So you’ve saved up a bunch of points and converted them into KrisFlyer miles…
But you’re not exactly sure what the best way to redeem award flights is and if there are things you should note?
Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll take you through a step-by-step guide about how to redeem Singapore Airlines Award Flights with your KrisFlyer Miles and the best ways to do so!
TL;DR: KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Guide
In This Article
- Singapore Airlines Award Flight Redemption Cost
- Types of Singapore Airlines Award Flights
- Spontaneous Escapes
- How to Redeem KrisFlyer Miles For an Award Flight
Singapore Airlines Award Flight Redemption Cost
Before redeeming an award flight, you’ll need to know how much it costs. The most straightforward way to find out is to use Singapore Airline’s miles calculator:
But if you would like to know more about how the flight redemption costs are calculated, here is the latest Singapore Airlines Award Chart.
Types of Singapore Airlines Award Flights
Whether you’re aiming for an economy or business class flight ticket, you will encounter three different types of Award Flights.
Here are the major differences summarised:
| Promo Awards (Spontaneous Escapes) | Saver Awards | Advantage Awards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redemption Costs | Up to 30% off Saver Award Tickets and from US$24 in taxes, charges and fees | 8,500 KrisFlyer miles, and from US$24 in taxes, charges and fees | 15,000 KrisFlyer miles, and from US$24 in taxes, charges and fees |
| Travel Period | Following month only | Up to 355 days in advance | |
| Waitlist | N/A | Available | |
| Change of Date on Singapore Airlines | N/A | US$25 | Free |
| Change of route, cabin class, award type or add a stopover on Singapore Airlines | N/A | US$25 or 2,500 KrisFlyer miles | US$25 or 2,500 KrisFlyer miles |
| Change of date, route, flight or carrier on partner airlines | N/A | US$50 | N/A |
| Refund | N/A | US$75 | US$50 |
| Stopovers | 0 | One-way: N/A Round-trip: 1 stopover, up to 30 days | One-way: 1 stopover, up to 30 days Round-trip: 2 stopovers, up to 30 days each |
Saver Awards & Advantage Awards
When you’re redeeming a flight with miles, you’ll usually see a Saver and an Advantage option (unless you are trying to redeem Premium Economy Class which only has Saver as an option). As the name implies, Saver Awards are much cheaper than Advantage Awards, but they also come with a more limited availability.
For popular travel destinations and dates, there is also a possibility that you will be put on a waitlist for Saver Awards or have no option to redeem a Saver Award at all. If you don’t like the uncertainty, you’ll have to fork out more miles for an Advantage Award ticket.
At the top, you’ll see an awards calendar showing you the dates that have immediately confirmable awards and those that do not. As you can see from the example I used, Advantage Awards start from 45,000 miles, and the rest of the dates within the week also state 45,000 miles. This means that there are no other dates with confirmable Saver Awards (i.e. there are no Saver Awards seats available or you will be put on a waitlist).
Saver Awards Waitlist
If you don’t mind being put on a waitlist, here’s how the Saver Awards Waitlist works.
First, you need to have the sufficient amount of miles to book the Saver Award seat, which is 27,000 miles in this case. Once you go through the process and confirm your waitlist, you will automatically receive periodic email reminders on your waitlisted redemptions. Notifications are sent at scheduled time intervals from the day of your flight departure at intervals of nine, six, three and one month, and three weeks before the flight departure date.
If your waitlist clears, you’ll receive an email and text message to confirm your ticket. While there is a time limit to confirm (usually three days), there is no obligation to do so. You can also cancel your waitlist online.
Promo Awards (Spontaneous Escapes)
If you want to save even more miles, that’s where the third award type comes in.
Enter Promo Awards which you can get during the KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes promotion. These Promo Awards allow you to save up to 30% in miles, but they do come with several restrictions. The most prominent one is that you can only book Promo Award flights for the following month, hence spontaneous! You’re also not allowed to cancel or refund your booking made through Promo Awards.
How to Redeem KrisFlyer Miles For an Award Flight
Redeeming a flight with miles is very similar to paying for a flight ticket on Singapore Airlines.
First, head over to Singapore Airlines website or use your KrisFlyer app.
Second, make sure that you check/toggle the “Redeem flights” option instead of “Book flights”.
For the website, you’ll then be prompted to sign in to your KrisFlyer account. Next, enter the necessary details and search for a flight.
Once you have chosen your preferred flight(s), review the details and go ahead with the booking! Do note that redeeming miles does not exempt you from paying taxes and fees.
