17 Best Ways to Redeem Singapore KrisFlyer Miles for Max Value
40
40 We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertising partners. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. Terms apply to offers below. See our Advertiser Disclosure for more details.
Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s most beloved airlines. The iconic uniforms of Singapore Airlines flight attendants symbolize the airline’s exemplary customer service.
As a member of Star Alliance, Singapore Airlines has an extensive network of partners, in addition to its ownership of Silk Air for Asia regional flights.
Singapore Changi Airport is lauded as one of the best airports in the world, and it is a 24-hour destination in its own right. Many travelers deliberately book long layovers in Singapore to explore, shop, play, and most of all eat!
From the U.S. West Coast, Singapore Airlines flies from Los Angeles to Tokyo, continuing onward to Singapore. Additionally, Singapore Airlines flies non-stop from Los Angeles to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines expanded its operations with a new nonstop that joined the existing flight to Hong Kong. You can now either fly to Singapore via Hong Kong or nonstop to Hong Kong!
Heading the other direction, those in the know fly Singapore Airlines to Europe: New York (JFK) to Frankfurt and Houston to Manchester, UK. Both flights continue onward to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles can be earned many ways, and KrisFlyer is one of the most versatile frequent flyer programs for smart travelers. Let’s learn the best ways to use KrisFlyer miles for awesome travel around the world!
Table of contents
- Best Ways to Earn KrisFlyer Miles
- The 17 Best Ways to Use Your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
- Fly Singapore Suites Class on the A380
- Singapore Airlines First Class From Los Angeles to Tokyo
- Singapore Airlines Business Class From San Francisco to Hong Kong or Singapore
- United Domestic Business or First Class
- United Airlines to Hawaii
- U.S. West Coast on Alaska Airlines
- U.S. West Coast to Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico on Alaska Airlines
- Fly Singapore Airlines From the U.S. to Europe
- Star Alliance Flights to Europe
- Star Alliance Flights to the Middle East or North Africa
- Star Alliance Business Class to Central or South Africa
- Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to Europe
- Lufthansa First Class to Europe
- South Pacific Island Hopping on Star Alliance
- South Pacific Island Hopping on Virgin Australia
- Australia Domestic Flights on Virgin Australia
- Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Details for the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program
- Singapore Airlines Suites Class
- Star Alliance Partners
- Additional Airline Partners
- How Much Do KrisFlyer Awards Cost?
- New Online Search, New Offline Fees
- Routing and Stopovers
- Award Surcharges
- Award Holds and Waitlist
- Round the World Awards
- Booking Class Upgrades
- Miles and Cash
- Transfer and Family Booking
- Changes and Cancellation
- Miles Expiration
- Final Thoughts
Table of Contents
- Best Ways to Earn KrisFlyer Miles
- The 17 Best Ways to Use Your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
- 1. Fly Singapore Suites Class on the A380
- 2. Singapore Airlines First Class From Los Angeles to Tokyo
- 3. Singapore Airlines Business Class From San Francisco to Hong Kong or Singapore
- 4. United Domestic Business or First Class
- 5. United Airlines to Hawaii
- 6. U.S. West Coast on Alaska Airlines
- 7. U.S. West Coast to Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico on Alaska Airlines
- 8. Fly Singapore Airlines From the U.S. to Europe
- 9. Star Alliance Flights to Europe
- 10. Star Alliance Flights to the Middle East or North Africa
- 11. Star Alliance Business Class to Central or South Africa
- 12. Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to Europe
- 13. Lufthansa First Class to Europe
- 14. South Pacific Island Hopping on Star Alliance
- 15. South Pacific Island Hopping on Virgin Australia
- 16. Australia Domestic Flights on Virgin Australia
- 17. Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Details for the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program
- Singapore Airlines Suites Class
- Star Alliance Partners
- Additional Airline Partners
- How Much Do KrisFlyer Awards Cost?
