Singapore Airlines Now Requires Having KrisFlyer Miles in Your Account To Search Award Availability

If you usually check Singapore Airlines award availability before deciding whether to transfer your credit card points, there’s a new catch. KrisFlyer members now need to have miles in their account before they can search for award flights online, making it much harder to search availability or plan future redemptions without an existing balance.

Here’s what changed, why it matters, and what it could mean for anyone planning to book a Singapore Airlines award ticket.

KrisFlyer Members Now Need Miles Before Searching Awards

Without any advance warning, Singapore Airlines has introduced a new requirement for its KrisFlyer loyalty program. Members with a zero-mile balance can no longer search for award availability through the airline’s website or app.

Instead, users are prompted to have a minimum balance in their KrisFlyer account before they can access award searches. While many reports suggest the threshold is 1,000 KrisFlyer miles, the message displayed on Singapore Airlines’ website doesn’t specify an exact amount. Instead, it simply states that the member’s current miles balance is insufficient to search for award flights.

The airline has not officially announced the change, but frequent flyers have widely noticed it over the past day.

Previously, anyone with a KrisFlyer account — even a brand-new account with no miles — could log in and search for award availability. That made it easy to check whether seats were available before deciding whether to transfer points from a credit card rewards program.

The update is unlikely to affect existing KrisFlyer members who already keep miles in their accounts. However, it could create an extra step for new members or anyone whose balance is zero. Singapore Airlines hasn’t explained why it made the change, and it’s also unclear whether this is a permanent policy or something the airline is simply testing.

For travelers, the biggest pain point is planning point transfers. KrisFlyer is a transfer partner of several major transferable points programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards (all at a ratio of 1:1), as well as Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1 and Brex Rewards at a 3:2 ratio. Because transfers are generally one-way and can’t be reversed, many travelers like to confirm award availability before moving points into their KrisFlyer account.

With this new change, someone opening a new KrisFlyer account may first need to transfer enough points to meet the required balance before they can even see if the flight they want is available. It’s a relatively small hurdle, but it’s an annoyance for travelers trying to plan an award booking.

Final Thoughts

Singapore Airlines hasn’t publicly commented on the change, so it’s unclear whether this is a permanent policy or simply something the airline is testing. We’re hoping it’s the latter.

KrisFlyer has long been one of the best loyalty programs for accessing Singapore Airlines award space, and it’d be disappointing to see travelers face yet another hurdle before they can even start searching for flights.