New AMEX credit card sign up gift: Free night at the Village Hotel Sentosa

For the month of January, applicants who sign up for selected American Express credit cards and spend S$1,000 in the first month of approval will get a complimentary one night stay at the Village Hotel Sentosa worth up to S$360++.

This offer applies to applications received between 2-31 Jan 2020 which are approved by 29 Feb 2020. Applicants who have cancelled any American Express card within the last 6 months or who hold an existing American Express card are not eligible.

The promotion also cannot be stacked with the MGM program; you’ll need to apply through the following links to be eligible:

• American Express KrisFlyer Credit Card
• American Express KrisFlyer Ascend Card (annual fee of S$337.05 must be paid)
• American Express Platinum Credit Card (annual fee of S$321 must be paid)
• American Express True Cashback Card

If you meet the S$1,000 spending requirement, you’ll receive a redemption letter within 10 weeks of approval for a one night stay in a Deluxe category room (breakfast not included). The full T&Cs of this promotion can be found here.

Since you can’t apply through the MGM program if you want the free Village Hotel stay, your trade off is basically:

	Option 1 (MGM)	Option 2 (Hotel promo)
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	5,000 miles	Village Hotel Sentosa Stay
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	7,500 miles	Village Hotel Sentosa Stay
AMEX Platinum Credit Card	15,000 MR points (8,333 miles)	Village Hotel Sentosa Stay
AMEX True Cashback	None	Village Hotel Sentosa Stay

If you assign a 1.8 cents per mile valuation, the MGM bonus miles are worth S$90 for the KrisFlyer Credit Card or S$135 for the KrisFlyer Ascend. For comparison’s sake, a Deluxe Room at The Village Hotel Sentosa is worth up to S$360++, depending on when you stay.

Obviously, which gift you pick depends on how you value things- someone who does frequent staycations will value the hotel voucher more than someone who prefers accumulating miles for overseas trips.

Regardless of which avenue you apply through (MGM or hotel promo), you’ll still be eligible for the usual perks and sign up bonuses that each card has. Here’s a reminder of what those are for the two AMEX KrisFlyer cards:

American Express KrisFlyer Credit Card

The American Express KrisFlyer Credit Card has an annual fee of S$176.55, which is waived for the first year. Spending S$12,000 on singaporeair.com purchases between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020 earns you a S$150 credit, and cardholders who spend S$10,000 within a membership year will receive 12,000 bonus miles when they upgrade to the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend card.

The current sign up bonus on the KrisFlyer Credit Card allows you to earn up to 18,000 miles after spending S$5,000 in the first 3 months. This is comprised of:

• 5,000 miles on your first spend
• 5,500 base miles for spending S$5K @ 1.1 mpd
• 7,500 bonus miles for meeting the S$5K threshold

Otherwise, you’ll earn 1.1 mpd on local spending, and 2.0 mpd on foreign currency spending in June and December, as well as on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir. The first S$200 of Grab transactions (including GrabPay) each month earn 3.1 mpd, as do the first S$200 spent on “daily essentials” like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Subway, foodpanda, Watsons and Unity Pharmacy purchases.

American Express KrisFlyer Ascend Card

The American Express KrisFlyer Ascend Card has a mandatory S$337.05 annual fee, which includes a complimentary one-night stay at selected Hilton properties in Asia Pacific, plus four complimentary SATS/Plaza Premium lounge vouchers.

Members also get a complimentary Hilton Silver membership- the benefits aren’t anything to get excited about, but more importantly you get the 5th night free on award redemptions, which can save you a big chunk of money if you’re buying Hilton points.

The current sign up bonus on the KrisFlyer Ascend card allows you to earn up to 32,000 miles after spending S$10,000 in the first 3 months. This is comprised of:

• 5,000 miles on your first spend
• 12,000 base miles for spending S$10K @ 1.2 mpd
• 15,000 bonus miles for meeting the S$10K threshold

Otherwise, you’ll earn 1.2 mpd on local spending, and 2.0 mpd on foreign currency spending in June and December, as well as on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir. The first S$200 of Grab transactions (including GrabPay) each month earn 3.2 mpd, as do the first S$200 spent on “daily essentials”.

Conclusion

If you like staycations, then this is an opportunity to pick up a free one when signing up for a card. Be sure to submit your application by 31 January to be eligible.