Singapore Airlines is among travellers’ favourite destinations due to its fantastic cabin experience. It also has a frequent flyer program named “KrisFlyer”. As Singapore Airlines is part of Star Alliance and have points-earning & redeeming opportunities from India so, here is this ultimate guide on everything an Indian Traveller need to know about Singapore KrisFlyer.
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The first step to being part of Singapore KrisFlyer is joining the program. It is a free-to-join frequent flyer program from Singapore Airlines which is required for earning KrisFlyer miles that you can redeem for flights etc.
Why should you know about Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer?
Star Alliance is the world’s largest alliance, with over 25 members travelling to over 1000 destinations worldwide. Singapore Airlines is also a part of it. It also has a few non-alliance partners. Singapore Airlines was one of the few airlines in India that made earning miles easy with extensive partners and its redemption.
Also, Singapore Airlines has direct flights from Changi Airport to many major destinations to which India doesn’t have direct flights. On Singapore Airlines and Partner Airlines flights, including Air India, you can use KrisFlyer miles.
So, the ease of earning of KrisFlyer miles, the number of partners and the ease of redemption of miles make it the perfect, if not the best frequent flyer program to reach for your travelling for less money.
Singapore KrisFlyer Elite Tier: Eligibility
Your eligibility for Singapore KrisFlyer elite is based on elite miles earned. These Elite miles are earned by flying Singapore Airlines, Scoot and other partner airlines, including Star Alliance Airlines.
There are three Singapore KrisFlyer tiers, of which two are Elite Tiers which is:
- KrisFlyer
- Elite Silver
- Elite Gold
Related: Krisflyer Promotions: Bonus Miles, Elite Status Credits & More
Elite Tier-Wise Eligibility
The below table shows the number of Elite Miles required to reach an elite tier:
| Tier | Elite Miles Required |
| KrisFlyer | NA |
| Elite Silver | 25000 |
| Elite Gold | 50000 |
How to earn Elite Tier Miles for Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer?
To earn elite miles, you need to fly:
- Singapore Airlines
- Scoot (Low-Cost Subsidiary of Singapore Airlines)
- Star Alliance Airlines Flight
- Code Share Flights with other Partner Airlines
If you are flying scoot, you earn 2.5 Elite miles for every 1 mile earned. On Scoot, you earn one standard KrisFlyer mile while spending SGD$1 (INR 61). Whereas for Singapore Airlines, it is based on the number of miles flown and cabin class & fare type.
The below image shows how many elite miles you earn on Singapore Airlines:
So, if you’re travelling from Delhi to Singapore with a distance of 2580 miles, you can earn a maximum of 5160 elite tier miles.
How to earn Singapore KrisFlyer Elite Status in India?
There are two ways to earn Singapore KrisFlyer Elite Status in India. Firstly by earning the required number of tier miles. That means earning 25000 tier miles for Silver and 50000 for gold. Another way of earning KrisFlyer Elite Gold in India is based on a “Status Match” with Shangri-La Golden Circle.
This is how it works:
| Shangri-La Golden Circle Tier | Singapore Airlines Status Match | No of Flights Requirement |
| Jade | Elite Gold | Three within four months |
| Diamond | Elite Gold | One within four months |
So, you can status match to Singapore KrisFlyer Elite Gold if you already have an elite tier of Shangri-La. However, you must take a flight with Singapore Airlines in any booking class except ‘G’. Also, this status match benefit is for 1st year only and from next year onwards, you need to maintain the number of tier miles.
Related: How to earn an Airline Elite Status in India?
Singapore KrisFlyer Elite: Benefits
As a member of KrisFlyer, you receive multiple benefits. Even the base member have few good benefits.
