Your Path To Premium Travel: 7 KrisFlyer Elite Gold Benefits And Beyond

Want to enjoy KrisFlyer Elite Gold status without a premium credit card? Here's how.

Ready to level up your travel experiences but don’t quite qualify for a premium credit card? You can enjoy many of the same perks with KrisFlyer Elite Gold. 

If you’re just getting into the air miles game, you’d know that one of the most popular programmes to join is KrisFlyer, which is the air miles scheme of our national carrier, Singapore Airlines. 

But dig a little deeper and you’ll soon realise that KrisFlyer is just the beginning – the loyalty scheme runs several levels deep, with the upper echelons reserved for those who fly Business Class or higher.

Fret not – economy-class flyers have plenty to flex about with KrisFlyer Elite Gold. And the best part is, getting there is not as arduous as you may think, thanks to its not-so-lofty requirements. 

In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at how KrisFlyer Elite Gold works, the programme’s best benefits, and how you can qualify for it – including a shortcut that will parachute you in as a bona fide member right away.

Table of contents

• Qualification requirements for KrisFlyer Elite Gold
• What are Elite Miles?
• What can I use Elite Miles for?
• What can I not use Elite Miles for?
• Benefits of KrisFlyer Elite Gold
• Unlock KrisFlyer Elite Gold with the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card
• FAQs

Qualification requirements for KrisFlyer Elite Gold

To qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold, all you have to do is to rack up 50,000 Elite Miles, earned within 12 consecutive months. Once you’ve crossed this threshold, your membership privileges are maintained until the end of the 12 months. 

To extend your membership, simply earn another 50,000 Elite Miles within 12 months. 

That’s it! Sounds straightforward right, but what in the fluffy clouds are Elite Miles?

What are Elite Miles?

KrisFlyer Elite Miles are not the same as KrisFlyer Miles. The latter is the garden-variety air miles you can earn in many ways, including via both flight and non-flight activities. You can use your KrisFlyer Miles to redeem flight tickets and flight upgrades (also known as award flights), among other things. 

Elite Miles, on the other hand, are only earned when flying on the following airlines:

• Singapore Airlines
• Scoot
• Star Alliance partners
• Juneyao Air
• Virgin Australia (only for SIA codeshare flights within Australia, Trans-Tasman, and between Australia and the Pacific Islands)
• Vistara (SIA codeshare flights operated within India only)

You will earn Elite Miles based on the actual miles flown, as well as any applicable bonuses, so the farther your flight, the more Elite Miles you will be awarded. 

Unlike KrisFlyer Miles, you cannot redeem your Elite Miles for award flights or for anything else; they exist only to determine your status tier in the KrisFlyer programme (Elite Silver and Elite Gold qualification), but more on this later. 

In other words, you can earn KrisFlyer Miles and Elite Miles concurrently, but only if you fly with Singapore Airlines and its selected partner airlines. 

See the following table for how much Elite Miles you can earn for Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights.

 

Amex Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card Welcome Gift: Receive up to 17,000 KrisFlyer Miles when you make a min. spend of S$500 within the first month of card approval. For new-to-American-Express Card Members only. Valid till 30 April 2024. T&Cs apply.

What can I use Elite Miles for?

Elite Miles are used to mark your progress towards your Elite status – of which there are two levels: Gold and Silver. 

You already know that 50,000 Elite miles are required to net you Gold status. For Silver status, you will need only 25,000 Elite miles to qualify. (The same amount is also needed to extend your Silver status).  

However, Gold members that fail to accumulate the required 50,000 Elite miles will not be dropped to Silver status – they will instead be converted to ordinary KrisFlyer members, so it’s basically an all-or-nothing game. 

Another important use for your Elite Miles is to qualify you for KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, which is its own set of rewards and perks. More on this later. 

What can I not use Elite Miles for?

Elite Miles cannot be used to redeem flights, upgrade flights or pay for air tickets. They are strictly a tracking currency only. 

Thus, don’t confuse your Elite Miles with your KrisFlyer Miles – the latter can be spent on various Singapore Airlines products and services.

7 Top Benefits of KrisFlyer Elite Gold

#1: Enjoy 25% Krisflyer Miles bonus on paid flights

Receive an additional 25% KrisFlyer miles on Singapore Airlines and Scoot, when you credit your miles to your KrisFlyer account.

This bonus is applied on top of any eligible class bonuses. However, Economy Class tickets in Q, N, V, K, G booking classes will not be entitled to this bonus.

#2: Access to airport lounges whenever you fly

As an Elite Gold member, you can enjoy airport lounge access whenever you’re flying with eligible airlines, which means never having to endure waiting in airport common areas. 

