Singapore Airlines extending all KrisFlyer Elite and PPS Club status for 12 months

It’s hardly the most important thing in the world right now, but the Covid-19 outbreak means that many elite members will have difficulty requalifying for status this year.

As such, we’ve seen various airlines and hotels lowering the requalification thresholds across the board, or extending status outright for all members (like what Hilton did recently).

Others have been a bit more selective, like Singapore Airlines. In February, I wrote about how they were extending elite status for selected members on a goodwill basis, although this seemed to be only for those with membership years about to end. 

Well, they’ve now decided to extend status for everyone, as per an email from the CEO that went out today.

Singapore Airlines is extending all KrisFlyer Elite and PPS Club status by 12 months

All KrisFlyer Elite and PPS Club memberships expiring from March 2020 to February 2021 will be extended for a further 12 months. No action is required from you, as this will be automatically handled on the SQ back end.

For PPS Club/Solitaire PPS Club Members

Any shortfall in PPS Value at the end of one’s membership year will be credited in the form of Reserve Value so that requalification can be achieved.

Singapore Airlines provides the following example:

Here’s when you can expect the shortfall to be credited to your account:

To be clear, the amount of PPS Value that Singapore Airlines will credit depends on how far you are from requalifying. Someone with 24,000 PPS Value would get an additional 1,000; someone with 1,000 PPS Value would get an additional 24,000.

Likewise, if you have already accrued sufficient PPS Value to renew your membership, you will not receive an additional year of membership. 

I can see how some members might be displeased with this, and it may have been more fair to award all members with an additional 25,000 PPS Value, regardless of activity. Similarly, if a member had already requalified on his/her own merit, it would be nice if Singapore Airlines took a leaf from Hilton’s book and granted him/her an additional year on top of that.

Then again, I’m reminded of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, wherein the landowner tells the grumbling workers not to begrudge his generosity.

Extension of expiring PPS Rewards

Any PPS Rewards that expire between July and December 2020 will be extended, with a revised validity until 31 March 2021. This covers:

• Double KrisFlyer Miles Reward
• 50,000 KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Discount
• Advance Upgrade

Standby Upgrade Rewards will not be extended.

If you have already applied these rewards towards an existing booking that you now need to convert to a flight credit, KrisFlyer membership services will be able to assist.

For KrisFlyer Elite members

It’s a bit simpler for KrisFlyer Elite Silver/Gold members. Instead of any crediting of the shortfall in elite miles, membership will simply be automatically renewed upon expiry.

Here’s when you can expect your renewal to come through:

My KrisFlyer Elite Silver status was due to expire in March 2020, and I can already see my new membership year reflected in my online account. Now I just need to earn 25,000 elite miles by 31 March 2021 to continue enjoying all the opulent benefits of KrisFlyer Elite Silver…

KrisFlyer Elite members who have already accrued sufficient elite miles to requalify on their own merit will not get an additional year of membership. 

Extension of expiring Elite Gold Rewards

Any Elite Gold rewards that expire between July and December 2020 will be extended, with a revised validity until 31 March 2021. This covers:

• Double KrisFlyer Miles Reward
• Short-haul Advance Upgrade
• Premium Economy Advance Upgrade

If you have already applied these rewards towards an existing booking that you now need to convert to a flight credit, KrisFlyer membership services will be able to assist.

Still no word on extending expiring miles

Singapore Airlines has not given any indication as to whether they will be extending the validity of KrisFlyer miles. This isn’t a concern for PPS Club/Solitaire PPS Club members (whose miles don’t expire), but it may be a very real problem for everyone else.

I’m hopeful they announce something regarding this soon, but until then, here are your options for expiring miles. 

Conclusion

It’s good to see Singapore Airlines extending elite status across the board for all members, as I doubt any of us will be flying anytime soon.

I suspect there may be some unhappiness among certain members about the way in which this has been done, but you know what they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth…