Singapore Krisflyer has separate award charts for flights on Singapore Airlines only and for flights with their Star Alliance partners. Generally, the best use of Singapore Krisflyer miles is for their own flights in business, first, or suites class. Another good option is partner award flights within North or South America, including Hawaii and the Caribbean. Other options tend to either cost too many miles or charge too much in fuel surcharges to be competitive.

Award Chart:

• Flights on Singapore Airlines as well as Flights with Star Alliance and Flights with Non-Alliance Partners (incl. Alaska Airlines). Flights on non-alliance partners cannot be combined with flights on Star Alliance partners in a single award.

Changes:

• $25 for Singapore Airlines flights and $50 for partner airlines. A $25 fee is added for any service that is done over the phone if it could have been accomplished online.

Cancellations:

• $75 to cancel and redeposit your miles. The same $25 fee mentioned above potentially applies here too.

Close-In Booking Fees:

• None.

Stopovers and Open-Jaws:

• One stopover and one open-jaw for international round-trip awards (stopovers in the country of departure are excluded). Up to three stopovers can be added to an award (even a one-way award) for $100 each.

Fuel Surcharges:

• Yes, but none on a) Singapore/Silkair awards, b) Air New Zealand, Avianca, and Copa, nor c) partner awards within North and South America. Fuel surcharges on ANA, Ethiopian, EVA, LOT Polish, Scandinavian, and Turkish can be low also.

Sweet Spots:

• Singapore Airlines flights in Business/First/Suites Class.
• Alaska Airlines flights in Economy Class (between most of their destinations in the U.S., Canada, and Central America).
• Flights within North America (including Hawaii) in Business/First Class or to Southern South America in Business Class.
• Travel between Hawaii, Central America, and the Caribbean.
• Flights within South America, South Pacific, or Africa.

Booking Process:

1. Go to Singapore Airlines’ website and create an account if you do not have one already.
2. Fill out the form and submit. Review your results and select the flight you are considering. You can also edit your search or view results on the next or previous day.
3. As of December 7, 2017, there is now the option to show flights for Star Alliance or Other Partner airlines.
4. The booking summary in the top right will update with the cost in miles plus any taxes and fuel surcharges.
   • (Optional) If you are searching one way or one segment at a time, repeat this process for any other legs of your trip and assemble them into a single trip.
5. Select your flights and complete your booking. For some partners, e.g., Alaska Airlines, you will need to call (800) 742-3333 to book your award.

Suites Class:

• One of the most fun ways to redeem Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles is for awards in Singapore Suites.
• To fly Singapore Suites, you need to pay only for a first-class award, but it must be on a route flying the Airbus A380. In other words, on an A380, first class is an enclosed suite.
• Singapore’s routes that fly an A380 are shown in the table below. The reverse direction (i.e., return trip) for all these options does as well. Make sure to check the plane details when booking because they will sometimes fly other planes on these routes and will offer you those options as well.

Searching with United Airlines:

• If you are booking an award with Star Alliance partner airlines rather than on Singapore Airlines directly, you may still want to search following the steps at Searching With United Airlines. Although Singapore Airlines has now added the option to search for and book Star Alliance partner awards online, the interface is still a bit clunky. Ultimately, you may want to go back to Singapore Airlines to book your flights to avoid the $25 phone booking fee. Otherwise, you can call Singapore Airlines at (800) 742-3333 to complete your booking over the phone.

Searching with Alaska Airlines:

• Similarly, if you are booking an award with Alaska Airlines, you will want to use their own award search to find availability. You will also have to call Singapore Airlines at (800) 742-3333 to book the flights you found, but they should waive the $25 phone booking fee since Alaska’s award space does not show on Singapore’s website.

Advanced Tips & Tricks:

