How Much Are KrisFlyer Miles Worth?

Eliana Tan

Eliana Tan

Last updated 10 May, 2024

Ready to turn your KrisFlyer miles into memorable adventures? Discover their true value and learn savvy strategies for maximising them!

KrisFlyer miles hold the promise of unforgettable journeys and luxurious travel experiences. But how much are they really worth, and what's the best way to make the most of them? In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the intricacies of KrisFlyer miles, from their conversion rate to the best redemption options. Whether you're a seasoned miles collector or just starting, here’s all the knowledge you need to unlock the full potential of your KrisFlyer miles!

Table of contents


How much are KrisFlyer miles worth?

How much is 1 KrisFlyer mile worth?

When it comes to KrisFlyer miles, it’s all about how you use it; each mile has the potential to be worth more than you think! When you use your miles for an economy class ticket, you could get around 1.1 to 1.3 cents per mile, but the value could soar to over 2 cents per mile for business class bookings.

However, if you opt for non-flight rewards, the value drops to less than 1 cent per mile. To ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck, aim for award redemptions that offer at least 1.5 cents or more in value from your KrisFlyer miles.

How much are 10,000 KrisFlyer miles worth?

The value of 10,000 KrisFlyer miles can vary depending on how you choose to redeem them. For example, if you use them to book a Singapore Airlines economy class ticket from Singapore to Brisbane, a round-trip would cost approximately S$1,704 (as of 19 May to 26 May). Given that it would require 110,000 KrisFlyer miles to redeem an Economy Advantage Award ticket for this flight, 10,000 miles would be worth approximately S$150.

On the other hand, if you opt for a more luxurious experience and use your miles for a business class ticket, where each mile can be worth over 2 cents, those 10,000 miles would be valued at more than $200. However, if you decide to redeem your miles for non-flight rewards, the value can drop to less than 1 cent per mile, making those 10,000 miles worth less than $100.

To clarify, each person’s valuation of a mile differs and is subjective. Ideally, you’d want your KrisFlyer miles to be valued more than 1.5 cents during redemptions, yet for others, they might be content in redeeming KrisFlyer miles for a value less than that!


Miles to dollar conversion rate

How to calculate

Calculating the value of your KrisFlyer miles is like solving a puzzle — it requires a bit of math and a dash of strategy! To find out how much each mile is worth, simply divide the cost of a ticket by the number of miles needed for the award flight. 

For instance, if a ticket costs $260 and requires 15,000 miles, each mile is valued at approximately 1.73 cents ($260/15,000 = $0.0173).

However, it's important to consider more than just the dollars and cents. Your time and effort in strategising and the inconvenience of optimising your spending should also factor into the equation. Sometimes, your options might be limited, such as having to choose where to dine based on Kris+ merchants rather than personal preference. These intangible factors can affect the true value you get from your miles.

So, while the math is a good starting point, it's equally crucial to weigh other factors to make the most of your KrisFlyer miles.

💡 Pro-tip: Nonetheless, it’s important to not get confused between the value of a mile for a cost of a mile. Value of a mile pertains to when redeeming miles, but cost of a mile pertains to when earning miles.

 

Best Miles & Travel Credit Cards

Maximise your budget holiday spend even further with the best air miles credit cards and best credit cards for travelling in Singapore. Get rewarded whenever you spend locally or overseas, plus access awesome perks like airport lounges, discounted travel insurance rates, and even free gifts for first sign ups!

Credit Card Best for/Benefits Details Min. Annual Income
Citi PremierMiles Card

 

- S$1 = 10 miles on Bookings at Kaligo

- S$1 = 7 miles on Hotel Bookings at Agoda

- S$1 = 2 miles on Foreign Spend
 
- S$1 = 1.2 miles on Local Spend
 
- 2 free airport lounge visits per year with Priority Pass

- Up to S$1 million complimentary Travel Insurance coverage when you charge travel tickets to card
- Miles awarded as Citi Miles, which never expire

- S$27 per redemption

- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free)
 - Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$42,000
DBS Altitude Card
DBSAltitudeVisaSignatureCard-e1568109609752


