Kris+ to award miles for in-app payments only; will end offline earning

Last month, Kris+ introduced in-app payments through Apple and Google Pay, combining the payment and miles earning process into a single step. To celebrate the launch they even ran a very generous 3X miles campaign, with up to 15 mpd at 150+ merchants. 

Get S$5 when you sign up for Kris+

Well, it looks like Kris+ is ready to move to Phase 2 of the plan, because from 1 September 2021, in-app payments will be the only way to earn miles from Kris+ merchants; the offline option will be removed.

Kris+ terminating offline earn from 1 Sept 2021

For context, there are currently two ways of earning miles through Kris+:

The traditional, offline earning way is to make payment as usual with cash or a credit/debit card, then generate a QR code in the Kris+ app for the merchant to scan and award you miles. As you might have guessed, a lot could go wrong with the last step; over the years I’ve heard excuses ranging from “can’t find the machine”, to “don’t have the login”, to “what’s KrisPay?”

The new in-app earning method does away with the last step. Kris+ users simply scan the merchant’s QR code, make an in-app payment via Apple/Google Pay, and earn miles automatically. 

From 1 September 2021, in-app payments will become the only way to earn miles on Kris+. 

What are the implications?

In one sense, this doesn’t change much. You’ll still be able to double dip on miles earning through Kris+ and your credit card, stacking an additional 4 mpd on top of whatever Kris+ gives you. 

However, there are some important things worth highlighting. 

UOB Pref. Plat. Visa & UOB Visa Signature

While you’d normally use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa or UOB Visa Signature with Apple/Google Pay to earn 4 mpd, this does not apply to in-app payments. The T&Cs state very clearly you need to tap the mobile device against the contactless reader to qualify, which doesn’t happen with in-app payments. 

It was easy enough to circumvent the issue with the offline method by tapping your mobile device to pay and then generating a QR code to earn Kris+ miles, that option won’t be available come 1 September. 

American Express cards

Kris+ currently only supports Mastercard and Visa card for in-app payment, with American Express support to come in October 2021.

The shift to pure in-app payments means that those who rely primarily on an AMEX card will have to use something else in the interim. 

What card should you use for Kris+ in-app payments?

Kris+ has confirmed that in-app payments will still code according to the underlying merchant’s regular MCC. In other words, simply use whatever credit card you’d normally use at that particular merchant. 

Here’s some recommendations for dining…

🍴 Best Cards for Dining
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
HSBC Revolution Apply	4.0 mpd	Max. S$1K per c. month
UOB Lady’s Card Apply	4.0 mpd*	Max. S$1K per c. month. Must choose dining as 10X category
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Apply	4.0 mpd*	Max. S$3K per c. month. Must choose dining as 10X category
Maybank Horizon Apply	3.2 mpd	Min. S$300 spend per c. month on any category. Capped at ~S$4.2K per month
KrisFlyer UOB Card Apply	3.0 mpd	Min. S$300 spend on SIA Group in a m. year
C. Month= Calendar Month | M. Year= Membership Year *6 mpd till 31 October, registration required

…and for shopping. 

🛍️ Best Cards for Shopping
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
Citi Rewards Apply	4.0 mpd	Max. S$1K per s. month
HSBC Revolution Apply	4.0 mpd	Max. S$1K per c. month
OCBC Titanium Rewards Apply	4.0 mpd	Max. S$12K per m. year
UOB Lady’s Card Apply	4.0 mpd*	Max. S$1K per c. month. Must choose shopping as 10X category
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Apply	4.0 mpd*	Max. S$3K per c. month. Must choose shopping as 10X category
C. Month= Calendar Month | S. Month= Statement Month | M. Year= Membership Year *6 mpd till 31 October, registration required

I don’t think there should be any issue with using the DBS Woman’s World Card (since all transactions should be processed online), but I’d prefer to hear a few data points before recommending it.

How to use Kris+ in-app payment

Suppose I have a S$80 bill to pay. I’ll scan the merchant’s Kris+ QR code, and enter S$80 in the “billing amount” field.

Notice how I have a small balance of 96 KrisPay miles. These will be selected as part of the payment by default, making the nett amount S$79.36. 

If you don’t want to use your KrisPay miles, tap on the toggle, select “custom” and enter “0” in the field. Once you’re satisfied, tap “Pay”- for Google Pay at least, you’ll be able to choose which card you wish to use before the payment is finalized. 

Miles will be instantly credited. Don’t forget to transfer them to KrisFlyer immediately; you only have seven days to do so!

Conclusion

August will be the last month to earn Kris+ miles the old fashioned way, but this shouldn’t be a major inconvenience to anyone with a HSBC Revolution or similar card. In fact, it’s going to make things a heck of a lot more convenient, and minimized missed opportunities to pick up additional miles.

Be sure to load your preferred cards into your Apple or Google Pay wallet before then.