KrisFlyer, the loyalty program of Singapore Airlines, is a popular choice among Indian travelers. Many Indian credit cards — including HDFC, Citi, Axis and HSBC — allow point transfers to KrisFlyer, making it convenient to accumulate miles for international travel.
This guide highlights useful routes and redemptions, but keep in mind that the best use of miles varies by traveler and itinerary. If you are new to airmiles, consider reading an introductory guide to understand basic concepts before planning redemptions.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Why KrisFlyer?
- Membership Tiers
- Taxes & YQ
- Earning KrisFlyer Miles
- Redeeming KrisFlyer Miles
- Stopovers
- Upgrades
- Cancellation / Date Change
- Infant Ticket
- Partner Redemptions
- Family Pooling
- Redeeming for Others
- Waitlist
- Spontaneous Escapes
- KrisShop, Vrooms & Pelago
- Redemption Ideas
- Personal Experience
- Support
- Bottom line
Overview
| Airline [Code] | Singapore Airlines [SQ] |
| Home Country [Hub] | Singapore [SIN] |
| Loyalty Program | KrisFlyer |
| Airline Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Validity | 3 Years |
| Value / mile | ~ 1 INR |
| Best for | SE Asia Redemptions |
| USP | Free Stopovers |
| Award Availability | Decent |
Singapore Airlines is known for its excellent hard product (seats and cabin layout) and soft product (service and catering). Its widebody fleet — including the Boeing 777, 787 and the Airbus A350 and A380 — makes it a strong option for medium and long-haul flights.
Why KrisFlyer?
KrisFlyer appeals because Singapore Airlines consistently ranks highly for both hard and soft cabin products. The airline introduced the A380 and early 787 cabins and maintains a large fleet of widebody aircraft, which improves comfort on longer sectors.
Membership Tiers
KrisFlyer has three membership tiers. Most of the premium benefits, such as lounge access, start at the Gold tier. Reaching Gold can be challenging, though periodic promotions have occasionally offered tier credits for transfers from partner programs.
Taxes & YQ
Taxes and surcharges are important when evaluating any loyalty program. Singapore Airlines does not add carrier-imposed fuel surcharges (YQ) on its own award redemptions, so taxes on SQ redemptions are typically modest. However, when redeeming awards on partner airlines, partner-imposed surcharges are usually passed on and can be substantial.
Earning KrisFlyer Miles
- Axis Cards: Cards like Magnus, Reserve and Atlas are popular for transferring points to KrisFlyer.
- Citi Cards: PremierMiles and Prestige have been useful transfer options when available.
- HDFC Cards: Infinia and Diners Black transfer to KrisFlyer, but earn rates may be less competitive than some Axis cards.
- Amex Cards: Transfers are possible but the earn rates often provide lower value.
- HSBC: Points can be transferred to KrisFlyer, though they are often used for other partners.
Among these, Axis Magnus is commonly favored for its milestone benefits and transfer convenience.
Redeeming KrisFlyer Miles
To redeem miles, log in to your KrisFlyer account and use the “Book flights” section, selecting “Redeem Flights.” Award availability is shown as Saver or Advantage fares. Saver awards require fewer miles but are scarcer and typically need to be booked well in advance. Singapore Airlines publishes an award chart divided into zones that determines mileage requirements for routes.
Stopovers
| Ticket | Saver Awards | Advantage Awards |
|---|---|---|
| One Way | – | 1 |
| Round Trip | 1 | 2 |
- Validity of award tickets: 12 months
Stopover rules vary by award type. For many itineraries, booking a round-trip Saver award with a stopover in Singapore is an efficient way to combine two destinations on one redemption. For award tickets issued on or after 1 August 2022, stopovers over 30 days may require separate bookings.
Upgrade Award Seats
KrisFlyer miles can be used to upgrade revenue tickets to the next cabin level. Miles required depend on the fare class originally purchased. Upgrades are only permitted up one cabin and upgrades on partner airline tickets are not allowed. Use the KrisFlyer mileage calculator to estimate requirements for specific routes.
Cancellation / Date Change
Change and cancellation fees for KrisFlyer awards are generally reasonable. Fees vary depending on whether the award is Saver or Advantage and whether it involves Singapore Airlines or a partner carrier. Miles redeposit and route changes carry set fees in USD.
| Fees for awards/upgrades | Saver ($) | Advantage ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Change of date on Singapore Airlines | 25 | 0 |
| Change of route, cabin class, award type or add a stopover on Singapore Airlines | 25 | 25 |
| Change of date, route, flight or carrier on partner airlines | 50 | – |
| Redeposit of miles for award / upgrades | 75 | 50 |
Infant Ticket
Infants traveling on an adult’s lap must be added to the adult’s booking. You cannot purchase an infant-in-lap ticket online during a redemption booking; instead, complete the redemption and then call KrisFlyer to add the infant to your reservation. Miles required are typically around 10% of the adult fare, but confirm with KrisFlyer when booking.
Partner Redemptions
KrisFlyer belongs to Star Alliance, offering many partner redemption options. While partner awards can require attractive mileage levels, expect higher taxes and fuel surcharges on many partner tickets. Use partner redemptions selectively where they provide clear value.
