Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Loyalty Program Review
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Singapore Airlines Summary Table
- Home Country Singapore
- Major Hubs Singapore Changi Airport (SIN); U.S. destinations: Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO)
- Airline Alliance Star Alliance
- Points Are Worth 1.5 cents/point
- Signature Lounge Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge located at the Singapore Airport (SIN); Access to partner lounges in the U.S. include: Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO)
- Earn Points/Miles
- Redeem Points/Miles
- Best Ways to Redeem KrisFlyer Miles
- How to Book Singapore Airlines First Class
- How to Book Singapore Airlines Business Class
- Best Ways to Fly to Singapore With Points And Miles
- How to Fly Singapore Suites for Just 4,000 Additional KrisFlyer Miles
- The Definitive Guide to Singapore Airlines U.S. Routes [Plane Types & Seat Options]
- Airline Review
- Airline Fees
- Award Chart Link
Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
The KrisFlyer program is one of the best programs out there since it partners with all the flexible point programs.
Singapore Airlines Credit Cards
Singapore Airlines does not currently offer a co-branded product for U.S. residents, so we’ll focus on other credit card partners that earn you can transfer to Singapore Airlines.
American Express Credit Cards
American Express is a great way to earn points that can be transferred to Singapore Airlines miles.
With its impressive selection of personal and business credit cards, you’ll have more than enough ways to earn miles for your next redemption.
Amex also has regular bonuses with some of its airline partners when you transfer your points into airline miles, making this a valuable program to earn points in.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 3 months. This is our favorite card for getting into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass) and we get about $1,500+ in value from the card every year. Plus, get up to $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) — and up to $200 in annual credit for airline incidental charges (e.g. baggage fees). For rates and fees of the Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly. With a welcome bonus of 35,000 points after you spend $2,000 in your first 3 months and a $100 airfare credit per year, for many this is an easy addition to your wallet. For rates and fees of the Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a HUGE welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points. We get ~$1,250+ in value per year by leveraging as many of the benefits/perks card which more than offsets the higher annual fee. It's also a card we use for larger transactions ($5k or more) as it earns unlimited 1.5X points. Get access to 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide, $200 in airline fee credits for incidentals (e.g. baggage fees) and more. For rates and fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - probably our favorite Amex business card because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. This means you'll max out at a (whopping) 600,000 points per year. After that, you earn 1x. For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - This is a real simple card that earns you 2x points on business purchases up to $50,000 annually (then 1x). There's no annual fee. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
Chase Credit Cards
Chase is another flexible point program that partners with Singapore Airlines, giving you an excellent way to earn miles.
Chase stacks up with Amex in terms of the number of personal and business credit cards it has that earn Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to Singapore Airlines.
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is our favorite beginners travel rewards card which has a 60,000 point bonus (highest ever) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This sign up bonus is worth $750 in travel purchases (flights, hotels, car rentals etc) when you redeem your points through Chase's travel portal, which works like Expedia. The bonus alone could get you multiple round-trip flights or hotel stays. |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Consider this premium card if you want to get into a lot of airport lounges. The current sign up bonus is 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also get a $300 travel credit per year which wipes away a big chunk of the $450 annual fee. |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® - A simple, no annual fee card that earns you 3% cash-back on all purchases in your first year (up to $20,000 spent), then 1.5% on all purchases after that. Just know that you won't get any travel benefits or the ability to earn bonus points with this card. |
Recommended Chase Cards (Business)
| Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card - This is our #1 recommended business card and comes with a whopping 80,000 sign up bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. This bonus is worth $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel purchases (flights, hotels etc). Also, if you pay for your cell phone bill with this card, you can get up to $600 in cell phone insurance coverage per year. |
| Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card - earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. In addition, get up to 5% cash back on a range of business expenses. A simple, $0 annual fee card. |
Citi Credit Cards
Citi falls short of Amex and Chase with the number of credit cards it has that earn transferable ThankYou points. But that doesn’t mean the program should be ignored!
