Flying Blue American Express: Gold or Platinum?

A Flying Blue American Express card earns Miles on purchases and gives you XP each year towards Flying Blue status. Gold costs €16.50 a month (€198 a year) and awards 30 XP annually. Platinum costs €55 a month (€660 a year) and awards 60 XP annually. Whether Platinum is worth the extra €462 a year depends on your spending, flights and use of its benefits.

Gold or Platinum?

Gold normally earns 1 Mile per euro spent, or 1.5 Miles on direct purchases from KLM, Air France and Hertz. Platinum earns 1.5 and 2 Miles per euro respectively. The annual XP go to the main cardholder’s Flying Blue account and count towards status; Miles can be redeemed.

Current welcome offers

The direct offer with extra XP has ended. Current offers award 30 annual XP with Gold and 60 annual XP with Platinum through either route. There are no one-off extra XP.

Which card suits you?

Gold is the lower-cost way to earn Miles on purchases and receive 30 XP annually. A card purchase also extends the validity of your Miles balance. Gold includes travel and purchase protection, with limits and exclusions.

Platinum provides 60 XP a year and a higher Miles earning rate. It also has supplementary cards and other benefits. Existing Flying Blue Platinum members may especially value the option to share status with an eligible additional cardholder under the programme rules. It costs €38.50 a month more than Gold. Without a real status goal or use for those extras, Gold is usually the better choice.

XP count towards Flying Blue status; Miles are redeemable rewards. Annual card XP are separate from extra welcome-offer XP, which are awarded only once. Amex is not accepted everywhere, so carry a backup card for shops and rental deposits. Check when travel insurance requires paying for the trip with the card.

Which application route should you choose?

The invitation awards 20,000 more Miles with Gold and 60,000 more with Platinum. Both routes award the same XP: 30 with Gold and 60 with Platinum. Applying directly therefore does not offer an XP advantage.

Applicants must be at least 18, resident in the Netherlands, have at least €30,000 gross annual income and no negative BKR registration, and must not have held any primary or supplementary Amex card in the previous 12 months. Half the bonus is awarded in month 7 and half in month 13, provided at least one €1 purchase is made in every month of months 1–6 and 7–12 respectively. The card must be active when the bonus is awarded; each period is assessed separately.

The invitation opens on Flying Blue Gold. Select View all cards and then Flying Blue Platinum if that is your choice. The selected card’s actual offer and terms govern. The referrer may receive a reward.

Our verdict

Gold is the lower-cost starting point for earning Miles and receiving 30 annual XP. Platinum suits travellers for whom its 30 additional annual XP, higher earning rate and other benefits justify the higher fee. The current invitation offers more Miles with the same XP as applying directly. Offers and card information checked on 3 October 2026.

If Flying Blue status is not your goal

The extra XP may have little value to you. The regular American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to several travel programmes. The regular card may serve you better if its fee, points flexibility and insurance match your travel. Flying Blue Platinum and the regular Amex Platinum are different products.