SQ KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover Redemption
Maximize your KrisFlyer miles, fly SQ First or Business Class using this KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover Redemption
As promised to some readers of my previous post on SQ863 A380 Suites Class Experience Hong Kong to Singapore, here is the write up on the SQ KrisFlyer USD100 stopover rule for redemption.
What you may already know
Many frequent travellers would already know that SQ allows one complimentary stopover when we redeem a round-trip ticket in the Saver Awards and two complimentary stopovers when we redeem a round-trip ticket in the Standard Awards (renamed to Advantage Awards with effect from 20 January 2018).
Term 22 Award Redemption – Award Calculation Rules, I. Singapore Airlines and SilkAir redemption and upgrade awards, KrisFlyer Terms and Conditions
Let us illustrate with example for complimentary stopover:
Round-trip in Saver Awards
If we redeem Singapore – Hong Kong – San Francisco – Hong Kong – Singapore (SIN – HKG – SFO – HKG – SIN) in Saver Awards. We can enjoy one complimentary stopover in Hong Kong in the departure sector OR returning sector. That translates to a short holiday in Hong Kong in either one of the sectors without incurring additional miles.
Round-trip in Standard (Advantage) Awards
If we redeem the same ticket in Standard Awards. We can enjoy two complimentary stopovers in Hong Kong in both departure sector AND returning sector. You may think this is unnecessary as Standard Awards means more miles needed to redeem. Unless, you love yourself another holiday in Hong Kong to catch up what you miss the last round.
One-way in Standard (Advantage) Awards
Alternatively, if we redeem one-way ticket in Standard Awards, we can also enjoy one complimentary stopover. In this example, say if we redeem Singapore – Hong Kong – San Francisco (SIN – HKG – SFO) in Standard Awards, we can also enjoy a short getaway in Hong Kong.
One-way in Saver Awards
Question you may ask is, “What if we redeem a one-way ticket in a Saver Awards, will I get a complimentary stopover too?” The answer is NO, BUT … we’ll come back to the ‘BUT’ very shortly.
Let us see other examples of complimentary routes that are available under SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption besides the Hong Kong and San Francisco example above:
1. Singapore -> Frankfurt -> New York -> Frankfurt -> Singapore
(SIN -> FRA -> JFK -> FRA -> SIN) – stopover will be FrankfurtFrankfurt, Germany, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: csalow
2. Singapore -> Manchester -> Houston -> Manchester -> Singapore
(SIN -> MAN -> IAH -> MAN -> SIN) – stopover will be ManchesterManchester, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: Homestage
3. Singapore -> Moscow -> Stockholm -> Moscow -> Singapore
(SIN -> DME -> ARN -> DME -> SIN) – stopover will be MoscowMoscow, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: Michael Siebert
4. Singapore -> Johannesburg -> Cape Town -> Johannesburg -> Singapore
(SIN -> JNB -> CPT -> JNB -> SIN) – stopover will be JohannesburgJohannesburg, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: Sharon Ang
5. Singapore -> Narita -> Los Angeles -> Narita -> Singapore
(SIN -> NRT -> LAX -> NRT -> SIN) – stopover will be in NaritaShibuya, Tokyo, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: Jason Goh
6. Singapore -> Seoul -> Los Angeles -> Seoul -> Singapore
(SIN -> SEL -> LAX -> SEL -> SIN) – stopover will be in SeoulGwanghwamun, Seoul, South Korea, SQ KrisFlyer flight redemption, Photo credit: Youngtaek Oh
There may be some other routes available and the above are just some examples.
The above is good only if we do a round-trip redemption with fixed route and which we can book online by ourselves. Most frequent travellers would already know about this complimentary stopover. In this article, we will focus on the SQ KrisFlyer USD100 stopover and having Singapore as the “stopover” using one-way redemption in Saver Awards.
For readers in Singapore, this would mean coming home from one holiday and waiting for the next holiday. For overseas readers, this would mean making Singapore as the “stopover” holiday immediately before your next holiday since you do not reside in Singapore.
Here comes the BUT…
Travelling on SQ Suites/First or Business Class with this KrisFlyer USD100 stopover. How sweet does that sound?
Furthermore, this is how we can maximize KrisFlyer miles for the maximum benefit! Let’s first examine the redemption chart:
Singapore Airlines/SilkAir One-way Saver Awards Chart Zone 1 – Zone 10
Singapore Airlines/SilkAir One-way Saver Awards Chart Zone 11 – Zone 13
Taking zone 7 (orange tab) as example and moving vertically down, we will notice that to do a Business Class redemption from zone 7 to zone 1 or from zone 7 to zone 2 or from zone 7 to zone 3, the required KrisFlyer miles are the same 43K miles.
Tokyo to Bangkok, One-way Saver Awards
Confuse? Let’s put some name of cities for better illustration. If we redeem a one-way ticket from Tokyo (zone 7) to Singapore (zone 1) in Business class, we would need 43K miles. Following?
