AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering 20,300 miles sign-up bonus

American Express has launched a new sign-up bonus for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend which runs from now till 31 August 2023.

New cardholders who apply via The MileLion and spend S$1,000 will receive up to 20,300 bonus miles (+1,200 base miles), together with the standard AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend benefits such as:

• A 1-night Hilton voucher redeemable at more than 200 hotels across Asia Pacific
• Hilton Silver status
• Four airport lounge passes

New AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offer

Apply Here
	Old Offer (till 31 Jan 23)		New Offer (from 1 Feb 23)
	Spend	Miles	Spend	Miles
First Spend	Any	5K	Any	5K
Sign-Up Bonus	S$1K (mo. 1)	20.8K	S$1K (mo. 1)	15.3K
Base Miles	1.2K (S$1K @ 1.2 mpd)		1.2K (S$1K @ 1.2 mpd)
Total Spend	S$1K		S$1K
Total Miles	27K		21.5K

This offer is valid for applications submitted by 31 August 2023 and approved by 14 September 2023.

All first-time American Express KrisFlyer cobrand cardholders will enjoy 5,000 miles on their first spend of any amount. This is a once per lifetime bonus; if you’ve previously held an American Express KrisFlyer cobrand card before, you won’t receive it a second time.

Cardholders will receive 15,300 miles upon paying the mandatory S$340.20 annual fee and spending S$1,000 in the first month of approval (defined as 30 calendar days). 

To summarise the offer, by spending S$1,000 in the first month of approval, you’d receive up to 21,500 miles, broken down as follows:

• 5,000 miles (first spend bonus)
• 15,300 miles (sign-up bonus)
• 1,200 miles (base miles earned for S$1,000 spend @ 1.2 mpd)

When will bonus miles be credited?

If you are eligible for the 5,000 miles bonus for first-time AMEX Singapore Airlines cobrand cardholders, these will be credited to your KrisFlyer account after the month of approval and first spend.

The 15,300 miles will be credited within 12 weeks of the date you meet the spend threshold. 

All questions about fulfilment should be directed to American Express. If a CSO directs you to The MileLion, please highlight the term on the landing page which states “all enquiries about the promotion are to be directed to American Express”.

Terms & Conditions

The T&Cs for the 15,300 miles sign-up offer can be found here.

What spending is eligible?

American Express provides a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to note are: 

• GrabPay top-ups
• Insurance
• Public hospitals and polyclinics
• SPC transactions
• Utilities

CardUp, private and non-profit hospitals, donations, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. 

All spending on supplementary cards will pool with principal cards when determining whether the minimum spend has been met. 

Is it worth it?

For perspective, this isn’t the best sign-up offer for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend we’ve seen in recent history. It’s about 20% lower than the previous offer, with the same minimum spend. 

Therefore, unless you need the card right this minute, you may be better off waiting for a better offer to roll around. 

Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Apply Here
Income Req.	S$50,000 p.a.	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$340.20	Min. Transfer	N/A
Miles with Annual Fee	None	Transfer Partners	SIA
FCY Fee	2.95%	Transfer Fee	None
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	N/A
FCY Earn	2 mpd (Jun & Dec)	Lounge Access?	Yes
Special Earn	2 mpd on SIA and KrisShop, 3.2 mpd for Grab	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has an annual fee of S$340.20, which includes:

• 4x lounge passes to participating Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide (including SATS Premier Lounge in Singapore)
• One-night stay at participating Hilton Hotels across Asia Pacific
• Hilton Silver status (which allows you to enjoy the 5th night free on award redemptions- very valuable if you’re buying Hilton points)

Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on all local spend, and 2 mpd on foreign currency spend in June and December (1.2 mpd otherwise). Grab Singapore transactions earn 3.2 mpd, capped at S$200 per calendar month.

Cardholders who spend at least S$15,000 on eligible Singapore Airlines tickets within the first 12 months of approval will be automatically upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold. This upgrade is valid for one year, after which they will need to requalify through regular means.

Your complete guide to KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits

Spending S$15,000 on eligible purchases on Singapore Airlines tickets between 1 July to 30 June of the following year also gives a double miles accrual voucher, which can be applied to a booking to earn up to 5,000 bonus miles. 

Don’t forget to check out my full review of the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend below. 

Review: AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend

Conclusion

The latest AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend sign-up offer gives 20,300 bonus miles for S$1,000 of spend. That’s a good return in and of itself, though not as strong as other offers of late.