Base member Benefits
As a Singapore Airlines base member, you get the following benefits:
- Personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld
- Discounts on flight add-ons
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board except for Boeing 737-800NG flights
KrisFlyer Elite Silver Benefits
Once you’re upgraded to the silver tier, you get the following benefits:
- Status Match to Star Alliance Silver
- Priority Reservation Waitlist
- Priority Airport Standby (For Paid Flights)
- 25% bonus miles (Singapore Airlines & Scoot)
- Complimentary Seat selection (Standard-Economy Class) on Singapore Airlines
- Automatic assignment of the best available standard seat for the travelling group on Scoot
- BoardMeFirst and an additional 5kg with every baggage allowance purchase when travelling with Scoot
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board except for Boeing 737-800NG flights
- Personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld
- Discounts on flight add-ons
KrisFlyer Elite Gold Benefits
The highest tier KrisFlyer Elite gold has the following benefits:
- Status Match to Star Alliance Gold
- Shangri-La Golden Circle Status Match
- Worldwide Lounge Access
- 20KG Extra Baggage Allowance
- 10KG Extra Baggage Allowance when flying Vistara
- Priority:
- Airport Check-in
- Boarding
- Baggage Handling
- Reservation Waitlist
- Airport Standby (For Paid Flights)
- 25% bonus miles (Singapore Airlines & Scoot)
- Complimentary Seat selection (Forward Zone & Standard-Economy Class) on Singapore Airlines
- Automatic assignment of the best available standard seat for the travelling group on Scoot
- BoardMeFirst and an additional 5kg with every baggage allowance purchase when travelling with Scoot
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board except for Boeing 737-800NG flights
- Personalised inflight entertainment on KrisWorld
- Discounts on flight add-ons
How to earn Singapore KrisFlyer miles in India?
There are many opportunities to earn KrisFlyer miles in India. These options are:
- Flying Singapore Airlines and its Partners* (Miles Calculator)
- Transfer Points from:
- Renting a Cab
- Spending on Luxury Escapes
- Achieve an Elite Tier and Earn Bonus miles
- Earn for Stays at TAJ Hotels
- Spending at Kalyan Jewelers
- Earn KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards
For its Airline Partners, Singapore Airlines have different earning rates. You can find here how many miles you can earn while travelling on partner airlines.
Related: How to transfer HDFC Points?
KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards
For promoting travel on Singapore Airlines and Scoot, Singapore Airlines gives KrisFlyer milestone rewards. These rewards are linked to elite tier miles earned only on Singapore airlines & scoot.
The below table lists the milestone rewards and tier miles required:
| Elite Miles Earned (Calendar Year) | KrisFlyer Milestone Reward |
| 1000 | 1000 Bonus Miles on Next flight with scoot |
| 2500 | 20% discount voucher for Scoot |
| 5000 | 1500 KrisPay Miles |
| 10000 | SGD$20 KrisShop Promo |
| 20000 | 25% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles on one segment |
| 30000 | 50% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles on one segment |
| 40000 | 5000 Miles Discount |
| 60000 | 100% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles on one Segment |
| 75000 | Short-Haul Advance Upgrade |
| 100000 | Premium Cabin Class Advance Upgrade |
The vital thing to know here is that the KirsFlyer Milestone rewards are calculated based on the calendar year instead of your elite tier year. Also, KrisPay and KrisPromo rewards may not be beneficial in India.
Spending KrisFlyer Miles
For Indian Travellers using KrisFlyer miles will work better if they want to travel to South Asia, Australia, New Zealand and a few routes to America on Singapore Airlines. It is because as Singapore Airlines hub is Changi Airport in South-East Asia.
Even if you want to use them for Star Alliance airlines, it works well. But the miles requirement may be high due to the booking of all Promo and Saver awards.
So, to make the most out of KrisFlyer miles, you should aim with the following hierarchy:
- Promo: Least Miles Required (For Example 14000)
- Saver: Normal Miles Required (For Example 20000)
- Advantage: More Miles Required (For Example 37000)
Promo Awards (Starting 14000 Miles)
You would find Promo Rewards only on Singapore Airlines flights through KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes Guide, which has strict restrictions. For Example, there are no stopovers. So you must book twice for your destinations if there is a connecting flight at Changi Airport. But you may not find Promo Awards on both of your flights. The best use of Promo Awards is to travel to Singapore from India whenever offered, except if Promo Awards is for long-duration flights, which will require significant miles. Also, sometimes, Singapore Airlines runs Global Promotions, which allows you to fly to select destinations at a discount.
Related: KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes Current Promo Rewards
Singapore KrisFlyer Saver Awards
For Saver Awards, you’re most likely to shell out a minimum of 20000 miles for travel on Singapore Airlines. These miles requirement increases based on your zone of the destination. Below Saver Award Chart of Singapore Airlines shows one-way miles required for travelling to and from different zones.