In most cases, you may bring a fellow traveller departing on the same flight.

#3: Priority check-in, boarding, baggage handling and more

Another advantage of Elite Gold status is greater convenience – and possibly speed – when you fly to over 1,300 destinations worldwide. 

That’s because you will be entitled to Star Alliance Gold privileges that cover everything from the moment you disembark to when you leave the airport, including: 

• Priority airport check-in
• Gold Track Priority Security & Immigration
• Priority boarding
• Priority baggage handling
• Priority reservations waitlist
• Priority airport stand-by
• Complimentary upgrade to Business First Class on the Heathrow Express

Most of these are pretty self-explanatory and largely work as advertised. 

For priority reservations waitlist: Should you be waitlisted on Singapore Airlines or a Star Alliance flight, you will be one of the first to get a seat if someone doesn’t make the flight. 

Priority airport stand-by: If you need to fly at the last minute and can’t get a confirmed reservation, you’ll be given priority on airport standby lists for Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance airline flights.

#4: Additional baggage allowance

Check in an extra 20 kg on Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Star Alliance or Star Alliance Connecting partner flights at no charge. For Vistara flights, you can check in additional 10 kg of luggage for free. 

For flights to and from the US, you can check in up to three pieces of luggage of maximum 32 kg each (Singapore AirlinesSuites, First, and Business Class), and 23 kg each for Premium Economy and Economy Class.

Scoot flyers get some love too. You can receive complimentary 5 kg luggage allowance with purchase of 20 kg luggage, automatic assignment of standard seats for the travelling group, along with complimentary BoardMeFirst.

#5: Complimentary seat selection and waiver of fees

Select a complimentary Forward Zone or Standard Seat in advance when you fly in Economy Class on Singapore Airlines. 

That’s not the only fee waiver you’ll enjoy. You can also look forward to fee waivers when changing redemption nominees (these are individuals you name in your KrisFlyer account so you can use your miles to redeem flights and upgrades for them too).

Additionally, other service fees discounts are also available, although we couldn’t find any further details on what those may be. 

#6: KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards

As you rack up Elite Miles, you will automatically qualify for perks and privileges via KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards. 

Note that these rewards are counted per calendar year, which means there may be a mismatch between your accumulated Elite Miles and the rewards you can actually redeem.

Here’s what you can look forward to. 

#7: Fast track to Shangri-La Golden Circle membership

Fans of the Shangri-La hotel franchise will love this. You will automatically be fast-tracked to the Gold tier upon enrolling for the hotel’s Golden Circle loyalty programme. 

What’s more, simply stay one night to be upgraded to Jade tier – the conventional route requires 6,000 points, or 20 nights. 

Eligible properties include any Shangri-La hotel and resort, Kerry hotel, Traders hotel or Hotel Jen worldwide.

Unlock KrisFlyer Elite Gold with the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card 

Convinced that KrisFlyer Elite Gold is what you need to level up your travel experiences, but aren’t sure about racking up 50,000 Elite Miles to qualify (which, to be fair, is a lot of flights). Well, we promised you a shortcut earlier, and here it is.

You can instantly be vaulted to Elite Gold status with the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card.

All you have to do is to apply for the card, and then charge at least S$15,000 worth of Singapore Airlines flight tickets within 12 months of card approval. 

Note that only ticket purchases for travel originating from Singapore, and purchased in Singapore Dollars, are eligible. 

That’s still a pretty high bar to clear, but think of it as an opportunity to double-dip. The flights you charge to your card will also earn Elite Miles, giving you a headstart on next year’s membership requirement. 

FAQs

Q1. Can Elite Gold members bring guests with them to airport lounges?

A: Yes, in most cases. You may bring up to one guest with you for a complimentary visit to eligible airport lounges. Do note that your guest should also be departing on the same flight with you. 

Q2. How do you become KrisFlyer Elite Gold?

A: To qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold, you will need to accrue at least 50,000 Elite Miles within 12 months. Elite Miles are awarded for flight segments paid in cash, and are based on the actual miles flown. 

Alternatively, you can apply for an American Express KrisFlyer Ascend Card and charge at least S$15,000 worth of Singapore Airlines tickets within the first 12 months. Doing so will escalate you to Elite Gold status immediately.

Q3. Are there any fees involved for KrisFlyer Elite Gold? How do I renew my membership?

A: There are no fees or charges involved for enrolling in KrisFlyer Elite Gold. To renew your membership, you will need to earn at least 50,000 Elite Miles within 12 months. Doing so will automatically extend your membership by a further 12 months.