Singapore Airlines Introduction

Singapore Airlines (SQ) is a Star Alliance member, based at Singapore Changi International Airport. Singapore Airlines is known for its unmatched hard product and service (you can see V's Singapore Airlines 77W Business Class Review and Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class Review), and the luxury of the A380 First Class Suites is especially well known. Singapore Airlines' main destinations include:

  • Greater China destinations: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Taipei;
  • North America destinations: New York JFK (via Frankfurt), San Francisco (nonstop, via Seoul, and via Hong Kong), Newark (first flight in 2018), Los Angeles (via Tokyo Narita), Houston (via Manchester).
  • Greater China destinations: Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Xiamen.

OneMoreDay first noticed Singapore Airlines miles because the First Class Suites can only be redeemed with Singapore Airlines miles. After more research, it turned out that Singapore Airlines miles are also very useful for redeeming partner flights, especially United flights. The low fees on award tickets also make it easier to handle unexpected changes in travel plans.

  • Singapore Airlines membership registration click here.

Earning miles

SQ miles are partners with the four major transferable points programs, so you can quickly earn a large number of points from card sign-up bonuses. MR, UR, ThankYou Points, and Capital One all transfer at 1:1. Aside from Marriott, the transfer ratios from other hotel programs to Singapore Airlines are not very good, so they are not worth considering. The key thing is that miles do not post instantly, so you need to transfer them in advance. Here are the transfer ratios and timing:

You can also earn miles by flying Star Alliance airlines; the earning chart is here. We won't go into too much detail here; in general, try to keep your points with the programs you use most often. For Singapore Airlines, transfers alone can get you there.

Redeeming miles

Singapore Airlines still uses award charts for redemptions and has not moved to dynamic pricing. Singapore Airlines is in Star Alliance, so besides awards on its own flights, you can also book award tickets on other Star Alliance carriers.

In addition, Singapore Airlines also partners with other airlines, allowing award tickets to be booked on them.

If you're not sure how many miles an award will cost, you can use this calculator to figure it out.

Redemption highlights

Based on the chart, we can identify some excellent redemptions. Below are a few good options; if you need these routes, check the chart or use the calculator to estimate the miles required.

Highlight 1: Business and First Class in North America

Using Singapore Airlines miles for Business Class or First Class in North America is a very good value.

Redeeming for Business Class and First Class to Hawaii is also a great option. If you're on the West Coast, Alaska Airlines redemptions may be better, but if you're in the Midwest or on the East Coast, Singapore Airlines miles work well.

If you can find a United-operated nonstop one-way Business Class ticket from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii, you can book it with SQ miles. United Hawaii routes with lie-flat seats include Newark EWR, Washington, D.C. IAD, Chicago ORD, Denver DEN, and Houston IAH.

Highlight 2: U.S.-Europe routes

Redeeming Singapore Airlines miles for Business Class and First Class between the U.S. and Europe is also a solid value, especially from the West Coast. Note that some airlines add steep surcharges, so prioritize United, TAP Portugal, and LOT Polish Airlines. Try to avoid high-fee carriers like Lufthansa and Swiss.

This United-operated option only requires $5.60 in taxes.

Highlight 3: West Coast U.S. to Asia

Business Class from the West Coast to Japan costs 103,500 miles, and you can book it on Singapore Airlines itself. Although ANA is cheaper, ANA requires round-trip awards, and round-trips are hard to find on popular routes.

West Coast to Singapore is also a good deal.

Highlight 4: To South America

Booking Star Alliance business-class round-trips to South America with Singapore Airlines miles is also a good deal.

Highlight 5: Redemption promo, 30% off

Singapore Airlines occasionally runs mileage redemption promotions with 30% off. If you find a route that works for you, it can be a fantastic value.

The award chart is below.

Highlight 6

Among Singapore Airlines products, the most popular one is of course the A380 Suite. By now, most people have probably already seen plenty of photos of the double bed. Even if you cannot book a Suite, that is still not a problem: the A380 business class can easily beat many other airlines’ first class products. Singapore Airlines’ newest A350 is also very well liked, and the airline has gradually been using the A350 as a core aircraft type for its long-haul intercontinental routes.
  • A380 destinations include: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, New York JFK (via Frankfurt), Mumbai, New Delhi, Sydney, Auckland, London LHR, Paris, and Zurich.
  • A350 destinations include: Hong Kong, Mumbai, San Francisco, Houston (via Manchester), Newark EWR (inaugural flight in 2018), Tokyo Haneda, Stockholm (via Moscow DME), Munich, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Rome, Barcelona (via Milan), Cape Town (via Johannesburg), Brisbane, and Melbourne.

Sweet Spot 7: Low Fees of All Kinds

Compared with the $100+ fees commonly charged by the Big Three North American airlines, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer award ticket fees are very low:

  • $75 for changes made within 24 hours before departure;
  • $0 to change the date on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights;
  • $20 for other changes on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights;
  • $25 or 2,500 miles for phone bookings;
  • $20 for partner airline changes;
  • $20 to refund an unused award ticket;
  • $25 or 2,500 miles per person to add a beneficiary;
  • 3,000 miles or $30 to change a beneficiary.

These low fees greatly improve the convenience of award tickets. Phone bookings, adding beneficiaries by phone, changing tickets by phone, and changing cabin class by phone all cost $25 or 2,500 miles; if the action cannot be completed online, the fee can be waived.

About Booking

You can search and book award tickets directly on the official website. Note that for some waiting list tickets, selecting one simply adds you to the WL and does not require any miles to be deducted. If you have not registered, you will not be able to search award tickets, so just sign up for free first.

Drawbacks

Drawback 1: Not Generous with Premium-Cabin Award Space on Its Own Long-Haul Flights

Because Singapore Airlines miles are relatively easy to earn and offer strong redemption value, competition for premium-cabin award tickets on long-haul intercontinental flights—especially North America routes—is extremely intense. If you are not booking far in advance, you will often find that only the Waiting List option is available.

If you run into WL, you first need to transfer in enough miles before you can join the WL. If it clears, you will receive an email asking you to confirm. You can WL multiple flights at the same time, and your miles are deducted only when you finally confirm. There are rumors that calling in to follow up can help a WL clear faster, and also that routes departing the U.S. are harder to clear than routes flying to the U.S. Feel free to test it out and share your DP.

Drawback 2: Point Transfers Are Not Instant

After finally finding a saver award you want, you rush to transfer points, only to learn that it will still take at least a day or two. During that time, you worry about someone else grabbing the ticket first, which can be pretty agonizing. However, according to a comment from reader Paul, when you do not have enough miles, Singapore Airlines allows you to call in and place its own flight award tickets on hold. The online DP is YMMV, but it may be worth trying a few more calls. The hold can last up to five days, which is enough time to transfer credit card points into SQ miles. Partner awards, including Star Alliance partner awards, cannot be held—only Singapore Airlines awards can.

Drawback 3: Miles Expire and Cannot Be Extended

Like many Asian mileage programs, miles have an expiration date and cannot be extended. SQ miles expire after 36 months, which is already relatively generous.

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