Citi, like Amex, has regular bonuses when transferring points to some of its airline partners, which can provide significant value.
The only credit card available to new applicants that earns ThankYou points is the Citi ThankYou Premier. You can find more about it here:
| CREDIT CARD | CARD INFO |
|---|---|
| Citi ThankYou® Premier Card |
|
| Citi Prestige® Card |
|
Marriott Credit Cards
Marriott is unique in that it’s a hotel rewards program that earns valuable flexible points.
Marriott partners with the most airlines of the flexible point programs, giving you access to many airlines that only partner with Marriott.
What’s great about the Marriott program is that with every 60,000 points you transfer to an airline partner, they give you a 5,000-point airline bonus.
When you transfer Marriott points to one of its airline partners, the 60,000 points transfer at a 3:1 ratio and become 20,000 airline miles. Add the 5,000-point bonus, and you’ve got 25,000 airline miles!
With the recommended credit cards below, you’ll be well on your way to having enough miles for your next award flight.
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Card - earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Get automatic silver elite status each account anniversary year; and a free night award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. |
| Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card - earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. A solid card for business owners who will get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy silver elite status. Annual fee is $125. For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Business Card, click here. |
Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards
Transferring other hotel points to airlines will likely result in a terrible transfer ratio, so we recommend avoiding this if at all possible.
If you are topping off an airline account or are in a bind, this option can be used as a last-ditch effort.
Singapore Airlines Overview
Singapore Airlines’ frequent flyer program is called KrisFlyer, and it’s one of the most utilized programs for premium travel.
The airline continually receives accolades for not only its ultra-premium products like Singapore Suites, but also its business class.
Singapore miles can be earned in many ways — here are the 4 most common:
- Flying Singapore Airlines or its partner airlines flights
- Spending on flexible points program credit cards
- Spending at car rental, hotel, or retail partners
- Using the airline’s shopping portal
Joining KrisFlyer
The KrisFlyer program is free to join by simply completing this application.
When your application is approved, you’ll have the ability to earn miles by flying Singapore Airlines or its partner airlines flights, earn elite status, and redeem miles for award flights.
How to Sign in to Your KrisFlyer Account
Head to the KrisFlyer login page and enter your membership number and password.
Hot Tip: The KrisFlyer program requires you to log in to search for an award flight. This is important, as you can only book Singapore Suites using KrisFlyer miles.
Viewing Your Account Activity
The easiest way to check your mileage balance is to follow these steps:
- Log in to your account
- Click the profile icon in the top right corner
- Click account summary
Singapore Airlines recommends the following timelines for miles to appear in your KrisFlyer account:
- 2 weeks for miles earned on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flights
- 4 weeks for miles earned on KrisFlyer partner airline flights
- 6-8 weeks for miles earned with KrisFlyer non-air partners
Points Expiration
Mileage expiration will depend on your KrisFlyer elite status.
KrisFlyer miles will expire after 3 years (or 1 year for miles received from contests) on the last day of the equivalent month in which they were earned for Basic, Silver, and Gold elites.
For example, miles credited to a KrisFlyer member account in September 2018 will expire September 30, 2021.
KrisFlyer miles will not expire for PPS Club members as long as the membership is current.
The mileage expiration rule applies to all miles regardless of how they were earned, except for certain promotional miles.
Singapore Airlines Mileage Program
KrisFlyer Elite Status
KrisFlyer has 3 levels of membership, 2 of which are elite tiers. Singapore Airlines has a separate elite club to award its most loyal flyers.
The program uses 2 currencies: KrisFlyer miles and Elite Miles.
KrisFlyer miles are the airline miles that you earn when you fly, and they’re used to redeem for award flights.
Elite miles are also earned when flying, but these miles are used for elite status qualification.
KrisFlyer: This is the level a member receives by signing up for a free account. There are no benefits other than the ability to earn and redeem miles.
