Mileage Run Discussion - MR from Singapore?

Hi guys, I'm still new in the forum and been reading stuffs..

I'm currently based in Singapore and a Krisflyer member..

Tried looking for MRs but I can't seem to find any MRs from Singapore?

Anyone?

Cheers! :)

Looked at Australia? There seems to be amazing prices to/from there right now. Maybe Jetstar? (you need to add an optional extra to earn QF miles)

Hi guys, I'm still new in the forum and been reading stuffs..

I'm currently based in Singapore and a Krisflyer member..

Tried looking for MRs but I can't seem to find any MRs from Singapore?

Anyone?

Cheers! :)

You are not going to get any MR worthy (under 4 cpm) runs from Singapore for KF on SQ, that earns you RDM.

Sorry to dash your hopes.

The lowest, I've seen are 5 cpm fares, but not on *A.

Thanks a bunch for the responses!

I'm currently on KF as I travel quite often on SQ for work purposes only..

I have done some reading and research on KF and it seems that KF isn't that "beneficial" compared to other major US airlines, but too bad I'm not based in the US..

Wanted to try this mileage "game" but couldn't seem to find a better frequent flyer and more affordable ones since I'm based in Singapore..

Any suggestion?

too bad I'm not based in the US..

Doesn't mean you can't join their programs. e.g. there's nothing stopping you joining AA, Delta, etc.

Since most members reside in the US, most (published) MRs involve US cities, but not always!

Doesn't mean you can't join their programs. e.g. there's nothing stopping you joining AA, Delta, etc.

Since most members reside in the US, most (published) MRs involve US cities, but not always!

Well yeah I still can join their programs..

Any suggestion if it's better if I move to another frequent flyer? Currently I'm an Elite Silver on KF because of the mileage I got from traveling for work..

But I will need one that will also accept my SQ mileage since I will need to travel on SQ for work purposes..

And I'm also looking for one that I can redeem the mileage for airlines that I usually take, maybe SQ or CX or others?

Cheers ;)

Hi Traflying, i'm on the same boat as you! Currently am looking for a run as well.
The closest i have ever achieve was HKG-SIN-LHR-SIN-HKG on SQ. worked out to 9 cpm.

Then you are looking at other FFP and not KF. I suppose you do know that you earn miles flying on SQ and credit those to other FFPs.

SQ's KF doesn't give you a min mileage either.

In my experience, there are hardly any MRs in Asia, let alone from SIN. I'm still looking for 1. Alternatively, if you have the spare capacity, try to slot 1 in if available when you're in US for work/leisure.

Most folks don't have a clue what an MR is, and they think I'm mad for convuluted flying much less an MR.

Traflying,

I'm a Singaporean who was based in the US for the past 2 years, and I'll say that UA miles are one of the best mileage currencies around. They are a part of Star Alliance, as is SQ, and can therefore be used to accrue miles from SQ flights (except for the SQ fares that only earn 50% or 10% on KF, which do not accrue on UA at all). UA miles don't expire (unless you have had 18 months of account inactivity), they can be used to redeem award tickets on multiple Star Alliance airlines on the UA website, and UA does not charge fuel surcharges UNLIKE SQ. I recently redeemed 70k UA miles on a one-way ORD-DUS-FRA-ICN-TPE-SIN on a mix of LH F, TG C and SQ C. Total price: US$52 for taxes and fees, US$25 for booking over the phone, and US$75 for changing the date, i.e. US$152 all in. SQ will never give you something this cheap even when flying SQ C or SQ F longhaul.

Hi Traflying, i'm on the same boat as you! Currently am looking for a run as well.
The closest i have ever achieve was HKG-SIN-LHR-SIN-HKG on SQ. worked out to 9 cpm.

Then you are looking at other FFP and not KF. I suppose you do know that you earn miles flying on SQ and credit those to other FFPs.

SQ's KF doesn't give you a min mileage either.

In my experience, there are hardly any MRs in Asia, let alone from SIN. I'm still looking for 1. Alternatively, if you have the spare capacity, try to slot 1 in if available when you're in US for work/leisure.

Most folks don't have a clue what an MR is, and they think I'm mad for convuluted flying much less an MR.

