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Fly Singapore Airlines for Fewer Miles When You Add a Star Alliance Partner
Richard Kerr
Contributor
Richard Kerr is a veteran naval officer and founder of the Award Travel 101 Facebook community. He’s one of the foremost experts in points and miles strategy, featured in Forbes, US News, Money Magazine, Kiplinger Personal Finance and presented at #SXSW 2017. Richard has visited over 45 countries, lived in England and Japan, and spends his spare time dissecting loyalty program award charts to maximize the value of points and miles. Richard holds a BBA in International Business and has his wife and two small children in tow for his travels as often as possible.
March 02, 2017
•
4 min read
Fly Singapore Airlines for Fewer Miles When You Add a Star Alliance Partner
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Hopefully Singapore Airlines is done with the devaluation announcements to its KrisFlyer program. Effective March 23, the 15% discount for booking online will be eliminated, and the carrier is increasing the price of several awards on its own metal. On the positive side, there will no longer be any fuel surcharges on Singapore and SilkAir flights. And thankfully, the devaluation didn't include any changes to the Star Alliance partner award chart.
When I compared the Star Alliance award chart to some of the increased prices for Singapore-operated award flights, I found a few anomalies. As of March 23 it will cost fewer KrisFlyer miles to fly Star Alliance partners on some routings compared to flying Singapore.
According to the KrisFlyer program's terms and conditions, any award itinerary with a mixture of two or more Star Alliance carriers (including Singapore) will be priced based on the carrier's Star Alliance award chart. Simply put: For some routings, adding a segment operated by a Star Alliance partner to the beginning or end of a Singapore-operated itinerary will get you a lower award rate than if you were only flying Singapore Airlines.
Here are a few examples (all prices are one-way):
| Route | Class of Service | Star Alliance Miles Required | Singapore-Only Miles Required |
|---|---|---|---|
North America - Singapore | Business | 97,500 | 92,000 from the East Coast 88,000 from the West Coast |
First | 112,500 | 120,000 from the East Coast 118,000 from the West Coast | |
Europe - Singapore | Business | 80,000 | 85,000 |
First | 107,500 | 115,000 | |
North America - Sydney | Business | 97,500 | 118,000 from the East Coast 110,000 from the West Coast |
First | 127,500 | 152,000 from the East Coast 154,000 from the West Coast | |
Singapore - Japan/South Korea | Business | 40,000 | 43,000 |
First | 60,000 | 65,000 |
For example, based on the above prices, flying New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Singapore (SIN) in Singapore first class on both legs would cost 118,000 miles. However, flying JFK-FRA in Lufthansa first and then FRA-SIN in Singapore first would only cost 112,500 KrisFlyer miles. Adding an Atlanta-Newark segment on United to then catch the JFK-FRA-SIN all in Singapore first would also only cost 112,500 miles.
Similarly, you could fly SIN-Tokyo (NRT) in first class on Singapore and then add an ANA domestic Japan segment to a city like Sapporo (CTS). This would result in essentially being given a 5,000-mile reduction in order to add a second flight.
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One opposite scenario I found: If you're only looking to fly Singapore to Europe on the Houston-Manchester or New York-Frankfurt routes, the miles required in business are the same whether you add a United segment or not. If you want to fly first, adding a United segment to position for the Singapore operated flights will increase the price of a one-way award 4,000 miles from 76,000 to 80,000.
Bottom Line
Hopefully Singapore's announced all the changes it intends to make come March 23 and we won't see any surprises on that date. If that's the case, in some instances you can pay fewer miles and no fuel surcharges to:
- Include a positioning flight to connect to a Singapore-operated flight
- Position further in a region after completing a Singapore-operated flight
- Substitute a Star Alliance carrier for one leg of a Singapore-operated itinerary
Those abilities, in my opinion, make the announced changes to the KrisFlyer program positive.
Does this alter your opinion of the changes being made to KrisFlyer?
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Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.