AMEX HighFlyer Card offering 60,000 bonus points or Samsonite luggage

American Express has launched a pair of new welcome offers for the American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card (also known as the AMEX HighFlyer Card) that run from now till 31 October 2023. 

Cardholders can choose between: 

• 60,000 bonus HighFlyer points with S$8,000 spend in the first 6 months, or
• Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 with S$5,000 spend in the first 3 months

Apply Here

💳 Key Info: AMEX HighFlyer Card

1.8 HighFlyer points per S$1 on all local and overseas spend Up to 8.5 HighFlyer points per S$1 on eligible Singapore Airlines fares (does not include paying taxes & surcharges on award flights) 1 HighFlyer point can be converted to 1 KrisFlyer mile with no fees (capped at 30,000 HighFlyer points per year per KrisFlyer account) Complimentary Accor Plus membership with up to 50% off dining and 1 free hotel night each year 2x complimentary Priority Pass visits Up to 51 interest-free days

As always, cardholders will receive  a complimentary Accor Plus membership (one free hotel night and up to 50% off dining), as well as two free lounge visits each year. 

AMEX HighFlyer Card Sign-Up Bonus

Apply Here

T&Cs

👍 No minimum business size required

While the AMEX HighFlyer Card is meant for businesses, there’s no minimum turnover or number of employees required to apply. If you’re running a home business, giving tuition or engaged in some other side hustle, setting up a sole proprietorship or LLC would qualify you to apply. Do note that you must be earning at least S$30,000 per annum to qualify for a card, as per MAS regulations. This need not come from the business itself; for example, I could earn S$30,000 from my day job with Company A, and have a separate side hustle with my own Company B. I can then apply for a HighFlyer Card by virtue of Company B, using Company A’s payslips.

New AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders who submit their applications between 27 July to 31 October 2023, and receive approval before 31 December 2023, can choose between the following offers:

These bonus are on top of the regular HighFlyer points, awarded at a rate of 1.8 HighFlyer points (i.e. 14,400 HighFlyer points for Offer 1; 9,000 HighFlyer points for Offer 2).

The S$301.80 annual fee must be paid. There is no requirement that you be new-to-AMEX; the offer applies even if you hold an existing AMEX consumer card. Applicants who have cancelled the AMEX HighFlyer Card previously for the same company are not eligible. 

What counts towards eligible spending?

American Express was previously very liberal with what counts towards sign-up bonus spending, but has added new exclusion categories effective 4 April 2023:

Note in particular that insurance premiums, SPC transactions, GrabPay top-ups, utilities and public hospitals no longer earn points, nor count towards the minimum spend for sign-up bonuses.

For avoidance of doubt, spending at private hospitals, CardUp transactions, and charitable donations will count towards the minimum spend. 

When will the bonus points be credited?

All bonus HighFlyer points will be credited “6 weeks or more” from the date of meeting the spend threshold.

If you opt for the Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25, you will receive a redemption letter within 12 weeks from meeting the spend threshold. 

How does this offer compare to the previous?

For the sake of comparison, here’s how the current offer compares to the previous one which ended on 26 July 2023. 

The 60,000 HighFlyer points option is a continuation of the previous offer, but the Samsonite luggage gift is new (it should be noted there was also a flash sale in June that allowed you to get both 60,000 points and a Samsonite Starfire luggage, though that may or may not return). 

Which one is better really boils down to how much you value the bag- the stated value is S$700, but it’s hard to get a direct comparison since I can’t find this particular model listed for sale online.

Otherwise, 60,000 HighFlyer points are good for 60,000 KrisFlyer miles, or can be used to offset ~S$570 worth of Singapore Airlines air tickets.

Terms and Conditions

The T&Cs for this offer can be found below. As always, I recommend saving a copy for your personal reference because the links may be subsequently updated for future campaigns.