• Waitlisting Awards Before Booking Your Flight: If you’ve found available awards but the options aren’t ideal, consider waitlisting for your preferred itineraries. Waitlisting Singapore awards is free, but you must have enough miles in your account to book your award. Since no miles are deducted when you waitlist, this means that you can waitlist as many awards as you like prior to booking your non-ideal option that has availability. Should availability come up via waitlist on a more ideal routing in the future, you can then change your itinerary to your preferred one. Note that waitlisted awards are automatically canceled if they do not clear within fourteen days of the departure date.
• Finding Extra Award Availability by Adding Segments: If you’re searching for an award, especially to Singapore, and cannot find any available seats in your class of choice, try adding another segment to your trip (e.g., search for LAX-NRT-SIN-HKG rather than just LAX-NRT-SIN). Oddly enough, it appears that Singapore reserves some extra seats for people connecting in Singapore rather than selecting it as their final destination. This doesn’t help, of course, if you intend to actually visit Singapore, unless you can carry on all of your bags and skip the last segment.
• Saving Miles with a Stopover: A partner award from South America to the US costs 30,000 miles, while an award from South America to Hawaii (via the US) costs 25,000 miles. Thus, you could spend $100 more and 5,000 miles less to have a “stopover” in your hometown and a flight to Hawaii later. There are likely other instances like this in the award chart.

The Premium Pick: Capital One Venture X Rewards

Frequent flyers who want premium travel rewards should consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. It offers a mountain of perks, including:

• Earn unlimited 2x miles on all purchases
• 10x miles on Capital One hotel and car bookings
• Up to $300 back annually on bookings like Uber, Airbnb and more
• Enjoy access to over 1,300 airport lounges with Priority Pass
• Redeem miles for any travel purchase or transfer to airline partners

The Venture X really shines if you spend a lot on hotels, rental cars and rideshares. With a $395 annual fee, it’s best for frequent travelers who can maximize the statement credits and lounge access.

The All-Around Pick: Chase Sapphire Preferred

For exceptional flexibility and rewards across spending categories, the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns points that can transfer to airline and hotel partners or redeem for 25% more travel booked through Chase. You’ll earn:

• 2x points on all travel and dining purchases
• 1x point per dollar on other purchases
• Valuable trip delay, cancellation and interruption coverage
• No foreign transaction fees

With just a $95 annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred works for all types of travelers. The signup bonus alone currently offers 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

The Airfare Specialist: Delta SkyMiles Gold AmEx

For those loyal to Delta, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers plenty of perks:

• Earn 2x miles at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and Delta purchases
• First checked bag free for you and up to 8 companions
• Main cabin 1 priority boarding
• 20% savings on in-flight purchases
• No foreign transaction fees

There’s a $99 annual fee for this card, but benefits like an annual $100 Delta flight credit help offset the cost. If you check bags and fly Delta frequently, this card can pay for itself easily.

The Hotel Maven: World of Hyatt Credit Card

For hotel stays, the World of Hyatt Credit Card is a top contender, with up to 9 points per dollar on Hyatt purchases:

• 9x points on Hyatt stays and experiences
• 2x points on dining, flights, transit and fitness clubs
• 1 free night every year after cardmember anniversary
• Additional free night with $15k in annual spending
• Elite status tier upgrades, 10% points rebate and more

With a $95 annual fee, this card packs a punch for Hyatt loyalists. The anniversary free night perk alone can outweigh the annual cost.

The No Annual Fee Option: Wells Fargo Propel AmEx

For a no annual fee card, the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card offers strong earning in key categories:

• 3x points on eating out and ordering in, gas, flights, hotels, homestays and car rentals
• Cell phone protection against damage or theft
• $100 annual airline fee credit
• Generous sign-up bonus worth up to $300 cash rewards

As a no annual fee card, the Propel AmEx is fantastic for maximizing rewards on everyday and travel spending alike.

The Family Travel Card: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority

For families, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card provides travel perks like upgraded boardings, inflight discounts, and a $75 annual Southwest travel credit. You’ll earn:

• 3x points on Southwest purchases
• 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners
• 7,500 anniversary bonus points each year

With a $149 annual fee, this card’s perks make Southwest travel with kids and family so much smoother.

The Luxury Hotel Card: Hilton Honors AmEx Aspire

If you want luxury hotel perks, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers stellar benefits like:

• 14x points on Hilton purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Diamond status
• $250 Hilton resort statement credit
• $250 airline fee credit
• Priority Pass Select airport lounge access

The $450 annual fee is steep but can pay for itself with credits and free night rewards alone. For pampering and premium treatment at Hilton properties, this card hits the spot.

The Cash Back Approach: Citi Double Cash

For flat-rate cash rewards on all purchases, the Citi Double Cash Card earns easy-to-redeem rewards:

• 2% cash back – 1% when you buy, 1% when you pay it off
• $0 annual fee
• Balance transfer offers with 0% intro APR

As a Mastercard, the Citi Double Cash also has no foreign transaction fees, making it a flexible, fee-free option for frequent jet-setters.

