New to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer? Start here

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is an airline loyalty program of choice for many Australians.

This must-know program boasts an array of valuable benefits, including accessible earning and redemption options for local travellers, and perks with Star Alliance airlines.

Not yet familiar with KrisFlyer? This guide serves to help you get started with the loyalty program, as well as providing an in-depth overview of the many different ways to earn and redeem KrisFlyer miles from Australia.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer overview

KrisFlyer is the primary loyalty program tied to Singapore Airlines. Using the currency of KrisFlyer miles, members can earn and redeem in a number of ways in the air, and on the ground.

Perhaps one of the program’s biggest drawcards is that Singapore Airlines is a member of the world’s largest global airline alliance, Star Alliance. This makes it possible to redeem for flights across a range of airlines, effectively opening the sky to travel opportunities across countless routes worldwide.

krisflyer partners
The 26 members of Star Alliance give KrisFlyer members route flexibility and choice.

As a result, KrisFlyer provides global jet setters with unparalleled flight availability across Singapore Airlines’ extensive flight network, as well as that of partner airlines such as Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, Thai Airways and United, just to name a few.

Via a unique and longstanding partnership with Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer also unlocks the ability to transfer points directly with one of Australia’s leading airline loyalty programs.

How to join Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer in Australia

There are many reasons to become a KrisFlyer member. It only takes a few minutes to sign up for free with these three steps:

  1. visit the Singapore Airlines website and navigate to the KrisFlyer registration page
  1. enter your personal details (name, DOB, email, mobile, country of residence)
  1. create a password.
krisflyer registration
When signing up, be sure to enter your name as it appears in your passport.

From time to time, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer offers ‘refer a friend’ joining incentives. If a friend or family member has steered you in the direction of KrisFlyer member, be sure to enter their details if prompted, in order to pass on any referral benefits.

Once registered in the program, KrisFlyer members can begin earning Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, as well as unlocking the ability to earn Elite miles that can be used to climb the lofty heights of elite status.

KrisFlyer membership tiers and benefits

Like other airline programs, KrisFlyer offers a series of tiered membership benefits that are recognised on services operated by Singapore Airlines, along with airline partners. Earning enough Elite miles will see members unlock Elite Silver, followed by the lofty heights of Elite Gold status.

Krisflyer tiers

Here’s a breakdown of each membership level, including how to obtain tiered status and what perks it brings.

KrisFlyer Member

singapore airlines krisflyer member

Free to obtain, this entry-level tier allows KrisFlyer members to accumulate Elite miles and work towards a higher tier status level to redeem KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards and enjoy free upgrades.

How to earnHow to retain
Sign up to KrisFlyer loyalty program (free) n/a 

Benefits include:

  • access to members-only promotions
  • discounts on flight add-ons, such as additional baggage
  • personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld
  • two-hour complimentary Wi-Fi onboard most Singapore Airlines aircraft

KrisFlyer Elite Silver

singapore airlines krisflyer elite silver

As well as the standard member benefits, KrisFlyer Elite Silver status offers further value by granting access to more privileges.

Benefits include:

  • 25% tier bonus on miles flown on Singapore Airlines and Scoot
  • complimentary standard seat selection in economy when flying with Singapore Airlines and Scoot
  • priority boarding privileges (BoardMeFirst)
  • an additional 5kg with every baggage allowance purchase when travelling with Scoot
How to earnHow to retain
25,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period25,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period

KrisFlyer Elite Gold

singapore airlines krisflyer elite gold

Unlike the Qantas and Velocity programs which both offer a Platinum tier, Elite Gold is the highest KrisFlyer status that can be attained on a tally of the number of miles flown. KrisFlyer Elite Gold members have access to all KrisFlyer and KrisFlyer Elite Silver member privileges, as well as a few extra notable value adds.

Benefits include:

  • worldwide lounge access (including Star Alliance lounges)
  • priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling
  • complimentary forward zone seat selection in economy when flying with Singapore Airlines
How to earnHow to retain
50,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period50,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period

Obtaining PPS Club Status

Operating separately to KrisFlyer, the PPS Club loyalty program exists to recognise Singapore Airline’s most valued customers across two membership levels, as measured by annual spend. Singapore Airlines’ highest-spending customers will go on to enjoy the highest recognition, Solitaire PPS Club privileges.

PPS Club Value is the currency here, with ‘Value’ earned based on how much members spend on Singapore Airlines flights. $1 Singapore Dollar (worth around $1.05AUD at the time of writing) is equal to 1 PPS Value. Members can only earn PPS Value when flying Singapore Airlines premium cabins, meaning that cheap economy flights won’t count.

