The cost of points-based award tickets and upgrades will increase from July 5.
- KrisFlyer awards increase by ~10%
- Upgrades will need 10% more miles
- New restrictions on stopovers
Yes, it’s become increasingly challenging to book an ‘award’ seat with frequent flyer points – but if you’re sitting on a stash of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, now is the time to take the plunge, even if you have to book almost a year down the track.
As of July 5, Singapore Airlines will increase the number of KrisFlyer miles needed to book its Saver award seats as well as to lock in an upgrade to premium economy, business class or even first class.
Also on the rise: the number of KrisFlyer miles for booking an award ticket on its Star Alliance partners.
In addition, Singapore Airlines is closing an ‘extended stopover’ loophole with tighter restrictions on how long and how often you can break your journey.
From July 5 you’ll need an average of 10% more KrisFlyer miles to snare a Singapore Airlines ‘Saver’ award seat.
Here’s a breakdown for one-way flights from Australia – which Singapore Airlines divides into distance based zones of ‘Perth and Darwin’ and effectively ‘the rest of Australia’.
Australia (except Perth & Darwin) to Singapore and south-east Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam)
Australia (except Perth & Darwin) to India and the Maldives
Australia (except Perth & Darwin) to the UK and Europe
Travellers from Perth and Darwin will also see an average 10% uplift in number of KrisFlyer miles needed for award seats – click here to view and download Singapore Airlines’ new KrisFlyer award chart, valid from July 5, 2022.
You’ll also need more KrisFlyer miles for upgrades on Singapore Airlines and its Star Alliance partners (those rates have increased by around 10%), as well as to book an equivalent award with Star Alliance and other partner airlines. Here are links to view and download the relevant award tables:
Building a stopover into your KrisFlyer award booking will also see some caveats kick in for bookings made from August 1, 2022.
As a refresher, KrisFlyer Saver award return bookings include only one complimentary stopover (there’s no stopover permitted under a one-way booking).
The more expensive KrisFlyer Advantage awards bookings include a single complimentary stopover on one-way trips and two stopovers on a return booking.
Obviously, all current Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer award bookings and new bookings made until July 4, 2022 will escape this increase.
But if you change that award booking ay time after 4 July, the new rates will take effect.
Singapore Airlines confirms “The revised award levels will apply for any changes to your redemption bookings made on or after 5 July 2022. Members with existing redemption bookings who wish to change travel plans are advised to make the changes before 5 July 2022, for the current award levels to apply.”
So what does this mean for the popular partnership between Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia?
Singapore Airlines has not yet revealed the changes to awards for non-Star Alliance partner airlines, which includes Virgin Australia, saying only that these will be “implemented progressively”.
As for the number of Velocity Points needed to book a Singapore Airlines flights: those rates are set by Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer arm, and are not changing at this point in time, but that doesn’t mean an adjustment isn’t on the way.
Virgin Australia – Velocity Rewards
07 Dec 2014
Total posts 175
Most of the available business class inventory I have been able to come across has been in the pricier ‘Advantage’ bucket anyway.
I also noticed that there seems to be available award space from Singapore to Europe; its the Australia to Singapore leg that is short on availability. Maybe this is normal though? I’m relatively new to KrisFlyer (having come over from Virgin post 2020).
Qatar Airways
06 Jul 2016
Total posts 48
Shame on SQ! Last year they devalued the conversion rate from Amex points, and now this. Because it takes the average leisure traveller a few years to earn enough points for a long haul J class flight, our ‘loyalty’ over those few years is disregarded.
QF
02 Oct 2012
Total posts 46
It looks like they have closed out all of their ‘Saver’ availability from Oz to Europe (and return) right through until the end of their system range in May next year (for business class at least), so for now if you want to book for next year and avoid the price increases you have no option but to book the (much higher) ‘Advantage’ points levels (150K one way to Europe).
I hope that this changes once we move past 5 July when their increases hit, otherwise it turns their loyalty program from the best out there to worse that QF, which we all know is the least desirable in the market (close to zero J class availability internationally unless you are a Platinum member, super high fuel surcharges)
03 Apr 2018
Total posts 6
Have a few waitlist requests for August flights. Be interested to know if those get confirmed whether the higher points will apply
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