Brim Flying Blue Card Review: Vancouver to Paris for 25,000 Miles + $140 CAD in Taxes
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We talk a lot on this blog about the satisfaction of a great points redemption. The InterContinental Da Nang on IHG points. The St. Regis Beijing on a free night certificate. The Vinpearl Landmark 81 on Marriott 35k certificates. Each one felt like the points strategy working exactly as it should.
This one felt like we won.
We booked two economy seats from Vancouver (YVR) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) — the first leg of our 2026 Camino de Santiago and Europe adventure — through Flying Blue at 25,000 miles per person plus just $140 CAD in taxes. Both seats confirmed. Paris locked in.
The program that made it possible is one that most Canadian travel hackers have overlooked entirely: the Brim Flying Blue Mastercard — one of the most straightforward and underrated travel credit cards available in Canada today.
Here’s the full story of how we did it, why we jumped on it immediately, and why the Brim Flying Blue card deserves to be in every Canadian travel hacker’s wallet.
What Is Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France and KLM — two of Europe’s premier carriers and SkyTeam alliance members. Flying Blue miles can be redeemed on Air France, KLM, and a wide range of SkyTeam partner airlines for flights across an extensive global network.
For Canadians specifically, Flying Blue is valuable for one reason above all others: transatlantic redemptions between Canada and Europe at award rates that consistently undercut competing programs.
While Aeroplan — Canada’s dominant frequent flyer program — offers strong transatlantic value, Flying Blue’s pricing on certain routes and its regular Promo Rewards sales (where select routes are discounted by 20–50% in miles) create windows of opportunity that reward travellers who are watching and ready to book.
The Vancouver to Paris route is one of Flying Blue’s strongest North American redemptions — a long-haul transatlantic flight on Air France metal at award rates that represent exceptional cents-per-mile value when booked at the right time.
The Booking: 25,000 Miles Per Person, $140 CAD in Taxes
Let’s put some numbers on why this redemption is worth getting excited about.
Cash fare: A Vancouver to Paris economy flight on Air France typically runs $800–$1,400 CAD depending on season and booking window.
Our cost: 25,000 Flying Blue miles plus $140 CAD in taxes and fees. Per person. Both of us confirmed on the same flight.
Value per mile: At a conservative $1,000 CAD cash fare equivalent, 25,000 miles delivering $860 CAD in flight value (after taxes) works out to approximately 3.4 cents per mile — well above the 1.5–2 cent benchmark that most points enthusiasts use as a minimum threshold for a good redemption.
This is not a complicated calculation. It is simply a very good deal, executed by having miles ready and booking far enough in advance to secure award availability on a popular transatlantic route.
How We Did It: Patience and Preparation
There was no secret trick here. No flash sale exploitation, no last-minute availability miracle. The redemption worked because of two straightforward principles that run through everything we do with points:
We had miles saved up. The Brim Flying Blue card has been part of our wallet for long enough that we had accumulated a meaningful Flying Blue balance before the Europe trip became a concrete plan. When the availability appeared, the miles were ready. If we’d been scrambling to accumulate at the moment we wanted to book, we would have missed the window.
We booked far in advance. Transatlantic award availability on desirable routes disappears quickly — particularly in economy, where award seats are limited and competition from Flying Blue members worldwide is real. Booking well in advance secured seats that a later booking attempt might not have found. The lesson we carry from every points redemption: when the availability is there and the value is right, book immediately.
The combination of a ready balance and the willingness to commit early is what made this redemption possible. It’s not glamorous advice. It works every time.
The Brim Flying Blue Mastercard: Why It Deserves More Attention
The card that built this Flying Blue balance is one that most Canadian travel content largely ignores — and that represents a genuine gap in the conversation.