Reaching PPS Club status will see high-spending frequent flyers enjoy all the perks of KrisFlyer Gold, as well as extra benefits.

Below is a table of PPS status tiers, how to achieve them and what additional benefits are on offer:

Tier – PPS ClubBenefitsHow to earnHow to retain
PPS Club-Access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses -Guaranteed economy seats and free Wi-Fi on all Singapore Airlines flights$25,000 in PPS Value in a 12-month period$25,000 in PPS Value in a 12-month period
Solitaire PPS Club-Special check-in lanes at Singapore Airport -First class check in at all other airports -First class lounge access  -Plaza Premium London Heathrow access$50,000 in PPS Value in a 12-month period$50,000 in PPS Value in a 12-month period

PPS Solitaire also unlocks entry to a range of highly-regarded first class lounges. Essentially, PPS Club members have access to exclusive privileges that open up more travel benefits and recognition around the world.

It costs a pretty penny to reach and retain Solitaire PPS Club status, however high-spending members may find value in unlocking the benefits provided.

Over the course of a year, PPS Club members who meet Value milestones will unlock additional rewards:

PPS Club valuePPS Rewards perks
30,0002x vouchers to earn double KrisFlyer miles
40,00050,000-mile award booking discount
60,000, 75,000 & 100,000Confirmed one-cabin upgrade voucher on Singapore Airlines flight

So is PPS Club worth aiming for?

The additional PPS Club benefits probably won’t find many people on the edge of their seats given the expenditure it takes to get there. However, high-spending members may find value in the ability to access priority Saver Awards, premium check-in, the Plaza Premium lounge network and SilverKris lounges, even when flying in economy.

How to earn KrisFlyer miles in Australia

To assume that it is only possible to earn Qantas and Velocity Points in Australia would be a mistake. KrisFlyer is an accessible loyalty program for Australians, with miles easy to earn, regardless of whether you choose to fly with Singapore Airlines.

Here are our top tips for earning KrisFlyer miles in Australia:

Transfer via American Express Membership Rewards

As a KrisFlyer transfer partner, American Express Membership Rewards offers one of the easiest ways to earn KrisFlyer miles in Australia, at a value of 3:1.

This means a large sign-up bonus could translate to a hefty KrisFlyer miles boost. While sign-on bonuses vary, a 150,000 sign-up bonus is worth the equivalent of 50,000 KrisFlyer miles.

The following American Express credit and charge cards unlock the ability to transfer directly to KrisFlyer:

Transfer via other bank rewards partners

Other bank rewards programs, such as NAB Rewards, ANZ Rewards, Citi, or Westpac Altitude Rewards operate at a 3:1 transfer ratio. This sees members earn 0.33 KrisFlyer miles for every point transferred. It should be noted that differing minimum transfer thresholds apply across all three programs.

Bank rewards credit and charge cards that are aligned with KrisFlyer include:

Converting via a Velocity Points credit card

A Velocity co-brand credit card offers yet another way of obtaining KrisFlyer miles, though it isn’t always a good idea. Via the tie-up between Velocity and KrisFlyer, members of both programs can undertake reciprocal points transfers, at a 1.55 to 1 rate.

The following cards unlock the ability to earn KrisFlyer miles by third party transfer via the Velocity Frequent Flyer program:

Flying with Singapore Airlines

Taking flight with Singapore Airlines offers a straightforward way to earn KrisFlyer miles, particularly as travel opens back up. Members will earn a specific number of KrisFlyer miles based on the actual miles flown, with a higher return offered for premium cabin tickets.

The number of miles that can be earned on Singapore Airlines flights depends on the fare booking class. Essentially, it all comes down to the letter beside your flight number, with a higher percentage of the actual miles flown awarded for premium cabin tickets.

Here’s a summary of KrisFlyer mileage accrual levels on Singapore Airlines:

Booking classMileage accrual (% of miles flown)
Suites/First Class (A, F)200%
Business Class (C, J, Z)150%
Business Class (D, U)125%
Premium Economy (S, T)125%
Premium Economy (R, L, P)100%
Economy Class (B, E, Y)100%
Economy Class (H, M, W)75%
Economy Class (K, N, Q, V, G)50%

For example, a quick look at Singapore Airlines’ mileage calculator shows that a return Business Standard ticket from Sydney to Singapore (booking class ‘U’) would earn 9,780 KrisFlyer miles, which is 125% of the actual miles flown (7,824):

KrisFlyer miles calculator

Flying with Star Alliance airline partners

Flying with Star Alliance partner airlines unlocks miles-earning opportunities with carriers such as Air Canada, Air China, Alaska Airlines, South African Airways and United.

