The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program lets you earn frequent flyer points on your everyday spend and redeem for a variety of rewards including flight upgrades, flight rewards and travel deals. Compare Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program credit cards and start earning points today.
Singapore Airlines began services in 1972, flying regional routes from Singapore. After Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia in 1966 the airline rapidly grew and added many international routes, becoming a household name for those flying. Singapore Airlines has established many of the features of air travel we now take for granted.
- They were the first to introduce a choice of meals and free drinks and headsets in Economy Class.
- They introduced the first in-flight satellite phone in 1991.
- They were the first to offer audio and video services on demand in all classes.
In 1999, as a way for loyal Singapore Airlines flyers to receive rewards for continued service the KrisFlyer program was started .
What is the KrisFlyer program and how does work?
KrisFlyer is Singapore Airline’s frequent flyer program. It works much the same way as any other frequent flyer program. This means you earn KrisFlyer miles for flying, using a linked credit card or by paying for services from KrisFlyer partners. Partners are diverse and could mean you earn miles for hotel stays at a wide range of hotel chains, car rental companies, telecommunications, cruise holidays and other partners are available.
Once you earn enough miles you’ll be able to spend these for rewards including free flights and upgraded fares.
It should be noted that KrisFlyer has no frequent flyer store where you can redeem miles for items and gift cards. If you’d like to redeem your points for these kinds of rewards there are programs which allow you to do this, although be warned that exchanging rewards points for these items doesn’t always constitute the best value.
Membership tiers
Like most frequent flyer programs, KrisFlyer has a set of membership status tiers you can climb the more you fly.
To climb from one tier to the next you need to have enough Elite miles, which are separate from your regular account, and once you reach the next level you need to have enough Elite miles to keep you there each year.
Elite miles are earned for flying, and you’ll earn more depending on the distance travelled and fare type.
There’s the KrisFlyer Silver and Gold tiers, as well as the PPS Club and Solitaire PPS club for those who travel frequently on business or first class.
What are the benefits of a higher status level?
Just like on the ground, a higher status nets you some impressive benefits when you fly. Below are what you can expect.
- Earn bonus KrisFlyer miles for each status level you are.
- Star Alliance silver or gold status, depending on what status level you are, which gives you benefits across the partner airlines.
- Priority reservation waitlist, which means you'll be given priority if you're waitlisted for a flight on a Singapore Airlines, SilkAir or Star Alliance partner.
- Priority airport standby, where you're given priority if you need to take a flight on short notice for Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Star Alliance partner or Virgin Atlantic.
- Waived or reduced KrisFlyer service fees
- Increased check-in baggage allowance
- Priority boarding
- Lounge access
How do I earn KrisFlyer frequent flyer miles?
KrisFlyer miles are earned in a number of ways including flying with Singapore Airlines and partnered airlines, credit cards and hotel partners:
Flying on an eligible Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flight.
Most Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights are eligible to earn miles except for Economy Class flights with a G booking class. The amount of points you earn will depend on your booking class and the distance travelled.
To receive your miles you’ll need to quote your KrisFlyer number at the time of reserving your flight, present your card upon check-in (or if checking in online login to singaporeair.com with your KrisFlyer member number and PIN).
Flying on an eligible flight on a partner carrier.
Star Alliance
The strength of a frequent flyer program lies in the partners you’re able to earn points with when flying. Singapore Airlines is part of the Star Alliance, which includes partner airlines such as Lufthansa, US Airways, Air Canada, Thai Airways and Air New Zealand to name a few.
Other partners
Singapore Airlines have also made deals with airlines outside of the Star Alliance. These include Air India, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic and of note to us, Virgin Australia.
Credit cards
If you're not actually a flyer who travels frequently, one of the easiest ways to earn points is through a KrisFlyer-linked credit card. These cards will allow you to earn miles per dollar spent. Some credit cards have their own rewards program in place which earns points. Many of these cards will allow you to swap your rewards points for KrisFlyer miles. Check out our guide for more information on what cards allow you to do this.