Family Pooling
KrisFlyer allows a form of family pooling between parents and children so parents can access miles earned on a child’s account. The feature is limited in scope and does not allow broader family transfers. Note that attempting to transfer credit card points from another member’s account directly to your KrisFlyer account may be reversed and could trigger account alerts.
Redeeming for others
Members can nominate up to five individuals in a Redemption Group to redeem miles on their behalf. Nominees can be replaced or removed for a flat fee, and subsequent changes are limited by timing rules. Adding new nominees typically does not incur a fee.
Waitlist
If an award search shows “waitlist,” you may join the queue provided you have sufficient miles; no miles are deducted when joining. Waitlists are generally open until about three weeks before departure and may clear closer to travel. If your waitlist clears, you usually have a limited time (often 72 hours) to confirm the booking. Elite status can improve your chances of clearing, but relying on waitlists is not ideal for all travelers.
Spontaneous Escapes
Singapore Airlines periodically runs Spontaneous Escapes promotions offering significant mileage discounts on select routes. These promo fares can reduce miles required by around 30% but are usually non-changeable and non-refundable and may not permit stopovers. They are useful for confirmed travel plans and can drop short-haul economy to roughly 14–17K miles one-way and business to around 35K on select India–Southeast Asia routes.
KrisShop, Vrooms & Pelago
If you have miles you need to use or they are expiring, KrisFlyer allows redemptions for shopping, hotels and local experiences:
- KrisShop: Redeem miles for retail items. Finding value above ~0.50 INR per mile is uncommon, though occasional sales can improve value.
- Vrooms: Book hotels with miles; only use this when value is acceptable relative to using miles for flights.
- Pelago: Book local experiences with miles; typical value tends to be lower than flight redemptions.
As of 1 July 2025, conversion for KrisShop, Pelago and Kris+ is 100 KrisFlyer miles = SGD 1, improving the per-mile value for these options.
Redemption Ideas
Asia
| Country | Route | Economy (Miles) | Business (Miles) | Tax (INR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | BOM-SIN | 20,000 | 43,000 | ~2,200 |
| Vietnam | BOM-SIN-SGN | 20,000 | 43,000 | ~2,800 |
These examples show one-way Saver awards. Advantage awards require more miles. Because many Southeast Asian destinations cost similar miles from India, booking a round-trip Saver award with a stopover in Singapore can maximize value and allow you to visit two countries in one trip. SE Asian routes often have better award availability and can accommodate families seeking multiple business-class award seats.
Australia / New Zealand
| Country | Route | Economy (Miles) | Business (Miles) | Tax(INR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | BOM-SIN-SYD | 43,000 | 92,000 | ~4,500 |
| New Zealand | BOM-SIN-AKL | 43,000 | 92,000 | ~5,500 |
KrisFlyer is a good option for Australia and New Zealand travel from India. Business-class availability can be strong on some routes, especially Sydney, while Auckland may require booking earlier.
Europe
| Region | Route | Economy (Miles) | Business (Miles) | Tax(INR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich | BOM-SIN-ZRH | 62,000 | 146,000 | ~1,800 |
| Germany | BOM-SIN-FRA | 62,000 | 146,000 | ~1,800 |
Europe redemptions via Singapore often require routing through SIN, which may add travel time. In many cases, partner redemptions on Star Alliance carriers can provide more direct routings but may carry higher surcharges.
USA
| Region | Route | Economy (Miles) | Business (Miles) | Taxes (INR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | BOM-SIN-JFK | 60,000 | 136,500 | 4K-6K |
| West Coast | BOM-SIN-LAX | 51,000 | 123,000 | 4K-5K |
SQ operates long-haul services to the US, including JFK and West Coast destinations. Saver-level awards require advanced planning and availability is often limited to one or two seats on many dates.
Personal Experience
Asia:
Short-haul SQ trips to nearby Asian destinations are comfortable and convenient. Stopovers in Singapore make it easy to combine sightseeing with onward travel to places like Bali, Vietnam or the Philippines.
Europe:
I used KrisFlyer miles to fly a partner business-class routing to Europe. Partner experiences vary; some carriers may not match SQ’s onboard service. Star Alliance partners, including Lufthansa and Swiss, operate from different Indian gateways and can be useful depending on your origin city.
USA:
A long-haul redemption via Singapore gave a memorable first SQ experience, with notable service and the option to pre-order signature meals. For long journeys, SQ’s widebody fleet and consistent service make business-class redemptions worthwhile.
Support
To contact KrisFlyer support in India:
- 1800 121212 (local calls)
- +91 22 501 66046 (calls from outside India)
Bottom line
KrisFlyer is a strong option for Indians looking to redeem miles for premium travel to Southeast Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and beyond. Award pricing is generally fair for many routes, taxes on SQ redemptions are modest, and the product quality is high. Consider KrisFlyer when your card points can transfer efficiently and when saver awards are available on your intended routes.
Have you flown Singapore Airlines or redeemed KrisFlyer miles? Share your experiences to help others plan better redemptions.