I had miles stuck with Singapore Airlines — here's how I finally used them
My colleague Kyle Olsen suggested I title this post, “SF flyers with SQ miles… you’re toast,” and I couldn’t agree more.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area — and when I awoke to the news that Singapore Airlines would soon be devaluing their loyalty program, I may have panicked. Okay, I definitely panicked.
You see, while Singapore Airlines is a fantastic airline with world-class premium cabins, the options for flying the airline from the West Coast are pretty much limited to flights to Asia.
The pool of points I had sitting in my KrisFlyer account was from a canceled trip to the Tokyo Olympics — and I had been hoping to save them to get in that trip to Tokyo sometime in the future. When I learned that my precious, hard-earned points would be worth less — though thankfully not worthless — if I didn't book something ASAP, however, I knew I had some trip planning to do.
So, I asked my buddy Kyle — who I consider to be a legitimate points and miles genius — for his help in figuring out how I was going to use 184,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles on an itinerary taking us from San Francisco to Europe.
It's a story of disappointments and revelations — but thankfully, one that has a happy ending.
Here's how I used my Singapore KrisFlyer miles before the upcoming devaluation.
Canceled plans
I've watched the summer Olympics since I was a child and it's always been a dream of mine to attend the games one year. That year was going to be 2020 and I was beyond excited to travel to Tokyo for the Games.
For our trip, I'd booked two one-way, business-class award tickets on Singapore Airlines for 92,000 KrisFlyer miles each, with points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. When the games and our flights were canceled, we got all of our points back but they were essentially stuck with Singapore Airlines — it was impossible to transfer them back to Chase or Amex. This didn't seem to be a big problem because the expiration date for KrisFlyer miles kept getting extended thanks to the airlines' COVID-19 support measures; I assumed I would just use them to get to Japan when Japan finally reopened.
A devaluation was a very real possibility, but I had hope.
Plan B
As I have said, Singapore Airlines is a great airline for flying from the West Coast to Asia, but Asia wasn't in the cards for us within the next year due to already pending vacation plans. That's where Kyle comes in. I asked Kyle how I could use these miles to get to Europe even though I was only familiar with people flying Singapore Airlines to Europe from the East Coast.
After a lot of back and forth, we concluded that, at least with miles, there weren't many options for flying from SFO to Europe, at least not when I would be traveling in early April. We checked SFO to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) and London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) for a spring break trip to Italy. We didn't have any luck finding award space on Singapore Airlines or on other Star Alliance airlines. I began to think we were going to have to "fly somewhere to fly somewhere" — in other words: fly to an airport that had the flights we wanted.
Kyle received a promotion detailing KrisFlyer redemption from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to England's Manchester Airport (MAN) or from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Germany's Frankfurt Airport (FRA) for as little as 72,000 KrisFlyer miles one-way. I did a quick search to see how easy it would be to get to Milan from Manchester or Frankfurt and decided that JFK-FRA was our best bet.
After a bit of mental math on what our travel time would look like if we went SFO to JFK to FRA and on to MXP, I decided that the trip was worth it when I factored in that we could easily break the trip up and take our time getting to New York from San Francisco.
Fingers crossed that we don't experience the same headache that director of content Nick Ewen faced on a recent trip to Crete with his family.
Redeeming Krisflyer miles to Europe
I was shocked when I found four business-class tickets available for 72,000 KrisFlyer miles one-way from JFK to FRA still available, and at a time that worked perfectly for my family.
Next, I did some quick math: I would need 288,000 miles to get these seats but I only had those 184,000 miles in my account. This left me with a deficit of 104,000 miles. Thanks to transfers from Amex and Capital One, I was able to transfer the remaining miles I needed to secure our seats.
Related: How to transfer Capital One miles to airline partners
I later found out that we would be flying in their new business-class seats on one of the airline's A380 aircraft — a sweet surprise. At the time of writing, there is still saver award availability for JFK to FRA in early spring 2023.
Bottom line
I had 184,000 miles essentially stuck with Singapore Airlines from canceled travel to Japan for the Toyko 2020 Olympics. When Singapore Airlines announced that a 10% devaluation of their award flights was coming in just a few short weeks, I went into panic mode to figure out how I was going to redeem my miles ASAP.
Thankfully, my colleague Kyle stepped in to save the day. He helped me find business-class award flights from JFK to Frankfurt, Germany for a spring break trip to Italy in 2023 for just 72,000 KrisFlyer miles each one-way.
While this itinerary won't be the most convenient due to having to catch positioning flights to New York, I'm confident that the comfort of lie-flat seats and the airline's signature "Book the Cook" inflight dining will surely make up for it.
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Rewards
| 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
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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.
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.