KrisFlyer Promo, Saver and Advantage awards: What’s the difference?

When redeeming KrisFlyer miles for a Singapore Airlines award, members may see up to three different award types available: Promo, Saver, and Advantage.

❓ Where’s the Promo category?

Promo awards are only available during the Spontaneous Escapes period, which typically runs from the 15th till the end of the month for selected destinations. Outside of these dates and destinations, you won’t see the Promo category. As Spontaneous Escapes does not include Suites/First Class, you won’t see a promo category here either.

What’s the difference between these three categories, does it matter which one you choose, and should you ever pick a more expensive award? 

I’m sure all you old pros know the differences at the back of your hand, but for the sake of those who don’t, here’s a rundown.

KrisFlyer’s three award types

In the table below is a summary of the three different KrisFlyer awards types (do note that Promo awards are also known as Spontaneous Escapes awards, and the terms are often used interchangeably).

These award types only apply to Singapore Airlines flights; if you’re redeeming miles for a Star Alliance or other partner flight, you’ll only see the Saver category.

Price

Promo awards are usually priced at a 30% discount to Saver, though there have been some cases in the past where the discount was increased to as much as 51%.

Saver awards and Advantage awards follow the prices stated in the KrisFlyer award chart. On average, you’ll be paying about 60% more for Advantage awards compared to Saver.

Availability

Promo awards are the most limited in inventory. They’re only available on certain routes, flight numbers, and dates. The booking window is only open for around half the month, after Spontaneous Escapes are released on the 15th (or the next working day, if the 15th falls on a weekend/public holiday).

Saver awards are available on all routes and all flight numbers (in theory at least; I have yet to see a Suite Saver on the A380 to London without waitlisting). However, they’re in fairly limited supply too, at least compared to Advantage.

Advantage awards are available on all routes and flight numbers, and in greater supply than Saver. That’s also why they are, on average, 60% more expensive.

Flexibility

If you want to book a Promo award, you need to be very certain about your travel plans because there’s strictly no changes or refunds permitted. Can’t make your flight? Kiss your miles goodbye.

That’s why I always advise readers to buy travel insurance that covers mile and points bookings, so in case you can’t travel, you can at least recover the cash value of the ticket.

Saver awards permit you to change dates, routes, cabin types or awards for US$25 per passenger (not per booking!). A US$75 fee per passenger applies to refunds.

Advantage awards offer free date changes, but all other changes will cost US$25 per passenger. A US$50 fee per passenger applies to refunds. 

Stopovers

Stopovers are breaks in the journey of more than 24 hours. For example, you could fly from Singapore to New York on SQ25, spend a week in Frankfurt (the stopover point), the continue onwards to New York.

Promo awards are not eligible for stopovers. 

Saver awards receive one complimentary stopover on round-trips, but none on one-way journeys.

Advantage awards receive two complimentary stopovers on round-trips, and one complimentary stopover on one-way journeys.

Do note that adding additional paid stopovers is no longer possible on KrisFlyer awards, following the nerfing of the “stopover trick” in July 2022.

Waitlist

Promo awards cannot be waitlisted. It’s either available, or it isn’t.

Saver and Advantage awards can be waitlisted, subject to availability. I’ve written an entire article about the ins and outs of the KrisFlyer waitlist, but tl;dr:

• Waitlisting is only possible for Singapore Airlines flights. 
• You must have sufficient miles to add yourself to the waitlist
• No miles are deducted when joining the waitlist
• There is no limit to the number of flights you can waitlist on
• Should the waitlist clear, you’ll usually have at least 72 hours to confirm your booking.
• There is no obligation to confirm a cleared waitlist
• Waitlists are open up till three weeks before departure. All unfilled waitlists will be automatically cancelled two weeks before departure
• Waitlists typically clear within one month of departure, if at all
• Elite status is the only known factor that improves your chances of clearing the waitlist

Side note: I’ve written a post on some ways the KrisFlyer waitlist could be improved, so check it out if you like indulging in idle speculation.

Mixing award types

You cannot mix Promo awards with Saver/Advantage awards in a single booking (e.g. Promo award on the outbound leg, Saver award on the inbound). That’s probably because the Promo awards have very different rules from Saver/Advantage awards.

You can mix Saver and Advantage awards in a single booking. 

Travel period

Promo awards can only be booked for travel in the following month. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature- the whole idea behind Spontaneous Escapes is to encourage members to spend their miles on seats that would otherwise have gone empty.

This means that unless you’re the type who can take leave on short notice, Promo awards might not be feasible for you. 

Saver and Advantage awards can be booked for travel anytime in the next 355 days.

What award type should I choose?

With three different award types on offer, is it simply the matter of choosing the cheapest one?

Yes and no. 

Obviously, no one in the right mind would pay Advantage prices when Saver space is available. Even though you get free date changes and a lower refund fee, that should be seen as the consolation prize for having to pay Advantage, not an incentive to do so. 

But what about Promo vs Saver? This is a bit trickier. If you’re fairly certain you’re going to proceed with the trip, Promo would clearly be the better choice (though you should still purchase travel insurance that covers award bookings, just in case). If there’s some question marks involved, then Saver would be the safer option.

I don’t think things like free stopovers should really factor into your decision, unless you want to visit two places on one trip (e.g. Frankfurt and New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles). If that’s the case, then a round-trip Saver or one-way Advantage award would let you do that for free, subject to award space availability. 

Conclusion

KrisFlyer offers up to three different award types depending on when in the month you’re browsing, when and where you plan to travel, and what cabin you’re booking

While everyone dreams of Promo pricing, that’s not always a realistic option. Popular destinations rarely appear on Spontaneous Escapes, and even if they do, they’re liable to disappear very quickly (or be on flights with less-than-optimal timings).

Moreover, Saver awards are harder and harder to come by, especially on long-haul First and Business Class. On certain routes, Advantage really is the only option for those without Solitaire PPS and PPS Club status. 

Any other differences between the three awards worth highlighting?