- New Online Search, New Offline Fees
- Routing and Stopovers
- Award Surcharges
- Award Holds and Waitlist
- Round the World Awards
- Booking Class Upgrades
- Miles and Cash
- Transfer and Family Booking
- Changes and Cancellation
- Miles Expiration
- Final Thoughts
Best Ways to Earn KrisFlyer Miles
KrisFlyer miles can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi Thank You Rewards (all at a rate of 1:1), from Capital One at a 2:1 rate, or from Marriott at a transfer rate of 3:1.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a new welcome bonus offer of This is our #1 card for accessing 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Priority Pass (enrollment required). We leverage ~$4,900+ in benefits and perks from the card every year. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - This card has a new welcome bonus of We love using this card as it earns 4X Membership Rewards Points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and earns 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly; and you'll have access to many benefits and perks. Terms apply and for rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. |
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is our favorite beginners travel rewards card, which is currently offering Chase's best offer ever of 100,000 point bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. The card earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining and 2x points on all other travel purchases, plus more. Enjoy a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, and other travel benefits such as excellent travel insurance coverage, including car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees, this card is a very rewarding card. |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® - This premium card will get you access to 1,300+ airport lounges. as well as a number of other card benefits. The current sign up bonus is 60,000 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 $550 annual fee. As an extra bonus, until 12/31/21, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit. Earn big with this card, earn 5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® card - A solid, no annual fee card that earns you a $200 bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months. Earn 5% cash-back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, and 5% on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Then earn 3% cash-back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases, but you won't get any travel benefits with this card. |
If you’re a business owner, see our article about the best Chase business cards.
Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Personal)
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card - This card is packed with lots of benefits and perks. Earn 60,000 mile sign up bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. We recommend this as a no-brainer card if you even semi-regularly stay at hotels since this card earns unlimited 2x miles on every purchase. |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - This is an excellent card for those looking to earn 1.25x miles per $1 on every purchase. With a 20,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $200 toward travel) after spending $500 within the first 3 months and no annual fee, it's a strong choice. |
Marriott Transfers
You can earn Marriott points and transfer those to KrisFlyer at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 KrisFlyer miles.
The 17 Best Ways to Use Your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
1. Fly Singapore Suites Class on the A380
Among the top ways to use Singapore miles is with Singapore Suites: one of the world’s premier airline experiences. With a companion, this is the mile-high double bed!
Only the A380 has Singapore Suites Class. Not that first class on other aircraft is shabby — but make sure you know what you are getting before you book!
Here are some fun options:
- New York to Frankfurt: 86,000 miles
- New York to Singapore (via Frankfurt): 132,000 miles
- New York to Sydney (via Frankfurt and Singapore): 167,000 miles
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore Suites Class using points.
Hot Tip: If you are connecting, having a card like The Platinum Card® from American Express can be useful for offering lounge access while you wait!
2. Singapore Airlines First Class From Los Angeles to Tokyo
Fly first class from Los Angeles to Tokyo or Seoul for 107,000 bonus miles one-way. It’s not Suites Class, but it should certainly do!
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore Airlines first class, and see Greg’s review of their 777 product in First Class.
3. Singapore Airlines Business Class From San Francisco to Hong Kong or Singapore
From San Francisco, your options on Singapore Airlines are Hong Kong and Singapore. In business class, that’s 89,000 miles for Hong Kong or 95,000 miles for Singapore.
The SFO – SIN route actually makes the list of one of the longest nonstop flights in the world!
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore business class.
Hot Tip: For a complete list of SQ routes to/from the United States, check out our article: The Definitive Guide to Singapore Airlines U.S. Routes [Plane Types & Seat Options].
4. United Domestic Business or First Class
KrisFlyer is a better value for U.S. transcontinental flights on United than United’s own MileagePlus program.
Business class one-way is 23,000 KrisFlyer miles, and first class is 34,500. United MileagePlus charges 25,000 and 40,000!
