I highly doubt that any miles collector dreams of flying Jetstar, but sometimes it’s just the cheapest and easiest way of getting from Point A to B. And if you’re a Qantas elite, a simple way of saving on date night is to buy a Jetstar ticket to Kuala Lumpur, enjoying an evening of fine wining and dining at the superb Qantas First Lounge en route (which will become slightly harder when Jetstar moves to Terminal 4 in March 2023).
On that note, it may interest you to know that in celebration of its 18th birthday, Jetstar Asia is cutting the price of an annual Club Jetstar membership to just S$18.
Club Jetstar membership sale
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| Club Jetstar |
From 6-8 December 2022, Singapore residents can buy an annual Club Jetstar membership for S$18, instead of the usual S$48.
Club Jetstar members enjoy the following perks for themselves and up to four travel companions:
- Early access to sales
- Exclusive member-only fares
- 20% off bags and seat selection
- 10% off Jetstar travel insurance
These benefits are valid for travel on Jetstar Airways (JQ), Jetstar Asia (3K) and Jetstar Japan (GK)- basically the whole Jetstar family.
I wouldn’t put much weight on the travel insurance discount, but the value of the rest of the benefits could add up for someone who regularly flies Jetstar. For example, Club Jetstar advertises the following savings for flights out of Singapore:
| Regular | Club Jetstar | Savings | |
| Kuala Lumpur | S$67 | S$64 | S$3 |
| Phuket | S$81 | S$74 | S$7 |
| Bali | S$123 | S$119 | S$4 |
| Phnom Penh | S$126 | S$121 | S$5 |
| Penang | S$67 | S$64 | S$3 |
| Manila | S$148 | S$143 | S$5 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | S$94 | S$80 | S$14 |
| Surabaya | S$116 | S$111 | S$5 |
Given how tight margins are for budget carriers, it’s probably unsurprising the savings aren’t jaw-dropping. But don’t forget that benefits apply to up to four travel companions, and you also save 20% off checked luggage and bags, so over the course of a year it shouldn’t be too hard to earn back the S$18 and then some.
| ⚠️ Be careful of auto-renewal |
| If you only intend to test drive Club Jetstar, be sure to turn off auto-renewal once your membership is set up. Otherwise, your membership will auto-renew at the regular price of S$48 in 12 months’ time |
One important thing to note: Club Jetstar discounts can only be applied at the time of booking, not retroactively to existing bookings.
I was about to buy a membership since I already have a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Adelaide and wanted to save on checked luggage, but this means it’s already too late for me.
What card should you use?
Club Jetstar membership purchases will code as online airline transactions, which means you can use any of the following cards to maximize the miles you earn:
| Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
 DBS Woman’s World CardApply |
4 mpd | Max S$2K per c. month |
 UOB Lady’s CardApply |
4 mpd* | Max S$1K per c. month |
 UOB Lady’s SolitaireApply |
4 mpd* | Max S$3K per c. month |
 HSBC RevolutionApply |
4 mpd | Max S$1K per c. month |
 DBS Altitude AMEX or VisaApply |
3 mpd | Max S$5K per c. month |
| S. Month= Statement Month | C. Month= Calendar Month *Must declare travel as quarterly 10X category |
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You should not use the Citi Rewards Card, since airline transactions are not eligible for 4 mpd.
Conclusion
Club Jetstar is cutting the cost of an annual membership from S$48 to S$18 until 8 December, which may be of interest to anyone who travels frequently within the region and doesn’t want to burn miles on short-haul travel.
Just remember that you can’t apply the discounts on checked bags and seat selection to existing bookings, so don’t let that be the reason you pull the trigger.
Any Club Jetstar members out there? Do you get your money’s worth?
It has an option to select so that it won’t renew automatically next year.
They don’t call it Deathstar for nothing. If I’m looking for cancelled or delayed flights then its my go to carrier. Having said that, I got some ridiculously cheap redemptions in Japan on GK via the Qantas Australia website.
Jetstar’s fares have been very uncompetitive ever since they downsized their fleet due to the pandemic. A one-way flight can cost as much as SQ’s but without the luggage allowance, food, entertainment, service and soon-to-be convenience of T1-3. I have hundreds of dollars of vouchers left over from pandemic-related flight cancellations but since reopening, I have yet to find a single competitive fare to justify using them. And don’t forget, while Scoot has done away with credit card fees, 3K still hits you with them. So even after the measly $4-7 savings, the fare is almost always way above the… Read more »
Jetstar is the only LCC which continues to charge for the $10 booking service fee, if only this club Jetstar waived it.
Also, have to factor in if we will continue flying them once they move to T4, no more jewel before flight.