The Rental Car Warrior: United Quest Card

For rental car rewards, the United QuestSM Card packs a punch by letting you earn 2x on not just United purchases but also dining and select streaming services. You’ll also enjoy:

• Up to $125 annual United purchase credit
• Two 5k-mile anniversary award flight credits
• First and second free checked bags for you and one companion
• Premium cabin upgrades and rental car elite status

With a $250 annual fee, this card makes renting cars and flying United exceptionally rewarding.

The Green Card: PenFed Pathfinder Rewards

For an eco-friendly card option, PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers robust travel and dining rewards with a focus on sustainability:

• 4x points on travel and EV charging
• 3x points on dining, streaming and groceries
• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry application fee credits
• Annual $100 travel incidental statement credit

As a Visa with no foreign transaction fees, this card makes for a strong green choice to earn and redeem rewards responsibly.

The Bottom Line

Whether you want luxury perks, family benefits, or simple earning potential, selecting the right credit card boosts your frequent flyer experience. Evaluate spending categories, brand loyalty benefits and annual fees to choose a card that optimizes rewards. Any of these top 10 picks will help you make the most of life in the air. I sincerely hope you find this “Top 10 Credit Cards for Frequent Flyers In 2024” article helpful.

Pros

Lucrative Sign-Up Bonuses

One of the biggest pros of airline credit cards is the sign-up bonus you can earn. Many cards offer between 25,000 – 75,000 bonus miles if you meet a minimum spending requirement within the first few months. At the higher end, this could score you a free roundtrip domestic flight or discounted international ticket. Make sure to clear the full balance before the due date.

Free Checked Bags

Most airline credit cards provide at least one free checked bag for the primary cardholder and authorized users. With checked bag fees typically costing $30 per bag, this perk can add up to huge savings for families and frequent travelers. Some cards even reimburse for in-flight food and beverage purchases.

Priority Boarding

You’ll typically receive earlier boarding group access when flying with the affiliated airline if you hold their co-branded card. This allows you to settle in and find coveted overhead bin space. Some cards also give you priority access to upgrades and preferred seating.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

One of the most annoying credit card fees is the foreign transaction fee that’s around 3% of each international purchase. Thankfully, many airline cards do not charge foreign fees making them ideal for travel abroad. Just remember Visa and Mastercard still process the charge conversion.

Cons

High Annual Fees

Annual fees on airline credit cards generally start around $95 per year and can go up to $500+ for premium cards. If you don’t fly often, earn enough rewards, or use the card perks, they might not justify the cost. However, some cards waive the fee the first year or offer statement credits to offset it.

Expiration of Miles

While many airline cards offer generous sign-up bonuses, you do need to pay attention to mileage expiration policies. Most airlines will expire your hard-earned miles if there’s no account activity after 18-24 months. This means you need to earn or redeem miles periodically.

Complex Reward Redemption

Understanding airline reward charts and redemption options can be headache-inducing. Award seat availability is limited on certain routes and dates, and “fuel surcharges” can unexpectedly increase costs. Redeeming points for flights also doesn’t usually provide the best value compared to hotel stays, merchandise etc.

Balance Transfer Restrictions

If you have existing credit card debt, airline cards likely won’t help consolidate it onto a 0% APR balance transfer offer. Most co-branded cards prohibit balance transfers or charge very high fees like 3% per transaction. This diminishes their flexibility compared to general cash back cards.

Foreign Transaction Fees

While it’s becoming more common for airline credit cards to not charge this pesky fee, some still do. Foreign transaction fees apply to any international purchase processed outside the U.S. So if you frequently travel overseas, be sure the card waives foreign transaction fees.

Should You Get an Airline Credit Card?

Airline co-branded credit cards offer valuable perks and rewards for loyal customers of that brand. However, the costs and restrictions may outweigh the benefits depending on your travel habits and financial situation. Airline cards make most sense for frequent travelers on that airline who can maximize the free checked bags, miles earnings, and redemption opportunities. Infrequent and budget travelers often get better value from general cash back or fixed-value point credit cards. As always, be sure to compare cards thoroughly and only spend what you can afford to pay back each month. I sincerely hope you find this “The Pros and Cons of Airline Co-Branded Credit Cards” article helpful.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Ideal for Flexible Rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers a well-rounded rewards program that frequent travelers love for its flexibility. Cardholders earn 2x points on all travel and dining purchases, which can then be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed for cash back. With a 60,000 point sign-up bonus after meeting minimum spend requirements, this card makes it easy to rack up points quickly.

