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You have a variety of ways to redeem Singapore KrisFlyer miles for award flights. It’s possible to book award flights with KrisFlyer miles to almost anywhere in the world. Whether you fly coach or first class, here’s what you need to know about redeeming KrisFlyer miles.
How to Redeem Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
There are several factors to be aware of when you are hoping to redeem Singapore KrisFlyer miles. While you can transfer your points out to partner airlines, you’ll find that your points are most valuable when used with Singapore airlines (more on that later). In order to maximize your points, let’s first look at your available options and whether or not miles expire.
Do Singapore KrisFlyer Miles Expire?
All KrisFlyer miles expire after 36 months. Earning or redeeming miles doesn’t extend the expiration date like other airlines. That means you will need to redeem them online or by phone at least once every 3 years to prevent losing any miles.
It’s possible to renew your miles for a nominal fee. Basic KrisFlyer members can extend their miles up to 6 months, but a 10,000-mile renewal can cost $12 plus 1,200 miles.
You can’t transfer your miles to another KrisFlyer member. This can be a bummer as paying a transfer fee can still be better than losing the miles altogether. Singapore does let you book award flights and flight upgrades for up to 5 people through your account.
Transferring Credit Card Points to Singapore Airlines
The easiest way to bank up enough KrisFlyer miles for U.S. residents is to transfer your points from the best miles credit cards. Singapore Airlines is a 1:1 transfer partner for American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou. You can also transfer points from some of the best Capital One credit cards and the co-brand Marriott credit cards.
These cards offer some of the highest purchase rewards and offer 1:1 point transfers:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Citi Prestige® Credit Card
- Citi Premier® Card
Redeeming Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
Singapore Airlines lets you redeem miles online or by phone. A third way is faxing or emailing a paper reservation request form. But since all award flights dole out on a “first come, first serve” basis, this form can be the slowest redemption option. It’s possible someone else will book it faster than you.
You might be able to add your name to a waitlist if award space becomes available. It’s a possibility, but a better use of your time can be changing your travel dates upfront to guarantee you redeem your miles.
Redeem KrisFlyer Miles Online
You can redeem your miles for a variety of Singapore Airlines and partner airline awards. In many cases, you can redeem your points online (singaporeair.com). However, you may need to call Singapore Airlines to use your points for deals with limited availability.
Redeem KrisFlyer Miles by Phone
You will need to log into your KrisFlyer account to search award availability. If you call Singapore Suites and an online booking option is available, you will pay an additional $25 cash fee or 2,500 miles. You can call 1-800-742-3333 to contact the Singapore Airlines reservations hotline.
When an online booking option isn’t available, Singapore doesn’t charge the phone booking fee.
Complete a Reservation Request Form
The slowest redemption option can be completing a reservation request form. You will need to email or fax the completed one-page form to Singapore Air. Unless this is your only booking option, searching online or calling Singapore can let you redeem your miles in real-time.
Singapore Airlines Award Flights
It’s possible to redeem your KrisFlyer miles online for most Singapore Airlines and SilkAir-operated flights. You can use the online point calculator to determine how many points you need for Singapore Airlines-operated flights and upgrading to a higher cabin class. Singapore is one of the few airlines to still use a zone-based award chart.
To see available award space, you will need to log into your KrisFlyer account. From there, you can proceed through the booking process and see how many points you need and the cash fees.
For example, you can book a one-way Singapore Suites class flight from New York to Frankfurt that costs 86,000 miles when a “saver award” is available. In case you don’t know, this is one of the best first class flights.
Pay With Cash and KrisFlyer Miles?
It’s also possible to use a mixture of cash and KrisFlyer miles to pay for flights on these carriers:
- Singapore Air
- SilkAir
- Scoot
This generally isn’t a good option as your KrisFlyer miles tend to be worth less than 0.7 cents each. That’s roughly the same redemption value as most hotel points. By only paying with points, your KrisFlyer miles should be worth at least 1.5 cents each for main cabin seats. Plus, they can be worth as much as 6 cents each for first-class flights.
Both of these rates are significantly higher than the convenience of paying with cash and miles.
Star Alliance Partner Flights
Singapore Airlines recently began letting you book Star Alliance partners flights online. Previously, your only booking option was by phone. But, you may still need to call to book a flight on certain airlines.
You can look for available space on Singapore Air or the airline website. All of the Star Alliance airlines have the same award flight prices which make predicting your redemption costs easy. You can also expect to pay these prices for mixed carrier flights where Singapore doesn’t operate all the flights in your itinerary.
Some of the airlines you should consider first include:
- United Airlines
- Lufthansa
- ANA
- Thai Airways
You won’t be able to book premium cabin flights on ANA or first class on SWISS.
