Why you should qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold by February 2022

I don’t know what the world will look like in October 2024, but I do know one thing: I’ll still be a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member. 

That’s thanks to a decision I made three months ago to transfer a few hundred thousand miles from credit card points, and Singapore Airlines’ recent announcement that elite status would be extended for a further year, with a rollover of Elite miles.

If you’re still on the fence about qualifying for KrisFlyer Elite status, here’s why you should consider taking the plunge- and do so before the end of February 2022. 

Singapore Airlines elite status extension

Due to COVID-19, KrisFlyer Elite and PPS Club members had already received status extensions for two years. I really wasn’t expecting anything more, what with travel resuming via the VTLs, but Singapore Airlines dropped a pleasant surprise yesterday with a third extension. 

All PPS Club and KrisFlyer Elite statuses that are due to expire between March 2022 and February 2023 will be automatically extended for another year. 

-Singapore Airlines

Now, let’s do some calculations. 

It’s January 2022, which means that anyone who qualifies for KrisFlyer Elite status this month will have status until January 2023. This falls within the March 2022 to February 2023 window, so he/she will be eligible for one-year extension till January 2024. And thanks to the Earn on the Ground campaign and rollover of Elite miles, you could potentially stretch that till January 2025, without so much as stepping on a plane. 

The same rule applies for anyone who qualifies in February 2022- he or she could enjoy status till February 2025. 

But wait a further month and qualify in March 2022? You’ll only be able to earn Elite miles from flying, and your status will only be good till March 2023. 

How it works

✈️ KrisFlyer Elite Qualification & Perks
	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold
Elite Miles Req. (in 12-mth period)	25,000	50,000
Mileage Bonus	25%	25%
Priority Waitlist	✅	✅
Advance Seat Selection	✅ (Standard)	✅ (Forward and Standard)
20kg Extra Baggage		✅
Priority Check-in		✅
Priority Baggage		✅
Priority Boarding		✅
Lounge Access		✅

As a reminder, to qualify for KrisFlyer Elite status you’ll need to accumulate:

• Elite Silver: 25,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period
• Elite Gold: 50,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period

There’s two factors at play here. 

Earn on the Ground campaign

For most people, the easiest way of earning Elite miles will be through the Earn on the Ground campaign that runs from now till 28 February 2022. The details are summarised below:

Campaign Landing Page
	KrisFlyer	PPS Club
Convert KrisFlyer miles (min. 10,000 miles)	1 Elite mile per 5 KrisFlyer miles	1 PPS Value per 10 KrisFlyer miles
Convert KrisPay miles (min. depends on bank)	1 Elite mile per 5 KrisPay miles	1 PPS Value per 10 KrisPay miles
Spend on co-brand cards (min. 100 miles earned)	1 Elite mile per 5 KrisFlyer miles	1 PPS Value per 10 KrisFlyer miles
Spend on KrisShop or Kris+	3 Elite miles per S$1	1 PPS Value per S$1
Earn with non-air partners (min. 500 miles)	1 Elite mile per 5 KrisFlyer miles earned	1 PPS Value per 10 KrisFlyer miles earned
⚠️ Note: KrisFlyer members will not be able to earn PPS Value, and PPS Club members will not be able to earn Elite miles

KrisFlyer members can earn 1 Elite mile per 5 KrisFlyer miles transferred from credit card points (although sadly, there’s no more 15% transfer bonus). 

Assuming you’re starting from zero, you’ll need to transfer the equivalent of 250,000 KrisFlyer miles to earn Elite Gold (keep in mind you may already have some Elite miles in your account from activities like Restaurant A380 or Inside SIA). 

Once you’ve qualified for Elite Gold, you can proceed to transfer a further 250,000 KrisFlyer miles to clock the 50,000 Elite miles required for requalification.

Elite mile rollover

Wait a minute, you say. Why are we even talking about requalification when Singapore Airlines has already extended status for another year?

Yes they have. I’m talking about the following year’s requalification. KrisFlyer Elite members will be eligible for a rollover of the previous year’s Elite miles, which means you can clock them in 2022 for requalification in 2024. 

Here’s the ground rules:

• Each KrisFlyer Elite member (as of 1 March 2022) will be eligible for a one-time re-crediting of Elite miles
• Only Elite miles accrued within your KrisFlyer Elite membership year (with membership start date between 1 March 2021 and 1 March 2022) will be re-credited to you
• KrisFlyer Elite Silver members who are upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold tier before their KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership end-date will also be eligible for a one-time re-credit of Elite miles
• Members who upgraded from KrisFlyer Elite Silver to KrisFlyer Elite Gold after 1 March 2022 from any status match programmes or accelerator campaigns will not be eligible for the re-crediting of Elite miles

Let’s use a simple example. Suppose I transfer 250,000 KrisFlyer miles to my account on 14 January 2022. That gives me 50,000 Elite miles, and an upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold.

Then I transfer a further 250,000 KrisFlyer miles, and receive another 50,000 Elite miles.

• My status will initially be valid till 31 January 2023
• Since that expiry falls within the March 2022 to February 2023 window, Singapore Airlines will automatically extend it to 31 January 2024. 
• That means I have until 31 January 2024 to clock the 50,000 Elite miles needed for requalification
• But remember: my 50,000 Elite miles earned in January 2022 have been carried forward to the membership year running from 31 January 2023 to 31 January 2024
• In other words, I start the 2023/24 membership year already having requalified, and my status is valid till 31 January 2025!

It’s important you qualify and clock whatever additional Elite miles you need by 28 February 2022, however. From March 2022 onwards:

• There will be no more opportunities to earn Elite miles on the ground (assuming the campaign is not extended)
• Any status earned will not receive the complimentary extension (since your status expires from March 2023 onwards, outside the extension window)

Basically, someone who misses the boat by qualifying in March 2022 will only have status till March 2023, and he/she’ll have to earn Elite miles purely by flying! 

Here’s a summary: 

What about PPS Club status?

You’ll notice I’ve been talking exclusively about KrisFlyer Elite status in the previous sections, with no mention of PPS Club. That’s because it’s slightly different for PPS Club members. 

If you want to qualify for PPS Club status, you’ll need to do it the old fashioned way by flying. Existing KrisFlyer members cannot earn PPS Value from the Earn on the Ground campaign.

However, once you’ve qualified for PPS Club status, you can earn PPS Value from the Earn on the Ground campaign for subsequent requalification. Any PPS Value earned in excess of requalification goes into your PPS Reserve, which has a validity of three years. 

Singapore Airlines has already extended PPS Value due to COVID, as shown below:

So tl;dr: if you’re just a little bit short of the 25,000 PPS Value needed to qualify, perhaps it’s worth taking a status run flight. Qualify in January 2022, get your status extended automatically till January 2024, then spend January & February 2022 racking up PPS Value for requalification in subsequent years.

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines’ status extensions, Elite mile rollover and Earn on the Ground campaign have converged to create an opportunity for someone without status to get and hold it till February 2025. That’s 1,141 days from now, and will hopefully cover a whole lot of travelling.

Of course, you’ll need a sizeable number of credit card points to do this, but assuming you’ve been making hay during the COVID period, it’s well worth considering.