Huge Upgrade: American Express Canada Boosts MR to Flying Blue Transfers to 1:1

As of January 3, 2026, American Express Canada quietly made a very loud change: Membership Rewards now transfer to Flying Blue at 1:1.

That means 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Flying Blue miles, instead of the long-standing 1,000 MR = 750 miles.

Flying Blue has been an MR transfer partner in Canada since August 2021, and it’s been useful even at the old ratio. The difference now is that it’s useful without the mental gymnastics.

If you noticed MR to Flying Blue transfers briefly being unavailable earlier this week, this update likely explains it.

What Changed (Quick Math, Big Impact)

Previously, 1,000 MR points became 750 Flying Blue miles. Now, 1,000 MR points becomes 1,000 Flying Blue miles.

That’s effectively 33% more Flying Blue miles for the same MR transfer.

A quick hat tip to Volodymyr, one of our loyal platinum community members, who first spotted the change and shared it inside the Prince of Travel membership. This is exactly how a lot of the best “breaking news” actually surfaces in this hobby: someone notices a quiet change, shares a screenshot, and suddenly we all benefit.

If you’d like to be among the first to hear about updates like this, and swap real-time tips with other travellers, you can check out our membership.

To really feel the difference, here’s the kind of math that used to make people sigh:

A one-way transatlantic business class award that prices at Flying Blue’s “starting at” level of 60,000 miles used to require 80,000 MR points (because of the 0.75 ratio). At 1:1, it’s now 60,000 MR points for the exact same award price.

And yes, this also puts Amex Canada on the same footing as Amex US, where Flying Blue has long been a 1:1 transfer partner.

Flying Blue is already strong for Canada – Europe awards

Flying Blue uses dynamic pricing, so you’ll see prices move around depending on route, season, and demand.

Still, it’s widely known for having competitive “starting at” levels between North America and Europe:

• 25,000 miles one-way in economy
• 40,000 miles one-way in premium economy
• 60,000 miles one-way in business class

To make that less theoretical, a flight from Montreal (YUL) to Paris (CDG) is priced at 25,000 miles in economy and 60,000 miles in business class.

With the old 1:0.75 transfer ratio, those prices were still attractive… but they effectively cost Canadians more MR points than the headline number suggested.

A 60,000-mile business class ticket effectively required 80,000 MR points just to generate the miles. Now that transfers are 1:1, 60,000 miles is simply 60,000 MR points, which makes Flying Blue redemptions much more straightforward to access.

Promo Rewards just got a whole lot more tempting

If you’ve followed Flying Blue for any amount of time, you already know the real fun is the Promo Rewards, which can discount select awards by 25%.

A 25% discount on the “starting at” North America–Europe prices brings awards down to:

• 18,750 miles one-way in economy
• 30,000 miles one-way in premium economy
• 45,000 miles one-way in business class

That’s where the new 1:1 transfer ratio really starts to shine, because you’re no longer paying an MR premium just to access the discounted price.

One important nuance: some months, certain business class Promo Rewards are exclusive to Flying Blue Extra subscribers, so not every discounted business class seat is necessarily available to every member.

So the play remains the same: find the award first, confirm you can book it at the shown price, then transfer MR points. Because once you transfer, you’re committed.

Partner awards are more attractive too

Flying Blue isn’t only useful for Air France and KLM flights. It can also be a surprisingly handy way to book select partner airlines — and this 1:1 transfer update makes those redemptions easier to justify, too.

For example, we’re seeing China Airlines business class from Vancouver (YVR) to Taipei (TPE) pricing at 61,500 miles.

With the old 1:0.75 ratio, you’d need to transfer roughly 82,000 MR points to generate 61,500 Flying Blue miles. Now? It’s a straight 61,500 MR points.

If you’ve had your eye on Flying Blue partner sweet spots (SkyTeam and beyond), the new transfer ratio gives you more flexibility and a lot less friction when it’s time to pull the trigger.

Transfer details

Amex’s Flying Blue partner page spells out that transfers are available in 100-point increments, with a 1,000-point minimum, and points are expected to transfer within 3 days.

In practice, transfers often seem to be much faster (it was instant when I tried a test transfer), but the official guidance is still “up to 3 days” — so don’t cut it close if you’re trying to snag the last seat on a popular date.

Conclusion

American Express Canada moving Membership Rewards transfers to Flying Blue from 1:0.75 to 1:1 is a meaningful upgrade.

It removes the old transfer penalty, makes Canada–Europe award pricing easier to access, and improves the value proposition on Flying Blue partner redemptions at the same time.