5. United Airlines to Hawaii
Hawaii is ever-popular. Flying United, you can get there in economy for 17,500, business for 34,500, or first class for 46,000 KrisFlyer frequent flyer program miles,.
United MileagePlus charges more, coming in at 22,500 miles, 40,000 miles, and 50,000 miles, respectively.
6. U.S. West Coast on Alaska Airlines
The KrisFlyer Alaska Airlines award chart has some sweet spots. One-way flights within the U.S. West Coast in economy are only 7,500 miles.
7. U.S. West Coast to Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico on Alaska Airlines
Flying for 12,000 miles one-way from U.S. to Mexico is cheap compared to major U.S. airlines. There are often cheap cash fares, though, so be sure to shop around.
8. Fly Singapore Airlines From the U.S. to Europe
Want to fly to Europe on a carrier with service that puts U.S. carriers to shame? Yep, that’ll work!
The 2 routes are:
- New York (JFK) – Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
- Houston (IAH) – Manchester, England (MAN)
One-way Saver Award prices for each are:
- Economy – 22,500 miles
- Premium Economy – 47,000 miles
- Business – 72,000 miles
- First – 86,000 miles
If Saver Awards are not available, the more expensive Advantage Awards are 40,000 in economy, 85,000 in business, and 140,000 in first (not offered in premium economy).
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore business class.
9. Star Alliance Flights to Europe
KrisFlyer charges 27,500 miles in economy class from U.S. to Europe on United and other Star Alliance carriers. The major U.S. carriers start at 30,000 miles in their programs. Fuel surcharges on some partners (including United) are either not assessed or modest.
10. Star Alliance Flights to the Middle East or North Africa
Like going from the U.S. to Europe, using your KrisFlyer member miles from the U.S. to the Middle East and North Africa is a solid value at 45,000 miles in economy class, 76,500 miles in business, and 99,000 miles in first.
Surcharges vary by airline and route.
11. Star Alliance Business Class to Central or South Africa
Getting to Central and South Africa is expensive, especially in premium cabins. A one-way ticket in economy is 52,000 miles, business class is 96,500 miles, and first class is 145,000 miles.
Star Alliance has the most extensive Africa network with EgyptAir, Ethiopian, and South African all having flights from the U.S. This is one award where with the increase in KrisFlyer award prices should take extra time to shop around with other Star Alliance programs for their rates.
Star Alliance carriers in Europe (and Turkish in particular) have many Africa routes that often mirror former colonial ties. Example: TAP Portugal flys to Angola or São Tome and Principe.
12. Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to Europe
The KrisFlyer award chart for Virgin Atlantic requires round-trip travel. Party in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class for only 100,000 miles round-trip. On a Star Alliance carrier, business to Europe would be 130,000 miles.
The catch? About $410 in surcharges each way. If you want to conserve cash instead of miles, use Delta SkyMiles to book Virgin Atlantic instead.
Need Help Booking? Check out our step-by-step guide to booking Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.
13. Lufthansa First Class to Europe
Lufthansa first class is another luxury travel dream: 107,500 KrisFlyer miles gets you from the U.S. to Europe one-way.
Make sure to book a long connection in Frankfurt to check out the First Class Terminal…the lounge experience of a lifetime! And note that the fuel surcharge is around $425.
Need help booking? See our step-by-step Lufthansa first class booking guide.
14. South Pacific Island Hopping on Star Alliance
If you have an extended Pacific trip planned, KrisFlyer has a fantastic offer. Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific encompass a huge geographic region.
For just 12,500/31,000/42,500 miles each way in economy/business/first class, you can fly within the Pacific. A round-trip flight can add a stopover, and up to 3 additional stopovers are available for $100 each.
To compare, in the same region United MileagePlus charges 12,500/30,000/40,000 miles each way in economy/business/first.
Availability can be tough to find for many of these routes, but Air New Zealand domestic and Australia flights have decent award availability. Pacific flights are tough or nonexistent for islands with no other service, such as Niue and Norfolk.