You can find up to date mileage accrual levels on the 26 Star Alliance partner airlines here.

Transferring hotel points

If you’re not planning to use hotel program points towards stays, leading hotel reward programs allow members to transfer points to KrisFlyer miles at varying transfer ratios.

IHG One Rewards and Accor Live Limitless are two popular hotel programs for Australian travellers, while Shangri La Golden Circle offers a reciprocal partnership with KrisFlyer.

Car rental partners

Car hire companies including Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt allow KrisFlyer members to earn miles on eligible car hire bookings all around the world. Have a Grab account? GrabRewards points can be converted into KrisFlyer miles as well.

KrisShop

The KrisShop portal offers another way to amass KrisFlyer miles on the ground. Similar to Qantas Shopping, each merchant offers a different number of miles per dollar spent, with bonus promotions running from time to time. The Singapore Airlines KrisShop portal operates in Singapore, Australia, the U.S. and greater Asia.

Just bear in mind that earning KrisFlyer miles via the KrisShop portal limits the ability to earn cashback via other means, such as CashRewards and ShopBack.

How much are KrisFlyer miles worth?

As with any airline program, the value of KrisFlyer miles depends entirely on the goals of the individual user, and how the miles are used.  

When redeemed outright for first class award seats or upgrades, we’d suggest that KrisFlyer miles can be worth between 3 to 5 cents. However, the value will be less for economy redemptions and even lower again for redeeming goods via KrisShop. 

How do I redeem KrisFlyer miles?

Just as there are many avenues through which to earn KrisFlyer miles in Australia, there are many ways to spend them too. From outright redemptions, to upgrades and escapes, it’s likely most members will find an appealing reward.

Many members opt to save miles for bookings in business and first class with Singapore Airlines. However, it’s possible to use KrisFlyer miles in other ways – just bear in mind that some redemptions offer better value than others.

Flight reward redemptions (Award Seats)

Flight reward redemptions on Singapore Airlines metal typically offer the most valuable and appealing redemption opportunities – particularly when booked for premium cabins (premium economy, business and first class).

It’s important to know that Singapore Airlines offers ‘Award Seat’ redemptions in two categories – ‘Saver’ and ‘Advantage’, with pricing differing between each option. Most seats are bookable via the Singapore Airlines website. However, if you have a complex itinerary you are wanting to lock in (for example, a mixed business and first class award) this can be done by contacting the call centre.

When compared with other airline programs, award seats booked via Singapore Airlines tend to attract low fees and carrier surcharges. Additionally, at the time of writing, the availability of rewards flights released on SQ metal appears to be superior to other airline programs, such as Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Upgrades

Upgrades using KrisFlyer miles offer another compelling redemption option, with the ability to unlock significant value.

KrisFlyer miles can be used to upgrade to premium economy, business class or first class on eligible Singapore Airlines flights. The one-cabin upgrade options typically depend on the originally purchases fare and generally work as follows:

  • Economy to premium economy
  • Economy to business class
  • Premium economy to business class
  • Business class to first class

Note that it is not possible to upgrade twice on one flight (from economy to business class and then again from business to first class).

KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes

The popular Singapore Airlines Spontaneous Escapes promotion unlocks monthly discounts of up to 30% or more on the price of Saver reward flights for selected routes.

For savvy travellers, the promotion can offer exceptional value, particularly when business class routes ex Australia are on offer. Spontaneous Escapes deals change from month to month, so it’s best to keep an eye out for which promotional routes are in play.

spontaneous escapes

The promotion often features routes departing Singapore to the wider world. It’s possible to view all current KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes deals by heading here.

KrisShop

For those who don’t fancy flying, Singapore Airlines’ online shopping portal, KrisShop, offers a way to redeem points on the ground. Of course, redeeming points via KrisShop isn’t usually a good idea, as it typically offers a much poorer value proposition when compared with premium flights and upgrades.

Transfer to Velocity

Singapore Airlines unique partnership with Virgin Australia makes it possible to transfer KrisFlyer miles to Velocity Points at a 1.55 to 1 ratio. While it usually wouldn’t make sense to use KrisFlyer miles in this way, this initiative provides an option for those seeking a specific redemption via Virgin Australia, that isn’t bookable via KrisFlyer.

