KrisFlyer adds Cash & Points redemption option


The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program just got a bit more flexible with the addition of a cash & points payment option for travel. The new system allows the us of KrisFlyer miles to pay for all or part of any revenue ticket, with the points valued at one SGD cent each, or approximately $0.008 cents dollars.

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That valuation of the KrisFlyer points is quite poor, though it also is not particularly surprising that it is the scale used. Most other pay with points schemes use a similar arrangement.

One of the most popular way to get points in to the KrisFlyer program is to transfer them from an American Express Membership Rewards account. Doing so specifically for payment in this manner would be a notable devaluation of the points. American Express offers a pay with points option for travel as well which values the points a 1 penny in US dollars. The current SGD:USD exchange rate makes that about a 25% premium over what Singapore Air is offering on the value of those same points.

On the plus side the pay with points options allow access to any seat at any time. The down side, of course, is that the price to use the points in that manner is pretty bad. When then first class Suites product was first made available for redemption it was at a seemingly ridiculous 550,000 points one way between Sydney and Singapore. The current iteration of the award chart has a “Full” award between those cities at 315,000 points. The current price of a revenue ticket on the route is ~SGD$4,400 meaning the award should price in the 440,000 points range. You’d be paying more to use the cash & points than just redeeming a full award. Or approximately 350,000 AmEx MR points using their pay with points option.

More options are always a good thing. Just make sure this one makes sense when the time comes to pay for a ticket. Odds are cash & points isn’t the right answer.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

3 Comments

  1. Bummer, I thought it was like BMI, BA & Lifemiles for a second ๐Ÿ™

    I guess that would be points & cash.

  2. I think you mean 0.008 dollars, or 0.8 cents.

    The only reason I can think of using this offer is if I already have KrisFlyer miles and not enough for the award I want. I certainly wouldn’t transfer from Membership Rewards into KrisFlyer and then use this method.

    Don’t forget that Business Platinum cardholders can still redeem their points at 1.2 cents last time I checked.

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