Summary
- Bluebiz is a shared corporate loyalty program for Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic.
- Companies join based on annual spending and employees earn credits for flights with member airlines.
- Blue Credits earned can be used for free flights, upgrades, and other services with few restrictions.
Alongside their main loyalty programs, many airlines also have a specific program for business travelers. British Airways, for example, has On Business and American Airlines offers AAdvantage Business – alongside the main loyalty programs.
Bluebiz is one such business loyalty program – used jointly by Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. Qualifying businesses can sign up, and their employees then earn additional rewards when traveling with these airlines (plus some other partners). Credits earned can then be used for free flights, carbon offsets, or other services.
The Bluebiz loyalty program
Bluebiz is a corporate loyalty program shared by four airlines – Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. It is designed for small and medium-sized businesses whose employees regularly travel with member airlines.
Photo: Georges Hanna | Shutterstock
While there are few restrictions for companies to join (largely any registered company in a valid country that does not have an existing commercial agreement with a member airline can join), it is designed for higher spending. Each company has to meet an annual spending threshold before their flights will earn credits in the program. This varies by country – and is the equivalent of EUR 5,000.
Earning in Bluebiz with flights
As the program is shared by four airlines – Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic – points (known as credits with Bluebiz) can be earned from flights with these airlines. The only significant exception is for Delta Air Lines flights that are only for US or Canada domestic flights – these do not earn in the program. Delta Air Lines tickets issued in Europe, Middle East, and Africa that cover other routes are eligible.
In general, all other flights ticketed and operated by these airlines will earn. Some summary earning rules are given below – the following flights are all eligible:
|
Airline |
Ticket number |
Flight code |
Operating Airline |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Air France |
057 |
AF, KL, DL, VS |
All |
|
KLM |
074 |
AF, KL, DL, VS, HV |
All |
|
Virgin Atlantic |
006 |
AF, KL, DL, VS |
AF, KL, DL, VS |
|
Delta Air Lines |
932 |
AF, KL, DL, VS – But not for US and Canada domestic flights |
AF, KL, DL, VS plus several others |
All eligible flights earn credits at the same rate. This is based on the total spend (there is no distance-based earning in this program). Credits are earned on the base fare plus any carrier surcharge, with three Blue Credits awarded for every GBP 100 spent.
Image: Bluebiz
Some points to note about earning include:
- There is no earning for tickets booked with points or miles, or Blue Credits.
- Infant and child tickets are excluded.
- Tickets paid with gift vouchers are excluded.
It is important to note that Bluebiz, along with most other corporate loyalty programs, allows travelers to earn for the corporate program alongside miles or points using their own personal loyalty membership. There is no penalty for the individual in using both programs. Travelers simply enter the appropriate Bluebiz number and their preferred personal loyalty program details into the flight booking.
The four member airlines
As we have explained, the four current member airlines are Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. This has changed in the past and could be done again. Virgin Atlantic only joined the Bluebiz program in mid-2019 (it previously operated its own program called Flying Co).
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Things have changed recently for Delta Air Lines users, as it has introduced a new corporate loyalty program known as Delta Business Travelers. This is a wider program for companies of any size and includes individual business travelers. It offers additional benefits, too, including:
- Six months of Hertz Five Star Status.
- Three additional bonus miles per dollar spent on Delta Stays and Car Rentals.
- Access to co-working spaces through Industrious – with a free month and a discounted ongoing rate of just $99.
Shared schemes are also common with other airlines. On Business, for example, is used by both British Airways and Iberia. It is also now used by American Airlines as an alternative to its main AAdvantage Business program.
Spending Blue Credits
The Bluebiz scheme operates a very straightforward and transparent booking system. Blue Credits have a fixed cash value that can be used towards any applicable airfare or cabin upgrade. This is less lucrative (or exciting) than a fixed award-based system but it means that there are always options to use credits.
Every Blue Credit has a value of one Euro. If, for example, the company has 500 Credits in the account, then 500 Euros can be used for flights, upgrades, or other flight services.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Note the following about spending credits:
- Credits must be used to cover the fare entirely (including any surcharges and taxes) – they cannot be used as part of the payment.
- They can be used for any available flights with the member airlines. There are no booking class restrictions.
- Tickets can be purchased through the Air France or KLM websites or set up to use through a travel agency.