Singapore Airlines Announces Changes to Upgrades, Unbundles Fares, Adds More Fees
Singapore Airlines, arguably the best airline in the world, has announced some pretty huge changes to its award and paid flights. Earlier this year Singapore devalued the KrisFlyer award program and earlier this month it did the same to the Star Alliance award chart — most of these new changes just add on top of that.
Now, Singapore will increase award change and cancellation fees, unbundle its regular paid fares, and make it more difficult to get upgraded on cheap paid fares.
New Award Fees
Starting March 1, 2018, Singapore will start charging more for award changes and redeposits. Here's a look at the new fee structure:
Before the change, Singapore's fees were relatively modest. But some of the bumps are huge, like the increase in the no-show fee to as much as $300. Here's a comparison of before and after:
| Old Fee | New Fee | |
|---|---|---|
Date and time changes | 0 | $25 |
Change of route or award class | $20 | $25 |
Change to partner award ticket | $20 | $50 |
Redeposit Fee | $30 | $50 (Advantage Awards)
$75 (Saver Awards) |
No-Show Fee | $75 | $100 (Economy)
$200 (Premium Economy) $300 (Business) $400 (First) |
The airline has also renamed its older, pricier "Standard" award class to "Advantage," although nothing is different between the two.
While not all the increases are significant — and they are still low compared to other frequent flyer programs — it's still a bummer to see a price bump like this.
Unbundled Economy Fares and Mileage Earning
Following in the footsteps of low-cost carriers and even some legacy airlines, Singapore is unbundling some of its paid tickets. There will be three new fare classes for economy and business, while premium economy will have two and first class will have just one.
Here's a look at the new economy fares:
The main change here is that Singapore will now start charging for seat assignments on its cheapest economy fares, with prices starting at $5 per flight segment. Families with children under 12 will still be able to choose their seats on Lite fares. Standard tickets will also have to pay for "Forward Zone" seats which the airline says are in higher demand.
The good news is that 48 hours before departure, when online check-in starts, Singapore will open up seat selection to everyone, even those who purchased Lite fares — so all flyers still will be able to have some choice of where they sit. Seat selection fees for KrisFlyer elites will be waived, and Saver award tickets will still allow you to select a seat.
Another silver lining is that economy Lite fares will actually now earn more redeemable miles than the current set of cheapest fare classes (K & V). It's increasing from 10% to 50% for Lite tickets. However, Standard rates fall from 100% to 75%.
Here are the new premium economy fares:
The main changes for premium economy will be a decrease in miles earned on standard fares, from 110% to 100% while Flexi fares will increase from 110% to 125%. Charges will now apply for extra legroom seats, except for PPS Club members.
Here are the new business-class fares:
Mileage earning on Flexi business-class fares will increase from 125% to 150%.
And lastly, the new first-class fare:
Mileage earning on first-class tickets will increase from 150% to 200%.
New Upgrade Rules and Rates
Flyers will be able to upgrade from economy on Standard and Flexi fares at these new increased mileage rates — while Lite fares aren't eligible at all. Before only Y, B and E economy fares could be upgraded with KrisFlyer miles.
In a bit of a negative change, the cheapest premium economy and business-class tickets will not be eligible for upgrades with miles.
Overall Impression
Most of the changes are negative, but luckily they are relatively small tweaks. The big takeaways are that you can't upgrade a crazy-cheap premium economy or business ticket, which is where you can potentially get huge value, and you'll be paying bigger fees to modify award tickets. Still, it's nice to see that the cheapest economy fares will have increased mileage earning rates and still won't charge for a checked bag — unlike many other large legacy characters.
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| 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. |
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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.