Citibank drops points transfers to Malaysia Airlines Enrich

While I can’t imagine it’s the foremost frequent flyer programme on most Singaporeans’ minds, Citibank has quietly removed Malaysia Airlines Enrich from its list of transfer partners. 

Unlike the previous discontinuation of transfers to Garuda Frequent Flyer and revised conversion rate for AirAsia BIG points, this went unannounced on the Citibank website; Milelion reader Wilson happened to chance across it. 

Although it’s never good to lose a transfer partner, I doubt many will be shedding tears over this.

Citibank ditches Malaysia Airlines Enrich

With the latest changes, Citibank Singapore now offers points transfers to 10 different airlines and one hotel loyalty programme. 

Partner	Citi Miles: Miles	ThankYou Points: Miles
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
	1:1	5:2
Min. transfer of 10,000 Citi Miles or 25,000 ThankYou points applies

It’s by far the largest selection of any bank in Singapore, which is exactly what makes Citi Miles and ThankYou points so valuable. 

Should the loss of Enrich be mourned? Well, Enrich uses a hybrid system that features both dynamically-priced and fixed cost awards (called Enrich Base Fixed Points). Dynamic pricing is extremely poor value, and for all intents and purposes can be ignored. 

While Enrich Base Fixed Points awards were enhanced in April 2021 (and I’m not using the term sardonically- they really cut the number of miles required across all destinations by ~20%), they carry a few conditions worth taking note of:

• Only round-trip redemptions are allowed
• Awards cannot be refunded
• Fuel surcharges apply
• Awards are priced point-to-point, which means you’ll pay an additional 7,000/15,000 miles to position yourself to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore in Economy/Business class

On the flip side, you could always buy a cheap budget flight to position yourself to Kuala Lumpur, and fuel surcharges seem to be reasonable, if not erratic. I pulled a few quotes for round-trip Business Class itineraries:

• to Istanbul (S$407)
• to London (S$31)
• to Seoul (S$20)
• to Tokyo (S$120)

I cannot for the life of me explain why fuel surcharges are so modest to London and so extreme to Istanbul, nor why Seoul and Tokyo’s surcharges are so disparate. 

The bigger problem is that Malaysia Airlines’ route map has shrunk tremendously, with the airline serving only 22 destinations at the moment. Most of its European network is gone, and even though London at 86,000 miles is cheaper than 92,000 miles via KrisFlyer, remember the former has (modest) fuel surcharges and you’ll need a positioning flight. 

Keep in mind I also have no idea what award availability is actually like for Enrich Base redemptions, so that’s another variable to consider. 

Flights on Malaysia Airlines aside, you definitely won’t find good value redeeming Enrich miles for partner awards. These are scary expensive prices, and don’t forget that one-way awards cost more than 50% of return awards.

If you’re combining travel on Malaysia Airlines with oneworld partner airlines, it gets even more pricey.

What other banks offer transfers to Enrich?

If you’re still keen on transferring points to Enrich, you can do so via American Express or Maybank.

Conclusion

While Malaysia Airlines Enrich may have the odd use case here and there, it’s certainly not worth investing the time or energy to learn more. You might also want to consider the airline’s precarious financial situation, which never bodes well for a frequent flyer programme.

So the dropping of Enrich is no real loss for Citibank cardholders, who continue to enjoy the widest variety of transfer partners among any bank in Singapore.