Love to travel? Then you’ll definitely be familiar with Singapore Airlines, one of the most decorated airlines in the world!
Along with it, you would have come across its KrisFlyer rewards programme that lets you redeem flight tickets, upgrade your flights, and much more!
Who wouldn’t want to experience flying First Class on one of the best airlines in the world for less than what you need to pay in cash!
Interested?
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about KrisFlyer.
TL;DR: The Ultimate Guide to KrisFlyer
Jump to:
- What Is KrisFlyer?
- Understanding KrisFlyer Miles
- Membership Structure
- Is the KrisFlyer Membership Worth It?
What Is KrisFlyer?
KrisFlyer is the frequent flyer programme of Singapore Airlines that lets you earn and redeem miles for flights, discounts, and other rewards.
You can earn rewards when flying and doing things you love like dining, shopping, and more with partners and merchants.
The best part? Signing up is completely free and open to virtually anyone (unless you are two years old and under)!
Understanding KrisFlyer Miles
How to earn KrisFlyer miles
Once you have an account, you can start earning KrisFlyer miles in multiple ways. They include:
- Flying with Singapore Airlines, Scoot and more than 30 world-class partners – including Star Alliance airlines.
- Spending at over 3,300 global non-airline partners and merchants
- Spending on KrisShop
- Converting credit card/bank reward points to KrisFlyer miles
How to redeem KrisFlyer miles
There are three ways to redeem your earned miles:
- Redeem miles for award tickets and flight upgrades
- Redeem miles for flight discounts (mixing miles with cash)
- Redeem miles for partner rewards and discounts
The most value-for-money way to do so is to redeem miles for award tickets or flight upgrades.
How Much Are KrisFlyer Miles Worth?
The short answer: a mile has an average value of 1.4 cents to 1.8 cents depending on who you ask.
The long answer? It really depends on you!
The value of a mile can vary greatly based on how you acquire your miles (purchasing outright) and what you redeem your miles for.
If you choose to purchase miles, you can get them for about 1 cent per mile (cpm) to 2 cpm on average.
As for redemption, the value of a mile varies greatly depending on what you redeem it for. Here’s an example:
| London | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | Suites/First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Fare | $800.30 | $2,211.30 | $6,622.30 | $12,046.30 |
| Miles required to fully redeem flight | 42,000 | 71,000 | 103,500 | 141,000 |
| Value per mile (rounded to 3 d.p.) | 1.905 cents | 3.114 cents | 6.398 cents | 8.543 cents |
Based on a one-way ticket for 18 Oct 2022 and using the cheapest fares available.
As you can see, it becomes much more worth it when you use more miles to redeem upper-class flights.
If you’re unable to accumulate as many miles, you can opt to offset your flight ticket cost with miles (1.02 cpm) or redeem them for items (1.02 cpm or worse).
KrisFlyer Miles Expiry
Do note that KrisFlyer Miles expire at the end of the month, three years after they are credited into your account.
For those of us who are converting bank reward points to KrisFlyer miles, remember that the validity timer only starts after you’ve done the conversion!
But what if you do have miles expiring and want to extend their validity? The good news is that you can, for a fee of course.
KrisFlyer members can pay US$12 or 1,200 miles to extend a block of 10,000 miles (or part thereof) for six months.
Purchasing KrisFlyer Miles
Alternatively, you could also purchase miles directly from Singapore Airlines at US$40 for 1,000 miles (which we do not recommend) or buy miles using various services.
Our Seedly community has discussed this extensively and you can view their suggestions here.
Membership Structure
Starting out, you’ll be a KrisFlyer member and presented with two main pathways to upgrade your membership: Elite and PPS Club.
KrisFlyer Elite
Under this category, there are two more tiers that regular KrisFlyer members can aspire to: KrisFlyer Elite Silver and KrisFlyer Elite Gold.
Here are the perks:
 KrisFlyer (No requirements) |  KrisFlyer Elite Silver (25,000 Elite miles) |  KrisFlyer Elite Gold (50,000 Elite miles) |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulate Elite miles to redeem KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, such as discounts, bonus miles, and free upgrades | 25% tier bonus on actual miles flown on Singapore Airlines and Scoot | Worldwide lounge access, including Star Alliance lounges |
| Members-only promotions, deals and offers | Complimentary Standard Seat selection in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines | Priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling |
| Mix miles and cash to purchase flights, additional baggage and to select seats | Automatic assignment of best available standard seat for the travelling group on Scoot | Complimentary Forward Zone Seat selection in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines |
| Personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld | BoardMeFirst and an additional 5kg with every baggage allowance purchase when travelling with Scoot | Plus all KrisFlyer Elite Silver member privileges |
| Discounts on flight add-ons (e.g. additional baggage) | Plus all KrisFlyer member privileges | |
| Complimentary Wi-Fi on board all Singapore Airlines aircraft, excluding Boeing 737-800NG |
To qualify for higher tiers, you would need to earn Elite miles which are awarded based on distance flown with eligible flights on Singapore Airlines or partner carriers.
Do note that the Elite miles must be earned within 12 consecutive months, to get to the next tier. You will be upgraded within the next day and your membership will last until the end of the 12th month.
The PPS Club
This membership club is solely reserved for those who spend on Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class or Business Class.
There is the regular PPS Club membership and the Solitaire PPS Club membership.
Here are the perks:
| PPS Club ($25,000 spend on SIA Suites, First Class or Business Class) | Solitaire PPS Club ($55,000 spend on SIA Suites, First Class or Business Class) |
|---|---|
| Exclusive lounge access | Solitaire PPS Club Supplementary card |
| Extra check-in baggage allowance | Special check-in services at Changi Airport |
| KrisFlyer miles will not expire as long as you remain a PPS Club member | First Class check-in at other airports |
| Guaranteed economy class seat reservation | Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris Lounge / Plaza Premium Lounge Access |
| Complimentary Extra Legroom, Forward Zone or Standard Seats when you fly in Premium Economy Class or Economy Class on Singapore Airlines | Welcome Gift |
| Priority boarding, baggage handling, airport check-in, immigration and security, etc. | Plus all PPS club member privileges |
| Renewal Gift | |
| Waived or discounted service fees | |
| Overseas Emergency Medical and Travel Accident Insurance | |
| Worldwide Emergency Assistance | |
| Plus all KrisFlyer Elite Gold member privileges |
To qualify you have to earn PPS value, which is awarded based on your Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class or Business Class total airfare, and applicable surcharge (excluding airport taxes). It’s calculated in Singapore dollars, so if you’ve bought your ticket in another currency, the airfare and surcharge portions are converted to Singapore dollars to determine your PPS Value.
Is the KrisFlyer Membership Worth It?
If you’re intending to fly with Singapore Airlines or Scoot, signing up for a KrisFlyer membership is a no-brainer!
You don’t have to be a miles guru to enjoy the free perks that come with the standard membership. But for those of us who want to make the best out of KrisFlyer, here are some articles to help you out!
Last but not least, check out these co-branded KrisFlyer credit cards and take advantage of their generous sign-up bonuses for miles! How much? We’re talking enough miles for a return trip to Bali!
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