New AMEX KrisFlyer sign-up gifts: Sofitel Sentosa or Andaz staycation plus up to S$120

American Express has tweaked its sign-up bonuses for the AMEX KrisFlyer cobrand credit cards, which run from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022. 

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend is offering a sign-up bonus of 22,500 miles plus a Sofitel Sentosa staycation, including 15,000 bonus miles on their first transaction of any amount.

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, on the other hand, now offers a S$80 statement credit (4,000 miles from 5 Oct), 5,000 bonus miles and an Andaz Singapore staycation. 

All spending requirements remain unchanged, and American Express has even loosened its definition of new customers- instead of 12 months since your last AMEX card, it’s now down to six months.

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Customers who apply and get approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend by 31 January 2022 will receive the following:

Apply Here
	Spend	Miles
First Spend	Any	15K
Milelion Bonus	S$2K	7.5K
Months 1-3	S$5K	Sofitel
Base Miles	6K (S$5K @ 1.2 mpd)
Total Spend	S$5K
Total Miles	28.5K + Sofitel

All first-time American Express KrisFlyer cobrand cardholders will enjoy 5,000 miles on their first transaction of any amount.

If they do not currently hold an American Express basic (i.e. principal) consumer card, they will be entitled to a further 10,000 miles on their first transaction of any amount. 

To illustrate the difference:

• John held an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card in 2017 and cancelled it in 2019. He has no other AMEX basic cards now. He would be eligible for 10,000 bonus miles with first spend
• Jane has never held an AMEX KrisFlyer cobrand card before, but currently has an AMEX Platinum Credit Card. She would be eligible for 5,000 bonus miles with first spend
• Jack has never held an AMEX KrisFlyer cobrand card before and currently does not hold a basic AMEX Card. He would be eligible for 15,000 bonus miles with first spend.

The 5,000 miles is usually credited within a month of your first spend, while the 10,000 miles will be credited within 8-10 weeks. 

Cardholders who apply via The Milelion and spend S$2,000 in the first 3 months of approval will receive 7,500 bonus miles within 12 weeks. 

If they spend a further S$3,000 (i.e. S$5,000 total) in the first 3 months of approval, they will receive a voucher for a one-night stay at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa

The stay at the Sofitel Sentosa is valid for a Luxury Room (the lead-in category; review here) and does not include breakfast. However, if you’re an Accor Plus member (free membership  available here, if you own a small business), you’ll save up to 50% on all F&B including breakfast.

Eligible cardholders will receive a redemption letter ~12 weeks after meeting the spending threshold. This will state the validity period and how to redeem the free stay; all free stays must be used within 3 months from the date of the redemption letter. 

To summarise the offer, by spending S$2,000 in the first 3 months of approval, you’d receive up to 24,900 miles, broken down as follows:

• 15,000 miles (first spend bonus)
• 7,500 miles (Milelion bonus)
• 2,400 miles (base miles earned for S$2,000 spend @ 1.2 mpd)

By spending a further S$3,000 (i.e. S$5,000 total) in the first 3 months of approval, you’d receive a further:

• Sofitel Sentosa staycation voucher
• 3,600 miles (base miles earned for S$3,000 spend @ 1.2 mpd)

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s first year fee of S$337.05 must be paid to enjoy the offers above, but you receive four lounge vouchers and a free night at selected Hilton properties as part of its regular benefits. 

The T&C for this sign up offer can be found here. 

AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card

Customers who apply and get approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card between  1 October 2021 and 31 January 2022 will receive the following:

Apply Here
	Old Offer (till 30 Sep 21)		New Offer (till 31 Jan 22)
	Spend	Miles	Spend	Miles
First Spend	Any	5K	Any	5K
Milelion Bonus	S$2K	S$80	S$2K	S$80 (until 4 Oct) 4K miles (from 5 Oct)
Months 1-3	S$3K	5K + S$200	S$3K	5K + Andaz
Base Miles	3.3K (S$3K @ 1.1 mpd)		3.3K (S$3K @ 1.1 mpd)
Total Spend	S$3K		S$3K
Total Miles	13.3K + S$280		17.3K + Andaz

All first-time American Express KrisFlyer cobrand cardholders will enjoy 5,000 miles on their first spend of any amount.

Milelion readers will enjoy an S$80 statement credit (replaced by 4,000 miles from 5 Oct) when they spend S$2,000 in the first 3 months. Should they spend a further S$1,000 (i.e. S$3,000 total), they’ll receive:

• Existing customer: 5,000 miles
• New customer: 5,000 miles +  Andaz Singapore staycation with breakfast for 2

How does this offer compare to the previous one? It all boils down to whether you value a S$200 statement credit more, or a free stay at the Andaz Singapore. Still, I’d say that 17,300 miles and an Andaz Singapore staycation is a pretty tidy return for S$3,000 of spending. 

The stay at the Andaz Singapore is valid for a lead-in King Bed room that measures in at 38 sqm, and includes breakfast. 

Eligible cardholders will receive a redemption letter ~12 weeks after meeting the spending threshold. This will state the validity period and how to redeem the free stay; all free stays must be used within 3 months from the date of the redemption letter. 

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card comes with a first-year waiver of its S$176.55 annual fee.

The T&C of this offer can be found here. 

What spending is eligible?

The minimum spend can be met with any purchases of eligible goods or services which post to your account within the first 3 months after approval. AMEX has a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to note are: 

• GrabPay top-ups
• Insurance
• SPC transactions
• Utilities

For the avoidance of doubt, hospital transactions, donations, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. 

Conclusion

American Express’ latest sign-up bonuses run till the end of January 2022, so you have quite a bit of time on your hands to decide. What’s even more exciting is they’ve loosened the definition of new-to-card, meaning that you’re eligible for this offer so long as your last AMEX card was six months ago (it’s fine if you hold a DBS/UOB AMEX card; they don’t count)

I’d say that either offer is an excellent return for the amount of spending required, and remember that you can always buy NTUC vouchers or Qoo10 gift cards if you have difficulty meeting the minimum spend.