• 60,000 HighFlyer points or Samsonite luggage

Overview: AMEX HighFlyer Card

Apply Here
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a.	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$301.80	Min. Transfer	N/A
Miles with Annual Fee	None	Transfer Partners	HighFlyer
FCY Fee	2.95%	Transfer Fee	None
Local Earn	1.8 mpd	Points Pool?	N/A
FCY Earn	1.8 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes
Special Earn	Up to 8.5 mpd on SIA tickets	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

AMEX HighFlyer Cardmembers earn 1.8 HighFlyer points per S$1 on all local and overseas transactions, and up to 8.5 HighFlyer points per S$1 on Singapore Airlines and Scoot revenue tickets.

This consists of 2.5 HighFlyer points per S$1 from the AMEX HighFlyer Card itself, and a further 6 HighFlyer points per S$1 broken down into: 

• The usual 5 HighFlyer points per S$1 awarded to all HighFlyer members
• A bonus 1 HighFlyer point per S$1 awarded to HighFlyer members with the AMEX HighFlyer Card

Note that these 6 HighFlyer points per S$1 are not awarded on tickets issued in the V or K booking classes (Economy Lite). Tickets issued in the Q or N booking classes (Economy Value) will only be eligible for 50% accrual of HighFlyer points. HighFlyer points are not earned on award redemptions, so if you’re using the AMEX HighFlyer Card to pay for taxes and surcharges on award tickets, you’ll earn just 2.5 mpd.

Do note the following restrictions when converting HighFlyer points to miles:

• Each HighFlyer account can only be linked to a maximum of five selected KrisFlyer accounts for the purpose of converting HighFlyer points to KrisFlyer miles
• Each HighFlyer account is only allowed to convert HighFlyer points to a maximum of 150,000 KrisFlyer miles per calendar year
• Each selected KrisFlyer account may receive a maximum of 30,000 KrisFlyer miles converted from HighFlyer points per calendar year, regardless of which HighFlyer accounts the points are converted from

Purchases of Singapore Airlines tickets will enjoy 0% interest for six months, and other purchases get 51 days of interest-free credit. Employees who purchase tickets with the card will still be entitled to accrue miles for personal use, based on the fare class purchased.

In terms of personal benefits, cardholders enjoy:

• Two complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges per year
• A complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership, which includes one free stay every year and up to 50% off dining
• Hertz Gold status with 10% off best available rates and one class upgrades
• A fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status with S$15,000 or more spent on Singapore Airlines group transactions in the first year of card membership
• Complimentary travel insurance when travel tickets are bought with the card

AMEX HighFlyer Card members will also enjoy the following spending bonuses: 

• First year only: 5,000 HighFlyer points for S$500 SIA Group spending
• Every year: 15,000 HighFlyer points for S$10,000 SIA Group spending

Complimentary Accor Plus Membership

One of the highlights of the AMEX HighFlyer Card is the free Accor Plus Explorer membership, which includes one complimentary hotel night each year at participating hotels in Singapore and across Asia Pacific.

Members also get access to the periodic Red Hot Rooms sale, which can be a good opportunity to book cheap staycation or overseas hotel rates.

The other big draw of an Accor Plus membership are the dining discounts. The discount structure works like this:

• 25% off dining: 1 member only
• 50% off dining: 1 member and 1 guest
• 33% off dining: 1 member and 2 guests
• 25% off dining: 1 member and 3 guests
• 15% off drinks in Asia

Some examples of participating Accor Plus restaurants in Singapore include Prego, Mikuni and Asian Market Cafe at the Fairmont, SKAI, The Stamford Brasserie, CLOVE, at Swissotel and The Cliff and Kwee Zeen at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort.

For those who have already received their AMEX HighFlyer Card, here’s how to go about activating your Accor Plus membership.

Conclusion

The latest sign-up offer for the AMEX HighFlyer Card offers customers a choice of 60,000 bonus HighFlyer points, or a Samsonite luggage. 

While it’s harder to make a case for renewing the AMEX HighFlyer Card now that it’s no longer possible to earn rewards on GrabPay top-ups, the first year can still be an attractive proposition once the welcome offer and Accor Plus membership are factored in.