KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes for July 2022 announced

Spontaneous Escapes have been announced for July 2022, with 30% off redemptions for selected Singapore Airlines routes in Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class.

Spontaneous Escapes

Note: It seems the landing page has now been taken down, suggesting the deals were loaded prematurely. You can refer to the screenshots below for the full list.

Do note that Spontaneous Escapes inventory does not appear to have been loaded yet– this month’s offers were released unusually early, and as per the T&C tickets must be issued from 15 June 2022 (0000 hours Singapore time). So stay up till midnight tonight if you want first dibs on the deals. 

As a (sad) reminder, this will be the last Spontaneous Escapes before the KrisFlyer award charts get devalued on 5 July 2022, with an increase in Saver prices of 8-16%. 

Spontaneous Escapes: Ground Rules

All Spontaneous Escape awards must be booked and ticketed by 30 June 2022 and are for travel between 1-31 July 2022 (blackout dates may apply).

Singapore Airlines has rejigged its booking interface to show Spontaneous Escapes awards under a special Promo category. This is the one you should select when making your booking.

You might recall that prior to COVID, Spontaneous Escapes were a subset of Saver awards. This created some unique problems, namely that if you wanted to book a regular Saver award (because it came with added flexibility, unlike Spontaneous Escapes awards), you couldn’t actually do it!

Now that Spontaneous Escapes are a separate Promo category unto themselves, you have the freedom to choose to pay the regular Saver prices if you so wish.

Spontaneous Escapes veterans should also know that awards are strictly non-cancellable and non-changeable. How does that translate in a post-COVID world? Singapore Airlines has made the following concession:

For (i) any flights cancelled by SIA, or (ii) if a SQ-operated flight was removed from a Participant’s booking due to Covid-19 and governmental regulatory changes, the miles redeemed in the unused portion of the ticket will be refunded into the relevant Participant’s KrisFlyer account with no additional fees charged.

However, requests to change any booking details, or to retain the ticket for future use will not be granted. Participants may submit their request via the Assistance Request form.

-Spontaneous Escapes T&Cs

I want to make something clear: the above applies to regulatory changes, not conditions as they exist at the time of booking. For example, Japan is currently closed to the world. If you book a speculative Spontaneous Escapes booking for Japan this month and Japan doesn’t open by the time you travel, you have no basis to go to Singapore Airlines asking for a refund. 

In contrast, Bali is currently open to visitors. If you book a Spontaneous Escapes booking for Bali, and Bali subsequently closes, then yes, you will have grounds for a refund. 

Do note that the complimentary rebooking policy (recently extended to 31 July 2022) does not apply to Spontaneous Escapes awards! Therefore, it’s crucial that you purchase travel insurance that covers miles & points bookings.

Which travel insurance policies covers miles and points bookings?

Here’s the other things you should know about Spontaneous Escapes deals.

What if you have an existing award?

If you’ve already holding on to a confirmed award on a flight that is now under Spontaneous Escapes, you will need to:

1. Book the Spontaneous Escapes rate
2. Cancel the existing booking and pay the redeposit fee

I strongly recommend doing it in this order, in case the Spontaneous Escapes award space disappears in the meantime. It does mean you’ll need sufficient miles on hand, of course. 

On average, miles take up to a week to be re-credited to your account, but you can ask the CSO to put in a request to expedite the process. I’ve had miles returned as soon as immediately after a cancellation, but YMMV. 

My picks for this month

June saw a smaller edition of Spontaneous Escapes due to the school holidays, and July isn’t much better (still the peak of summer travel, I suppose). 

Europe and North America are completely absent in Economy and Business Class, and Australia has no Business Class options at all!

Most of India is available for 12,950/27,300 miles in Economy/Business, while closer to home, Da Nang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are all available too at 8,750/15,050 miles for Economy/Business. Vietnam has also scrapped all COVID-19 testing, and travel there is practically identical to pre-COVID days now. 

Business Class to Bangkok, normally a staple of Spontaneous Escapes, is missing. The only option is Economy Class for 8,750 miles. Thailand has scrapped all COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated passengers, and Thailand Passes are now issued within 1-2 hours.

Full list of Spontaneous Escapes

Business & Economy Class

South East Asia

West Asia & Africa

Australia

Premium Economy Class

Premium Economy awards are also available, but honestly, I think you’re better off avoiding these. The comfort gap between Premium Economy and Business Class is wide (a recliner seat, no matter how good it is, will never beat a full flat bed), whereas the comfort gap between Economy and Premium Economy is marginal.

Therefore, I’d rather look for a destination offering 30% off Business Class awards. 

West Asia & Africa

USA and Canada

Conclusion

Spontaneous Escapes have been announced for July 2022, and it’s an even smaller list than last month! As always, most of South East Asia is on sale, though you can also score some good value awards to Australia if you don’t mind winter. 

Do remember to ticket your awards by 30 June 2022 (waitlists don’t count!), and purchase travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage should the worst happen. 

What will you be booking for Spontaneous Escapes?