It’s also possible to book a Star Alliance Round the World Award when you have at least 180,000 miles to fly in economy class.
Partner Airlines
It’s also possible to redeem KrisFlyer miles for these partner airlines:
One of the best redemption options can be flying Alaska Airlines to Hawaii. From the U.S. West Coast, a round-trip flight in economy only costs 25,000 KrisFlyer miles. This is one of the most affordable award flights to Hawaii.
Flight Upgrades
It’s also possible to redeem KrisFlyer miles on Singapore Air-operated flights and Star Alliance partners. Codesharing flights are ineligible.
For Singapore Air or SilkAir flights, your original ticket must have one of these booking classes:
- Economy Standard: M, H, or W booking classes
- Economy Flexi: Y, B, or E booking classes
One example is needing 40,500 miles to upgrade from business class to Singapore Suites from New York to Frankfurt.
You must also have a qualifying booking class to upgrade Star Alliance flights.
Summary of How to Redeem Singapore KrisFlyer Miles
Your KrisFlyer miles can be most valuable when you redeem them for Singapore Air-operated flights. But you will also find some gems with the Star Alliance partners or even flying Alaska Airlines to Hawaii. Since Singapore Air is a 1:1 transfer partner for many of the best travel credit cards, redeeming your KrisFlyer miles can be easy.
FAQs
How do I redeem my Singapore Airlines miles?
It’s possible to redeem most KrisFlyer miles online on the Singapore Airlines website (singaporeair.com). It’s now possible to redeem your points online for Singapore Air, SilkAir, Scoot, Star Alliance airlines, and other partner airlines online.
If an online booking option isn’t available, you will need to call the toll-free Singapore Airlines phone number. Most likely, your number will be 1-800-743-3333.
When all else fails, you can complete a downloadable reservation form. This form is usually one page long. Once complete, you can email or fax it to Singapore Airlines. The contact information is listed on the form so you send it to the correct destination.
Can I redeem KrisFlyer miles on other airlines?
Yes, it’s possible to redeem your KrisFlyer miles on flights not operated by Singapore Airlines or their regional affiliate SilkAir. It’s possible to book award flights with these airlines:
- Scoot
- Star Alliance partners (including United, Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, Turkish Airlines, etc.)
- Alaska Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
- Juneyao
One of the most exciting partner airlines is Alaska Airlines. When flying to Hawaii from either California, Oregon, or Washington, a round-trip main cabin ticket only costs 25,000 KrisFlyer miles. Of course, you may also appreciate booking Star Alliance flights or even a Virgin Atlantic upper-class flight from the U.S. to London.
How long do KrisFlyer miles last?
Each KrisFlyer miles expires after 36 months. For example, all miles you earn in January 2020 will expire on January 31, 2023. You must use your miles within three years or they will expire. Continually earning more miles doesn’t restart the expiration date.
It’s possible to extend the life of your KrisFlyer miles up to 6 months (up to 1 year for KrisFlyer elite or PPS club members). However, you will pay a renewal fee.
The fee for basic KrisFlyer members is $12 plus 1,200 miles to renew 10,000 miles. If you have elite loyalty status, your renewal fee can be lower.
To avoid renewal fees or expiring miles, you might consider transferring miles from a travel credit card with 1:1 point transfers to Singapore Airlines. Participating loyalty programs include:
- American Express Membership Rewards (i.e., Platinum Card from American Express)
- Chase Ultimate Rewards (i.e., Chase Sapphire Reserve)
- Citi ThankYou (i.e., Citi Prestige)
You can also transfer points from select co-brand Marriott Bonvoy credit cards (3:1 transfer ratio) and Capital One (2:1 transfer ratio). Of these cards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Spark Miles for Business are your best options even though you get a lesser transfer ratio.
How much are Singapore KrisFlyer miles worth?
The value of each KrisFlyer mile depends on the redemption option. Typically, your points are most valuable when booking premium cabin flights including business class, first-class, or Singapore Suites. Your points can usually be worth as much as 6 cents each.
KrisFlyer miles (and airline miles in general) are least valuable when redeemed for main cabin seats or for flight upgrades. Your points can be worth between 1 cent each and 2 cents each depending on the flight and the current cash price for the ticket.
These values hold true for partner airlines including Alaska Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Star Alliance partners like United, SWISS, or Lufthansa. You should also pay attention to booking fees or surcharges that are not included in the initial ticket price.
Your KrisFlyer miles can be least valuable when redeemed as travel rewards with cash and points. Each mile is typically worth below 1 cent each when mixing payment methods.
