New AMEX KrisFlyer card sign-up offers: Get 15,000 bonus miles with first spend

American Express has tweaked its sign-up bonuses for the AMEX KrisFlyer cobrand credit cards, which run till 31 March 2022. 

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has renewed its excellent offer of 15,000 miles with the first transaction. Cardholders who spend S$5,000 in the first 3 months of approval will also continue to enjoy 7,500 bonus miles and a Sofitel Sentosa staycation.

The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card has increased its sign-up bonus to 24,000 miles with S$10,000 spent in the first 6 months of approval, while removing the Andaz Singapore staycation gift.

Furthermore, American Express has loosened its definition of “new customer”. So long as you:

• don’t currently hold any basic (i.e. principal) AMEX consumer card
• haven’t cancelled the particular card you’re applying for in the past 6 months

You’ll be considered a new customer and eligible for the offers below. 

AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Customers who apply and get approval for an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend by 31 March 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 staycation
Base Miles	6K (S$5K @ 1.2 mpd)
Total Spend	S$5K
Total Miles	28.5K + Sofitel staycation

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

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

As mentioned earlier, there’s no “time-out” period; even if you cancelled your last American Express basic card last month, you’re eligible for this offer (however, you won’t be eligible if you cancelled an AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend card in the past 6 months).

To illustrate the possible permutations:

• 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.

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 one-night stay at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa

The Sofitel Sentosa stay is valid for a lead-in Luxury Room and does not include breakfast. However, if you’re an Accor Plus member (free membership available here, for those who 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. 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 by 31 March 2022 will receive the following:

Apply Here
	Old Offer (till 31 Jan 22)		New Offer (till 31 Mar 22)
	Spend	Miles	Spend	Miles
First Spend	Any	5K	Any	5K
Milelion Bonus	S$2K	4K	S$2K	4K
Months 1-3	S$3K	5K + Andaz staycation	S$5K	7.5K
Months 4-6 (New customer only)	–	–	S$5K	7.5K
Base Miles	3.3K (S$3K @ 1.1 mpd)		11K (S$10K @ 1.1 mpd)
Total Spend	S$3K		S$10K
Total Miles	17.3K + Andaz staycation		35K

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

Cardholders who apply via The MileLion and spend S$2,000 in the first 3 months of approval will receive 4,000 bonus miles.

Should they spend a further S$3,000 (i.e. S$5,000 total) in the first 3 months of approval, they’ll receive 7,500 bonus miles.

If they’re a new customer, they’ll receive a further 7,500 bonus miles when they spend a further S$5,000 (i.e. S$10,000 total) in months 4-6 following approval.

To summarise the offer, by spending S$5,000 in the first 3 months of approval, you’d receive up to 22,000 miles, broken down as follows:

• 5,000 miles (first spend bonus)
• 4,000 miles (MileLion bonus)
• 7,500 miles (sign-up bonus)
• 5,500 miles (base miles earned for S$5,000 spend @ 1.1 mpd)

By spending a further S$5,000 (i.e. S$10,000 total) in months 4-6 following approval, you’d receive a further:

• 7,500 miles (sign-up bonus)
• 5,500 miles (base miles earned for S$5,000 spend @ 1.1 mpd)

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

New AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend cardholders can continue to enjoy 15,000 bonus miles with their first spend. If they’re able to spend S$5,000 in the first 3 months of approval, they can earn an additional 7,500 bonus miles.

For AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card cardholders, you’ll need to clock S$5,000 of spend in the first 3 months, as well as in months 4-6 to get 15,000 bonus miles– I know which offer I’d prefer!

These offers are valid till 31 March 2022, and remember: you can always buy NTUC vouchers or Qoo10 gift cards if you have difficulty meeting the minimum spend.