Traflying,

I'm a Singaporean who was based in the US for the past 2 years, and I'll say that UA miles are one of the best mileage currencies around. They are a part of Star Alliance, as is SQ, and can therefore be used to accrue miles from SQ flights (except for the SQ fares that only earn 50% or 10% on KF, which do not accrue on UA at all). UA miles don't expire (unless you have had 18 months of account inactivity), they can be used to redeem award tickets on multiple Star Alliance airlines on the UA website, and UA does not charge fuel surcharges UNLIKE SQ. I recently redeemed 70k UA miles on a one-way ORD-DUS-FRA-ICN-TPE-SIN on a mix of LH F, TG C and SQ C. Total price: US$52 for taxes and fees, US$25 for booking over the phone, and US$75 for changing the date, i.e. US$152 all in. SQ will never give you something this cheap even when flying SQ C or SQ F longhaul.

Thanks a bunch for the responses!

I see, too bad, I have travelled quite some miles (abt 30k) on SQ since early this year and all the miles were in KF..

I can see that UA is also a good deal since there are many Star Alliance airlines that are parts of UA.. For me, the most important thing is that I can redeem the mileage on airlines that fly from SIN, since it's where I'm currently based..

Is there any way I could transfer my 30k miles from KF to UA account?

Do you guys think it's better to keep my KF account or to open a new UA account for my next travels (which will also be on SQ)?

Cheers!

Is there any way I could transfer my 30k miles from KF to UA account?

Do you guys think it's better to keep my KF account or to open a new UA account for my next travels (which will also be on SQ)?

Cheers!

1. No, you cant transfer KF miles to UA
2. I think UA Mileage Plus would be a good choice for you as some one has already mentioned
3. It is easy to earn KF miles from credit card issued in Singapore, and the earnings you can get from these credit cards in SIN are better than I have seen anywhere else, so do look at that as an option to earn KF miles. There is a thread in this forum on which credit cards are best for KF mileage accrual in SIN, so please have a look at that.
4. Sometimes there are good deals on TG, even in Business class, and these can be used as quasi Star Alliance mileage runs, although as someone mentioned, mileage runs in this part of the world are not cheap in terms of cpm

1. No, you cant transfer KF miles to UA
2. I think UA Mileage Plus would be a good choice for you as some one has already mentioned
3. It is easy to earn KF miles from credit card issued in Singapore, and the earnings you can get from these credit cards in SIN are better than I have seen anywhere else, so do look at that as an option to earn KF miles. There is a thread in this forum on which credit cards are best for KF mileage accrual in SIN, so please have a look at that.
4. Sometimes there are good deals on TG, even in Business class, and these can be used as quasi Star Alliance mileage runs, although as someone mentioned, mileage runs in this part of the world are not cheap in terms of cpm

Yes, I have read the thread on the credit cards that could earn KF miles, unfortunately, currently the only option for me to accrue miles is by traveling (for work)..

In this case, do you think it's better to open a new UA acc for my upcoming trip or just to stick with KF?

Whilst I would agree that KF might not be the best choice for FF program I would beg to disagree that UA is a better choice..

I have been a UA (and KF) member for the last 10 years and traditionally UA mileage plus has been my default choice. I have always achieved *Gold with them every year.

However following their merger with Continental the picture is not so rosy..

1) Economy Plus for my 2 or 3 trips to the US annually used to be a big draw. However with their mixed fleet of ex-UA (with economy plus) and ex-CO (without) its too much of a lottery for my liking. Apart form Economy Plus seating they are really a pretty awful airline..

2) They have downgraded Mileage Plus so that elite tiers now earn less mileage bonus. I am Prem Plat and used to get 200% mileage credit but those days are gone..

3) There are zero options for earning UA top up miles in Singapore ie, no credit cards. Frustrating if you are a couple of hundred miles short of an award and have no choice but to take a flight to try and earn some miles..

4) Due to Starnet blocking, redemptions on SQ available to other FF programs within Star Alliance are far more limited than those available to KF members.

You dont mention how many miles you fly in a year. Do you reach Star Gold or higher.?

If you do, then Thai Airways would be my program of choice as status last 2 years and you get a round trip Y-J or J-F upgrade which is potentially quite valuable.. You can get ROP points off the citibank Premiermiles VISA.

If you dont, then i would just stick with KF. The increased award availability and 15% online booking discount is quite a valuable perk. You can earn KF miles from both the Citibank card and also the DBS Altitude card. This can be used to pay PUB bills etc and you might be suprised how many miles you can rack up for everyday transactions.

Finally whatever you do, make sure you accrue enough miles within your existing KF account to redeem for an award. Having got this far there is no point just leaving some orphaned miles to expire.... The cheapest Star Alliance mileage runs (day turn) I have found out of Sg are either TG SIN-BKK-SIN or UA SIN-HKG-SIN but neither are very appealing..

Whilst I would agree that KF might not be the best choice for FF program I would beg to disagree that UA is a better choice..

I have been a UA (and KF) member for the last 10 years and traditionally UA mileage plus has been my default choice. I have always achieved *Gold with them every year.

However following their merger with Continental the picture is not so rosy..

1) Economy Plus for my 2 or 3 trips to the US annually used to be a big draw. However with their mixed fleet of ex-UA (with economy plus) and ex-CO (without) its too much of a lottery for my liking. Apart form Economy Plus seating they are really a pretty awful airline..

2) They have downgraded Mileage Plus so that elite tiers now earn less mileage bonus. I am Prem Plat and used to get 200% mileage credit but those days are gone..

3) There are zero options for earning UA top up miles in Singapore ie, no credit cards. Frustrating if you are a couple of hundred miles short of an award and have no choice but to take a flight to try and earn some miles..

4) Due to Starnet blocking, redemptions on SQ available to other FF programs within Star Alliance are far more limited than those available to KF members.

You dont mention how many miles you fly in a year. Do you reach Star Gold or higher.?

If you do, then Thai Airways would be my program of choice as status last 2 years and you get a round trip Y-J or J-F upgrade which is potentially quite valuable.. You can get ROP points off the citibank Premiermiles VISA.

If you dont, then i would just stick with KF. The increased award availability and 15% online booking discount is quite a valuable perk. You can earn KF miles from both the Citibank card and also the DBS Altitude card. This can be used to pay PUB bills etc and you might be suprised how many miles you can rack up for everyday transactions.

Finally whatever you do, make sure you accrue enough miles within your existing KF account to redeem for an award. Having got this far there is no point just leaving some orphaned miles to expire.... The cheapest Star Alliance mileage runs (day turn) I have found out of Sg are either TG SIN-BKK-SIN or UA SIN-HKG-SIN but neither are very appealing..

1) They are a pretty awful airline, but their mileage accrual and redemption options rock. Perhaps, to get quick Star Alliance Gold status, 19k miles on Aegean Airlines would work too ;)

3) Miles can be purchased to top off accounts (I'm not sure about SIN-based flyers, but I'm able to buy them since I started out in the US).

4) Don't just limit redemption options to SQ. Went through the First Class Terminal at FRA when flying LH F. Loved the Porsche taking me out to the tarmac to board the plane. Flying TG F through BKK gets an hour's spa massage at the BKK Spa Lounge. Sure, The Private Room at the SKL in SIN would be lovely, though I've never made it in there. But BKK and FRA - there are many lovely experiences to be had too! Plus, award F on the TG/LH A380s are at least available in contrast to the SQ A380 Suites (and for a much lower mileage redemption rate).

The American Express Membership Rewards cards also provide options to transfer to KF, as a side note.

3) Miles can be purchased to top off accounts (I'm not sure about SIN-based flyers, but I'm able to buy them since I started out in the US).

Yes. That option is available to all, not just US based members. Kinda expensive though..

Agree that LH and TG are good redemption choices in F (My favourite is the new F on the 747 where you get a proper seat and a proper bed.. ;-) but these are options that would be open to all carriers within the *A program...

Whilst I would agree that KF might not be the best choice for FF program I would beg to disagree that UA is a better choice..

I have been a UA (and KF) member for the last 10 years and traditionally UA mileage plus has been my default choice. I have always achieved *Gold with them every year.

However following their merger with Continental the picture is not so rosy..

1) Economy Plus for my 2 or 3 trips to the US annually used to be a big draw. However with their mixed fleet of ex-UA (with economy plus) and ex-CO (without) its too much of a lottery for my liking. Apart form Economy Plus seating they are really a pretty awful airline..

2) They have downgraded Mileage Plus so that elite tiers now earn less mileage bonus. I am Prem Plat and used to get 200% mileage credit but those days are gone..

3) There are zero options for earning UA top up miles in Singapore ie, no credit cards. Frustrating if you are a couple of hundred miles short of an award and have no choice but to take a flight to try and earn some miles..