Compare Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Program Credit Cards
Hotel partners
KrisFlyer miles can be earned when staying at a range of hotel chains. Some of these include:
- Accor hotels - Convert 4,000 Le club Accorhotels points to 2,000 KrisFlyer miles.
- Hilton worldwide - 1 KrisFlyer is earned per US dollar spent.
- InterContinental Hotels Group - 500 KrisFlyer miles for every qualifying stay.
There are also partnerships in place with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts to name but a few.
KrisFlyer Spree
Earn KrisFlyer points through the KrisFlyer exclusive online shopping portal, with over 2,000 leading global and local online shops to choose from. The online catalogue will typically express KF miles earned per $10 USD spent in the store. Miles earned through KrisFlyer Spree will be credited directly to your KrisFlyer account.
Other partners
KrisFlyer has partnerships with car rental companies including Avis, Europcar, HERTZ and Sixt. These will see you earn points when renting cars with qualifying rates and at participating locations.
There are also a number of telecommunications and cruise holiday deals, although most of these are offered on services in Singapore or Hong Kong.
Back to topWhat rewards can I redeem with KrisFlyer frequent flyer points?
The points redemption offers available to KrisFlyer members are slightly more restrictive than the programs offered by the Qantas or Virgin programs, although you do receive a 15% discount on the miles required for a reward if you redeem them online.
Free flights
Points can be redeemed for a free awards flight with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and the 31 partner airlines listed above.
As is the case with many frequent flyer programs, you'll need to pay taxes, fuel surcharges and fees in addition to the miles required for the flight.
Upgraded fares
If flying in style is more your thing then you can use your miles to upgrade your fare from Economy to Business Class on a Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flight. Most partner airlines in the Star Alliance will also allow you to do this.
Use cash and miles to earn rewards
If you're short of the points you need for a reward you can use cash to pay for the difference. You need to have at least 50% of the points needed to be able to use this feature, and each 1,000 KrisFlyer miles will cost you $40 USD.
Nominate family members for rewards redemption
Being a KrisFlyer member entitles you to nominate up to five family members who can redeem your points to get free flights. They don't need to be KrisFlyer members.
There are some restrictions for those under 17 years of age. If you plan to redeem your points online for a child under 12 years of age you or a nominated family member over 18 must be travelling with them on the same flight.
A KrisFlyer member under 17 also can't redeem their miles online for the travel of their family nominees if they themselves are not travelling.
Learn about earning more Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Points
Back to topHow does the program compare to others?
The KrisFlyer program offers basically all of the features other frequent flyer programs do, with the exception of a store where you can redeem points for items - although many frequent flyers agree this isn't a wise use of miles anyway. Nevertheless, there are a number of ways you can compare the KrisFlyer program to offerings from other airlines.
Points expiry
Each KrisFlyer mile has a life of three years, unless they're earned in a contest (then they'll only last one year). You can extend the life of these miles by six months for a fee, or for one year if you are a KrisFlyer Elite Silver member or higher.
Under the Qantas Frequent Flyer program your points don't expire as long as your account is active every 18 months, which means you earn at least one point or spend at least one point within this time frame.
The Virgin Velocity program has a similar expiry policy but lengthens the time your account can be inactive for 36 months.
As you can see, if you plan to hold onto your points for a long time, the KrisFlyer program may not be the one for you.
Status comparison
To earn silver membership in the KrisFlyer program you'll need to earn 25,000 KrisFlyer Elite miles in 12 months on any class of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic or Star Alliance airline.
In the Qantas program you'll need to earn 300 Status Credits and fly a minimum of four eligible flights to reach Silver status, and you'll need to earn 250 Status Credits every 12 months to remain there.
In the Velocity program you'll need 250 Status Credits and will need to have flown two eligible sectors to qualify for Silver membership. For every 12 month period after that you'll need to earn 200 credit each year and fly two eligible sectors.
