Explainer: The big changes to the AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cards from November 2024

American Express has revamped the core benefits of their cobrand Singapore Airlines Credit Cards, effective 1 November 2024. 

The exact impact depends on which card you own, but in general, there are more major changes to the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend and relatively minor changes to the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, AMEX PPS Credit Card and AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card.

In this column, I’ll cover all the important bits to know about how the changes affect you. 

Table of contents

• Recap: How many AMEX-Singapore Airlines cobrand cards are there?
• All cards: No more bonuses for Grab
• All cards: No more foreign currency spending bonuses
• All cards: Removal of 500 bonus miles for telco bill payments
• All cards: Earn bonus miles on Scoot
• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: Higher annual fee
• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: No more lounge vouchers
• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: New KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Vouchers
• Conclusion

Recap: How many AMEX-Singapore Airlines cobrand cards are there?

As a reminder, American Express offers four different Singapore Airlines cobrand cards, detailed below.

While the AMEX PPS Credit Card and AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card are reserved for PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club members, the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card and AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend are open to the general public.

American Express no longer publishes minimum income requirements for any of its cards, but in my experience, anyone who earns more than the MAS-mandated S$30,000 per year minimum should have no issues getting approved for an Ascend or KrisFlyer Credit Card.

For the avoidance of doubt, I’ll use the term “AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cards” in this article when I’m referring to all four cards collectively. 

All cards: No more bonuses for Grab

AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cardholders used to earn up to 3.1-3.3 mpd on Grab transactions in Singapore, such as Grab rides or GrabFood. 

From 1 November 2024, those earn rates have been cut:

• If you have an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card or AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, you’ll earn 2 mpd on the first S$200 spent with Grab per calendar month
• If you have an AMEX PPS Credit Card or AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card, you’ll earn 1.3 mpd on the first S$200 spent with Grab per calendar month

It’s quite surprising that the earn rate for the publicly available cards is superior to that for the PPS ones, but in any case, you shouldn’t be using an AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Card for Grab transactions. You could easily earn 4 mpd with cards like the Citi Rewards, DBS Woman’s World Card and HSBC Revolution. 

Also read: Best Credit Cards for Online Food Delivery (GrabFood, Foodpanda, Deliveroo)

All cards: No more foreign currency spending bonuses

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card and AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend used to earn an uncapped 2 mpd on foreign currency (FCY) spending in the months of June and December.

From 1 November 2024, those bonus rates have been discontinued, and cardholders will earn their usual 1.1 mpd (KrisFlyer Credit Card) or 1.2 mpd (Ascend) year-round.

There are no changes to the earn rates for the AMEX PPS Credit Card or AMEX Solitaire PPS Credit Card.

All cards: Removal of 500 bonus miles for telco bill payments

All four AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cards used to offer a one-time bonus of 500 miles on their first recurring bill payment at Singtel, Starhub, M1, Circles.Life or MyRepublic. 

This will no longer be awarded from 1 November 2024. 

All cards: Earn bonus miles on Scoot

One odd thing about the AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cards is that they only awarded bonus miles for Singapore Airlines and KrisShop, with both merchants earning an uncapped 2 mpd.

But what about Scoot? Well, at long last, there’s love for Singapore Airlines’ budget cousin, with Scoot bookings on the mobile app and website now eligible to earn an uncapped 2 mpd as well. 

Again, I’m not sure how much this moves the needle, because you could easily earn up to 4 mpd on Scoot tickets with the DBS Woman’s World Card or UOB Lady’s Card (with Travel selected as your quarterly bonus category). 

Where the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is concerned, Scoot spending will now count towards the S$15,000 minimum spend to earn KrisFlyer Elite Gold status. As a reminder, this perk is only available in the first membership year. 

Also read: How To Get Airline And Hotel Elite Status Through Credit Cards

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: Higher annual fee

Prior to 1 November 2024, the annual fee for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend was S$343.35 per year. That’s now been increased to S$397.85.

Existing cardholders who paid their annual fee prior to 1 October 2024 won’t be impacted by the fee increase until their next membership year begins. 

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: No more lounge vouchers

Prior to 1 November 2024, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders received four lounge vouchers each year, valid at participating SATS and Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide.

Those vouchers have since been discontinued, and existing vouchers must be used:

• By 31 December 2024 for SATS Premier Lounges
• By 31 March 2025 for Plaza Premium Lounges

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: New KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Vouchers

From 1 November 2024, AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend Cardholders can earn up to two Miles Redemption Vouchers (MRVs) per year:

• A 10,000 miles Renewal MRV for paying the annual fee (from the second year onwards)
• A 18,000 miles Foreign Spend MRV for spending at least S$10,000 in FCY from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025

While these sound enticing, they’re really not.

First, the miles from these MRVs are not credited directly to your KrisFlyer account. Instead, they’re used to offset the cost of a redemption booking or a redemption upgrade on a Singapore Airlines-operated flight.

Second, they work as rebates, not discounts. For example, if you have a Renewal MRV and want to book a ticket that costs 40,000 miles, you must have at least 40,000 miles in your account; 30,000 miles won’t cut it.

Third, you are only allowed to use one MRV per booking; even if you have both the Renewal MRV and Foreign Spend MRV, you can’t use them together.

Fourth, MRVs are only applied to the first eligible passenger in the booking. For example, if my 2-passenger booking costs 7,500 miles per passenger and I apply a 10,000 miles Renewal MRV, I will only save 7,500 miles in total, because the remaining 2,500 miles from the Renewal MRV cannot be used on the second passenger.

Fifth, let’s not forget the opportunity cost involved. Suppose you spend S$10,000 in FCY to earn the 18,000 miles Foreign Spend MRV. Together with base miles (1.2 mpd), you’d have a total of 30,000 miles or an average earn rate of 3 mpd.

But you could have easily earned close to that or better with the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature (2.8 mpd), StanChart Visa Infinite (3 mpd) or Maybank World Mastercard (3.2 mpd). So I really don’t see why anyone would bother to earn MRVs in the first place!

Also read: A Guide to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles Redemption: Saver vs Advantage Awards

Conclusion

The changes to AMEX Singapore Airlines Credit Cards bring some notable adjustments, particularly for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, while leaving other cards mostly intact. Cardholders should be aware of the reduced rewards for Grab and foreign currency spending, as well as the removal of perks like lounge vouchers for Ascend members. Though Scoot bookings will now earn bonus miles, alternative cards can still offer better rewards in many spending categories.

If nothing else, these updates highlight the importance of reviewing your spending habits and card benefits carefully. With the added costs and reduced perks on the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, cardholders may want to explore other credit card options to maximise their miles and benefits.

Related:

AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card Review (2024): A Hint Of Luxury For Miles-Chasers
AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card Review (2024): Entry-Level Card For All Miles Beginners
Best Air Miles & KrisFlyer Credit Cards In Singapore (2024)