AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offering 31,200 miles sign-up bonus

American Express has launched a new flash offer for the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, which runs from now till 4 September 2023.

New cardholders who apply via The MileLion and spend S$1,500 in the first 30 days will receive up to 31,200 bonus miles (+1,800 base miles), together with standard AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend benefits such as a 1-night Hilton voucher redeemable at 75 hotels across Asia Pacific and four airport lounge passes.

New AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend offer

Apply Here
	Spend	Miles
First Spend	Any	5K
Sign-Up Bonus	S$1K (first 30 days)	15.3K
MileLion Bonus	S$1.5K (first 30 days)	10.9K
Base Miles	1.8K (S$1.5K @ 1.2 mpd)
Total Spend	S$1.5K
Total Miles	33K
S$340.20 annual fee must be paid

This offer is valid for applications submitted by 4 September 2023 and approved by 18 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 held an American Express KrisFlyer cobrand card before, you won’t receive it a second time.

Cardholders will receive 15,300 bonus 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). 

If they spend a further S$500 in the first month of approval (i.e. S$1,500 total), they will receive a further 10,900 bonus miles.

To summarise the offer, by spending S$1,500 in the first month of approval, applicants will receive up to 33,000 miles, broken down as follows:

• 5,000 miles (first spend bonus)
• 15,300 miles (regular sign-up bonus)
• 10,900 miles (MileLion bonus)
• 1,800 miles (base miles earned for S$1,500 spend @ 1.2 mpd)

33,000 miles would be sufficient for a round-trip Economy Class ticket to Hong Kong or Taipei. 

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 remaining bonuses of 15,300 miles for S$1,000 spend and 10,900 miles for an additional S$500 spend 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

• 5,000 bonus miles (first spend offer)
• 15,300 bonus miles (Welcome offer)
• 10,900 bonus miles (MileLion offer)

What spending is eligible?

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

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

CardUp, private and non-profit hospitals, education and donations (until 1 October 2023), 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?

The current offer gives 31,200 bonus miles with a minimum spend of S$1,500, a miles to spend ratio of 20.8. This makes it one of the biggest offers we’ve seen so far this year. 

The S$340.20 annual fee must be paid, so another way of viewing this is that you’re paying 1.09 cents per mile, before taking into account the additional benefits like a 1-night Hilton stay and four lounge visits.

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 must be paid in the first year (it can be waived from the second year onwards at AMEX’s discretion).

Cardholders earn 1.2 mpd on all local spend, and 2 mpd on foreign currency spend in June and December (1.2 mpd otherwise). An uncapped 2 mpd is offered on Singapore Airlines and KrisShop transactions year-round, as well as 3.2 mpd on Grab, capped at S$200 per calendar month.

Card benefits include: 

• 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 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.

Complete Guide: 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

Apply Here

The latest AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend sign-up offer gives 31,200 bonus miles for S$1,500 of spend, plus 1,800 base miles. On a spend to miles basis, it’s one of the best offers we’ve seen so far in 2023, and together with the Hilton hotels voucher and four complimentary lounge passes, sweetens the deal for the first year of membership.

Remember to apply by 4 September 2023 if you’re interested.