HT: Travel is Free
15. South Pacific Island Hopping on Virgin Australia
With separate Star Alliance and Virgin Australia award charts, you can’t mix Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia on the same award. The good news is Virgin Australia can do it alone with excellent award availability on many routes.
Of the options to book awards on Virgin Australia (Delta SkyMiles, Etihad Guest, Virgin Atlantic), KrisFlyer and Etihad Guest rival each other for the best value on short flights. KrisFlyer’s free stopover on a round-trip gives it an edge.
Booking up to 3 additional stopovers at $100 each is tempting! Unlike Star Alliance awards, the stopover can be wholly within 1 country.
Australia 1 (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria) to Papua New Guinea & the Pacific Islands (Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu) is only 20,000 miles one-way. These flights could easily cost you hundreds of dollars!
16. Australia Domestic Flights on Virgin Australia
Australia 1 includes Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and many of Australia’s premier tourist attractions, from Cairns and Hamilton Island for the Great Barrier Reef down to Tasmania. All of those are only 11,000 miles in economy class or 21,000 in business.
Virgin Australia domestic business is a great experience with dedicated valet and check-in, and international-level airport lounges. At 21,000 miles, it may be worth the splurge to order a flat white and press your own breakfast melt!
17. Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
These Australian islands in the Indian Ocean are some of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. Famed for the annual red crab migration on Christmas Island, magnificent beaches, diving, and hiking, these are dream islands you can visit before word spreads.
Virgin Australia is the only regular airline service to both with twice-weekly flights from Perth.
Amazingly, they all sit in Australia 3, meaning you’ll use just 15,000 miles in economy and 29,000 in business. These flights often top $700!
Note: Singapore KrisFlyer award space on Virgin Australia is inconsistent and not always as good as other partners of Virgin Australia. As alternates, try booking with Delta SkyMiles or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Because the flights are operated by Virgin Australia Regional, Etihad is unable to book awards on this route.
Details for the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program
The great values of KrisFlyer come from 3 features:
- Access to Singapore Airlines premium cabin awards. These are rarely made available to partner airlines.
- Star Alliance network of airlines (the largest airline alliance). Awards are competitively priced for travel around the world.
- Distinctive airline partners. Airlines such as Silk Air and Virgin Australia that are not part of an airline alliance have fewer options for travelers to book awards on their flights.
Hot Tip: Singapore Airlines uses a practice called “journey control” on its own flights. This means the same flight segments may or may not be available depending on your origin and destination. For instance, New York-Singapore may not be available, but New York-Kuala Lumpur connecting through Singapore on the same flights may be available. Be flexible in your searches!
Singapore Airlines Suites Class
The dream award for many travelers is Singapore Airlines Suites Class. You’ll only get it with KrisFlyer miles, not partner miles.
Flights from North America can be tough to snag, but searching Europe to Singapore is much better for award availability. Our advice is to waitlist a bunch of awards and hope to get lucky!
Star Alliance Partners
KrisFlyer can be used to book awards on all Star Alliance member airlines:
| Airline | Home Country |
| United | United States |
| Air Canada | Canada |
| Copa | Panama |
| Avianca | Colombia |
| TAP Portugal | Portugal |
| Brussels Airlines | Belgium |
| Lufthansa | Germany |
| Austrian | Austria |
| Swiss | Switzerland |
| LOT | Poland |
| SAS | Sweden |
| Adria | Slovenia |
| Croatia Airlines | Croatia |
| Aegean | Greece |
| Turkish | Turkey |
| EgyptAir | Egypt |
| Ethiopian | Ethiopia |
| South African Airways | South Africa |
| Air India | India |
| Air China | China |
| Shenzhen Airlines | China |
| EVA Air | Taiwan (China) |
| Asiana | South Korea |
| ANA Japan | Japan |
| Thai | Thailand |
| Air New Zealand | New Zealand |
You can search for awards for most of these airlines on the websites of United, Air Canada, or ANA. The Singapore Airlines website only searches Singapore Airlines and Silk Air flights.
