American Express is running a new welcome bonus for the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card, which offers 26,450 bonus miles for new-to-AMEX customers who spend just S$500 within the first 30 days of approval.
This is a generous deal, in and of itself, though it’s worth mentioning that last month the offer was 29,450 bonus miles for the same spend, so you just missed out on that.
In any case, it’s the highest payoff ratio you’ll find for any welcome offer in the market right now- a beefy 53 miles per dollar charged (before taking into account the base miles). If you want to give your miles balance a shot in the arm without paying for an annual fee, this is as good as it gets.
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card welcome offer
 AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card |
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| Apply Here | |
| New-to-AMEX Customers | |
| First Spend | 5,000 miles |
| Spend S$500 (Mo. 1) |
21,450 miles |
| Base Miles from S$500 (@ 1.1 mpd) |
550 miles |
| Total Spend | S$500 |
| Total Miles | 27,000 miles |
| First year fee waiver | |
This offer is valid for new-to-AMEX customers who apply for an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card by 31 March 2024, and receive approval by 5 April 2024.
| ❓ Definition |
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New-to-AMEX customers are defined as those who:
For avoidance of doubt, there is no “timeout period” for a customer with a recently-cancelled card to be considered new (provided that card is not an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card). However, all approvals are subject to internal review. The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card is a distinct product from the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, AMEX PPS Club Card and AMEX Solitaire PPS Club Card. |
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, so if you’ve held an American Express KrisFlyer cobrand card before, you won’t receive it a second time.
Cardholders who spend at least S$500 within the first 30 days of approval will receive 21,450 bonus miles.
To summarise the offer, by spending S$500 in the first 30 days of approval, you’ll receive 27,000 miles, broken down as follows:
- 5,000 bonus miles for first spend
- 21,450 bonus miles for meeting the S$500 minimum spend
- 550 base miles for spending S$500 @ 1.1 mpd
When will the bonuses be credited?
If you’re 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 21,450 bonus miles for meeting the minimum spend will be credited within 10 weeks of the date you meet the spend threshold.
All questions about fulfilment should be directed to American Express.
What spending is eligible?
American Express provides a list of excluded spending categories here, but the key ones to take note of are:
- Donations
- Education
- GrabPay top-ups
- Insurance
- Public hospitals and polyclinics
- SPC transactions
- Utilities
CardUp, private hospitals, and anything else not explicitly stated in the exclusion list will count as eligible spend. Do note there are certain restrictions on the type of AMEX payments you can make with CardUp, as summarised in the article below.
All spending on supplementary cards will pool with principal cards when determining whether the minimum spend has been met.
Is it worth it?
The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card’s first year annual fee of S$179.85 is waived for the first year, so assuming you have S$500 of spend to clock, it’s basically free miles.
On a miles to spend ratio, you’re looking at 53 miles per S$1 (26,450 bonus miles divided by S$500 minimum spend), which is the highest offer on the market right now.
For perspective, 27,000 miles would be enough for a round-trip Economy Class ticket to Bangkok or Hanoi, or a one-way Economy Class ticket to Tokyo or Seoul.
Terms & Conditions
Overview: AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card
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| Apply Here | |||
| Income Req. | N/A* | Points Validity | 3 years |
| Annual Fee | S$179.85 |
Min. Transfer |
N/A |
| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | None |
| Local Earn | 1.1 mpd | Points Pool? | N/A |
| FCY Earn | 2 mpd (Jun & Dec) |
Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 2 mpd on SIA and KrisShop, 3.1 mpd for Grab | Airport Limo? | No |
| *AMEX no longer publishes income requirements for the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card. All applications are subject to internal review. For reference, the last published income requirement was S$30,000 p.a. | |||
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card has an annual fee of S$179.85, which is waived in the first year, and waivable in the second and subsequent years subject to approval.
Cardholders earn 1.1 mpd on local spend, and 2 mpd on foreign currency spend in June and December (1.1 mpd otherwise). An uncapped 2 mpd is offered on Singapore Airlines and KrisShop transactions year-round, as well as 3.1 mpd on Grab, capped at S$200 per calendar month. Frankly speaking, these aren’t the best earn rates on the market, and can be easily bested by other alternatives. This is a card you get for the welcome offer, not so much for day-to-day spend.
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Cardholders who charge S$12,000 or more (on any miles-earning transaction) between 1 July and 30 June of the following year will receive S$150 cashback, valid on their next purchase of Singapore Airlines air tickets via singaporeair.com or the SingaporeAir mobile app.
Don’t forget to check out my full review of the AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card below.
Conclusion
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| Apply Here |
New-to-AMEX customers who sign up for an AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card can now receive up to 26,450 bonus miles with a minimum spend of just S$500.
This card doesn’t pack nearly as many benefits as the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend, but it does offer a first year fee waiver, compared to the mandatory S$343.35 annual fee of the latter. This means your bonus miles are essentially free, especially since they’re deposited directly to your KrisFlyer account without any conversion fees.
The main catch is that you need to be new-to-AMEX, but otherwise it’s a very big chunk of miles for a very low amount of spend.