The Brim Flying Blue Mastercard is issued by Brim Financial in partnership with Flying Blue, and it is one of the most straightforward travel credit cards available to Canadians. Here’s why it earns its place in a multi-card strategy:
Easy to Apply For and Use
The Brim Flying Blue card has a straightforward application process that doesn’t require the income thresholds or credit history complexity of some premium Canadian travel cards. For travellers building a multi-card points strategy who want Flying Blue miles specifically, the accessibility of the Brim card is a genuine advantage.
The card itself is simple to use — earn Flying Blue miles on everyday spending, accumulate, redeem on Air France, KLM, and partners. No complex portal, no points-to-currency conversion, no earning caps to navigate. Miles credited to your Flying Blue account are usable immediately.
Flying Blue Miles: A Genuinely Useful Currency
What makes the Brim card valuable is the currency it earns. Flying Blue miles are one of the most useful transatlantic redemption currencies available to Canadians for several reasons:
Air France and KLM fly directly from multiple Canadian cities to Paris and Amsterdam — meaning your miles redeem on flights you actually want to take, on quality carriers, without complex routings.
Flying Blue Promo Rewards — Flying Blue runs regular promotional award sales where specific routes are discounted 20–50% in miles. Monitoring these promotions and having a ready miles balance to deploy when a good route appears is one of the most reliable ways to extract maximum value from the program. Our 25,000 mile YVR-CDG redemption is exactly the kind of value these promotions unlock.
SkyTeam network breadth — beyond Air France and KLM, Flying Blue miles are redeemable on SkyTeam partners including Delta, Korean Air, China Southern, Vietnam Airlines, and many others — giving the currency genuine versatility beyond purely transatlantic redemptions.
No blackout dates on Air France and KLM flights — award seats are available wherever paid seats are available, which means the program doesn’t artificially restrict when you can use your miles.
How to Maximise the Brim Flying Blue Card
Sign up through our referral link — brim.flyingblue.ca?code=RP7N52 — to ensure you receive any current welcome bonus miles on offer.
Use it for everyday spending categories where it earns well — grocery, dining, and travel purchases are typically the strongest earn categories on the card.
Monitor Flying Blue Promo Rewards — sign up for Flying Blue email notifications so you’re alerted when promotional awards drop on routes relevant to your travel plans. When a strong promo appears on a route you want, having your Brim-earned miles ready to deploy immediately is the difference between booking it and watching someone else book it.
Pair it with other programs — the Brim Flying Blue card works best as part of a multi-card strategy rather than as a standalone solution. For Canadians with Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton Honors balances, adding Flying Blue specifically covers transatlantic flying in a way those programs don’t always match on price.
Flying Blue vs Aeroplan for Vancouver to Paris: Which Is Better?
This is the question Canadian travel hackers should be asking more often, and the honest answer is: it depends on the specific redemption, and having both programs available is the optimal strategy.
Aeroplan is Canada’s dominant transatlantic program with strong Air Canada pricing and broad Star Alliance partner access. For business class transatlantic redemptions specifically, Aeroplan’s fixed partner pricing can deliver extraordinary value. For economy on Air Canada metal, Aeroplan is often competitive.
Flying Blue shines on economy transatlantic redemptions, particularly during Promo Rewards sales and on Air France and KLM metal where the program’s own-carrier pricing applies. Our 25,000 mile YVR-CDG redemption is a clear example of Flying Blue outperforming what Aeroplan would have required for the same route on the same dates.
The practical conclusion: accumulate both. Use Aeroplan when it wins (business class, Star Alliance partners, routes where Air Canada is the best option). Use Flying Blue when it wins (economy transatlantic, Air France/KLM routes, Promo Rewards opportunities). The Brim Flying Blue card is how Canadians build the Flying Blue balance that makes this flexibility possible.
What This Flight Unlocks: The 2026 Europe Adventure
The YVR to CDG booking is the first confirmed piece of our 2026 Camino de Santiago and Europe trip — and landing in Paris is the perfect starting point for everything that follows.