How many KrisFlyer miles do I need for a free flight?

The number of KrisFlyer miles needed to book an outright flight depends on the zone and award type. There are two award types to choose from: Saver and Advantage and 13 distance-based zones.

An economy Saver award flight in Zone one starts at just 8,500 KrisFlyer miles.

Saver Award Seats offer the cheaper redemption option – but there aren’t many on offer. Conversely, the higher priced Advantage reward seats can be typically found on the most popular routes and cabins, but with greater availability on offer. Given this trade-off, we would still suggest aiming to redeem your KrisFlyer miles on a Saver Award, where possible.

It’s important to note that for highly sought-after redemptions (think the Singapore Airlines first class A380 suite from Singapore to London or Paris), usually, very few Saver seats (if any) are offered.

When do KrisFlyer miles expire?

A significant downside to KrisFlyer is that miles feature a hard expiry date, with miles expiring automatically within three years of the earn date, regardless of the member’s activity levels or status.

It’s frustrating to see this policy remain in place, with most other frequent flyer programs have moved away from a hard expiry during Covid. Most other airline programs allow members to keep points valid by earning or redeeming just once in a membership year or other set period of time.

As a result of this policy, KrisFlyer miles will automatically expire 36 months after they were accredited to your account, giving members less time to save up for an aspirational flight redemption.

Conversely, Qantas Points don’t expire, so long as activity is registered in any 18-month period.

How can I claim missing KrisFlyer miles?

KrisFlyer members who fly with Singapore Airlines or any of its partner airlines will usually receive miles between two weeks and two months after their flight. It’s important to check if your points have arrived in your account as it is possible that they may not have made the journey.

KrisFlyer members, as well as Velocity Frequent Flyer members, can chase down any missing KrisFlyer miles or Velocity Points from Singapore Airlines flights by following these relatively simple steps:

  1. Log into your KrisFlyer account
  2. Select ‘miles’ and then ‘claim missing miles’ on your main account screen
  3. If your flight was booked under an SQ or MI flight number, select ‘Singapore Airlines’ or ‘SilkAir’ in the ‘airline’ box
  4. Enter your ticket number. This is the long number on your airline reservation (usually beginning in 618 for bookings with Singapore Airlines and 629 for SilkAir)
  5. Enter your flight number. This begins in ‘SQ’ for Singapore Airlines flights, ‘MI’ for SilkAir. If your fight was booked as a codeshare journey through a partner airline, such as Virgin Airlines (‘VA’) then select ‘other airlines’ in the ‘airline’ box
  6. Enter your origin and destination airports
  7. Enter your date of travel (the departure date)
  8. Click ‘add flight’ until all your claims are entered
krisflyer

It pays to keep flight information handy until the miles have touched down in your account. Here are the details you’ll need to keep handy when submitting a claim for missing miles from flights with some other partnered airlines:

  • ticket number 
  • flight number, as shown on ticket and boarding pass (these can be different)
  • class of travel, as shown on ticket and boarding pass (these can be different)
  • flight origin, destination and date of travel
  • all of the above for any additional flights

Digging into the KrisFlyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer partnership

Virgin Australia offers a unique non-Star Alliance partnership with Singapore Airlines, and KrisFlyer, by extension. Reinstated after a pandemic pause, members of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program can once again transfer Velocity Points into KrisFlyer miles at an unchanged transfer rate of 1:55. That means, in order to lock in a KrisFlyer redemption costing 100,000 KrisFlyer miles, you’d need to send across 155,000 Velocity Points.

It is possible to redeem Singapore Airlines flights via Velocity Frequent Flyer, however, from 5 October 2022 this will attract a notable carrier charge that depends on the route. For example, the charge ranges from $30 USD for a flight of up to 4,200 miles in economy, to $150 USD for a business or first class flight over 4,200 miles in distance.

Velocity x KrisFlyer

As a result, a return business or first class reward flight to Europe from Australia would front a cost of $480 USD ($705 AUD at the time of writing).

KrisFlyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer members also enjoy reciprocal status benefits. This means that achieving status in one program can open up a raft of premium perks when flying with the other.

Depending on what best suits your travel patterns, it may make sense to credit Virgin Australia flights to Singapore Airlines, with a view to earning KrisFlyer miles rather than Velocity Points. It should be noted that for a successful transfer, KrisFlyer and Velocity accounts must match by name and birthdate, so it is not possible to transfer points to someone else’s account.

krisfyer x virgin

HighFlyer: Singapore Airlines’ program for business

Do you travel mostly for business? Separate from KrisFlyer, Singapore Airlines’ HighFlyer business travel program opens up a world of business travel rewards including preferential airfares and priority privileges.