KrisFlyer Silver: Silver is the first elite level where a member realizes benefits, which are shown below:
- Awarded after earning 25,000 Elite miles — valid for 12 months upon earning status
- 25% mileage bonus on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights
- Star Alliance Silver status
- Priority waitlist for Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, or Star Alliance flights
- Waived or discounted service fees
KrisFlyer Gold: Gold is the highest elite tier that is based on the number of miles that you fly without a spending requirement:
- Silver benefits listed above plus:
- Access to various lounges when flying Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Star Alliance, Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic, and Vistara
- Star Alliance Gold status
- Extra baggage allowance
- Priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling
PPS Club: In addition to Silver and Gold elite tiers, KrisFlyer has a program called the Priority Passenger Service Club (PPS Club) that focuses on rewarding high spenders.
The base PPS Club level requires you to spend $25,000 annually on premium cabin travel (think Singapore Suites). If you find yourself in this camp, you can learn more here.
If you’re interested in learning more about the KrisFlyer elite tiers or the program’s terms and conditions, you can find out more about each here and here.
Value of KrisFlyer Elite Status
Elite status within the KrisFlyer program will depend on how frequently you can fly Singapore Airlines and its partner airline flights.
The benefits certainly won’t blow you away on paper, but having access to premium lounges around the world is nice.
Singapore Airlines partners with all of the flexible point programs, so earning miles in this program (plus credit card points), will ensure you always have enough KrisFlyer miles for your next redemption.
Earning KrisFlyer Elite Status
Singapore Airlines awards status based on the number of Elite Miles that you earn when flying Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Vistara, or any Star Alliance airline.
Elite Miles are calculated based on the number of miles that you fly plus the earnings rate of the fare class you booked.
These Elite Miles are only used for elite status qualification and can’t be used to book an award flight.
How to Earn Singapore Miles
Singapore Airlines has a number of ways to earn Singapore Airlines miles.
The KrisFlyer program allows to you earn miles from flying, transfers from credit cards, spending with its travel partners, and shopping through its retail portal.
Earning Miles Through Flying
KrisFlyer mileage is based on the distance of the flight and the earn rate percentage of the airline you fly.
Singapore Airlines lists all of mileage accrual rates and has a miles calculator to help determine the mileage you will earn.
KrisFlyer Silver, Gold, and PPS Club members also earn a 25% bonus on actual miles flown, except for economy tickets in G, K, N, Q, V, or L booking classes.
Earn Miles With Credit Cards
Singapore Airlines doesn’t offer a credit card for the U.S. market, but the program does partner with multiple flexible point programs like American Express and Chase.
We recommend applying for American Express, Chase, Citi, and Marriott personal and business credit cards that earn points you can transfer directly to Singapore Airlines.
Earning Bonus Miles in Other Ways
Singapore Airlines has a list of travel partners that range from hotels to car rental companies that allow you to earn airline miles when you spend money with that partner.
This can be a great way to earn additional miles with spending you’re already incurring. For example, you can earn miles with a hotel stay.
How to Redeem Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
Singapore Airlines offers 2 types of award flights:
- Saver – These are the lowest priced award tickets on Singapore Airlines/SilkAir flights, which you’ll want to use your miles on
- Advantage – These are the most expensive award tickets, which require more miles
To see the award rates for Singapore/SilkAir flights, you can access the award chart here.
| Singapore – West Coast | Singapore – East Coast | U.S. – Europe | |
| Economy | 38,000 | 40,000 | 22,500 |
| Premium Economy | 65,000 | 70,000 | 45,000 |
| Business | 88,000 | 92,000 | 65,000 |
| Suites/First | 118,000 | 120,000 | 76,000 |
| Mileage rates for Singapore Airlines flights to/from U.S. cities. | |||
It’s important to note that Suites/first is not offered on all flights between these regions. You will want to confirm on the Singapore Airlines website that this cabin class is available for your route before transferring any points.
