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Singapore Airlines Krisflyer is a transfer partner of all the major flexible point currencies: Chase, Amex, Citi, and SPG ( soon to be Marriott ) which makes it one of the easiest points to earn and best to use. I’ve personally used Singapore Airlines Krisflyer to fly Lufthansa First Class, Singapore Suites, Singapore First Class, EVA Business Class, I booked Untied’s new Polaris with it, multiple domestic US flights, the list goes on and on. It’s one of my favorite go to transfer partners. They not only rep some of the most competitive rates, but their change/cancellation fees are some of the best as well. So what’s the problem?
The only problem I face when using SQ to book my own flights, as well as recommending it as a currency for award clients, is transfer time. It’s not instant. There’s nothing quite like seeing avail on the flight you want, but then watching the seconds pass as you wait for the points to transfer over to your account. So which transfer partner will get points into your Singapore Account the fastest?
Consistently, I’ve found the fastest way of populating my Singapore Airlines Krisflyer account is with Chase Ultimate Rewards.
I’ve done multiple transfers this year and 4 hours seems to be the average time Chase to SQ. *I will note…if it’s your first time transferring, it’s taken longer, so take this into account. Also remember that SQ miles expire after 3 years, regardless of use.
| Program | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 4 hours | |||
| Citi Thank You | 12-48 hours | |||
| American Express Membership Rewards | 10 - 18 hours | |||
| SPG StarPoints | 7+days (according to Frugal Travel Guy - transfer done on Monday Mornings) |
*link to Frugal Travel Guy
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Don’t forget that Singapore Airlines allows waitlisting on their flights.
This is how I got my entire family into Suites last year. That link gives a very in depth account of how we went about it, but the long/short – if you have sufficient miles in your account to book, you can waitlist your ideal flight, and then book your back up flight. When the waitlist clears, you can then switch into your preferred cabin/flight.
They also have very competitive change/cancellations fees
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Singapore removed fuel surcharges from flights on their metal. This makes flights TO the UK on their A350 from Houston a great way of accessing Europe. Just 65k miles.
Watch coming back…you’ll get hit with high surcharges tho.
As I’d mentioned before…we’ve used SQ to fly Lufthansa First Class and EVA Royal Laurel. Two of the best ways to sip champagne and forget about your life down below.
If you’re trying to book those flights quick, and your SQ account is low, Chase will be the fastest way to shore up your account.
Usually I like to shore up my accounts with various programs. Each program has a unique set of partners that may have increased applicability depending on the redemption. I’d hate to only use Chase or Amex because I may deplete my account below a threshold I’d need for a future redemption inaccessible. I’d rather spend more points if I can use 3 flexible currencies than less points using one ( if it’s within reason.) If you don’t understand this, ask me questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to explain.
Here’s how I generally approach transfer. As an example, on a redemption requiring 60k points, I would evenly divide it between Chase, Amex, and Citi. However, if I’m in a pinch, and need to snag a seat quickly, I’ll transfer the entire amount from Chase to get it done quickly.
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*feature image of the new Singapore Business Class courtesy of Singaporeairlines.com
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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