Similar to the business-focused Virgin Australia Business Flyer and Qantas Business Rewards programs, HighFlyer members have the ability to earn HighFlyer points when employees travel for work.

Free to join, and offering more perks than some other airline business loyalty programs, HighFlyer offers a membership level for most businesses depending on their expenditure. Higher tiers will see members earn more HighFlyer points for every dollar spent on eligible fares, as well as enjoy extra benefits. The four HighFlyer tiers are as follows:

  • HighFlyer (for small-to-medium businesses)
  • HighFlyer Silver (for medium-to-large businesses)
  • HighFlyer Gold (for large businesses)
  • HighFlyer Premium (invitation only)

How does Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer stack up against Qantas Frequent Flyer?

With over 12 million members and counting, Qantas Frequent Flyer is Australia’s number one airline loyalty program of choice. Being an Australian-based loyalty program means there are always going to be more avenues through which to earn Qantas Points than KrisFlyer miles locally.

Though Qantas Points expire in 18 months without account activity, earning or redeeming just one point through simple avenues such as Qantas Wine or the Qantas Wellbeing App makes it easy to keep points valid. Conversely, KrisFlyer miles are limited by a hard three-year expiry policy, creating significant barriers to entry for aspirational business or first-class outright flight redemptions.

While Qantas is part of the global Oneworld alliance (which also has over 25 members), it also partners with other non-alliance affiliated airlines such as Emirates. Not to be outdone, KrisFlyer’s Star Alliance and Virgin Australian partnership offer wide-ranging route flexibility for Australians.

When it comes to carrier fees and Saver award flight availability, Singapore Airlines almost always comes out ahead, which is something to consider when planning to align with an airline program. However, there is some variance in redemption costs between the two programs, largely depending on travel class.

On a points basis, some Qantas economy award flights cost less than Saver flight redemptions on Singapore Airlines flights using KrisFlyer miles.

Conversely, many business and first class redemptions are cheaper to book via Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer – provided, of course, that you can nab a ‘Saver’ ticket.

The table below shows how KrisFlyer stacks up against Qantas Frequent Flyer at a glance.

Frequent flyer programKrisFlyerQantas
CurrencyKrisFlyer milesQantas Points
Airline partnersStar Alliance (over 25 partners) plus Velocity Frequent FlyerOneworld alliance (over 25 partners) plus Emirates
Membership tiers3 (KrisFlyer member, Elite Silver, Elite Gold) plus PPS Club5 (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One)
Hard points/miles expiry3 yearsNo (must register account activity every 18 months)
Transfer miles/points to a family memberNo – but can nominate up to 5 redemption nomineesYes
Direct earn via credit card?No (but can obtain miles via third-party programs such as Amex Membership Rewards)Yes
Earn points on the groundYesYes

At the end of the day, if you frequently fly with Singapore Airlines or its partner airlines, or if you see value in unlocking KrisFlyer redemptions, then it could make sense to expand your horizons to the KrisFlyer loyalty program.

How to contact KrisFlyer in Australia

There are a number of ways to get in touch with KrisFlyer with a membership or flight redemption enquiry. Here’s how:

Conclusion

As an accessible ‘earn and burn’ airline program for Australians, Singapore Airlines is worth aligning with, in 2022.

If you regularly take to the sky with Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia, or one of its other airline partners, then signing up for the program may be worthwhile.

In the name of flexibility and choice, KrisFlyer can be a great frequent flyer program for business and first class redemptions with Singapore Airlines and its host of Star Alliance partners.

Most of the major banking rewards programs allow transfers to KrisFlyer, so there is a good range of Australian credit cards that allow you to transfer points to a KrisFlyer account – making it a popular choice locally.

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2 thoughts on “New to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer? Start here”

  1. Avatar for Brad

    I am a Virgin Velocity card holder (with 0 miles). Would it be better to apply for Krisflyer or just use the Virgin Velocity? On your first flight, using the card, does it enable you lounge access?

    1. Avatar for Adele

      Hi Brad, the program you choose to align yourself with will depend on your individual travel needs. If you anticipate more domestic travel, then choosing Velocity to credit your flights to might make more sense. I’m unable to answer your query around lounge access without knowing which card or lounge scheme you are referencing. Lounge access is typically granted upon a range of factors, including elite status. Selected credit cards also grant individual Virgin Australia lounge entry passes.

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