Platinum Card from American Express: Premium Perks

Luxury travelers who want premium travel perks should consider The Platinum Card from American Express. Cardholders enjoy extensive airport lounge access, Uber credits, airline fee credits and elite status with major hotels. While there is a $695 annual fee, the perks can more than make up for it if you travel frequently.

Capital One Venture: Simple Miles Earning

The Capital One Venture Rewards card keeps earning and redeeming incredibly straightforward with 2x miles per dollar spent on all purchases. Miles can be redeemed for any travel purchase or transferred to airline partners. New cardholders can snag a 75,000 mile sign-up bonus.

American Express Gold Card: Rewards for Foodies

The American Express Gold Card was designed with food lovers in mind, offering 4x points at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. With up to $240 in annual dining and airline fee credits, this card can pay for itself for those who dine out and travel frequently.

Chase Freedom Unlimited: No Annual Fee Cash Back

For a no-annual-fee card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited packs a punch with 1.5% cash back on every purchase. That adds up quickly, especially if you book travel through Chase to earn additional rewards. 0% intro APR and sign-up bonus make this a winner.

Bilt Mastercard: Rent Payments Yield Rewards

The unique Bilt Mastercard allows renters to turn monthly rent payments into rewards points towards travel with no transaction fees. Cardholders also earn bonus points on dining and travel when meeting minimum transaction requirements per statement.

United Explorer Card: Perks for United Flyers

United Airlines flyers can maximize rewards and perks by carrying the United Explorer Card, with 2x miles on United purchases and priority benefits. Free checked bag, priority boarding, two annual United Club lounge passes and sign-up bonus make this worthwhile for loyal United customers.

World of Hyatt Credit Card: Ideal for Frequent Stays

Frequent guests at Hyatt hotels can get the most bang for their buck with the World of Hyatt Credit Card. Along with up to 9 points per dollar spent at Hyatt, cardholders get valuable perks like free nights, elite status and a sign-up bonus to unlock rewards faster.

Ink Business Preferred: Business Travel Rewards

With 3x points on travel and other common business expenses, the Ink Business Preferred Card optimizes rewards for work trips. The substantial sign-up bonus also makes this card worthwhile for small business owners who regularly travel for work.

PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa: Premium Perks, Low Fee

Last but not least, the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa stands out for providing premium travel perks and rewards for only a $95 annual fee (waived for some). Cardholders earn 4x points on travel expenses and get a $100 annual travel credit plus airport lounge access.

Choosing the right travel credit card depends on your travel habits, spending patterns and the type of rewards and benefits you value most. Whether you prioritize luxury perks, flexible rewards, or no annual fees, there’s a travel credit card tailored to meet your needs in 2024. I sincerely hope you find this “Top Credit Cards for Travel Enthusiasts in 2024” article helpful.

Read the primer on Using Miles if you have not already.

Search Engine:

American’s search engine shows flights on American, Alaska, British, Cape Air, Cathay Pacific, Fiji, Finnair, Hawaiian, Iberia, JAL, Malaysia, Qatar, Royal Jordanian, S7, Seaborne, and Sri Lankan. For Oneworld availability on other carriers (e.g. Cathay Pacific), skip to “Searching With British Airways.” For availability on Air Tahiti Nui and other non-alliance partner airlines, skip to “Searching With Expert Flyer and Etihad.”

Award Chart:

• Flights: On American Airlines as well as flights with Oneworld Alliance. Also, see this post from Travel is Free.
• Changes: FREE.
• Cancellations: FREE.
• Close-In Booking Fees: None.
• Stopovers and Open-Jaws: Open-jaws are permitted on round-trip awards.
• Fuel Surcharges: British Airways and Iberia Airlines. Avoid redeeming American miles for flights on British Airways if possible. You can uncheck British Airways if they show up in your search results. Iberia Airlines fuel surcharges are not too bad.

