In my teens, I made some questionable life choices – I dabbled in Tarot, I read Ayn Rand, I enjoyed listening to Nickelback AND Creed. Yes, that last one is pretty damning, I know. Recently, I’m planning to get the new American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card.
And if you don’t know enough about air miles credit cards, you might think that my questionable life choices have continued into adulthood. That’s because this card earns 1.1 miles per $1 spent locally.
Isn’t earning 1.1 miles per $1 spent locally a relatively low rate compared to other credit cards?
Yes, in fact, it’s the lowest air miles earn rate for air miles credit cards in Singapore. Other credit cards allow you to earn at a rate of 1.2 miles to 1.4 miles per $1 spent locally, and, as we pointed out before, some rewards credit cards technically can earn you air miles at a rate of 4 miles per $1 spent locally or more.
So why are you applying for an air miles card that earns you the lowest air miles per dollar spent?
- on eligible Singapore Airlines & Scoot flight bookings, KrisShop & Pelago purchases, with no cap
- S$1 = 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on eligible Grab Singapore transactions
- S$1 = Up to 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on all other eligible purchases
- S$1 = 1.1 KrisFlyer miles
No, I’m not into some 50 Shades of Grey level masochism. In fact, this new KrisFlyer Card is actually a frontrunner in terms of how easy, convenient and cheap it is to earn miles.
Most air miles credit cards in the market today have a convoluted, expensive procedure to redeem credit card rewards points as miles that could take several days. Not only is there a set number of reward points you need to earn before you can redeem your miles, you also have to pay a conversion fee each time you actually change your rewards points to air miles.
Let’s take a look at how some credit cards convert points to miles:
| Citi PremiereMiles Visa | UOB PRVI Miles Visa | DBS Altitude Visa Signature |
Basic Miles per Dollar Rate for Local Spending | 1.2 Miles per $1 | 1.4 Miles per $1 | 1.2 Miles per $1 |
Minimum Number of Points Required to Convert | No apparent minimum (used to be spending of $417) | UNI$5,000 (i.e. spending of $7,142) | 5,000 points (i.e. spending of $8,333) |
Cost per Conversion | $25 per redemption except for Citi Ultima cardmembers | $25 per redemption except for Privilege Banking customers | $42.80 per year No fee per redemption |
Points/Miles Expiry | No expiry | UNI$ expire after 2 years | No expiry |
Time take for Redemption Process | Up to 14 working days | 3-5 working days | 7-14 working days |
Those of you who already own one (or more!) of these air miles cards may already have known about these details which are often hiding in plain sight in the fine print of the card’s terms and conditions. You may have even been willing to accept all these limitations, and finding ways to accommodate them.
But the truth is, they’re mostly inconveniences. Imagine having to charge thousands of dollars to your card and then waiting for a week or more to redeem your air miles before you can even think of flying!
I bet you’re going to say there’s one air miles credit card that does away with all of these inconveniences, huh.
Exactly right! The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card may only earn at 1.1 miles per $1, but it boasts the most convenient way to earn KrisFlyer miles. All miles earned with this card are credited directly into your KrisFlyer account.
What’s more, only full miles are awarded. This means that if you spend $0.50 on the card, you don’t earn 0.55 miles, it gets rounded up, so you earn a full mile! Unfortunately, if it’s less than 0.50 miles, it gets rounded down.
Now, when you apply for the new American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card, you receive a bonus of 5,000 miles as soon as you charge to the card for the first time.
And yes, these miles are credited directly to your KrisFlyer account, so you can use them immediately. Also, if you spend just $700 on the card in the first 6 months, you’ll receive an additional 3,000 miles as a bonus.
So who should apply for the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card?
Because every dollar you charge to the card is immediately converted to air miles, this credit card is actually ideal for those who love travelling but don't spend thousands of dollars a month on their cards.
The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card allows you to earn your air miles at the rate you want to, not at the rate the bank determines. Plus, since there's no conversion cost, you don't need to worry about saving up your rewards points, which may risk them expiring if you don't earn them fast enough.
So if you find yourself only spend a few hundred dollars, but love to reward yourself with a holiday around the region, consider getting the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card and the convenience it brings.
- on eligible Singapore Airlines & Scoot flight bookings, KrisShop & Pelago purchases, with no cap
- S$1 = 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on eligible Grab Singapore transactions
- S$1 = Up to 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on all other eligible purchases
- S$1 = 1.1 KrisFlyer miles
If your income is higher, go for the KrisFlyer Ascend.
- on eligible Singapore Airlines, Scoot flight bookings, KrisShop & Pelago purchases, with no cap
- S$1 = 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on eligible Grab Singapore transactions
- S$1 = Up to 2 KrisFlyer miles
- on all other eligible purchases
- S$1 = 1.2 KrisFlyer miles
Alternatives to the Amex KrisFlyer card
Aside from the AMEX KrisFlyer card, the Citi PremierMiles and DBS Altitude credit cards are great alternatives. They offer large welcome bonuses of 38,000 to 40,000 miles and Citi Miles/DBS Points never expire.
- Local Spend
- S$1 = 1.3 miles
- Overseas Spend (made in foreign currency)
- S$1 = Up to 2.2 miles
- on DBS Points earned
- No Expiry
- Local Spend
- S$1 = 1.2 miles
- All Foreign Currency Spend including Retail and Online
- S$1 = Up to 2.2 miles
- Selected Online Hotel Bookings
- S$1 = Up to 10 miles
Get Upsized S$400 Cash Reward or 6,140 SmartPoints (worth up to S$499 of Gifts) when you charge a min. of S$500 within 30 days!
PLUS, win a S$15,000 Dream Holiday to your preferred destination! T&Cs apply.
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