Redeem KrisFlyer Miles Smarter: Saver vs Advantage and When to Use Star Alliance

KrisFlyer miles allow you to reduce out-of-pocket costs on flights while unlocking premium perks like stopovers, upgrades, and access to premium cabins. With enough miles, you could enjoy Business Class, or even Singapore Airlines’ famed First Class Suites.

Your choice depends on three factors: price (miles), availability, and flexibility.

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.

Best for: Most travellers seeking maximum value per mile.

Saver Awards redemption charts

Saver Awards are the sweet spot for value but sell out quickly. Refer to the official KrisFlyer Saver Awards Redemption Chart for the most up-to-date details.

Saver redemption chart indicator: Economy (white), Premium Economy (light blue), Business (blue), Suites/First (dark blue).

From November 2025, KrisFlyer will update redemption rates. Always check the official chart before booking.

» MORE: Best KrisFlyer credit cards in Singapore (2025)

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 8,000 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.

Best for: Travellers who need guaranteed seats or last-minute flexibility.

Advantage Awards redemption charts

Advantage Awards cost more miles than Saver Awards but come with greater seat availability and flexibility, making them useful if Saver seats are sold out.

Refer to the official Advantage Awards Redemption Chart for the most updated details.

Advantage redemption chart indicator: Economy (white), Business (light blue), Suites/First (dark blue).

From November 2025 onwards, KrisFlyer will update its redemption rates. For the new award charts, please refer to Singapore Airlines’ official update.

» MORE: Singapore KrisFlyer miles calculator: Discover your miles' true value

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. 

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.

Best for: Those expanding route options beyond Singapore Airlines.

Promo awards — also known as Spontaneous Escapes — are Singapore Airlines’ limited-time redemption deals. They’re usually released around the 15th of each month and cover selected routes for travel in the following month.

• Cost: Roughly 30% cheaper than Saver rates (sometimes more during special campaigns).

• Availability: Limited routes, flight numbers, and dates; seats sell out quickly.

• Flexibility: Strictest rules — no refunds, no date changes, no re-routing. If you miss your flight, your miles are forfeited.

• Stopovers: Not allowed.

• Eligibility: All KrisFlyer members can book, but PPS Club members may enjoy priority access or better availability.

Best for: Fixed plans where you can lock in dates and routes.

• Promo & Saver: Free standard seat selection

• Advantage: Free forward-zone + standard seat selection

• Star Alliance: Only Saver awards shown; seat policies vary by airline

If you’re looking for the best deal, Promo awards are your go-to. They’re usually priced at 30% off Saver rates, though past promotions have gone as high as 51% off.

Saver and Advantage awards, on the other hand, stick to the official KrisFlyer award chart. Expect to pay about 60% more miles for an Advantage award compared to a Saver ticket — essentially trading extra miles for better seat availability and flexibility.

When it comes to snagging a KrisFlyer award seat, availability can make or break your redemption. Here’s how the awards types stack up:

Promo (Spontaneous Escapes) 

• Scope: Limited to specific routes, flight numbers, and dates

• Booking window: From the 15th of each month until the end of that month’s travel period (or the next working day if the 15th falls on a weekend/public holiday)

• Seats: Extremely limited and sell out quickly

• Perks: Solitaire PPS and PPS Club members receive priority access

Saver 

• Scope: Available on all routes and flight numbers

• Seats: Limited and highly sought after, especially for Business and Suites

• Waitlist: Common for premium cabins on popular routes (e.g., A380 to London)

Advantage 

• Scope: Widest seat availability across all routes and cabins

• Seats: Easier to confirm than Saver, even during peak periods

• Trade-off: Requires about 60% more miles than Saver

Star Alliance Awards

• Scope: Valid on all Star Alliance partner airlines

• Tickets: Offered only as round-trips (no one-way option)

• Seats: Availability depends on partner airline and route; generally easier to secure than SQ Saver

• Best for: A fallback when Singapore Airlines Saver space is unavailable

» MORE: How to score the best economy class seats

Not all award types give you room to change your mind. Here’s what you need to know before locking in your miles:

• Promo: No changes or refunds — miles forfeited

• Saver: US$25 per change; US$75 per refund

• Advantage: Free date changes; US$25 other changes; US$50 refunds

• Star Alliance: Similar to Saver, but varies by partner; routing changes may require more miles

Consider travel insurance that covers award bookings. Promo may let you recover part of the cash value if you can’t travel.

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.

Redeeming KrisFlyer miles is a straightforward process once you know where to look. Here’s a step-by-step guide to booking your flights:

1. Visit Singaporeair.com and select “Redeem Flights”.

2. Enter your travel details and search.

3. Compare flights under Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance, and partner airline tabs.

4. Select flights and complete booking. Miles and applicable taxes/fees will be deducted at checkout.

5. Have your credit card handy for taxes and fees.

KrisFlyer miles can unlock anything from budget-friendly escapes to bucket-list experiences in premium cabins. The key is knowing when to pick Saver for value, Advantage for certainty, Star Alliance for wider routes, or Promo for unbeatable deals.

Plan early, compare your options, and always check updated award charts before booking. With the right strategy, your miles can take you further — and in greater comfort — than you might expect.

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

» MORE: SingSaver's guide to frequent flyer programmes