Singapore Airlines First Class Guide: Cards & Tips to Maximise Your Savings

Ever wondered how much it costs and what you can expect flying first-class on Singapore Airlines? Here’s everything you need to know — from prices to how you can maximise your savings.

Best miles card for flight purchases: UOB KrisFlyer Card | Citi PremierMiles | Citi Prestige | OCBC Titanium Card | DBS Altitude | AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Card | AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Card | UOB Lady's Solitaire
Best priority banking accounts: Citigold
Best travel insurance policies: MSIG TravelEasy | TIQ Travel Insurance | FWD Travel Insurance | AIG Travel Guard | Allianz Travel Insurance | Ergo Travel Insurance | Singlife Travel Insurance | Sompo Travel Insurance

Regardless of whether you’ve just saved enough miles to redeem a first-class ticket or want to pamper yourself and your significant other on a long-awaited trip, flying first-class is definitely something not many can experience often.

So, of course, you’ll want to know everything you need to know about it to make the experience all the more enjoyable — and that includes maximising your savings!

From the prices of each top travel destination, the best miles cards to book your flight tickets to some common FAQs, this guide will definitely help you, especially if you’re a first-timer!

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Flights to Asia/Oceania 

*Tickets are subjected to change at any time, and are accurate as of 12 April 2023. Tickets are also based on a 7-day trip return-flight.

**The actual number of miles required for your booking may differ, depending on the combination of award types and cabin classes for your award itinerary. Airport taxes, fees and other charges apply, and may vary based on travel dates and flights, as well as on fluctuations in exchange rates.

Flights to rest of the world

*Tickets are subjected to change at any time, and are accurate as of 12 April 2023. Tickets are also based on a 14-day trip return-flight.

**The actual number of miles required for your booking may differ, depending on the combination of award types and cabin classes for your award itinerary. Airport taxes, fees and other charges apply, and may vary based on travel dates and flights, as well as on fluctuations in exchange rates.

Best miles credit cards for SIA flight purchases

Credit card	Mile rate	Key benefits and requirements
AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card   Apply Now	2mpd	2mpd on Singapore Airlines and KrisShop, with no cap Spend S$15,000 or more on eligible purchases on Singaporeair.com to be rewarded with a Double KrisFlyer Miles Accrural Voucher (capped at 5,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles). Valid till 30 June 2023. Spend above S$15,000 on eligible purchases on Singaporeair.com within the first 12 months upon Card approval to be automatically upgraded to the KrisFlyer Elite Gold Membership tier Complimentary one night stay at Hilton properties each year Complimentary airport lounge access passes every year
AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card Apply Now	2mpd	2mpd on Singapore Airlines and KrisShop, with no cap Earn 2mpd spent on overseas spend in June and December, with no cap Free Travel Inconvenience and Travel Accident Benefits of up to S$350,000 when you purchase travel tickets with your card Spend S$15,000 or more on eligible purchases on Singaporeair.com to be rewarded with a Double KrisFlyer Miles Accrural Voucher (capped at 5,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles). Valid till 30 June 2023.
AMEX Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card	2mpd	2mpd on Singapore Airlines and KrisShop, with no cap Free Travel Inconvenience and Travel Accident Benefits of up to S$1,000,000 when you purchase travel tickets with your card Spend S$15,000 or more on eligible purchases on Singaporeair.com to be rewarded with a Double KrisFlyer Miles Accrural Voucher (capped at 5,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles). Valid till 30 June 2023
Citi PremierMiles Card Apply Now	1.2mpd	1.2mpd on local spend Up to 4mpd on qualifying foreign currency spend while overseas between 1 March and 20 June 2023 2 complimentary visits each year to airport lounges worldwide
Citi Prestige Card	1.3mpd	1.3 miles for every S$1 spent locally Complimentary night stay when you book a minimum consecutive four-night stay at any hotel or resort Minimum S$120,000 annual income No cap on miles that can be earned
DBS Altitude Visa Card Apply Now	3mpd	3 mpd on online flights and hotel transactions, capped at S$5,000 per month 2 complementary airport lounge visits per year DBS Points are awarded in S$5 blocks per transaction
HSBC Revolution Card Apply Now	4mpd	4mpd on online and mobile contactless spend for travel, shopping, groceries and dining S$1,000 spend cap per calendar month for bonus miles rate No annual fee
OCBC Titanium Rewards (Pink/Blue)	4mpd	4mpd on eligible online and retail purchases 120,000 bonus OCBC$ cap per year, translating to S$13,300 spending cap per year OCBC$ points are awarded per S$5 blocks
OCBC 90°N Card	1.3mpd	1.3mpd on local spend No cap on miles earned, and miles don’t expire 90°N miles are awared in S$5 blocks per transaction
UOB KrisFlyer Credit Card Apply Now	3mpd	3mpd on SIA, Scoot, KrisShop and Kris+ purchases No miles cap on 3mpd Min S$800 annual spend on SIA, Scoot and KrisShop for 3mpd on everyday spend categories
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card	6mpd	Choose Bonus UNI$ category ‘travel’ S$3,000 spend cap (per calendar month) UNI$ are rounded down to nearest the S$5 transaction Minimum S$120,000 annual income
UOB PRVI Miles Card Apply Now Apply Now	1.4mpd	1.4mpd on local spend Miles earned in S$5 blocks 2 complimentary airport transfers per quarter for UOB PRVI Miles AMEX members with min S$1,000 overseas spend within the same quarter Complimentary travel insurance

What can I expect from Singapore Airlines First-Class tickets?

If you book a first-class ticket, there are a myriad of privileges you can experience and enjoy:

• Private space — extended curved partitions for privacy, headrest, plush seat back cushions
• Extra wide seat — handstitched and made with real leather
• Mood lightning — Intense to cool reading lights that can be set to your preferred intensity
• Book the cook — reserve your main course up to 24 hours before you fly, including creations by notable chefs from their international Culinary Panel. Complete with full table service and wines
• KrisWorld inflight entertainment — 1,800 entertainment options, a video touchscreen handset and a 24-inch HD-enabled personal LCD monitor with Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones, and complimentary internet connectivity

Is Singapore Airlines first class the same as Suites?

First Class Cabin
Source: Singapore Airlines

New A380 Suites
Source: Singapore Airlines

In short, they are not. 

If you book Suites, you’ll have a door, meaning that you’ll really have a private suite to yourself. On the other hand, in First Class, the space is more open, and you cannot combine any of the seats to make a double bed. 

Suites is only found on Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380s.

Who can access the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge?

Those who are KrisFlyer Elite Gold or a Star Alliance Gold member departing on Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance-operated flights, in Premium Economy or Economy Class can enjoy access to the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge.

Do note that customers travelling on Scoot flights are not eligible for lounge access.

If you need more information, including guest entitlements, visit Singapore Airlines’ website here.

How can I get cheap flight tickets?

#1 Book during promotions

This goes without saying, but getting your flights during the promotion period will definitely save you a lot of money, and can sometimes go up to 50% off! Of course, this is only for those who have planned for their trip very early on, and can afford to wait for the promotion to launch before booking their flight tickets.

It’s good practice to follow the respective Telegram channels of Scoot, Singapore Airlines, Klook, Traveloka, Trip.com and other sites to get first dibs on their promotions!

Most of the time, you might also have to change your trip dates to coincide with the promotional price, and might only be possible if you have a flexible leave schedule.

#2 Compare flight prices

It’s no secret that the same flight to a specific destination on the same dates might differ based on the different websites you use. 

For example, Skyscanner and Google Flights let you compare flight prices across all platforms that are offering the same flight ticket, and may sometimes differ as much as S$100! 

So don’t just settle on the first website to secure your tickets. If you want to score discounts, you’ll have to put in some effort to scour the internet for the cheapest flights!

#3 Switch on price alert notifications

Price alert notifications can massively help you save on your flight tickets if you’re in no rush. Depending on the price drop (or increase) threshold that you can set for yourself, these websites will notify you every time there’s a change in price for your flight tickets.

However, it might be a gamble. If you don’t want to secure your prices now, will the flight prices continue to drop further or increase exponentially? 

Sometimes, you may give up your already low price for a potentially even lower price, only resulting in you paying more in the next few weeks because of the limited number of available flights left. So this is up to your own discretion.

Read more:
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7 Ways to Get the Cheapest Low Cost Flights from Singapore

#4 Book your flights on strategic days

One of the widely-known hacks to get a cheaper price is to purchase your flight tickets on specific days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays as it is believed that the prices will be the lowest on these days.

Conversely, Fridays and Saturdays are said to offer the most expensive tickets, so you should avoid these days when booking flights.

However, this theory doesn’t necessarily apply for all airlines and websites. You may notice fluctuations in the price on different days, due to demand and supply. So do monitor your tickets across several weeks before you decide to book them.

#5 Take advantage of credit card sign-up offers

Of course, the easiest way to score massive discounts on your flights is to take advantage of credit card sign-up offers. For a minimum spend that you hit, you may be able to get cash rewards or your favourite electronic devices when you sign up on Singsaver!

Apart from the sign-up rewards, choose your credit card wisely. Make sure you’re able to maximise the miles earned by selecting the right credit card for payment. 

Some of the highly-raved cards out there for flight ticket purchases include UOB Lady’s Card, UOB KrisFlyer card, Citi Rewards Card and HSBC Revolution!

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