From now till 31 January 2022, new AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders can enjoy 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.
This is one of the more generous offers we’ve seen in recent memory, particularly for those who don’t have big ticket spending planned. Even better, there’s no “time out” period to qualify- so long as you don’t have an existing American Express basic (i.e. principal) card, you’ll be eligible.
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend sign-up bonus
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.
| 💡 Note: AMEX cards issued by Citibank, DBS and UOB do not count, nor do corporate and business cards like the AMEX HighFlyer. You will still be eligible for the 10,000 bonus miles in this case. |
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.
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
New AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders can enjoy 15,000 bonus miles with their first spend of any amount, and a total of 24,900 miles with just S$2,000 worth of transactions. That’s an excellent return, and this offer is open to anyone who doesn’t currently hold a basic American Express consumer card.
If you have a further S$3,000 to clock, you can take home an incremental gift of a Sofitel Sentosa staycation too.
Looks like a good deal, but I wonder if it is worth waiting for a better deal for those who currently hold a different principal Amex card?
Edit: question irrelevant, answered in text already
Is the card eligible for Amex Global Transfer and if so, would I receive the extra 10k miles even though I have a foreign Amex card?
@Aaron Wong, great info! I see that you have some sign-up bonus tie-ups with AMEX. Wondering if you would do one with UOB-KrisFlyer too? Thanks.
@Aaron Wong, thanks for the tie-up withAmex! Just curious if I sign up both the Ascend and the blue Amex krisflyer card for the first time at the *same time* , would I get both the sign up bonuses of both cards? assuming i hit all the min spend
nope. you only count as new to card once (and also you cant apply for both the ascend and blue, it’s one or the other)
Is the 31 Jan 2022 date correct?
From your referral link, when I click T&Cs:
https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/sg/campaigns/pdfs/mgm-tncs-2021.pdf
This MGM Referral Programme is valid from 14 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 (both dates inclusive).
The T&Cs file was updated today. You can see the new date of 31 Jan 2022.
Hi Guys, May I know what is counted as the first 3 months?
My card got approved on 5 Dec, so the spending period is from 5 Dec 2021 to 4 Mar 2022?
Would the offer still work in full if I currently have the Platinum Charge card? Thanks
“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”
will I be able to receive this reward if I apply ascend but already have the blue card?
yes.
if you spend $6K in a single receipt, does that mean that you get all the rewards in the example including the Sofitel Sentosa staycation voucher?
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:
correct.
Thank you 🙂
“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”
Will I be able to receive this reward if I apply ascend but already have the Platinum Charge card?
one has the platinum reserve card does it count as having a preexisting basic card?
yes.
Thanks !
How do i know if I am eligible for the milelion bonus?
Hi Aaron, is the Milelion bonus of 7.5k miles upon $2k spending still eligible aa Mar’22?
I cannot seem to find it in the official t&c..
still valid. it will be extended again in march.
Thanks! Can I apply now or should I wait till 1 Mar to apply?
Will this bonus 7.5k miles be reflected in the offical T&C?
no diff. it’s already in T&C: https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/sg/campaigns/pdfs/mgm-tncs-2021.pdf
Thanks, but there’s a MGM section in the official card T&C (page 8) that states that the referee gets 2k miles instead of 7.5k miles. Which is correct?
7.5k miles.
Any idea if hotel stay will be replaced with miles next cycle?
Any rumours if they will replace the stupid hotel stay next cycle?
Hi, my card was approved on 31 Jan 2022 (signed up via the Milelion link). How can I confirm that I am eligible for the Milelion bonus of 7,500 miles with $2k spend within the first 3 months?