New AMEX HighFlyer Card welcome offer: 57,200 bonus points or Samsonite luggage

American Express has launched a new set of welcome offers for the American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card (also known as the AMEX HighFlyer Card) that run from now till 29 May 2024.

Cardholders who spend at least S$6,000 within the first three months of approval can enjoy either: 

• 57,200 bonus HighFlyer points, or
• A Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 luggage bag

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 Not including 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

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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 get approved between 1 November 2023 and 29 May 2024 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. 10,800 HighFlyer points for Offers 1 and 2).

The S$301.80 annual fee must be paid. This will increase to S$304.59 from 1 January 2024, in line with the GST hike.

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?

All online and offline retail transactions will count towards the minimum qualifying spend for the welcome offer, with the exclusion of the following:

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

For avoidance of doubt, spending at private hospitals and CardUp transactions will count towards qualifying spend.

When will the welcome gift be received?

All bonus HighFlyer points will be credited approximately 10 weeks from the date they meet the qualifying spend and pay the annual fee. 

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 31 October 2023.

If you’re looking at the HighFlyer Points, than the current offer reduces the minimum spend by 25% (from S$8,000 to S$6,000), with the bonus points cut by less than 5% (from 60,000 to 57,200). This means that on a points to spend ratio, you’re better off.

If you’re looking at the Samsonite luggage, the current offer requires 20% more spending (from S$5,000 to S$6,000) with no change in the gift.

I’d recommend going with the HighFlyer points, since they can be converted at a 1:1 ratio to 57,200 KrisFlyer miles. For other ideas of what you can do with HighFlyer points, refer to the article below.

What can you do with Singapore Airlines HighFlyer Points?

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.

• Welcome offer T&Cs

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
^Increasing to S$304.59 from 1 January 2024 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 AMEX HighFlyer Card’s latest welcome offer offers up to 57,200 bonus HighFlyer points or a Samsonite luggage bag with a minimum spend of S$6,000. While the luggage offer is less compelling (since the minimum spend has been increased by S$1,000), the HighFlyer points offer is arguably more lucrative than before (because the minimum spend has been reduced by S$2,000). 

Sadly, the AMEX HighFlyer Card has tightened its rewards exclusions in 2023, and no longer awards points on charitable donations or GrabPay top-ups. This means that new cardholders are mainly reliant on the welcome offer and Accor Plus membership to help recoup the annual fee.