Additional Airline Partners
KrisFlyer partners with the following regional and budget carriers. Silk Air can be searched on the Singapore Airlines website. For the other airlines, you’ll need to call KrisFlyer to search award space and book:
- Scoot, based in Singapore
- Tigerair, based in Singapore
- Juneyao, based in China
- Vistara, based in India
Krisflyer also partners with both Virgin airlines. Virgin Australia is especially useful because their own program is only open to members in Australia and certain other Pacific countries:
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
For Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia, you can check availability on the Delta website.
Virgin America has now been absorbed by Alaska Airlines; KrisFlyer rolled out a comparable award chart for travel on Alaska Airlines.
How Much Do KrisFlyer Awards Cost?
You can book economy class, premium economy, business, and first class awards with KrisFlyer. Economy and business class generally offer competitive value.
Premium economy usually only costs slightly less than business, so if you have sufficient miles, business class is often the better value.
First class awards are priced high, so save them for the most spectacular redemptions such as Singapore Suites. You cannot redeem for Swiss first class.
The award charts are here:
- Singapore and Silk Air award chart
- Star Alliance award chart
- Alaska Airlines award chart
- Virgin Atlantic award chart
- Virgin Australia award chart
- Vistara award chart
- Juneyao Airlines award chart
- Scoot and Tigerair use a voucher system that converts miles to cash value
There is also a handy online Redemption Calculator.
New Online Search, New Offline Fees
KrisFlyer is progressively rolling out improved online award booking, including partner booking.
For any ticket that can be booked, changed, or canceled online, there is a now a offline fee of US$25 or 2,5000 miles if calling KrisFlyer to process the transaction. It if cannot be done online, make sure to ask that the fee be waived.
Routing and Stopovers
Singapore is among a dwindling number of airlines that still allow stopovers on awards. You can stop as long as you want within the 1-year validity of the ticket, and can have a maximum of 6 segments:
- Saver awards: No stopovers on one-ways, 1 stopover on round-trips
- Standard and Full awards: 1 stopover on one-ways, 2 on round-trips
- Star Alliance awards: 1 stopover on round-trips
Hot Tip: While you need to fly the most direct routing on awards, when flying Singapore Airlines, that most direct routing can mean backtracking through Singapore…perfect if you have that Suites Class ticket and want to maximize your flying time!
There are some exceptions:
- No stopovers in country of departure
- No stopovers on a ticket entirely in 1 country or intra-Europe tickets
- No stopovers on U.S.-Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands-Canada tickets
A single itinerary can have a maximum of 6 segments.
Hot Tip: Up to 3 additional stopovers may be purchased for $100 each on Singapore, Silk Air, and Star Alliance round-trip awards. This can be a huge savings over multiple award tickets!
Award Surcharges
KrisFlyer levies high cash surcharges on many awards, but they have recently done away with surcharges for flights on Singapore Airlines.
Compared to other Star Alliance programs, the KrisFlyer miles price may be lower than the cash price.
The following airlines have no or low surcharges:
- United (in the Americas)
- Alaska Airlines (in the Americas)
- Air Canada (in the Americas)
- Avianca
- Copa
- Air New Zealand (but taxes can be high)
- Virgin Australia (but taxes can be high)
Hot Tip: Use a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to get some of your surcharges refunded with the travel/airline credits offered.
Award Holds and Waitlist
Officially, there are no award holds on KrisFlyer. Over the phone, you may get lucky and be given up to 3 days, but don’t count on it.
If an award you want on Singapore Airlines or Silk Air is not available, you can waitlist it as long as you have the necessary amount of miles in your account. You can waitlist multiple flights too, as long as you have enough miles for the most expensive flight you are waitlisting.