If you’re interested in seeing all of the ways to redeem Singapore Airlines miles, we have a post on the best ways to redeem Singapore Airlines miles.
Star Alliance and Partner Awards
The KrisFlyer program uses different award charts depending on the partner you are flying.
Below are the relevant award charts:
- Star Alliance award chart
- Alaska Airlines award chart
- Virgin Atlantic award chart
- Remaining partner award charts
Partner award pricing doesn’t have Saver and Advantage. Mileage requirements shown in the charts are the lowest rate you will see when flying that partner.
Booking Online
Singapore Airlines doesn’t have access to all Star Alliance partner award space that you’ll find when using the United, Aeroplan, and ANA search engines, and the website only allows you to search 1 day at a time.
The Singapore Airlines search engine should only be used to search for and book Suite/first class award space, as Singapore Airlines doesn’t release this inventory to its partners.
If you find yourself wanting to fly Singapore Suites or first, check out the best ways to book Singapore Airlines first class.
FAQ
What is the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program? Is it worth it? What are the benefits?
KrisFlyer is the free frequent flyer program of Singapore Airlines. By signing up for a membership, you’ll have the ability to earn and redeem Singapore Airlines miles, as well as work your way towards elite status.
The benefit of the program will vary depending on your elite status. Singapore Airlines has 2 elite tiers: Silver and Gold.
The higher your elite status, the more benefits you will have access to, like earning bonus points when flying.
KrisFlyer miles are earned based on distance flown, fare type purchased, and your elite status. The longer the distance, the more premium the cabin class, and the higher your elite status, the more miles you’ll earn.
With enough KrisFlyer miles earned by flying and credit card point transfers, you’ll be able to book Singapore Airlines and partner airline award flights online.
In KrisFlyer, who are the partners? Can I transfer miles to them?
Singapore Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and has separate partnerships with individual airlines.
You can find a list of Singapore Airlines airline partners here.
Singapore Airlines also has other partners like hotels and car rental companies. You can transfer airline miles directly to these partners if you need points for a redemption.
What is the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer login?
You can sign in to KrisFlyer here.
Where can I sign up for KrisFlyer?
Sign up with the KrisFlyer program by filling out this online form.
What is my KrisFlyer number?
You can find your KrisFlyer number by signing in to your account, on your membership card, or through a variety of marketing emails the airline sends to you.
If you can’t find it in those spots, try using the “forgot my password” tool to reset your account so you can get in. Alternatively, try calling the customer service desk to find your number.
When do miles post in KrisFlyer?
Singapore Airlines recommends allowing 2 weeks for miles earned on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flights, 4 weeks for miles earned on KrisFlyer partner airline flights, and 6-8 weeks for miles earned with KrisFlyer non-air partners to appear in your KrisFlyer account.
When do Singapore Airlines miles expire?
KrisFlyer miles will expire after 3 years on the last day of the equivalent month in which they were earned for Basic, Silver, and Gold elites (or 1 year for miles received from contests).
KrisFlyer miles will not expire for current PPS Club members. The expiration mileage rule applies to all miles regardless of how they are earned, except for certain promotional miles.
When does KrisFlyer status expire?
KrisFlyer elite status is valid for 12 months after earning the status. If you earn a higher elite status while holding a lower elite status, you will be awarded the higher elite status at that time, which will be valid for an additional 12 months.
Is there an Singapore Airlines credit card?
Singapore Airlines doesn’t currently offer a credit card for the U.S. market.
In KrisFlyer, what is a stopover?
A stopover is a stay of more than 24 hours (international) or 4 hours (domestic) at your destination after landing.
What is a KrisFlyer hold?
The KrisFlyer terms and conditions do not address the ability to hold an award flight.
Based on data points from other articles, it appears KrisFlyer is willing to put a Singapore Airlines/SilkAir flight on hold for you if you ask.
It is unclear (but unlikely) that Singapore Airlines will hold a partner award flight.
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