American Airlines Booking:

• Go to American. (Note: Use Multi-city search to access American’s older but better search tool. Enter a random second segment if you only need to search one-way. Or you can just use the newer search if it doesn’t bother you.)
• Fill out the form and submit. Click “Show Full Calendar” and select your class of cabin. Sort by Total travel time and expand Flight Details for any flights you are considering. (Optional) If you are searching one way or one segment at a time, repeat this process for any other legs of your trip and assemble them into a round-trip or Multi-City Search. You can only do this if you were able to find award availability for all of your flight segments through American’s website and did not have to resort to other search methods listed below.
• Select your flights and complete your booking. If you’re not ready to book, American allows you to hold an award for five days. You can find the AAdvantage Hold option on the same screen where you would enter your credit card information.

Searching With British Airways:

British Airways shows award availability for all Oneworld partners that American does not. However, it does not show Mixed Cabin awards. This can be problematic if you are searching for business or first class awards, so unless you are searching for flights in economy, you should always search British Airways one segment at a time.

• Use Airline Route Mapper (tutorial) to look up possible routes.
• Go to British Airways. Create an account if you do not have one already.
• Fill out the form and submit. Search one segment at a time for business or first class awards. Review your results. You’ll see below that British Airways is not finding the business class award that was found using the American search earlier. This is because I searched for my whole itinerary instead of one segment at a time, and the award American found was a Mixed Cabin award. If I had searched SFO-MIA and MIA-GRU individually, I would have found seats in first and business class, respectively, that I could have combined into a single business class award. So why use British Airways at all? The reason is that, unlike American, British Airways will show you awards on Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, LAN, and a variety of other Oneworld airlines. Assuming you are here because you needed to look up flights that are not displayed on American’s website, you will also be unable to complete this booking with American online. Make note of all the dates and flight numbers for your award and call American Airlines to complete your booking at (800) 882-8880. There is no phone booking fee.

Searching With Expert Flyer and Etihad:

American Airlines has several partners outside of the Oneworld alliance that cannot be searched on American’s nor on British Airways’ websites. While I won’t cover each partner in depth, four that I’ll cover here are Air Tahiti Nui, China Southern, Gulf Air, and Etihad Airways.

• Once again, you will want to use Airline Route Mapper (tutorial) to determine where these airlines fly and what flight segments to search for. Awards that involve flights with these non-alliance partner airlines can only be booked by calling American at (800) 882-8880. Make note of all the dates and flight numbers of the award you found to simplify things with the agent.

Air Tahiti Nui, China Southern, and Gulf Air – Expert Flyer:

Air Tahiti Nui operates flights to and from Papeete, Tahiti, as well as a flight between LAX and CDG. In any case, to search for their awards, you will need to use Expert Flyer.

• Sign up for a five-day free trial with Expert Flyer.
• Go to Award & Upgrade Availability Search.
• Fill out the form and submit. You will want to search one segment at a time (e.g. LAX-PPT), with flexible dates, and showing all results on one screen. You’ll see that I also selected Air Tahiti Nui as my specific airline and both class F (Business Award) and class U (Coach Award). Your results will look something like this. You can see that there are two to four seats in coach on every day, and two seats in business class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
• A similar approach can be used to search for flights with China Southern and Gulf Air.

Etihad Airways:

Etihad Airways primarily operates flights to and from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For those of us on the West Coast, you can often find a more efficient routing with another airline, though many people still opt to fly Etihad if they can find award availability in Etihad’s The Residence or First Class Apartments.

• Go to Etihad Airways, fill out the form, and submit. The web interface here is pretty straightforward.
• On the results page, look for the column labeled GuestSeat. If there are any seats there, there is an award available that you should be able to book with American.

Advanced Tips & Tricks:

