Singapore Airlines’ frequent flyer program is known as KrisFlyer. It is one of the frequent flyer programs that is relatively easy for Australian residents to accumulate, and it has excellent award flight availability from and to Australia.

One of the best uses for KrisFlyer miles is for booking premium cabin tickets on Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines offers a range of great hard and soft products. It was ranked the Best Airline by Skytrax in 2018, and it is currently ranked no. 2 in the world (behind Qatar Airways).

Another great thing about redeeming your KrisFlyer miles with Singapore Airlines flights is that you will not be charged for fuel surcharges when you redeem the miles on Singapore Airlines’ own flights (fuel charges are added to partner airlines’ flights).

Apart from using your KrisFlyer miles on Singapore Airlines flights, you could also redeem your miles to fly with any of the Star Alliance airlines plus Singapore Airlines other partner airlines.

Star Alliance airlines:

Non-Star Alliance partners:

• Scoot
• Alaska Airlines
• JetBlue
• Virgin Atlantic
• Virgin Australia
• Vistara

How to sign up for a KrisFlyer account:

Membership to KrisFlyer is free, and you can sign up through this link: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/ppsclub-KrisFlyer/registration-form/

KrisFlyer Miles vs Elite Miles

Once you become a KrisFlyer member, you can earn both Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles and Elite Miles.

KrisFlyer Miles are your award miles that can be used to redeem award travel; whereas Elite Miles are earned to obtain elite status (similar to Qantas status credits) and can not be used to redeem flights.

KrisFlyer Miles are earned when flying Singapore Airlines/SilkAir, Star Alliance partner airlines and non-alliance partner airlines.

Elite Miles, on the other hand, can only be earned when flying Singapore Airlines/SilkAir; any Star Alliance partner airline; Virgin Atlantic-operated flights on non-transatlantic routes; Virgin Australia codeshare flights within Australia, trans-Tasman and between Australia and the Pacific Islands; and Vistara codeshare flights within India.

Flights on Alaska Airlines/Virgin America and JetBlue will not earn Elite Miles.

It is worth noting that KrisFlyer miles have a hard expiry of 3 years. This means your KrisFlyer miles will expire on the last day of the 36th month they were first credited to your account. It is advisable to leave your miles in your credit card accounts and only transfer them to your KrisFlyer account when you’re ready to book the award flights.

KrisFlyer Status Overview

While this guide focuses on how to redeem KrisFlyer miles for flights, we’ll have a quick look at the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Status tiers which you can earn by flying with Singapore Airlines (on cash tickets) and other Star Alliance partners. It’s important to note that KrisFlyer status has no effect or benefit when it comes to redeeming miles. In fact, there’s no point to hold status when you fly business or first class using miles since you already get the maximum amount of benefits.

KrisFlyer Elite Silver: Silver is the first elite level where a member can get some benefits, these are:

• Obtained 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

Click here to learn more about Elite Silver

KrisFlyer Elite Gold: this is the highest status tier that is based on the number of miles that you fly without a spending requirement such as PPS Club. Benefits include:

• Obtained after earning 50,000 Elite Miles — valid for 12 months upon earning status
• Everything Silver Elites get +
• 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

Click here to learn more about Elite Gold

The PPS Club: This is a status tier separate from the above (both can be earned simultaneously) and is acquired simply by spending S$25,000 in one year on premium-class tickets with Singapore Airlines or Silk Air.

Benefits of PPS and PPS Solitaire aren’t that great, but members can get access to priority Saver Awards, SilverKris lounges (even when flying economy), premium check-in and Plaza Premium lounges.

Click here to learn more about PPS Club

How to earn KrisFlyer Miles:

You can earn KrisFlyer miles through any of the following ways:

1. Sign-up and spend on KrisFlyer Credit Cards – Click here to see the best KrisFlyer Credit Cards in Australia
2. Shopping online through the KrisFlyer Spree online mall (similar to Qantas or Velocity Online Mall)
3. Hotel Loyalty Programs – most hotel reward programs allow you to transfer to KrisFlyer
4. Car rental (Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt are KrisFlyer transfer partners)
5. Flying on Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance and non-Star Alliance partner airlines like Virgin Australia
6. Velocity Frequent Flyer program – Virgin Airlines (Velocity) enjoys a unique partnership with Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer) which allows you to convert Velocity Points into KrisFlyer miles and vice versa instantly (however keep in mind you will lose some value as the transfer ratio is 1.55 to 1 in either direction).

