Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer has just announced a Star Alliance award chart devaluation for bookings as of April 16, 2019.
Why Singapore KrisFlyer is useful
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is a pretty useful frequent flyer program.
This is partly because Singapore Airlines restricts most of their premium cabin award space to members of their own KrisFlyer program, and also because KrisFlyer is transfer partners with most major major transferable points currencies, meaning that their miles are pretty easy to come by.
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- $95
- 3x points on Travel after the $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 3x points on Dining
- $300 Travel Credit
- $550
- 4x points at restaurants, on up to $50,000 in purchases annually
- 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
- $325
- Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
- $200 Annual Uber Credit
- Amex Centurion Lounge Access
- $695
- Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
- $395
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
- $95
KrisFlyer miles are great for redemptions in Singapore Suites
KrisFlyer recently devalued their Singapore Airlines award chart
Singapore Airlines has two separate award charts — one for travel on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, and one for travel on Star Alliance partners. The KrisFlyer award chart for travel on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir was devalued as of January 24, 2019.
I figured it was inevitable that the Star Alliance award chart would be devalued, given that with the current structure of the program, Star Alliance awards are cheaper than Singapore Airlines awards in some situations. So in some cases you can save miles by tacking on a Star Alliance partner segment to a Singapore Airlines award.
Not unexpectedly, the program has now announced a Star Alliance award chart devaluation.
KrisFlyer’s Star Alliance award chart devaluation
Singapore KrisFlyer will be adjusting their Star Alliance award chart for bookings as of April 16, 2019. You can book tickets in the next few weeks for travel on subsequent dates and lock in the old rates.
For context, here’s the Star Alliance award chart through April 15, 2019, and here’s the Star Alliance award chart as of April 16, 2019.
I find it puzzling how they’re devaluing their two award charts just months apart, rather than just doing it all at once. This is something they do consistently, though.
It’s almost like they have one team working on the whole thing, and it would be too much work for them to do it once, or they’re not willing to wait to just make all the changes at once.
So, how bad are the changes to the Star Alliance award chart?
- Economy awards aren’t increasing in price at all
- Business & first awards are increasing in price by 5-15%
For what it’s worth, KrisFlyer’s latest devaluation was in 2017 — they increased Singapore Airlines & SilkAir redemption rates in March 2017, and increased Star Alliance redemption rates in December 2017.
KrisFlyer redemption rates on SWISS are increasing
What this means for North America awards
For travel originating in the US, there have historically been some good options for domestic travel, including to Hawaii. With these changes:
- Economy awards within North America (excluding Hawaii) continue to cost 12,500 miles one-way
- Business awards within North America (excluding Hawaii) increase in cost from 20,000 miles to 23,000 miles
- Economy awards between the mainland and Hawaii continue to cost 17,500 miles one-way
- Business awards between the mainland and Hawaii increase in cost from 30,000 miles to 34,500 miles
The above prices are most practical for travel on United. For what it’s worth, KrisFlyer also has a partnership with Alaska Airlines with separate pricing, and that’s remaining unchanged.
KrisFlyer redemption rates on Alaska aren’t changing
Bottom line
In the grand scheme of devaluations, KrisFlyer’s latest Star Alliance award chart devaluation isn’t too bad. I use the KrisFlyer program all the time, but to me the greatest value comes with redemptions on Singapore Airlines metal, since those are awards you can’t book with partner program miles.
However, for Star Alliance awards I find that there are almost always better values to be had through other programs. Nonetheless for those earning KrisFlyer miles (not through transferrable partners), and for those who like to tack on Star Alliance segments to Singapore Airlines awards, this is no doubt bad news.
What do you make of the latest KrisFlyer Star Alliance chart devaluation?
(Tip of the hat to Milelion)
Still unable to book SQ award via United miles. Lucky, any update on this? UA is pretty much saying it's SQ's issue.
Looks like Alaska Air is a better option if you fly to and from such airports.
Lucky, Is there a timeline of when we can expect to redeem Alaska miles on SIA? I feel like it has been years since the partnership announcement.
@ Allan -- At this point they're no longer giving a timeline. For what it's worth, don't get too excited either way, since the airline blocks most premium cabin award space to partner airlines.
Well worth 1.3 million UA miles banked I won't sweat this. And with UA kneecapping SQ out of SFO and LAX with Premium Plus and Polaris I've been using them more than my KrisFlyer account.
It's pretty dumb IMO. They're already losing SFO and LAX customers and this will only accelerate UA's domination of the redundant routes they've both created.
The J North America deval is an absolute gutting, and wtf does "grand scheme of devaluations" even mean? Call a spade a spade.
For a family of four that's an extra 24k round trip per trip to one of the few award prices that made transcons bearable.
Is it just me or is SQ devaluing like crazy the past few years?
The problem with Singapore’s program is that it’s virtually impossible to get two suites at saver level on SQ itself to or from the US, and even at saver level the prices are not cheap. Add in this new devaluation and SQ’s miles are worth even less.
Ben. You missed the other continental section headings to go with ‘What this means for North America awards’.
@hamiltus I expected that to be devalued much harder to be honest, it's still excellent value even at 29k miles which is cheaper than intra-europe!
Eh North American to Europe in F goes from 160 to 215 round trip. Thats a 35% increase
RIP 25K SQ Miles from Europe to the middle East.
So be it. Although having been on their program for 22 years now of which most were PPS Solitaire, I never really liked the program as SQ has a habit of only offering inconvenient flights for redemption and waitlisting the rest.
On another note, Thai ROP has also 'enhanced' their program