Flying Blue (Air France & KLM) - Keeping AF Miles Alive - Will This Work?

I am a mileage rookie looking for advice from all the pros out there. I have Air France miles that will expire in a few months and unfortunately won't be able to actually take a trip (even on a partner airline) before they do. Would it work to enroll in a hotel program that participates with AF, elect to take miles instead of points, then make a purchase at a participating retailer (say SkyMall, etc)? Do I have to have an actual hotel stay to activate the account?
If this won't work, are there any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

I'll go ahead and move this to the AF forum.

Regards,

Flipside

I am a mileage rookie looking for advice from all the pros out there. I have Air France miles that will expire in a few months and unfortunately won't be able to actually take a trip (even on a partner airline) before they do. Would it work to enroll in a hotel program that participates with AF, elect to take miles instead of points, then make a purchase at a participating retailer (say SkyMall, etc)? Do I have to have an actual hotel stay to activate the account?
If this won't work, are there any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately, no. You need to have an AF or KL flight, or a SkyTeam flight operated by a SkyTeam carrier, or if you have a French AF Amex Gold card, a purchase with that card.

Activity which does not count toward elite qualification, such as a hotel stay, or a transfer from SPG into your AF account, or booking an award, does not count.