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

The main benefit of KrisFlyer miles is the ability to use them to redeem free flights for your holidays. Read this guide to learn the ins and outs of KrisFlyer flight awards and how to optimise value when redeeming flights. 

KrisFlyer miles redemption – an overview

KrisFlyer miles allow you to redeem travel perks and privileges on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, and Star Alliance partners. Enticingly, you can trade in your KrisFlyer miles for airline tickets, helping you reduce the amount of cash or credit card spent when going on a holiday. 

It’s practically flying for free. And, if you have enough air miles, you can even grab yourself a coveted seat in Business Class, or even First Class or Suites cabin! 

To help you navigate the glitzy world of flight redemptions, read on to find out everything you need to know about redeeming KrisFlyer miles for Singapore Airlines flight awards.

Table of contents

• Saver Awards, Advantage Awards and Star Alliance Awards
  • Saver Awards
  • Advantage Awards
  • Star Alliance Awards
• Saver Awards, Advantage Awards, Star Alliance Awards – which should you choose?
• Can I use Saver Awards and Advantage Awards tickets for upgrades?
• How to redeem your KrisFlyer miles for plane tickets
• Helpful resources when planning your KrisFlyer miles redemption
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Saver Awards, Advantage Awards and Star Alliance Awards

Saver Awards 

This class of award tickets cost the least amount of air miles. One-way flights are available starting from 8,500 KrisFlyer miles, as well as a minimum charge of US$25 in taxes and fees. Round-trip itineraries start from twice that number of miles. 

Saver Award flights cost half as many miles needed as Advantage Awards, giving you the best value out of the three categories. As you may imagine, this makes Saver Awards the most sought-after among air miles users. 

Combined with the fact that Saver Awards flights are available only in limited quantities per flight, it’s a good idea to book your flight early so as to stand the best chance of getting your seat. 

You may choose from all four cabin classes for your Saver Award ticket – Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class/Suites – with each cabin class costing progressively more KrisFlyer miles as you go up the ranks. Be aware that you will be given a seat in Business instead if the flight you choose does not offer First Class or Suites, which are only available on selected flights. 

Saver Awards only allow one complimentary stopover per round trip, up to a maximum of 30 days. Thus, you can plan for a multi-city trip that includes the relevant stopover city. 

Advantage Awards

Advantage Awards have more seats available per flight, so that means you’ll have a higher chance of redeeming the seat you want. Another advantage is the increased number of stopovers – you’ll get one per way, up to 30 days, making it possible to visit more cities in one trip. 

The drawback is that Advantage Awards are more costly, starting from 15,000 KrisFlyer miles to redeem a one-way flight. Generally, they are about twice as expensive as Saver Awards – a significant difference!

Also, you can only choose to redeem a seat in Economy,  Business or First Class/Suites; there’s no Premium Economy for redemption in Advantage Awards. 

Star Alliance Awards

Star Alliance Awards work just like Saver Awards and Advantage Awards, with the difference being that you can redeem seats on any Star Alliance flight. This includes All Nippon Airways, EVA Air, Thai Airways, and United Airlines, and more. 

Unlike the other two categories, you can only book return trips with Star Alliance Awards. Thankfully, they are not as costly as Advantage Awards, with redemptions starting from 17,000 KrisFlyer miles for a round-trip and US$40 in taxes and fees.

You can choose from Economy, Business and First Class seats, but once again, you will only be given Business class seats if the selected flight does not offer First Class. 

Round the World Award

Offered only under Star Alliance Awards, the Round the World Award lets you fly to seven cities in one round-trip itinerary. You can redeem this epic flight for just 200,000 KrisFlyer miles for Economy; 280,000 KrisFlyer miles in Business Class; and 405,000 KrisFlyer miles in First Class.

So, if you happen to be sitting on a mountain of air miles and wondering what to do with them, well, now you know. Learn more about the Round the World Award on its terms and conditions page.

Saver Awards, Advantage Awards, Star Alliance Awards – which should you choose?

If you’re determined to spend your KrisFlyer miles only on an SQ flight, then you’d be better off sticking only with Saver Awards or Advantage Awards. Still, there’s no 100% certainty, as you may end up on a codeshare flight operated by a partner airline.

But if you’re not too picky about which airline you’ll be flying with, then the prime consideration would be value – i.e., spending as few KrisFlyer miles as possible while still getting the flights you want. 

Look first to Saver Awards, and do so as early as you can due to the relative scarcity of this class of award tickets, as explained. 

If you fail to secure a Saver Award ticket, then consider a Star Alliance Award flight next. These are generally less costly than Advantage Awards and can allow you to save your precious air miles. 

But if all else fails, then Advantage Awards will be your only option. They will cost the most air miles, but hey, they’re still a better choice than paying cash for your flight. 

Can I use Saver Awards and Advantage Awards tickets for upgrades?

Unfortunately, award tickets cannot be used for upgrades, including upgrade awards redemption and upgrade purchases. 

This means, you will have to choose the cabin class you want during redemption and pay the number of KrisFlyer miles required. You may not redeem a lower class ticket, then pay more miles to upgrade to the next cabin class. 

How to redeem your KrisFlyer miles for plane tickets

All redemptions may be made on Singaporeair.com. When you’re at the flight booking page, click the “Redeem Flights” option above the field where you enter your destination. Then, enter the relevant information on the page and click “Search”.

On the next page, you can choose between Singapore Airlines flights, Star Alliance Flights or other partner airlines. Go through each of the three tabs for a quick comparison of your options. 

Once you’ve selected your flights, complete the booking as usual. The required number of KrisFlyer miles will be deducted at the checkout page. Don’t forget you will need to pay cash for taxes and fees, so have a credit card handy. 

Helpful resources when planning your KrisFlyer miles redemption

Use the following list of resources to help you plan your miles redemption, available on Singaporeair.com.

• Saver Awards and Advantage Awards redemption chart
• Star Alliance Awards redemption chart
• Miles Calculator – use this tool to check exactly how many miles you’ll need  for your intended itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. How much is 1 KrisFlyer miles worth?

There is no fixed value for 1 KrisFlyer mile. This is because the value of KrisFlyer miles changes according to what you redeem them for, whether they be flight tickets, seat upgrades or onboard privileges. 

Q. Can I transfer my KrisFlyer points to another person?

No, KrisFlyer miles may not be transferred to another person. The only exception is when a parent wishes to transfer KrisFlyer miles from their children’s account to their own. (Parents may apply for KrisFlyer accounts for their children, who earn their own KrisFlyer miles as they fly) 

If you wish to use your KrisFlyer miles for other people, you can do so by adding them as redemption nominees. You can then redeem award flights on their behalf using your KrisFlyer miles.