Ways to book an award flight using KrisFlyer miles:

You can redeem award tickets for yourself and up to five people on your redemption nominee list. Once you have accumulated enough miles to make a booking, simply follow the steps in any section below:

Website Method #1

1. Click on your profile on the top right-hand side, and the drop-down menu will appear.

1. Click on “Bookings”

1. Make sure you select “Redeem flights” instead of “Book flights”. Then enter all the required fields and click “Search”.

This is optional; you can still view a 7-day calendar at a later stage even if you don’t tick this box.

Website Method #2

1. Alternatively, you can click the Singapore Airlines symbol on the top left-hand side, and it will take you to the booking page:

1. On the next screen, you will be able to see the available flights. Please make sure you select “Saver” award instead “Advantage” award. It will look something like the following:

Total miles required 124,000 Miles + AUD 162.03 in Fees and Taxes

Note that KrisFlyer will always show the total miles if you selected a return itinerary. In the example above, 124k is the total for a return ticket and so are the taxes. A 1-way ticket would require half of the miles.

While KrisFlyerAdvantage redemptions show more availability, they are also significantly more expensive.

App Method

You could also make an award booking using Singapore Airlines app:

1. Log in to your KrisFlyer account via the app

2. Click “Search Flight”

3. Make sure you slide the “Redeem Flights” button at the top

How many KrisFlyer miles do I need?

As you can see from the example above, there are two award types – Saver and Advantage. Saver awards cost fewer miles; however, availability is more limited. Advantage awards will cost you more miles but have greater availability. For best value redemptions, you should be aiming to redeem your miles on Saver Award.

You can see the complete KrisFlyer award chart for Singapore Airlines and SilkAir through this link: https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/ppsclub_KrisFlyer/charts/SQMI_AwardChart.pdf

The KrisFlyer award chart for Australia is divided into two different zones:

The tables below show the required miles in Saver awards and the associated fees and taxes (approximation due to currency exchange rate) for some of the popular destinations departing from Australia.

Please see below some sample itineraries generated using KrisFlyer miles on Singapore Airlines award flights from Australia to Asia, USA and Europe. Award flight availabilities are generally wide open with minimal taxes as no fuel surcharges are applied.

• Using Saver Award flying from Perth to Singapore one-way in Business Class costs 36,500 KrisFlyer miles + A$84.40 in fees and taxes.
• A Business Saver Award flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles requires 121,000 KrisFlyer miles + A$120.99 in fees and taxes:
• A Business Saver Award flight from Sydney to Zurich requires 116,000 KrisFlyer miles + A$101.89 in fees and taxes:
• A First Saver Award from Sydney to Hong Kong requires 88,000 + A$101.89 in fees and taxes:

Want to begin maximising your KrisFlyer award points across the chart zones? See these top tips below:

• You could fly as far as Hong Kong, Taiwan or South China (Zone 4) for almost the same amount of miles as to Singapore (Zone 1). For example, when you book Singapore Airlines A380 suite from Sydney to Singapore (85,000 points for Saver Award), you could have flown further to Hong Kong in the A380 suite for only an extra 3,000 miles (total miles required = 88,000 miles in Saver Award) PLUS you get to experience Private Room lounge in Singapore accessible to Singapore Airlines first class passengers only.
• Turkey (Zone 10) is considered a different zone to the rest of Europe (Zone 11). If you are visiting Greece or any European cities within a short distance from Turkey, you may consider flying into Istanbul and then drive or book intra-European flights. This method can save you up to 50,000 miles each way!

Want even more value from your KrisFlyer award points? Read below how you can get more value through Singapore Airlines stopover rules.

KrisFlyer award stopover rules:

Singapore Airlines define a ‘stopover’ as “any layover longer than 24 hours”. You can have a stopover as short as one day or as long as one year; however you cannot ticket the second sector of your flight more than one year from the booking date.

• Saver awards: No free stopovers on one-ways, 1 free stopover on round-trips
• Advantage awards: 1 free stopover on one-ways, 2 free stopovers on round-trips

You can add additional stopovers by paying US$100 per each additional stopover – even for one-way Saver awards. You will need to call Singapore Airlines to add extra stopovers. See examples below:

• One-way Saver award flight from Sydney to Frankfurt costs 116,000 KrisFlyer miles in Business Class and 163,000 in First Class. By paying an extra US$100, you could add a stopover in Singapore. If you make an Advantage Award redemption for this route costing 150,000 in Business Class or 275,000 in First Class, you can have a stopover in Singapore for free.
• One-way Sydney to New York Saver award flight costs 129,000 miles in Business Class and 167,000 miles in First Class. For the same amount of miles and by paying US$100 extra, you could have one stopover – either in Singapore or Frankfurt. By paying US$200 extra, you could have two stopovers, one in Singapore and another one in Frankfurt.