Once your award becomes available, you are notified with 24 hours to book (though you are not obligated to book).
Round the World Awards
Round the world awards are an endangered breed. With KrisFlyer, you can book a trip to 7 cities for 180,000 miles in economy class, 240,000 miles in business, or 360,000 miles in first.
Assembling such a trip is a major research undertaking to find all the necessary award availability on Singapore Airlines and its partners, and you have to call to book.
Booking Class Upgrades
Upgrade awards from paid tickets are available on Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, and Star Alliance.
You can only upgrade 1 class of service. From economy to premium economy, only expensive Y, B, and E fares may be upgraded; this will generally be a poor award value.
The upgrade award charts are here:
Hot Tip: Singapore Airlines premium economy cash fares can often be significantly less than business, and can then be upgraded to business class at a reasonable miles price.
Miles and Cash
The KrisFlyer miles and cash option is almost always a poor value. A mile is valued at 0.7 cents/point, much lower than booking cash tickets using credit card points (which are usually 1 cent/point at minimum).
Transfer and Family Booking
An area where KrisFlyer lags behind its competition is offering household accounts to pool miles…or even options that allow you to transfer miles for free.
You also cannot book award tickets for just anybody; you must nominate up to 5 people to book awards for.
To take someone off this list, they must have been on your account for 6 months. Then, the change costs 3,000 miles and $30 online, or 5,000 miles and $50 by telephone.
Elite members receive discount or waivers, depending on status. Big families beware!
Changes and Cancellation
KrisFlyer’s change and cancellation fees are among the lowest in the world. These are attractive to people with unpredictable travel schedules who seek to lock in awards when available. Date changes Singapore Airlines and Silk Air flights are free.
Other changes to awards are only USD$20 to change online. Changes by telephone will incur an additional fee of USD$25 or 2,500 miles (only if the task can be completed online). Changes within 24 hours of departure or no-shows incur a fee of $75.
The cancellation (mile redeposit) fee is only $30, and Singapore Airlines elites pay $15. Again, among the lowest in the world!
Miles Expiration
KrisFlyer miles expire 3 years after they’re earned, regardless of account activity. So don’t hoard miles! If you are transferring from credit cards, don’t transfer to KrisFlyer until you are ready to book an award and have confirmed it is available.
Reviving expired miles for 6 months costs 1,200 miles and $12 per 10,000 miles. Elite members receive discount or waivers, depending on status.
Final Thoughts
You won’t have a problem finding a way to use your Singapore Krisflyer miles anytime soon! There are nearly unlimited ways to use them; those listed here just happen to be some of our favorites. The best ways to use Singapore miles will be up to you and your travel desires.
From economy class all the way up to Singapore Suites, Singapore Airlines is a great airline to fly.
Is there a way to find out what the surcharges would be for traveling on partner airlines before calling in? I’m trying to price out traveling from US to Greece using Singapore miles on a Star Alliance partner, but don’t want to be blindsided by surcharges when talking to an agent.
Singapore Airlines now shows partner airlines online for award flights, so you’ll be able to see the taxes online too: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/ppsclub-krisflyer/use-miles/redeem-miles/award-tickets-on-partner-airlines/
So if I’m reading this correctly, if I want to book a flight from IAD to Honolulu, it would need to be a direct flight with no stopovers to get the 350k round trip price or 175k one way? Also can I purchase an economy saver using Krisflyer points and then upgrade to economy plus on United?
“There are some exceptions:
No stopovers in country of departure
No stopovers on a ticket entirely in 1 country or intra-Europe tickets
No stopovers on U.S.-Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands-Canada tickets”
Hi Nelson
An economy flight from IAD-HNL will be 17.5k one-way or 35k round-trip. You are correct in the exceptions which are found in Section J.2.e,f,g,h,i,j in the terms and conditions
Re: the award upgrade to economy plus, I am not showing Untied has economy plus/premium economy on this route. If you are interested in using miles to upgrade to a higher class, here’s the Singapore chart.