• Flights from Brazil (and the Philippines): This is more of a general tip for any airline, but it is more applicable here because of the egregious fuel surcharges when redeeming for flights on British Airways. Fuel surcharges are illegal in Brazil (and the Philippines), so any flight originating here will not have any fuel surcharges. In particular, British Airways operates two flights out of Brazil, GRU-LHR and GIG-LHR.
• Routing rules and restrictions: American has a few routing restrictions on award tickets that you should be aware of, but you will probably not run into them very often. Here are a few of the more commonly encountered ones, and for a full list, you can also check this Flyertalk thread:
  • You are not allowed to transit a third region on an award, albeit with a few exceptions. For example, you cannot fly from the U.S. to Australia with a connection in Asia – if you are not flying direct, any and all connections must be in the same region as your origin or destination (in this example, the U.S. and South Pacific). There are several exceptions to this rule, but for flights originating in North America specifically, you can connect in Europe on tickets to Africa, India, or the Middle East, and you can connect in Asia 1 on tickets to Asia 2. You can get around this rule, of course, by booking separate one-way awards, but this may increase the cost of your ticket.
  • Travel from North America to Africa, Europe, India, or the Middle East must occur via the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Travel from North America to Asia or the South Pacific must occur via the Pacific Ocean, and if you’re flying to Tahiti or Fiji, you can’t connect in Australia or New Zealand.
  • You are limited to at most three segments each way on an award within the US and Canada and four segments each way on an international award.
  • It has been reported that the American Airlines app is not very good at enforcing these rules and restrictions, so it’s something to try if you are looking for a nonconforming itinerary.
• Booking mixed-cabin awards with Etihad: If you are booking a mixed-cabin award on Etihad, you will run into the situation where phone agents cannot see the same award availability that you may have found online. To get around this, you simply need to have the agent start a fresh booking and add the lower segments (i.e. economy) first and the higher segments (i.e. business/first) after.
• Booking awards with the Australian call center: Not all American Airlines call center locations can see the same award space. More specifically, there are situations in which you may find availability using a search engine such as British Airways, but when you call to book the ticket, US agents are unable to find the same flights that you did. Furthermore, if you call another location (e.g. Australia), you may find that the agents there can see the flights you had found and can therefore book the award for you. There is no particular rhyme nor reason why things work this way, but if your US call center agent is unable to help you, try Australia at +61 02-9101-1948.

For someone just starting out, I recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred card first. Recently, Chase has not been approving people who like to apply for lots of credit cards (which will be you eventually, if you follow the advice on this website), so it’s a good idea to get that card before you have such a track record. Here’s a suggested list for starting out with American and United, but honestly, the order doesn’t really matter:

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
2. Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard
3. Chase Ink Plus Business Card
4. Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card
5. CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard
6. Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card

You’ll notice that a few of these are business cards. See the FAQ should you have any questions about this. It is useful to add business cards to your stable if you can.

If you plan on travelling exclusively in economy class within the continental U.S., Caribbean, and parts of Central America, you might consider focusing on Southwest Airlines. This is especially true if you have a significant other or travel buddy with whom you can use the Companion Pass.

Otherwise, if you have a specific destination and class of service in mind, see below.

Which Miles Should I Use?

This is roughly the same question as “Which credit card should I get?” but the answer can help direct you to collecting the most useful miles for an upcoming trip. To that end, below I have a list of various regions throughout the world and the best miles to use to travel to them in economy, business, or first class. I only select from the mileage programs that I cover on this website, so if you’re a little more advanced and would like to consider awards with other programs, you can always search with AwardHacker or AwardMaximizer. Neither tool is perfectly accurate though, and they do miss a few things, such as Singapore’s cheap flights from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii.

Also, keep in mind that having the “best” miles is no use if there is no availability on the dates you want, so in the long run, it’s best to have miles in many different programs.

A few more notes before we get started:

• All of the mileage prices below assume your travel originates in the United States.
• Not every airline agrees what region a particular country belongs in. For example, United considers the Canary Islands part of Northern Africa, but American considers them part of Europe, making them much cheaper to fly to using AAdvantage miles. I have a list of countries where you can use this kind of knowledge to your advantage at How To Save Miles By Knowing Your Geography.
• American Airlines routes involving British Airways are not a good value due to fuel surcharges. You’ll want to avoid awards that include them as part of your itinerary. This mostly comes into play on flights to Europe that connect in London.
• British Airways Avios is not listed in the table below (except in one place) because their rewards program is distance based, and the prices of their flights can vary depending on where you are flying to/from. Be sure to check any prices you find below with their Award Chart if you are flying economy class within North or South America.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards is not listed in the table below because their rewards program is revenue based, and the prices of their flights can vary due to a variety of factors. Be sure to check the price with Southwest if you are flying economy class anywhere on their route network.

Any mileage programs marked with a * show pricing that is only available if your award does not include any alliance partners (i.e. you only fly American Airlines flights if using American AAdvantage or United Airlines flights if using United MileagePlus).

Economy Class

Business Class

First Class

Suites Class

If you want to fly in a Singapore Suite, the miles you’ll need are Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. You can fly suites class to a variety of destinations throughout the world, but, unsurprisingly, many of these flights involve Singapore in some way. For more information, see Searching With Singapore Airlines (Suites Class).