If we redeem one-way ticket from Tokyo (zone 7) to Bangkok (zone 3) in Business Class, I would also need 43K miles. With this one-way ticket from Tokyo to Bangkok, it creates an opportunity for two holidays without incurring additional miles by only paying USD100 + small taxes and having a stopover in Singapore.
You may ask how soon must I take the next flight after the stopover in Singapore? Your ticket can be issued as far as 355 days from date of issue. If we redeem the Tokyo->Bangkok ticket say on 1 January 2018, my last sector (Singapore->Bangkok) can be as far out as 355 days later (so long it is available for redemption).
Why pay USD100?
Why Not? We save 20K KrisFlyer miles, the equivalent of a one-way Business Class miles required from Singapore to Bangkok. In addition, USD100 to fly one-way SQ Business Class from Singapore to Bangkok is one hell of a flight deal!
How to: KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover Redemption, based on Tokyo to Bangkok, Stopover in Singapore example above
- Check online for the two dates that you have in mind for redemption; Tokyo->Singapore (date and flight number) and Singapore->Bangkok (date and flight number). Note down the dates and flight numbers you saw online with immediate confirmation instead of waitlist flights
- Call KrisFlyer hotline. Tell them you want to redeem Tokyo->Bangkok with stopover in Singapore. Next, feed them the dates and flight numbers
- They may propose two options to you, one will be this KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover hack (ticket is issued with one single itinerary) the other will be to issue two tickets and therefore incurring the usual miles. Always opt for USD100 trick to save miles
- Over the phone they will inform you the miles and taxes required for both options, always opt for USD100 option. That is the whole purpose of calling them, otherwise you can redeem the flight yourself online if you want to issue two tickets separately
- Give them your passenger information
- Give them your credit card information
- Da dahhhhhhhh, ticket issued
If everything goes smoothly, the redemption can be done within 10 minutes.
Sweet spots
The best deal I feel so far is Zone 9/8 (Australia & New Zealand) to Zone 4 (South China, Hong Kong & Taiwan) or the other way round.
Singapore to Hong Kong or Hong Kong to Singapore in First class using this KrisFlyer USD100 stopover, without incurring any additional miles if you have Australia / New Zealand flight to redeem – Perfect! You get to try the Private Room in Changi Airport or SilverKris Lounge in Hong Kong Airport.
Singapore to Taipei or Taipei to Singapore in Business class for USD100 without incurring any additional miles if you have Australia / New Zealand flight to redeem. Note that there is no First/Suites Class in Taipei flight. However, I think any low cost carriers one-way flight for economy class will be around the same fare with luggage price included.
Things to take note
1. Change of Date
Date changed for first and second sectors are permitted so long as the same award flights are available (assuming you have not flown the first sector yet). But the date for both sectors has to be within the 1 year from date of issue. The change is free of charge until the recent rule change. With effect from 1 March 2018, the date change will now cost USD25 in the Saver Awards. Please refer to the picture below for the changes.
Fees changes with effect from 1 March 2018
2. Validity of second sector ticket is extended once first sector is flown
When first sector is flown, second sector will not be refunded if cancelled. However, change of date is still possible with a fee of USD25 (in Saver Awards), effective from 1 March 2018. The good thing is, if first sector is already flown, your second sector will be extended to another year; from the date of your first leg and not from date of issue anymore.
3. Different Class of service for the two sectors
If the same Class of service is not available for the two sectors, the next Class of service will be issued in the other sector. Example: If we redeem First Class Sydney to Singapore and want to do Singapore To Taipei in the next sector using this KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover trick, the miles required will still be the First Class miles of 80K. However, since there is no First Class seat from Singapore to Taipei, Business Class seat will be issued instead.
4. USD100 trick will not work in this case
On the chart you will notice ^. This would mean no saving of miles if you want to redeem such route as it has to be issued in two tickets. This USD100 trick will not work. Those with ^ are called backtracking where your first sector and second sector are in opposite direction.
Trip planning with KrisFlyer USD100 Stopover Redemption
Planning trips with KrisFlyer USD100 stopover redemption
It will be good if we can do a whole year trip planning. Combining two long trip one-way redemptions may yield a short new holiday destination with USD200 in SQ Suites/First or Business Class.
Example:
Tokyo to Singapore to Bangkok pay 43000 plus USD100 in Business Class
Bangkok to Singapore to Dubai pay 45000 plus USD100 in Business Class
From the example, we redeem two one-way long flights and yield a new Bangkok trip in between by paying USD200, without incurring additional miles. In term of KrisFlyer miles, we have saved 40K miles which is equivalent to a round trip Business Class ticket from Singapore to Bangkok. Of course there may be some associated taxes which you need to pay for Bangkok. However, in my opinion, comparing to the round trip SQ Business Class ticket, these taxes are negligible.
