Miles counts as activity, so your miles do not expire. Useful if you are temporarily not flying.
• You combine it with Promo Rewards: if you buy extra miles to book a Promo Reward in Business, the return is excellent.

When is it not worth it?

• If you only fly Economy: the value per mile in Economy (0.8-1.2 cent) is lower than or equal to the purchase price. You are better off with a regular ticket.
• If you have no concrete plan: buying miles without a goal means locking money into a currency that can devalue.
• If you already have a Flying Blue Amex: with a credit card you earn miles for free with every purchase. Subscribe to Miles is then an expensive addition.

The break-even calculation

To determine if it works for you, make this simple calculation:

1. Find the award ticket you want to book and note the number of miles
2. Find the cash price of the same ticket
3. Calculate the value per mile: cash price / number of miles
4. Compare with the cost per mile of Subscribe to Miles (~1.2 cent)

Is the value per mile higher than 1.2 cent? Then it is a good deal. Is it lower? Then just book with cash.

My advice

Subscribe to Miles is a fine option for Business Class travelers who want to top up their miles. For Economy travelers it is rarely a good investment. Consider first a Flying Blue American Express - the Gold Card (EUR 16.50/month) earns 1 mile per euro on daily spending, the Platinum (EUR 55/month) even 1.5 miles per euro.