Earn 100 KrisFlyer miles per restaurant reservation with Makan+

Singapore Airlines has launched a new restaurant reservations platform called Makan+ (in public beta now), available through the Kris+ app.

Makan+ offers 100 KrisPay miles (which can be converted to 100 KrisFlyer miles) for every reservation made and fulfilled through the platform. 

I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if we eventually see upsized offers for unpopular timeslots or restaurants. 

Makan+: How it works

Makan+ is located at the top of the Kris+ app homepage. Tap on the icon, agree to the T&Cs, and you’ll be directed to the Makan+ interface.

I can see a substantial number of restaurants available (since it’s powered by Chope, I’d assume that most if not all of Chope’s inventory should be available via Makan+), with filters allowing you to search by location or type of cuisine.

Once you’ve selected a restaurant, enter your details and special requests (if any) to complete the process. You’ll receive both an in-app and email confirmation.

In terms of rewards, here’s the key points to note:

1. Each completed booking via Makan+ will earn 100 KrisPay miles, with no monthly cap
2. Miles earned through Makan+ will be credited to your Kris+ app on the 15th day of the month following the reservation (for example, a booking made for 26 September will receive miles by 15 October)
3. You can convert KrisPay miles earned via Makan+ to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio, but this must be done within seven days of crediting
4. You can make and earn miles on reservations for yourself, or anyone you please

I want to place particular emphasis on point (3). You basically have until the 22nd day of the month following the reservation to convert your Makan+ miles, otherwise they get stuck in Kris+ with a six-month expiry and a miserable valuation (how does 0.67 cents per mile sound?).

Makan+: Other things to note

Here’s a few other things to note about the Makan+ platform:

• You cannot make changes to the date or time of a booking; you’ll need to cancel the entire reservation and make a new one
• You can make as many bookings as you like, but just like Chope, multiple bookings made at the same time slot will not be accepted
• Cancelled bookings and walk-ins at a time slot other than the one you’ve booked will not earn miles
• Once your first Makan+ miles reward has been successfully credited to your Kris+ account, the linked KrisFlyer number will be stored in Makan+ and cannot be changed

How does Makan+ compare to alternatives?

Is it worth using Makan+ over other reservations platforms like Chope or Quandoo?

Well, Chope gives you 100C$ per fulfilled reservation. However, the ChopePerks rewards programme is now next to useless, following two major nerfs in 2019 and 2020. 

Chope devalues ChopePerks without notice; delays resumption of Chope$ redemptions

Moreover, the current ChopePerks rewards catalogue is a complete joke, offering the types of coupons you could get for free elsewhere. 

It’s academic now, but once upon a time, Chope used to offer 1,000 KrisFlyer miles for 1,200C$. This means that 100C$ was worth 83 KrisFlyer miles, making Makan+’s rate slightly more generous. 

Quandoo offers 100 points per fulfilled reservation, which is worth S$1.50 in cashback (a minimum of 1,000 points is required for a cash out, which can be made to a local bank account). 

That could be more generous than Makan+, although it depends on what you do with the miles you earn:

• If you keep the 100 miles in Kris+, they’re worth S$0.67, and Quandoo is better
• If you transfer the 100 miles to KrisFlyer, they’re worth S$1.80, and Makan+ is better

I’ve assumed a value of 1.8 cents per mile, but others may adopt a lower valuation. So it really boils down to the individual. 

Conclusion

Makan+ offers KrisFlyer members the opportunity to earn 100 miles per fulfilled reservation, which could be a useful way of topping up a small amount to your KrisFlyer account with no transfer fees.

And of course, should the restaurant also happen to be a Kris+ partner, you could earn up to 9 mpd by paying through the Kris+ app, plus up to 4 mpd with the right credit card.

I’d be especially interested to see if Makan+ eventually starts offering upsized rewards for certain timeslots or restaurants, similar to what platforms like Eatigo do to goose demand. 

Would you switch from Chope/Quandoo to Makan+?