4) Due to Starnet blocking, redemptions on SQ available to other FF programs within Star Alliance are far more limited than those available to KF members.

You dont mention how many miles you fly in a year. Do you reach Star Gold or higher.?

If you do, then Thai Airways would be my program of choice as status last 2 years and you get a round trip Y-J or J-F upgrade which is potentially quite valuable.. You can get ROP points off the citibank Premiermiles VISA.

If you dont, then i would just stick with KF. The increased award availability and 15% online booking discount is quite a valuable perk. You can earn KF miles from both the Citibank card and also the DBS Altitude card. This can be used to pay PUB bills etc and you might be suprised how many miles you can rack up for everyday transactions.

Finally whatever you do, make sure you accrue enough miles within your existing KF account to redeem for an award. Having got this far there is no point just leaving some orphaned miles to expire.... The cheapest Star Alliance mileage runs (day turn) I have found out of Sg are either TG SIN-BKK-SIN or UA SIN-HKG-SIN but neither are very appealing..

1) They are a pretty awful airline, but their mileage accrual and redemption options rock. Perhaps, to get quick Star Alliance Gold status, 19k miles on Aegean Airlines would work too ;)

3) Miles can be purchased to top off accounts (I'm not sure about SIN-based flyers, but I'm able to buy them since I started out in the US).

4) Don't just limit redemption options to SQ. Went through the First Class Terminal at FRA when flying LH F. Loved the Porsche taking me out to the tarmac to board the plane. Flying TG F through BKK gets an hour's spa massage at the BKK Spa Lounge. Sure, The Private Room at the SKL in SIN would be lovely, though I've never made it in there. But BKK and FRA - there are many lovely experiences to be had too! Plus, award F on the TG/LH A380s are at least available in contrast to the SQ A380 Suites (and for a much lower mileage redemption rate).

The American Express Membership Rewards cards also provide options to transfer to KF, as a side note.

3) Miles can be purchased to top off accounts (I'm not sure about SIN-based flyers, but I'm able to buy them since I started out in the US).

Yes. That option is available to all, not just US based members. Kinda expensive though..

Agree that LH and TG are good redemption choices in F (My favourite is the new F on the 747 where you get a proper seat and a proper bed.. ;-) but these are options that would be open to all carriers within the *A program...

Wow, thanks a bunch for the reply!

I guess I will stick on KF for the moment..

But I found that fares on SQ are quite expensive though, is it possible to have quite an "acceptable" MR on SQ?

One more thing, if I'm only a KF member, does that limit my redemption on SQ alone?

Thanks!

One more thing, if I'm only a KF member, does that limit my redemption on SQ alone?

No you can use KF miles to redeem an award on any Star Alliance alliance as well as partner airlines (Air India, Virgin Atlantic & Virgin Australia) But its only when you redeem on SQ that you get the 15% discount and better access to SQ flight availability than other *A partners

More info here

http://www.singaporeair.com/pdf/ppsclub_krisflyer/charts/StarAlliance%20_RoundTrip.pdf

However as PP pointed out. SQ have high surcharges and fees for redemptions so MP or M&M might be better options if you expect to travel more on partners than SQ..

One more thing, if I'm only a KF member, does that limit my redemption on SQ alone?

No you can use KF miles to redeem an award on any Star Alliance alliance as well as partner airlines (Air India, Virgin Atlantic & Virgin Australia) But its only when you redeem on SQ that you get the 15% discount and better access to SQ flight availability than other *A partners

More info here

http://www.singaporeair.com/pdf/ppsclub_krisflyer/charts/StarAlliance%20_RoundTrip.pdf

However as PP pointed out. SQ have high surcharges and fees for redemptions so MP or M&M might be better options if you expect to travel more on partners than SQ..

Yeah, UA and US (unsure about other airlines in *A) do not charge any fuel surcharges, unlike SQ. The 15% online discount for booking with miles is still extremely high though. For example, SIN-USA flights on F redemptions cost 225k miles roundtrip, which will drop down to 191k with the 15% discount. Redeeming through UA is only 140000 in comparison. SIN-Europe on SQ is 215k, or 183k after discount. Through UA, it's only 160k (or 140k, if your final destination is the US and Europe is a "stopover destination"). Add in fuel surcharges and redemption on SQ is worse both financially and in terms of mileage expenditure.

Now, if only Points.com could engineer trades for KF miles... I have 2200 orphaned miles on KF :(