Singapore Airlines to devalue KrisFlyer miles, nerf Stopover Trick

Singapore Airlines has announced that it will be devaluing its KrisFlyer award chart from 5 July 2022, and killing the popular “stopover trick” effective 1 August 2022. 

We seek your understanding that these changes were made after very careful deliberation, taking into account higher costs, and are necessary to ensure the KrisFlyer programme remains sustainable.

We are committed to providing our members with more ways to earn and redeem miles, both in the air and on the ground, and to providing greater value to your KrisFlyer membership, through regular enhancements to our programme offerings and benefits.

-Singapore Airlines

Award prices will be increased by 8-16%, affecting:

• Awards and upgrades on Singapore Airlines flights
• Awards and upgrades on Star Alliance flights
• Awards on partner airlines (e.g. Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic).

KrisFlyer has given 4 weeks’ notice; you will still be able to enjoy the current award prices for bookings made up till 4 July 2022. 

KrisFlyer devaluation from 5 July

From 5 July 2022, Singapore Airlines will adjust its award charts as follows:

• Singapore Airlines award chart
• Singapore Airlines upgrade chart
• Star Alliance award chart (view in incognito if new version not loading)
• Star Alliance upgrade chart

The current award charts, valid up to 4 July 2022, can be found below:

• Singapore Airlines award chart
• Singapore Airlines upgrade chart
• Star Alliance award chart
• Star Alliance upgrade chart

Singapore Airlines has not yet unveiled the changes to awards for partner airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia, but says that these will be “implemented progressively”. 

Here’s a quick summary of how the Singapore Airlines award chart has changed.

Economy Saver

Singapore Airlines did not devalue Economy Class awards during the previous January 2019 devaluation, but this time round the prices increase by 7.5-16%, based on redemptions from Singapore. 

The zone most hard-hit is Zone 10, which includes Africa, the Middle East and Turkey. This was always an excellent sweet spot, since flying to Istanbul took you to the doorstep of Europe for 35% fewer miles. 

Premium Economy Saver

Premium Economy Saver awards are increasing by 7.8-16.2%. I generally don’t advise people to redeem miles for Premium Economy, since the difference in miles between Premium Economy and Business is relatively small, while the comfort gap is relatively large.

Business Saver

Business Saver awards are increasing in price from 10.3-15.3%, based on redemptions from Singapore. 

Again, the hardest hit zone is Zone 10. Singapore to Istanbul (or Cape Town/Jo’burg) for 49,000 miles in Business Class was excellent value- at the revised 56,500 it’s still not bad, though obviously nowhere as good as before.

Zone 11 (Europe) and 12 (West Coast USA) have now broken the 100,000 miles barrier, with awards set to cost 107,000 and 111,500 miles from 5 July. 

It’s still OK value, although it should be noted that you could fly to Europe via Finnair for 70,000 Asia Miles and no fuel surcharges. 

First Saver

First Saver awards are increasing in price from 10-12.8%, based on redemptions from Singapore. 

While no one likes devaluations, there’s some small comfort in the fact that they haven’t completely wrecked the award chart. The quantum of devaluation ranges from 8-16%:

• Economy Saver awards are increasing from 8-16%
• Premium Economy Saver awards are increasing from 8-16%
• Business Saver awards are increasing from 10-15%
• First Saver awards are increasing from 10-13%

Advantage awards

Where Advantage awards are concerned, the changes are relatively more minor. Trips between Singapore and Zone 1-9 are unaffected, with only Zone 10-13 increasing.

Economy Class Advantage awards are virtually unchanged, with only Zone 10 (Africa, Middle East, Turkey) affected. 

Increases to Business and First Class Advantage awards are 2-3% for Zones 11-13, but relatively more hefty at 10-15% for Zone 10. 

The “Advantage Premium”

If you can’t find a Saver award, the next best option is to shell out for an Advantage award. Obviously, no one likes to do this, because who wants to pay more? But if you’re desperate, it may be the only option.

Since Saver awards have increased in price while Advantage awards have remained fairly stagnant, the net effect is that the “Advantage Premium”, that is, the additional miles you pay to redeem Advantage compared to Saver, has decreased.

I’m sure this must be deliberate in some sense, insofar as it nudges people towards Advantage awards when they see the difference in price isn’t as big as before. 