If you plan to travel to or from India, see Zone 6 on the left side and mark your destination zone. For example, India is in Zone 6 whereas Australia is in Zone 8, so you will need a minimum of 32500 miles for economy class travel.
Advantage Awards
The third reward is Advantage Awards. You need to shell out a minimum of 37000 miles for advantage awards. But you’re also most likely to find award seats with Advantage Awards useful in crucial travel. If you plan to travel to more than one country, Advantage Awards can be helpful as you get one stopover for one-way.
Stopovers
For finding good award seats, Stopovers are crucial. It is because few airlines may not allow Stopovers, whereas few Airlines, like Air Canada’s Aeroplan, may allow it with additional miles. In the case of Singapore Airlines, Stopovers are allowed but with restrictions. Here it is essential to note. Connecting flights from Singapore Changi Airport is not a stopover, as a stopover means where your next flight is after 24 hours. So, you can use Stopovers to fly to another country.
Here are how many Stopovers are allowed based on the type of Award:
| Award Type | One-Way | Round Trip |
| Promo | 0 | NA |
| Saver | 0 | 1 |
| Advantage | 1 | 2 |
How does a stopover work with Singapore Airlines?
Firstly, you can’t choose your stopover city. It will be available based on your departure city and arrival city. For Example, if a Singapore Airlines flight has a layover in Sydney which is going to Auckland, you can have a Stopover in Sydney and take another flight to Auckland. But it will be difficult to find until you know the Singapore Airlines routes.
In most cases, your Stopover city will be Singapore, but it can be different in a few cases.
This is how it works:
Let’s say you plan to travel to Jakarta from Delhi One-Way using Advantage Awards; then, you will get a complimentary Stopover in Singapore. That means you can travel to Singapore for 30 days and take the next flight to Jakarta in the same number of miles.
Use KrisFlyer Miles for Star Alliance Airlines, Air India and Vistara Airlines
Since Air India is part of Star Alliance and Vistara is or was JV between Tata and Singapore Airlines, you can use your KrisFlyer miles for booking both International and Domestic flights of Air India and Vistara.
On the domestic sector, the best flight I could find was for Delhi to Port Blair for 12000 KrisFlyer miles, but you can book this flight with 7500 CV Points; apart from that, 12000 miles is a bit high for booking a domestic flight. So, overall domestic flight redemption may not be a good thing. There is also an option for using your credit card points with Turkish Airlines.
Also, booking an Award seat on Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance, and other partner airlines is easy, as you can find all these three options whenever you search for award seats.
The also good thing is that Singapore Airlines has a fixed chart for Star Alliance Airlines; for Indian travellers, minimum miles start from 54000 round trip, which goes up to 125000 miles in economy class. That means you need to use a minimum of 27000 miles one-way.
Miles Expiry
Miles of KrisFlyer members expire three years after the end of the month these miles were earned. If these miles are getting expired the first time, then you can extend the expiry for six months for a fee. But as a KrisFlyer Silver or KrisFlyer Gold, you can extend your miles for one year for a fee.
And miles which have been received from contests expire within one year.
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Although complimentary Wi-Fi may seem beneficial, it is not available to Non-KrisFlyer members. So, just being a base member, you get access to complimentary Wi-Fi. The below images summarize the availability of complimentary Wi-Fi on Singapore airlines flights:
Baggage Fees Discount
Another great thing about KrisFlyer is getting a Baggage fees discount on Singapore Airlines. Even the base member gets a minimum value of 15% on advance purchase of extra baggage allowance.
This is how much discount each member gets:
| Tier | All Itineraries Except for US/Canada (48H Advance) | US/Canada Itineraries (48H Advance) | All Itineraries (6H Advance) |
| PPS Club | 45% | 40% | 30% |
| Gold | 40% | 35% | 25% |
| Silver | 35% | 30% | 20% |
| Base | 30% | 25% | 15% |
Bottomline
Singapore KrisFlyer’s frequent flyer program is great for travelling in South East Asia with Singapore Airlines. Also, earning KrisFlyer miles in India is easy, thanks to several partners. It was even redeeming of miles and site functionally better. It can be your way of travelling with decent saver availability and great Singapore Airlines flights.