Redeeming KrisFlyer on Star Alliance Flights:

It is particularly useful to redeem your KrisFlyer miles on Star Alliance flights if Singapore Airlines do not service your destination AND you do not need a stopover on a one-way trip. One free stopover is permitted on a round-trip Star Alliance redemption, and you can add up to a total of three stopovers at US$100 per additional stop.

1. Access your account via the KrisFlyer booking website and select “Star Alliance airlines.”

KrisFlyer Star Alliance Award Chart:

https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/ppsclub_KrisFlyer/charts/Star%20Alliance_Round-trip%20Award_Apr19.pdf

Please note the following when booking Star Alliance award flights with KrisFlyer:

• KrisFlyer DOES NOT allow flight changes on travel already commenced on partner airlines.
• You will be charged fuel surcharges when redeeming miles for travel on partner airlines or a combination of Singapore Airlines and partner airlines.

When is the best time to book an award ticket with KrisFlyer?

Award flights are loaded up to 355 days ahead at midnight GMT. This is by far the best time to lock in a redemption booking if you know your travel plans this far in advance; especially if you want to be the first to check availability and book or waitlist.

However, if you have a last-minute travel plan, keep an eye out on Singapore Airlines’ Spontaneous Escapes promotion. Each month, KrisFlyer offers 30% off its usual full redemption prices for Business and Economy Class flights to selected destinations.

It only covers travel during the following month to/from Singapore and a range of destinations. The promotion covers different destinations and/or specific flight numbers on each promotion month. Visit KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes page for more info.

Waitlisting with KrisFlyer miles:

You may notice when searching for award availability that some flights are displayed as ‘Waitlist’. This means that at least one of the award seats is not available for redemption in that class and category, e.g. Business Saver. However, Singapore Airlines allows you to join a waitlist of passengers who may or may not be offered the redemption at a later date.

A few rules for Waitlisting with KrisFlyer miles:

• You must have sufficient miles in your account for the proposed itinerary and number of passengers you wish to waitlist. (Top Tip: If your miles are limited, book all your waitlist options first, then book the available alternative choice.)
• You can waitlist for as many flights as you want. Your KrisFlyer balance must cover the highest miles requirement of a single waitlist booking.
• Waitlist is only available for Singapore Airlines, and SilkAir operated flights.
• No miles or taxes are actually debited at the waitlist stage.
• If your waitlist does not clear within two weeks of the flight time, it will be automatically cancelled, and you will NOT be notified about this.
• If your waitlist clears, your booking will not be made automatically. You will need to finalise the booking within the ‘Ticketing Time Limit’ (TTL). Your KrisFlyer miles will be debited and taxes/fees charged when you finalise this booking process.
• If you no longer want to proceed with the booking, you could cancel the waitlist or simply let the TTL lapse. If you have a confirmed flight for the same route and your waitlisted first preference clears, simply call Singapore Airlines to move your booking across to your preferred flight for free (provided it is the same routing).

Booking Round the World (RTW) award tickets with KrisFlyer:

A RTW award ticket with KrisFlyer costs the following:

• 180,000 miles in Economy Class
• 240,000 miles in Business Class
• 360,000 miles in First Class

Note: Although it costs an extra 33% KrisFlyer miles to redeem Business Class RTW over Economy, the cash fare price for the same upgrade would easily be double or even triple the cost.

The same logic applies to First Class (double the points but much more than double the dollars). Therefore, the best value class-to-cost option is to redeem a RTW award in Business or First Class.

A few basic rules apply for booking RTW awards:

• Maximum total distance is 35,000 miles.
• The journey must begin and end in the same country.
• The journey must always be in one continuous direction (no backtracking allowed).
• Maximum number of flight segments is 16, with a maximum of 7 stopovers in total.
• Maximum of 2 stopovers are permitted in each country.
• Surface sectors are permitted (but they count towards stopover allowance and maximum total distance)
• No changes are allowed once the trip has started.

You will need to call Singapore Airlines to make RTW award bookings.

Transferring points between Velocity and KrisFlyer:

As mentioned above, Virgin Airlines (Velocity) enjoys a unique partnership with Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer), which allows you to convert Velocity Points into KrisFlyer miles and vice versa instantly.