According to Singapore airlines the flight from JFK to Frankfurt to Singapore is still on the old A380 and does not have the updated suites. Where you able to fly in the new suites for JFK=> Sing? Any tips on saver waitlist?
Hey Daniel – you’re correct. The New Suites are not on the JFK > FRA > SIN route at all, the only way Nelson could have flown them on that route is due to a last minute equipment change.
Is it a good idea to combine Amex points and Chase Sapphire Preferred points in one place like KrisFlyer Singapore Airline Miles? I also have 56,000 United Mileage plus Miles. Thank you for your reply
Hi Robert – yes, you can certainly transfer from multiple sources (Amex, Chase, Citi, Marriott etc) if they share the same transfer partner…which they do in the case of Singapore Airlines! This is a common tactic, so go for it if you need to!
Hi,
can I use KrisFlyer miles to book United “First Everyday Award” or only “First Saver Award” space between IAD, SFO and HNL?
Thanks,
Tim
Hey Tim,
Unfortunately, you can only book low-level awards on United using KrisFlyer miles. Therefore, you can only book First Saver Award space.
Anyone else notice Singapore is mispricing United flights to Hawaii from the U.S.? It’s coming in at 60k roundtrip (at least from San Antonio, TX).
Julian,
Be sure to call Singapore Airlines to book. Disregard what the United website says because you’re paying with Singapore KrisFlyer miles. Whatever mileage price United says is not the end price you’ll pay.
It seems that many domestic airports in the US are not found in the Flight Search Box such as Kansas City, Little Rock, etc.
Would we need to call to book or is the award ticket simply not offered?
Hi Han, if you’re planning to book an award flight flying on Singapore metal and the domestic airport does not show up from the drop-down menu, this means there is no award availability to those airports.
It’s very common with international airlines to only offer award flights to a few select airports in the U.S.
Check out this article for more info on routes offered by SQ: The Definitive Guide to Singapore Airlines U.S. Routes Hope this helps! 🙂
Is there a certain award type that has to be available on Alaska for it to be bookable with Krisflyer miles? I’ve found availability (50k one way) from OGG to DFW (via SEA or PDX) on 1/3/20, but when I called and emailed Singapore Airlines, they couldn’t see any availability. What am I doing wrong?
Hey Jay,
Alaska Airlines’ award inventory isn’t equal to partner inventory. We’d suggest checking with other partners such as British Airways. Thanks for reading.
It is very informative. I wish it would have some kind of comparison chart as well. For example I like to fly mostly to Asia – westward direction and to Europe – eastward direction. So which program is most practical Miles & More v/s KrisFlyer or ANA Mileage Club. Please share with me your opinion.
Hey George,
Generally speaking, ANA is the best for business class redemptions. However you cannot book one-way flights.
Miles & More is great for booking Lufthansa first class more than 15 days before departure.
Singapore KrisFlyer is best for Singapore Airlines business or first class due to the fact that you can’t book it with points otherwise.
Virgin Atlantic is best for ANA or Delta redemptions. However, you get less access to ANA awards compared to using ANA miles. Thanks for reading.
Booking US to North Africa/Middle East (roundtrip) is 90k/153k/198k. Here is the updated chart:
https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/ppsclub_krisflyer/charts/Star%20Alliance_Round-trip%20Award_Apr19.pdf
Viviane,
The information presented in the guide is correct. You are looking at round-trip prices. For one-way prices (as listed in the guide), please divide the mileage cost in half.
Doesn’t seem possible to book Alaska flights on the Singapore site. Do I have to call? Anyone know about the fees?
Hi Aaron,
You’ll have to call Singapore Airlines to book flights on Alaska Airlines using KrisFlyer miles. Generally, Alaska Airlines doesn’t levy fuel surcharges. Fees would probably run around $20-$30 one way. Thanks for reading.