 

- S$1 = 3 miles on Agoda Bookings

- S$1 = 2.2 miles on Foreign Spend
 
- S$1 = 1.3 miles on Local Spend
 
- 2 free airport lounge visits per year with Priority Pass
- Miles awarded as DBS Points, which never expire
 
- 5,000 DBS Points = 10,000 KrisFlyer Miles

- S$27.25 (incl. GST) per redemption

- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$45,000
OCBC 90°N Miles Card
OCBC_90N_VISA-1
OCBC_90N_MASTERCARD_UPDATED
- S$1 = 1.3 miles on Local Spend
 
- S$1 = 2.1 miles on Foreign Spend
 
- S$1 = 7 miles on Agoda Bookings in Foreign Currency
 
- S$1 = 6 miles on Agoda Bookings in Local Currency
- 90°N Miles never expire
 
- 1 90°N Mile = 1 KrisFlyer Mile
 
- 90°N Miles can be redeemed per blocks of 1,000 Miles
 
- Exchange 90°N Miles for cash rebates, vouchers, or offset travel costs too
 
- Annual fee: S$196.20 (Frist year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000
 
- Foreigner = S$45,000
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card
Maybank-Horizon-Visa-Signature-Card-1

- S$1 = 2.8 miles on Overseas Spend and Air Tickets (All Airlines)*

- S$1 = 1.2 miles on Local Retail Spend^ on Shopping, Dining, Food Delivery, Supermarket, Transport, Hotels, Cruises, Travel Packages, Car Rentals

- S$1 = 0.25 miles on Utilities, Education, Insurance, and Medical expenses

- Complimentary access to Selected VIP Airport Lounges

- Up to S$1 million Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage

- Min. S$800 spend per month required, otherwise 1.2 mpd only
 
- Miles awarded in the form of TREATS Points
 
- *Capped at 40,000 Bonus TREATS Points per calendar month for Air Tickets. Up to 3.2 mpd for a limited time only. T&Cs apply.
 
- ^No min. spend, no cap
- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First 3 years free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Malaysian Citizen: S$45,000

- Foreigner: S$60,000

UOB PRVI Miles Card
UOB_PRIVIMILES_MASTER
uob-prvi-resized-e1548402137533-2uob-prvi-amex-resized-3

- S$1 = 6 miles on Selected Online and Flight Bookings at Agoda, Expedia, and UOB Travel

- S$1 = 2.4 miles on Overseas Spend

- S$1 = 1.4 miles on Local Spend

- Up to S$500,000 complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage
- Miles awarded as UNI$
 
- S$25 per redemption

- Annual fee: S$261.60 (First year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$40,000

HSBC TravelOne Card
HSBC TravelOne

- S$1 = 2.4 miles on Foreign Spend
 
- S$1 = 1.2 miles on Local Spend
 
- 4 Complimentary Airport Lounge Visits per year (Primary cardholders only)
 
- Up to US$100,000 Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage (including COVID-19)
25,000 Rewards Points = 10,000 Miles
 
5 free supplementary cards
 
No conversion fee for air miles or hotel points (Until 31 May 2024)
 
Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner/Self-Employed: S$40,000

Standard Chartered Journey Card
SC_Card_OM_Journey_20220816-AssetA-RGB-2500px_HENRY YEO

- S$1 = 2 miles on Foreign Spend
 
- S$1 = 1.2 miles on Local Spend
 
- S$1 = 3 miles on Select Local Online Categories like Transportation, Grocery, and Food Delivery*
 
- 2 Complimentary Priority Pass Airport Lounge Visits per year
 
- Up to S$500,000 Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage
- Rewards Points never earned from SC Journey Card never expire
 
- 25,000 Rewards Points = 10,000 KrisFlyer Miles
 
- *Capped at S$1,000 spend per statement month
 
- 45% off MSIG TravelEasy Travel Insurance (Single Trip) (Valid till 30 Jun 2024)
 
- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$60,000

KrisFlyer UOB Card
KrisFlyerUOBCreditCard

- S$1 = 3 miles on Everyday Spend (e.g. Dining, Online Food Delivery, Online Shopping, Online Travel, Local Transport)*
 
- S$1 = 3 miles on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop, and Kris+ purchases
 
- S$1 = 1.2 miles on All Other Spend
 
- Up to S$500,000 Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage
 
- Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver Status
 
- Other Membership Privileges on Scoot
- *Min. S$800 annual spend on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, and KrisShop required
 
- Earn KrisFlyer Miles directly to KrisFlyer Membership Account
 
- No cap on miles earned but only credited within 2 months of paying annual fee
 
- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free) 
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$40,000

AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card
AMEX_SINGAPORE_AIRLINES_KRISFLYER

- S$1 = 1.1 miles on Local Spend

- S$1 = 2 miles on Foreign Spend during June and December

- S$1 = 2 miles on Singapore Airlines-Related Spend

- S$1 = 3.1 miles on Grab Singapore Transactions, capped at S$200 per month

-S$1 = 0.5 miles on Singapore Airlines Instalment Plans via PaySmall for eligible purchases

- Up to S$350,000 Complimentary Travel Insurance coverage

- Exclusive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Loyalty Programme Perks

- Earn KrisFlyer Miles directly to KrisFlyer Membership Account
 
- Annual fee: S$179.85 (First year free)
Subject to American Express' approval

AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card

AMEX_SINGAPORE_AIRLINES_KRISFLYER_ASCEND

 

- S$1 = 1.2 miles on Local Spend

- S$1 = 2 miles on Foreign Spend during June and December

- S$1 = 2 miles on Singapore Airlines-Related Spend

- S$1 = 3.2 miles on Grab Singapore Transactions, capped at S$200 per month

- Up to S$1 million Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage

- Exclusive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Loyalty Programme Perks

- Earn KrisFlyer Miles directly to KrisFlyer Membership Account
 
- Annual fee: S$343.35 (First year free)
Subject to American Express' approval

HSBC Revolution Card
HSBC-Revolution-New

- S$1 = 4 miles on Online and Contactless Spend (e.g.Shopping, Groceries, Dining, Food Delivery, Ride-hailing)

- S$1 = 0.4 miles on All Other Spend

- Up to S$300,000 Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage

- Capped at S$1,000 spend / 9,000 Bonus Rewards Points per calendar month
 
- No annual fee
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner/Self-employed: S$40,000

Citi Rewards Card
CITI_REWARDS_MASTER

- S$1 = 4 miles on Selected Online Transactions (e.g. Shopping, Ride-hailing, Food Delivery, Groceries) and In-Store Shopping

- S$1 = 4 miles on All Other Retail Spend

- Up to S$1 million Complimentary Travel Insurance Coverage

- Capped at S$1,000 spend / 9,000 Bonus Rewards Points per statement month
 
- Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year free)
- Local/PR: S$30,000

- Foreigner: S$42,000

For instance, many credit cards like Citi PremierMiles, OCBC 90°N, and DBS Altitude all offer 10,000 miles upon card membership renewal – AKA paying their annual fee. When doing the math, this calculates to 1.96 cents per mile. This means that you’re paying S$0.019 to “buy” each mile, meanwhile ironically, you can redeem an award flight for less at S$0.0173 per mile as seen in the aforementioned example.

But honestly, this 0.002 cents difference might be pretty insignificant, so it’s really up to personal preference at the end of the day!

Read more:
How to Apply For A Credit Card in Singapore?
Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards in Singapore
Credit Card Fees and How to Avoid Them?


Redemption value 

Options for KrisFlyer mile redemption
Redemption option
Value of 1 KrisFlyer mile
2-8 cents
Pay for flights with miles
0.95 cents
KrisShop/KrisFlyer vRooms
0.8 cents
Shangri-La Golden Circle conversion
0.77 cents
CapitaStar conversion
0.7 cents
Kris+/Pelago
0.67 cents
Source: Singapore Airlines


See also:
How to Upgrade Your Singapore Airlines Tickets For Less?