Let's compare the amount of Status Credits earned on a one-way, full-fare economy class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
Status Credits earned | Status credits needed for silver membership | Other requirements | Annual requirements to maintain silver level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Virgin Velocity | 100 | 250 | Two eligible sectors | Earn 200 Status Credits and fly two eligible sectors |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | 90 | 300 | Four eligible Qantas, QantasLink or Jetstar flights | Earn 250 credits per 12 month period and four eligible flights |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 8763 | 25,000 | None | Earn 25,000 Elite miles |
Status Benefits
Now let's compare some of the benefits of silver membership across the three programs.
Singapore KrisFlyer | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Virgin Velocity | |
|---|---|---|---|
Points bonus? | 25% bonus on eligible flights | 50% bonus | Up to 50% bonus (25% bonus for Etihad flights) |
Priority reservation waitlist? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Alliance membership? | Yes, silver Star Alliance membership | Yes, oneworld Ruby status | No |
Priority phone service? | No | Yes | Yes |
Preferential seating? | No | Yes, you can select and store seating preferences, and select your seat at the time of booking or check-in for free. | Ability to set a preference, and ability to select a seat from the reserved zone of your cabin. Preferential access to Qantas Award seats. |
Extra baggage allowance? | No | Varied allowances for short haul flights, one extra piece when flying to USA on Virgin Australia, and 10kg extra for other international long haul flights with Virgin Australia (Excludes Singapore Airlines codeshare) | 9kg of extra baggage for domestic flights, an extra piece for international flights. |
Faster check in? | No | International priority check in | International priority check in |
Lounge access? | No | Yes, one free pass to the Qantas Club | Yes, two free passes to the Virgin Australia Lounges |
As you can see, the KrisFlyer Silver Membership misses out on a lot of the benefits which come with the other programs. It should be noted that the KrisFlyer Gold membership introduces many of the features missing from the Silver, such as priority check in, lounge access and more, but when compared to the additional features offered by Qantas and especially Virgin gold status levels, this again comes up short.
Awards flights and upgraded fares- The KrisFlyer program allows you to redeem points for both free awards flights and also to upgrade your fares. Comparing the amounts of points needed for flights is beyond the scope of this article, and will depend on the distance of the trip and other factors.
Comparing member satisfaction - A quick perusal of the leading frequent flyer discussion boards online will show plenty of anecdotal evidence supporting the friendly and reliable KrisFlyer service staff. Singapore Airlines itself is a highly-rated carrier, so it's not hard to see why their frequent flyer program is similarly lauded.
This anecdotal evidence also shows that KrisFlyer is easier to climb status levels, nets you better value when redeeming points, has better flight availability and similar fuel surcharges to the Qantas program.
Pros & Cons of the KrisFlyer Frequent Flyer Program
Pros
- Easier to climb status levels than Qantas program
- Reported higher customer satisfaction
- Reported Better flight availability
Cons
- KrisFlyer Silver and Gold don't offer the same perks as similar programs
- Each point expires after three years
- Variety of Australian credit cards which direct-earn KrisFlyer miles is very limited
Frequently asked questions about the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program
Will I earn KrisFlyer miles for award tickets?
No, flights paid for using KrisFlyer miles will not earn miles.
Do children's tickets earn as many miles as an adult ticket?
Yes.
Do all flights earn miles?
This depends on what fare you're travelling on. Singapore Airlines and SilkAir fares designated with a 'G' class are ineligible.
Do I have to pay to become a KrisFlyer member?
No, it's free.
Do I have to live in Asia to become a KrisFlyer member?
No. Membership to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program is open to residents of all countries.
I’m a Silver KrisFlyer member. I am travelling to London from Sydney in 2017 in Premium Economy. Will my points from the return flight take me up to a Gold member? If so, can I use my points to access the Business Lounge in Singapore.
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for your question.
You need to earn 50,000 Elite miles within 12 months to upgrade to Gold membership with KrisFlyer. Unfortunately, your miles won’t be credited to your account until after you’ve taken the flight, so you probably won’t receive them in your account and upgrade to Gold until you’ve returned from your trip.
