With Singapore Airlines aircraft flying fuller than ever before, recent KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes haven’t exactly been the smorgasbord of options we saw pre-pandemic. Nonetheless, they’re still a highly-anticipated event each month, if only because we fervently believe that this time, this time things will be different!
And things will be slightly different this time, because for the August edition of Spontaneous Escapes, KrisFlyer has teased a special 5% miles-back offer for KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit cardholders.
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| ❓ When are Spontaneous Escapes released? |
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Spontaneous Escapes are typically released on the 15th of each month. If that day happens to be a weekend or public holiday, the release takes place on the next working day. Inventory will be loaded and available for booking in the morning, though the Spontaneous Escapes landing page is only updated around noon. |
5% off Spontaneous Escapes for KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders
As spotted in a recent eDM, KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cardholders can expect to receive an extra 5% miles-back on the upcoming Spontaneous Escapes, set to be released on 15 August 2023.
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| Terms and conditions for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cards Spontaneous Escapes Promotion apply. Visit KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card or KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card website from 8 August 2023 onwards for more details on the upcoming promotion. |
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like this will be an evergreen feature, since it’s “for this month only”, but hey, maybe they’re testing the waters.
Just to be clear, I don’t think KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders will be saving 35% off the regular cost of Saver awards. Rather, it seems more likely that they’ll be saving 5% off the 30% discounted price, which works out to an overall saving of 33.5%.
In other words, here’s how much you can expect to pay, once the miles-back is taken into account.
| Spon. Escapes (Regular) |
Spon. Escapes (KF UOB) |
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| Zone 2 Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei |
5.95 ◆ 14.7 | 5.65 ◆ 13.97 |
| Zone 3 Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos |
9.45 ◆16.8 | 8.98 ◆ 15.96 |
| Zone 4 South China, Hong Kong, Taiwan |
11.55 ◆ 23.8 | 10.97 ◆ 22.61 |
| Zone 5 Beijing, Shanghai |
15.05 ◆ 30.1 | 14.3 ◆ 28.6 |
| Zone 6 India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh |
14 ◆ 30.1 | 13.3 ◆ 28.6 |
| Zone 7 Japan & South Korea |
18.9 ◆ 36.4 | 17.96 ◆ 34.58 |
| Zone 8 Perth & Darwin |
15.05 ◆ 28.35 | 14.3 ◆26.93 |
| Zone 9 Australia (ex-Perth & Darwin) & NZ |
21.35 ◆ 47.95 | 20.28 ◆ 45.55 |
| Zone 10 Africa, Middle East, Turkey |
20.3 ◆ 39.55 | 19.29 ◆ 37.57 |
| Zone 11 Europe |
29.4 ◆ 72.45 | 27.93 ◆ 68.83 |
| Zone 12 USA (West Coast) & Canada |
29.4 ◆ 74.9 | 27.93 ◆ 71.16 |
| Zone 13 USA (East Coast & Houston) |
30.8 ◆ 78.05 | 29.26 ◆ 74.15 |
| Legend: Economy ◆ Business |
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I’m aware there’s another interpretation out there which says that cardholders will receive 5% of the taxes and surcharges charged to their KrisFlyer UOB Card back in the form of KrisPay miles.
I suppose I can’t dismiss that out of hand, though it seems highly unlikely to me. There’s already a precedent for a miles-back mechanism like the one I described earlier; KrisFlyer UOB Cardholders receive miles-back on selected KrisFlyer Experiences (most notably the recent Singapore F1 Grand Prix packages, which could translate into significant savings).
Anyway, we’ll know for sure in a few days’ time, with the full details set to be released on 8 August 2023.
Overview: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
 Apply |
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| Income Req. | S$30,000 p.a. | Points Validity | 3 years |
| Annual Fee | S$194.40 (First Year Free) |
Min. Transfer |
N/A |
| Miles with Annual Fee |
10,000 | Transfer Partners |
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| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | N/A |
| Local Earn | 1.2 mpd | Points Pool? | N/A |
| FCY Earn | 1.2 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 3 mpd on SIA Group, dining, online shopping & travel, transport | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
Here’s a brief recap of the key features of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which comes with a first year fee waiver.
Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on local and overseas spend, and 3 mpd on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop and Kris+ transactions (collectively known as SIA Group transactions).
If they spend at least S$800 on SIA Group transactions in a membership year (excluding Kris+), they will earn an uncapped 3 mpd on:
| Category | MCCs/ Transaction Description |
| Dining & Food Delivery | 5812, 5813, 5814 |
| Online Shopping | 4816, 5262, 5306, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732, 5733, 5735, 5912, 5942, 5944-5949, 5999, 7278 (only for Shopee, Lazada and Qoo10) |
| Online Travel | Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel |
| Transport | BUS/MRT, 4121 |
| Bonuses apply to both local and FCY spending | |
Cardholders also receive instant KrisShopper Insider status (an extra 2.5 mpd on KrisShop purchases), 2x S$15 Grab vouchers for travel to and from Changi Airport, 2x S$15 Changi WiFi codes, a fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver (woohoo) and Scoot privileges such as complimentary priority check-in & boarding and seat assignment.
For a detailed review of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, check out the post below.
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card sign-up offer
From 1 August to 30 September 2023, new-to-UOB customers who apply and are approved for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will enjoy up to 25,000 bonus miles when they spend at least S$2,000 in the first 60 days of approval.
| ❓ New-to-UOB definition |
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New-to-UOB is defined as customers as those who:
In other words, if you cancelled your last principal UOB credit card on or before 31 January 2023 and do not currently hold any principal UOB credit cards, you’ll be eligible for this offer. |
This is broken down into:
| Bonus | Min. Spend | Cap |
| 5,000 miles | S$5 on first trxn. | No cap |
| 20,000 miles | S$2,000 in 60 days | No cap |
5,000 miles will be awarded to cardholders who make their first spend of at least S$5.
20,000 miles will be awarded to applicants who spend at least S$2,000 within the first 60 days of approval.
The full details of this offer can be found here.
Conclusion
KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cardholders can look forward to an additional 5% miles-back on Spontaneous Escapes this month, on top of the usual 30% savings on Saver awards.
We’ll know the full details, including caps and crediting timelines, once the details go live on 8 August 2023. Stay tuned!