What’s the best redemption option for KrisFlyer miles in terms of value?

When it comes to maximising the value of your KrisFlyer miles, the best redemption option is often Singapore Airlines flights. Why? Because redeeming your miles for an award flight offers unparalleled benefits.

One of the key advantages is flexibility. Award flights can usually be cancelled or exchanged for a small fee, providing a level of reassurance that non-refundable revenue tickets cannot match. 

Additionally, award flights offer greater availability compared to premium options like the Suites Saver award. While securing a Suites Saver award can be challenging due to limited availability, redeeming your miles for a regular award flight is more realistic and easier to achieve, ensuring that your miles are put to the best possible use.


Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

When is the best time to use KrisFlyer miles?

Since the KrisFlyer programme uses a static redemption chart, the value you stand to receive remains fairly consistent all year around. So, all you need to worry about is availability.

Hence, the best time to use your KrisFlyer miles depends on your travel flexibility. If you're able to plan well in advance or remain open to different travel dates and times, Saver award tickets, which require fewer miles, can be a great option despite their limited availability. On the other hand, if you prefer more flexibility and convenience, Advantage award tickets, though requiring more miles, offer greater availability and even include two complimentary stopovers on every round-trip ticket.

What’s the best way to earn KrisFlyer miles?

When it comes to earning KrisFlyer miles, there's no shortage of options – from shopping on KrisShop to converting hotel loyalty points. However, the most efficient way is through co-branded credit cards.

The key is to choose a card that allows you to earn the highest amount of miles on your everyday spending, without needing to change your habits just to earn miles! Be strategic and look for cards that offer bonus miles for categories you frequently spend in, such as dining or groceries.

KrisFlyerUOBCreditCard

UOB_CC_1Nov-30Nov_IN-BLOG-ARTICLE_KV1_800x250

SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Receive S$50 cash on top of welcome offers when you apply for select UOB Credit Cards and fulfil promo criteria. Limited to the first 1,000 new-to-card applicants only. Valid till 30 November 2024. T&Cs apply.

✨Daily Lucky Draw✨: Plus, get a chance to win an additional S$1,000 cash when you spend S$1,000 in the first 30 days of card approval. Valid till 30 November 2024. T&Cs apply.

KrisFlyer UOB Card Welcome Offer: Be one of the first 100 eligible new-to-UOB credit cardmembers to get up to 31,000 miles plus a first-year annual fee waiver when you apply and take the least days to make a min. spend of S$2,000 within 60 days from card approval date. Valid till 30 November 2024. T&Cs apply.

The KrisFlyer UOB Card is a great example, earning 3 miles per S$1 (mpd) on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, and other related spending (e.g. Kris+ and KrisShop). Hit a minimum of S$800 spend on that per year, and your card will also be eligible to earn 3 mpd on local daily expenses like dining, food delivery, online shopping, travel, and transport spend.

Meanwhile all other spend will earn an impressive 1.2 mpd, which is on par with the local miles-earning rate of other travel credit cards like Citi PremierMiles, Standard Chartered Journey, AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend, and HSBC TravelOne.

Best travel credit cards on SingSaver ✈️

  • Citi PremierMiles Card: 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2 mpd on overseas spend
  • Standard Chartered Journey Card: 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2 mpd on overseas spend, 3 mpd on select bonus categories
  • AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card: 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2 mpd on overseas spend during June and December, 2 mpd on eligible Singapore Airlines and KrisShop purchases
  • HSBC TravelOne Card: 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2.4 mpd on overseas spend

Citi PremierMiles Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.20 miles per dollar
Apply
Apply
Apply

HSBC TravelOne Credit Card open_in_new

Airmiles Overseas: 2.40 miles per dollar
Apply


How do I redeem my KrisFlyer miles?

Redeeming your KrisFlyer miles for your dream getaway is simple. Log in to your KrisFlyer account on the Singapore Airlines website or app, search for available award flights, and select your preferred itinerary. You can also use your miles for upgrades, to pay for taxes and fees, or redeem them for merchandise and experiences. 


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