Once you reach Gold membership, you should be able to access the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport and SilverKris Lounges worldwide.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
My Wife and I are flying with Singapore Airlines in December and have joined the Kris Frequent Flyers Club and have printed out our Members a flying Club member numbers and was wondering do you send out a plastic card ?
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your question.
Please note that finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service and we do not represent Singapore Airlines.
If you are already a member of the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Frequent Flyer Program, you will receive your permanent KrisFlyer Membership Card after making the first qualifying transaction.
Cheers,
Anndy
Hello. Can you redeem krisflyer miles for good or services. For example, could I redeem my miles for a coffee machine etc as you can do with the Qantas program.
THanks
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your question.
You can redeem KrisFlyer miles for awards tickets, flight upgrades or Scoot and Tigerair vouchers, which you can use to fly various destinations or buy selected products on Scoot and Tigerair. I’ve sent you an email with a link to KrisFlyer redemption page for your convenience.
Cheers
Anndy
My online order has been processed on 12 June 2016. However, until today I do not get my stuff.
Please let me know why?
Thank you
Hi Wiratsari,
Thanks for your question. Just to confirm though that you’ve come through to finder.com.au – we are a financial comparison website and we do not represent any company we feature on our site.
If you want to check the status of your order online, please contact the retailer directly.
Cheers,
May
Can I use my Kris Flier points when booking through a travel agent?
Hi Mervyn,
Thanks for your question.
If you’re booking your flight through an agent, you should still be able to earn KrisFlyer points so long as you’ve quoted your frequent flyer number at the time of booking. Otherwise, you might have to wait until you’ve flown and then use the details of your flight to earn your points retrospectively.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
We flew to and from Europe/UK last month, business class with Singapore Airlines. It was so good we are now keen to do more travel. Are we still able to join SA KrisFlyer Frequent Flyer Program and claim points on our recent trip?
Hi Vicky,
Thanks for your question.
Yes, you can still claim points even before your KrisFlyer membership so long you’d taken those flights up to six months before the date of your enrolment. Once you’ve joined KrisFlyer, log into your account and provide your full name, flight numbers and destinations.
Cheers,
May
Is it possible to transfer Kris Flyer points from my account to my husband’s Kris Flyer Account to enable us both to have enough points to book a flight.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, you can’t transfer your points or pool your miles under the KrisFlyer program. However, you can nominate up to five family or friends who have a KrisFlyer account as redemption nominees. This means that they can redeem rewards using your points.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
Thanks for your reply but it does not answer my question. I am asking about the additional miles i.e. the extra miles credited to Krisflyer gold tier when flying on Sinapore airlines for example if normal miles earned is 100, then with gold tier its 125. Question is would my Krisflyer gold tier earn the additional 25 miles if I fly on anther star alliance airline partner.125 and not just 100. June
Hi June,
Sorry about that confusion.
Yes, Gold KrisFlyer members can earn 25% more KrisFlyer Miles on eligible Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance partner flights. Again, you can use the accrual calculator on the KrisFlyer website to see how many points you’ll earn on your flight.
Cheers,
Sally
Krisflyer gold tier credits additional miles when flying on Singapore airline. Does it give the same additional miles if krifyer member fly on othe star alliance partner alliance?
Hi June,
Thanks for your question.
If you’re a Elite Gold KrisFlyer member, you can earn Elite miles when flying with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia or any Star Alliance airline, you’ll also earn Elite miles, which are used to track you towards Elite Silver and Elite Gold status.
As of 1 July, you’ll only be able to earn Elite miles with Virgin Australia if it’s a Singapore Airlines codeshare flights operated by Virgin Australia within Australia, Trans-Tasman, and between Australia and the Pacific Islands.
You can use the Krisflyer miles accrual calculator to see how many points you’ll earn.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
If I want to be Gold Elite member with KrisFlyer, can I convert my point rewards from my credit card to be KrisFlyer point to reach 50,000 mileage become Gold elite member ?
Hi Andri,
Thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, you can only earn Elite Miles when you fly with Singapore Airlines or one of its Star Alliance partners.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally