You Can Still Stretch Your Miles After Devaluation in Redemption Rates

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will raise the number of KrisFlyer miles needed to redeem award flights from Nov 1, following the latest revision of its frequent flier programme.

- Sarah Stanley

While the changes mean higher costs for members on several popular routes, travel experts say there are still redemption opportunities that make sense. These include economy flights to destinations in China, Japan and Australia.

Miles redemption rates increased by between 5 and 20 per cent for many of SIA's routes.

The airline has two categories of award flights: Saver and Advantage. Saver redemptions can cost around 50 per cent of Advantage ones. Flights on four cabin classes—Economy, Business, First and Suites—are available in both categories, while the Premium Economy class is available only in the Saver category.

The steepest increases of between 10 and 20 per cent apply to flights to Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. For example, a round-trip Business Saver ticket to these regions will jump from 113,000 to 136,000 miles.

The majority of the Advantage category's redemptions have increased by at least 10 per cent.

Flights to Europe on Advantage premium classes are among those that will be more expensive, with an increase of around 15 per cent. For instance, a round-trip Business Advantage ticket to London, which now costs 246,000 miles, will soon require 283,000 miles.

Despite the hikes, industry watchers note that the devaluation is modest compared with past rounds.

Some, like Mr Fairuz Sallim, founder of travel hacks website Suitesmile, say the announcement was inevitable.

He adds: "It's been three years since the last round (of devaluation), and historically, devaluations happen in two- to five-year cycles."

WORTHWHILE REDEMPTIONS