Flying Blue's New Apple Store Earns Miles on the Products Other Portals Exclude

If you've ever tried to earn points on a newly released MacBook or iPhone, you know the drill. You head to your favorite airline shopping portal, only to find that the product you want to buy is ineligible for earning points.

But that's no longer the case if you're OK with earning Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles. Earlier this week, the European airline loyalty program launched a cobranded Apple Store that awards points on all Apple products, including new releases.

Early looks at the portal suggest earnings range from 1 to 4 miles per dollar, depending on the item. You'll see the actual number of miles you'll earn at checkout.

For example, the entry-level $599 MacBook Neo — a product excluded by other portals — earns 1867 miles. That works out to roughly 3.2 miles per dollar spent.

Flying Blue's Apple Store is now live in the U.S., France, the Netherlands, and the U.K. Rest assured that Apple ships your order directly.

Andrew's Take

If a new iPhone or MacBook is already in your cart, you might as well shop through Flying Blue and pocket the extra miles. Just check whether ordering through the portal costs you Apple's education pricing or trade-in credit, because any of those can outweigh the miles. If not, route your purchase through Flying Blue.