What I have redeemed so far with stopover in Singapore:
1. Hong Kong -> Singapore -> Sydney in Suites/First Class
Hong Kong -> Singapore is my USD100 trick while Singapore -> Sydney is my long flight
80K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Hong Kong -> Sydney in Suites/First ClassSydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, Photo credit: Patty Jansen
2. Brisbane -> Singapore -> Taipei in Business Class
Singapore -> Taipei is my USD100 trick while Brisbane -> Singapore is my long flight
58K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Brisbane -> Taipei in Business ClassTaipei, Taiwan, Photo credit: Ke Hugo
3. Taipei -> Singapore -> Bali in Business Class
Singapore -> Bali is my USD100 trick while Taipei -> Singapore is my long flight
27.5K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Taipei -> Bali in Business ClassTaman Ayun, Bali, Indonesia, Photo credit: Wikipedia
What I am planning to redeem with stopover in Singapore
1. Jarkata -> Singapore -> Dubai in Suites/First Class
Jakarta -> Singapore is my USD100 trick while Singapore -> Dubai is my long flight
70K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Jarkata -> Dubai in Suites/First ClassDubai, United Arab Emirates, Photo credit: muneebfarman
2. Dubai -> Singapore -> Bangkok in Business Class
Singapore -> Bangkok is my USD100 trick while Dubai -> Singapore is my long flight
45K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Dubai -> Bangkok in Business ClassMBK Center, Bangkok, Thailand, Photo credit: picaidol
3. Bangkok -> Singapore -> Osaka in Business Class
Bangkok -> Singapore is my USD100 trick while Singapore -> Osaka is my long flight
43K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Bangkok -> Osaka in Business ClassOsaka Castle, Photo credit: Sangyeon Yu
4. Narita -> Singapore -> Dusseldorf in Business Class
Narita -> Singapore is my USD100 trick + small incremental miles (15K) while Singapore -> Dusseldorf is my long flight
100K KrisFlyer miles to redeem Narita -> Dusseldorf in Business ClassMedia Harbour, Düsseldorf, Photo credit: Michael Gaida
5. London -> Singapore -> Hong Kong in Suites/First class
Singapore -> Hong Kong is my USD100 trick + small incremental miles (15K) while London -> Singapore is my long flight
130K KrisFlyer miles to redeem London -> Hong Kong in Suites/First ClassBig Buddha, Hong Kong, Photo credit: Steve Webb
How much KrisFlyer miles have I saved in the trip planning above?
1. Hong Kong -> Singapore in Suites/First Class = 37.5K miles
2. Singapore -> Taipei in Business Class = 27.5K miles
3. Singapore -> Bali in Business Class = 17.5K miles
4. Jakarta -> Singapore in Suites/First Class = 25K miles
5. Singapore -> Bangkok in Business Class = 20K miles
6. Bangkok -> Singapore in Business Class = 20K miles
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7. Narita -> Singapore in Business Class = 43K miles
Singapore -> Dusseldorf in Business Class = 85K miles (Zone 1 to Zone 11)
If I redeem two separate tickets, it would have cost 43K + 85K = 128K miles. Using this KrisFlyer USD100 stopover trick to redeem Narita -> Dusseldorf with stopover in Singapore, I only need to use a total of 100K miles (Zone 7 to zone 11) + USD100. Thus, there is a saving of 28K miles.
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8. Singapore -> Hong Kong in Suites/First Class = 37.5K miles
London -> Singapore in Suites/First Class = 115K miles (Zone 11 to Zone 1)
If I redeem two separate tickets, it would have cost 37.5K + 115K = 152.5K miles. Using this KrisFlyer USD100 stopover trick to redeem London -> Hong Kong with stopover in Singapore, I only need to use a total of 130K miles (Zone 11 to Zone 4) + USD100. Thus, there is a saving of 22.5K miles.
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All the above save me a total of 198K KrisFlyer miles.
How much I would be paying if I redeem the trips above
In conclusion, I would have paid USD800, and incremental miles of 30K for Narita -> Singapore (15K miles) and for Singapore -> Hong Kong (15K miles). But, if you ask me, paying USD800 plus 30K miles and yielding the above 8 trips in Business or Suites/First Class, I would say is very good value. No doubt, to make good use of this KrisFlyer USD100 stopover trick, we would need careful planning ahead for all our trips. At times, we may also need to make changes due to personal and other commitments, However, I think it is still worth the effort.
Final piece of advice, it will also be good to know which flights serve Suites/First Class so that you can pair the USD100 and the redemption in the same Suites/First Class for the maximum value. If those routes which you plan to redeem do not serve Suites/First Class, then pair your USD100 with the routes which serve up to Business Class.
Had travelled to Penang, Krabi, Bintan, Batam, Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Yogyakarta, Hongkong, Macau, Zhuhai, Taipei, Kaoshiung, Nanjing, Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch, Munich, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussel, Hamburg, Berlin, Milan, Venice, Copenhagen, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague, Frankfurt, Edinburg, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Madrid, Zurich, Lisboa, Hanoi, Lubeck, Perth, Luxembourg, Naples, Cologne, Dusseldorf , Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ho Chi Minh ...
Still in the wishing list: Maldives, India, Dubai, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Moscow, Hungary, Hawaii, New York, Brazil … Hope to visit all seven wonders of the world.
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