You have typo subheading: Best Ways to Earn Flying Blue Miles
Hi Jae,
Thank you for catching that and thanks for reading!
Is it possible to book a one-way ticket using points (transfer from Chase) from Maldives with 2 stopovers at Singapore and Tokyo, on our way home to San Francisco? Is this considered backtracking? If I want to search for availability, should I search for each segment and then call the airline agent to book? Any inputs are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi TN,
You can add a stopover in Singapore and Hong Kong, but not Singapore and Tokyo if you’re flying to San Francisco. Singapore Airlines doesn’t fly between Tokyo and San Francisco, only Tokyo and Los Angeles. The flight from San Francisco is to Hong Kong on SQ 1.
Do you have any information on how to book a one-way JFK-FRA business class using KrisFlyer miles and cash? I can find a flight, it is 72,000 miles, but I never see the ability to use both miles and cash.
I do not have any points in my account, I intend to transfer them from Chase and/or Amex. Before I do, I want to see the choices of cash/miles. Am I required to have at least 980 miles in KrisFlyer points before I see the option on the payment page?
Hi MM,
You can view your options for booking a Singapore Airlines flight with miles and cash through this website: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/ppsclub-krisflyer/use-miles/pay-with-miles/
We also were unable to book Alaska Air using Kris Flyer. The Singapore Airlines rep said Alaska Airlines did not provide award seats on any of the routes that she checked (SFO-HNL, LAX-HNL, SEA-HNL)! How can this be? Seems like fraud when they advertise this but there is no availability!
Hey Bob, we recommend looking for Alaska Airlines award space on American Airlines’ website. Any awards operated by Alaska Airlines that show as “MileSAAver” awards should be bookable with Singapore Krisflyer points. You may need to call a couple of agents before you can have the award booked as this isn’t a common Alaska award.
Hello,
I just checked availability of award tickets through Krisflyer on United flights from ORD-PUJ in March 2020. It looks like the only award tickets available through Krisflyer for that route are the ones that are also priced at 17.5K MileagePlus miles each way, so there is really no savings if I use Krisflyer instead.
I can’t find any policy or rule about only being able to use Krisflyer to book the lowest-level MileagePlus award flights. The flight has a TON of open seats as of this writing. I think I should be able to use 17.5K Krisflyer miles to book a United flight that would cost more, say 25K MileagePlus miles, as long as it is between the US and Caribbean. Can anyone offer some insight?
Sam,
United has many different buckets of award fares, thanks to variable award pricing. You will only be able to book the true lowest-level saver award using KrisFlyer miles. If the lowest level award is 15,000 miles and United is charging 17,500 miles, you still won’t be able to book using KrisFlyer miles.
WTF…..this makes it totally useless for any semi-peak or peak travel which is the main use of using miles/points. These airlines keep coming up with ways to stab you in the back.
SFO to SIN through SIA (Singapore Airlines) is now 190,000 – 260,000 miles according to the website.
Hi William,
This is correct but our post seems to show the accurate figures. Are you referring to #3 on our list? If so, the 95,000 figure quoted from San Francisco to Singapore is the one-way business class saver price – which is half of 190,000.
As we are not flying at the moment, what else can we redeem our Krisflyer points on?
Hi Edward,
Here are some other options for ways to use your Kisflyer miles.
KrisFlyer surcharges on Swiss and Lufthansa premium cabin award space are brutal. I just searched for two seats in business on Lufthansa December 17 DEN-MUC and they want 144,000 miles plus ~$1500 LOL meanwhile if you can (and I can’t at the moment and probably won’t) find UA business space it’s same points but plus $10. For SWISS out of ORD-MUC via ZRH is plus ~$1650
Does Singapore still offer the 35,000 miles from the US mainland to Hawaii? I can’t find it on their latest award chart that was published last year.
Hi Matthew,
Singapore discontinued those flights last year due to Covid-19, and there is no word yet on whether or not they’ll be reactivating them any time soon.