The transfer ratio between Velocity and KrisFlyer is 1.55 to 1 in either direction. Essentially the transfer rate is 0.6452, which means transferring 100,000 Velocity Points would earn you 64,516 KrisFlyer miles and vice versa.

Because you are losing some values when transferring points between programs, when does it make sense to transfer your Velocity points to KrisFlyer?

1. When the award seats are only available through KrisFlyer. Singapore Airlines releases more award space to its own KrisFlyer members than to its partners, so award seats that available on the KrisFlyer may not be bookable through Velocity.
2. When you’d like to take advantage of KrisFlyer’s free/cheap stopover (Velocity award booking does not allow stopovers).
3. When you’d like to book a round-the-world ticket (not offered by Velocity).

KrisFlyer Q&A

What are Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer contact details?

• Australian phone numbers Reservations 13 10 11
• KrisFlyer Phone Bookings: +61 02 8228 1188
• Singapore phone numbers Reservations +65 6223 8888
• Operating hours 24/7

KrisFlyer Awar Charts

Below is a complete list of all the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer award charts you might want. Make sure to check the names as some charts are for “Advantage” redemptions.

• Alaska Airlines Award Chart
• Virgin Atlantic Award Chart
• Virgin Australia Award Chart
• Star Alliance Award Chart
• SilkAir Award Chart
• Juneyao Award Chart
• Vistara Award Chart

Is it possible to redeem KrisFlyer miles on mixed class flights?

Yes, you can make mixed class redemption bookings using KrisFlyer miles by calling Singapore Airlines. However, please be aware that the highest class award chart will apply to mixed class award bookings. For example, if you’d like to book Sydney to Los Angeles, with Sydney to Singapore leg in First Class and Singapore to Los Angeles in Business Class, you will still be charged 167,000 in First Saver Award or 290,000 in First Advantage Award.

If you want to book a mixed class redemption from a destination that doesn’t have first class seats (such as Perth and Brisbane). You must call up and book over the phone. Even at the first class award level, a redemption from Perth to Paris in business and first class will still work out cheaper than when you would split up the itinerary in different bookings. It can’t be booked online and will always show as “not available” so research each leg individually before calling up.

Upgrade Award Charts

Upgrade awards from paid tickets are available on Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, and Star Alliance flight. Codeshare flights are not eligible for upgrades.

For redemption of upgrades from Economy to Premium Economy, only Economy Standard (M, H or W booking classes) and Economy Flexi (Y, B, and E) fares may be upgraded; however, this will generally be a poor award value. Premium Economy Lite and Business Lite fares will not be eligible for redemption upgrades. Starting from the 3rd of January 2019, it became possible to upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class for flights with a Premium Economy Class.

The upgrade award charts links:

• Singapore Airlines and Silk Air upgrade award chart
• Star Alliance upgrade award chart. Click here for more information.

How much will it cost me if I want to change or cancel an award booking?

The following fees will apply when changing or cancelling an award booking:

** The no-show fee applies in addition to any other applicable fees. For example, if you fail to show up for your Economy Saver award flight and request a refund, you will be charged a total of: US$100 + US$75 = US$175.

Can I transfer my KrisFlyer miles to another account or book an award flight for someone else?

Unfortunately, you cannot transfer or pool your KrisFlyer miles.

You cannot book award tickets for just anybody; you must nominate up to 5 people to book awards for. Once you add someone as your redemption nominee, you can’t change them for 6 months. While adding names is free, deleting them will cost you miles or money.

What are the negatives of the KrisFlyer program?

• You can’t pool or transfer your points to other KrisFlyer accounts.
• You can only nominate up to five people you could redeem your KrisFlyer miles on, and there are restrictions in changing the nominee list.
• Your KrisFlyer miles have a hard expiry of 3 years.
• Waitlisted award booking is automatically cancelled 2 weeks before the departure date.
• Some value is lost when transferring points between Velocity and KrisFlyer programs.

What are the positives of KrisFlyer program?

• There are a good range of Australian credit cards available that allow you to transfer your points to KrisFlyer.
• Good award availability in economy or premium cabins, even for long-haul flights to USA/Canada or Europe.
• No fuel surcharges for redeeming points on Singapore Airlines flights.
• You can pick up a free or cheap stopover on award redemptions.
• You can transfer points between Velocity and KrisFlyer programs.
• You can place yourself on the waitlist if the award seats are booked out.