Upgrade awards

I’ve stated before that upgrades are not a good use of miles, and that point still holds. You typically need to buy the more expensive fare classes to upgrade, and when you compare the number of miles required to upgrade to the number of miles required for a full redemption, the gap is relatively small.

Furthermore, upgrade and full awards come out of the same bucket, so it’s not as if you have a better chance of snagging a Business/First Class seat if you upgrade with miles. 

With the devaluation, the cost of upgrade awards increases by roughly 4-5%.

Star Alliance awards

KrisFlyer has never had a particularly compelling Star Alliance award chart,  but in any case the increases mirror that of the Singapore Airlines: 8-16%, depending on zone and cabin.

How can I avoid the increases?

You will need to lock in your redemptions before 5 July 2022, in order to enjoy the current pricing.

Singapore Airlines has clarified that date changes made to existing award tickets from 5 July 2022 will not attract the new pricing. In other words, booking SIN-BKK before 5 July 2022 and making date changes from 5 July 2022 will not require paying more miles. 

Curiously, unlike previous devaluations, any changes made to award tickets from 5 July 2022 will attract the new pricing, even if the ticket does not need to be reissued. 

As per the FAQ:

If I make changes to my redemption booking or ticket on or after 5 July 2022, which mileage level will apply?

The revised award levels will apply for any changes to your redemption bookings made on or after 5 July 2022. Members with existing redemption bookings who wish to change travel plans are advised to make the changes before 5 July 2022, for the current award levels to apply.

This means that even date changes will attract the new pricing, so as far as possible, try to confirm your plans now (I realise it’s hard to do so this far in advance). 

Singapore Airlines releases award seats 355 days from departure, so the furthest you can book now would be up to May 2023. 

How does this compare to previous devaluations?

The last KrisFlyer devaluation came in January 2019, so it’s roughly been three and a half years since the last one.

For perspective, here’s a quick summary of all the KrisFlyer devaluations that have taken place, ever since the programme started in 1999.

To summarise things in brief:

Do have a read of the article below, which delves more into the topic.

Tracking 15 years of KrisFlyer devaluations and program changes

Stopover trick nerfed from 1 August

Singapore Airlines has also updated the redemption section of its website with the following text.

Complimentary stopovers up to 30 days may be added on singaporeair.com on eligible award redemption ticket types.

For bookings issued on or after 1 August 2022, complimentary stopovers exceeding 30 days and paid stopover of any duration will no longer be offered.

The first part we know already- if you want to add a stopover online, the maximum duration must be 30 days.

It’s the second part that’s the bombshell. From 1 August 2022, it will not be possible to:

• Schedule a stopover of more than 30 days
• Add a paid stopover to any booking

The KrisFlyer T&Cs add a bit more detail:

Refer to the parts in red.

22 (d) states that from 1 August 2022, it will no longer be possible to add a paid stopover to an award ticket, a change from the current policy that up to three stopovers may be added for US$100 each. 

22(d) also states that the maximum duration of a complimentary stopovers will be capped at 30 days, and 22(e) says that you’ll need to make two separate award bookings should you wish to have a stopover longer than that (in other words, you can’t do it on a single ticket, period!). 

To put it another way, from 1 August, you will not be able to book:

• A one-way BKK-SIN-LHR Saver award, with a stopover in Singapore (since paid stopovers cannot be added to tickets)
• A round-trip BKK-SIN-LHR Saver award, with a 3-month stopover in Singapore (since complimentary stopovers are limited to 30 days).

For more details on how to make hay with the stopover trick, refer to the comprehensive guide below.

The KrisFlyer Stopover Guide (aka $100 Stopover Trick)

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines will be devaluing its KrisFlyer award charts from 5 July 2022, and nerfing the stopover trick from 1 August 2022.

One might argue we already have a soft devaluation on our hands, given how difficult it is to find Business Saver awards on most medium and long-haul routes. First Class Saver has disappeared almost completely (except to Jakarta), and even Advantage awards are mostly waitlisted. That said, it still stings to see it confirmed- even if the increases are, honestly speaking, relatively modest. 

Spontaneous Escapes will continue to shave 30% off the cost of awards, which means you might still enjoy prices below the current rates when it’s all said and done. 

What do you make of this KrisFlyer devaluation?