A few days in Paris to absorb the city, eat extraordinarily well, and mentally prepare. Then the train south to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Basque Country, where the Camino Francés begins. Thirty-plus days walking 800 kilometres across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Then the reward: trains through Spain and Portugal and into Italy, European cities experienced from the particular vantage point of people who just walked across a country to get there.
The flight home — likely from Rome — is still to be planned. We’re looking at Aeroplan and Avios for the return depending on what availability and pricing looks like as 2026 approaches.
For the full vision of the Europe trip, read our 2026 Camino and Europe travel plans.
Practical Information: Using Flying Blue as a Canadian
Earning Flying Blue miles in Canada:
- Brim Flying Blue Mastercard — the most direct Canadian path to Flying Blue miles
- Flying Blue shopping portal — earn bonus miles on purchases through the portal
- Air France and KLM flights — miles earned directly on own-metal flying
- Hotel and car rental partners — Flying Blue has partnerships with major hotel chains and car rental companies
Redeeming Flying Blue miles:
- Book directly through the Flying Blue website or Air France/KLM booking platforms
- Log into your Flying Blue account, search award availability, and apply miles at checkout
- Monitor the Flying Blue Promo Rewards page for discounted award sales on specific routes — these are updated monthly and represent the program’s strongest redemption opportunities
Flying Blue award search tips:
- Search flexible dates where possible — award availability varies significantly by date and flexibility dramatically increases your chances of finding the redemption you want
- Book as far in advance as possible for popular transatlantic routes — award seats on YVR-CDG and other North American to Europe routes are competitive
- Have your miles ready before you search — Flying Blue award seats don’t hold for long and the best redemptions require immediate booking
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Brim Flying Blue card? The Brim Flying Blue Mastercard is a Canadian credit card issued by Brim Financial in partnership with Flying Blue — the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. It earns Flying Blue miles on everyday spending and is one of the most accessible Canadian cards for building a Flying Blue miles balance.
How many Flying Blue miles do you need for Vancouver to Paris? Award pricing varies by date, cabin, and whether a Promo Rewards sale is active. We booked at 25,000 miles per person in economy — an excellent rate that reflects either a promotional pricing window or strong standard award availability on the route. Check the Flying Blue website for current award pricing.
Is Flying Blue good for Canadians? Yes — particularly for transatlantic economy redemptions on Air France and KLM. The program’s Promo Rewards sales create regular opportunities for below-standard-rate bookings on routes between Canada and Europe. The Brim Flying Blue card is the primary Canadian earning vehicle for the program.
How does Flying Blue compare to Aeroplan for transatlantic flights? Both programs have contexts where they outperform the other. Flying Blue is often stronger for economy transatlantic on Air France/KLM, particularly during Promo Rewards sales. Aeroplan is often stronger for business class transatlantic and Star Alliance partner redemptions. Having both programs available and using each where it performs best is the optimal Canadian strategy.
Should I apply for the Brim Flying Blue card? If you’re planning a Europe trip and want to build Flying Blue miles for transatlantic redemptions, yes — it’s the most direct Canadian path to the program. Apply through our referral link at brim.flyingblue.ca?code=RP7N52.
Final Thoughts
Twenty-five thousand miles per person. One hundred and forty Canadian dollars in taxes. Two seats confirmed on Air France from Vancouver to Paris.
We jumped on it the moment we found it — because that is always the right decision when a genuinely strong redemption appears and your miles are ready. The Brim Flying Blue card built the balance that made it possible, and the patience to accumulate before we needed to redeem created the opportunity.
Paris in 2026. The Camino waiting on the other side of a train journey south. Eight hundred kilometres of Spain to walk before the cities begin.
The points are working. The adventure is booked.
Apply for the Brim Flying Blue Mastercard to start building your own Flying Blue balance — and start watching those Promo Rewards sales.
For our complete points and travel hacking strategy built across our 100-day Asia trip, read our how we saved $20,000 guide. For the full 2026 Europe vision, our Camino and Europe travel plans has everything.
Follow the journey as it unfolds: Instagram @angeandzee | TikTok @angeandzee