Credit Cards

There are no credit cards that earn KrisFlyer miles directly, so your only options are ones that earn transferable points. Luckily, there are a lot of them. Of the cards below, I prefer to use the American Express Membership Rewards cards to transfer miles to Singapore Airlines, but I have also transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou in the past. You can view the current best offers for all of these cards at Credit Cards.

American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints can all be transferred to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio; however, Starpoints also provide a 25% bonus if you transfer in 20,000 point increments (meaning every 20,000 points becomes 25,000 KrisFlyer miles).

Credit CArd Churning

The Citi cards can be churned. The two Chase cards (Sapphire and Ink) can be churned as well, but this may be difficult to do in practice. For more information, see How To Earn A Signup Bonus Multiple Times.

Bonus Category Spending

American Express Premier Rewards Gold: 3x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines; 2x points U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. restaurants
American Express Business Gold Rewards: 2-3x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines, U.S. advertising, U.S. gas stations, U.S. shipping, U.S. computer hardware/software/cloud
Chase Sapphire Preferred: 2x points on Travel and Dining
Chase Ink Plus: 5x points on Office Supplies, Phone, and Cable; 2x points on Gas and Hotels
Citi Thankyou Premier: 3x points on Travel and Gas; 2x points on Dining and Entertainment
Citi Thankyou Prestige: 3x points on Airfare and Hotels; 2x points on Dining and Entertainment

Manufactured Spend

The Chase Ink Plus can be very useful for manufactured spending. For more information, see How To Manufacture Spend.

Shopping Portal

KrisFlyer Spree.
Shop Through Chase (Ultimate Rewards).

Miles Expiration

Unlike other airline mileage programs, KrisFlyer miles expire 36 months after they are earned, and activity in your account does NOT extend your expiration. The only way to extend your expiration is to pay a fee, which gives you six more months to use up your miles.

• There will be a new award chart (link).
• The 15% award mileage discount is being eliminated.
• Fuel surcharges will no longer be assessed.

Note that no changes are being made to partner (i.e. Star Alliance) awards.

Quick Summary

Awards on Singapore Airlines and/or SilkAir will now cost more in miles, but less in cash due to the removal of fuel surcharges. For most cases in Business, First, or Suites Classes, the cash savings does not make up for the extra cost in miles, and this is a devaluation. On the other hand, in Economy or Premium Economy Classes, the new changes might work in your favor.

Some routes will cost fewer miles as a partner award rather than a Singapore Airlines / SilkAir award, so if you’ve found availability on Singapore Airlines / SilkAir, you may be able to save miles by adding a flight from a partner that does not assess fuel surcharges (e.g. a domestic positioning flight with United Airlines).

More Miles vs. Less Cash

With the increase in the number of miles to book an award and the removal of fuel surcharges, you may or may not come out ahead depending on your booking class, destination, and how you value the miles. The tables below show the old and new mileage costs and well as current fuel surcharges for one-way flights from the USA to Singapore.

People flying to Singapore in Economy or Premium Economy Classes will save $220 at the cost of between 8,125 and 10,500 miles (depending on whether you fly from the East or West coast as well as class of service). I think most people would happily make this trade. On the other hand, those flying in Business, First, or Suites Classes would probably rather pay the $230 or $240 fuel surcharge to save between 19,750 and 26,625 miles.

Los Angeles / San Francisco to Singapore

Houston / New York to Singapore

There are some destinations such as Hong Kong and Tokyo that currently have very low fuel surcharges and are basically seeing a mileage increase with little to no cash savings.

Partner Awards Might Be Cheaper

One quirk of the new award chart is that select routes will now cost fewer miles when booked as a partner award rather than an award exclusively on Singapore Airlines / SilkAir. So if you are planning to book a Singapore Airlines / SilkAir flight to one of the destinations below, you could check to see if you can convert this to a partner award by tacking on a partner flight that does not incur any fuel surcharges, such as a domestic positioning flight on United Airlines.

Below I’ve listed all routes that originate from the USA that cost fewer miles when booked as a partner award, in round-trip pricing. Some of these differences are extreme. If you’re flying from the USA West Coast to the Middle East in Singapore Airlines First Class, you can save 136,000 miles (!) by adding a short partner flight. Of course, a long itinerary like this would really only make sense if you were planning to visit Singapore in addition to the Middle East; otherwise, it would make more sense to fly another airline (i.e. a route that doesn’t connect in Singapore).