How to hold a Scoot fare with AXS

Flying on Scoot isn’t exactly what miles chasers dream of, but sometimes it’s just the cheapest and best way of getting from Point A to B. 

The thing about Scoot fares is that they’re strictly non-refundable. You can’t even make free changes, unless you’re willing to buy a FLEX add-on that starts from S$15 (Scoot ended its Plan with Confidence rebooking benefit on 30 June 2022). Therefore, you need to be very sure about your travel plans before pulling the trigger.

But waiting also creates the possibility that fares will have risen by the time you’re ready to confirm. If you see an attractive fare, is there any way you can hold it while you finalise your plans? 

Using AXS to hold Scoot bookings

Scoot doesn’t offer a Secure My Fare feature like Singapore Airlines, but it’s got something almost as good- not to mention free.

Scoot tickets can be paid through AXS, an option originally intended for those without a credit or debit card. The AXS payment option will appear for bookings that satisfy the following conditions:

1. Regular fare
2. Departing from Singapore at least 24 hours from booking time
3. Value of booking is <S$2,000
4. No insurance is included
5. No voucher is redeemed
6. Booking made through Scoot’s official website or mobile app

No admin fee is charged for AXS payments (Scoot has done away with all payment processing fees anyway).

Once you’ve selected AXS and confirmed your booking, you’ll have:

• 12 hours to complete payment, if your flight departure date is within 3 days
• 24 hours to complete payment, if your flight departure date is more than 3 days away

It’s as simple as that. You’ve just bought yourself an additional 12-24 hours to think things over, at no additional cost. 

Paying for your booking

In an ideal scenario, your original fare will still be available on the Scoot website by the time you decide to pull the trigger.

In that case, you can ignore your AXS booking and rebook via the website in order to earn up to 4 mpd with the right cards (alternatively, you can go to Manage Booking on the Scoot website, enter the AXS booking’s PNR, and make payment online with your credit card).

Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
DBS WWMC Apply	4.0 mpd	Max S$2K per c. month Review
HSBC Revolution Apply	4.0 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month Review
UOB Lady’s Card Apply	4.0 mpd	Max S$1K per c. month. Must choose travel as 10X category Review
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Apply	4.0 mpd	Max S$3K per c. month. Must choose travel as 10X category Review

If the fare has disappeared, you then have a decision to make:

• Pay via AXS and forego the opportunity to earn miles
• Rebook via the website, and pay the higher fare

What’s the better option boils down to how much you value a mile, so do the sums and see what makes sense.

Payments via AXS can be done at a physical terminal, or online via AXS e-station (eServices > Ticketing > Scoot). Enter your booking reference number and first/last name, confirm your itinerary details, and make payment as usual.

Regardless of which payment method you choose, AXS payments will not earn miles. One possible workaround is to top-up a GrabPay account to earn 1.7% cashback or 1.8 mpd, and then use it to pay via AXS, but it does seem like a waste of your annual transaction limit. 

Conclusion

While Scoot does not offer a Secure My Fare feature, it’s nonetheless possible to get yourself an additional 12-24 hours of breathing room, at no cost. 

Hopefully this will be sufficient time to finalise the rest of your plans, because once you buy that Scoot fare, there’s no turning back.