Kris+ cutting earn rates for selected merchants from 1 April 2024

Kris+ has published an update to its partner earn rates that takes effect from 1 April 2024. 

Unlike the last major update in October 2023, however, where 70 merchants had cuts to their earn rates, the changes this time are fairly mild. By my count, 15 merchants will see their earn rates reduced, including popular ones like Aburi-EN, Bottles & Bottles and CDG ZIG.

S$5 for new Kris+ Users

Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

For the uninitiated, Kris+ is Singapore Airlines’ lifestyle rewards app that allows users to earn and redeem KrisFlyer miles at participating merchants in Singapore and Australia, as well as enjoy special discounts and privileges .

Miles earned on Kris+ can be transferred instantly to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio with no conversion fees, so it’s an excellent way of topping up your account for an award redemption.

Kris+ revised earn rates from April 2024

Here’s a high level summary of how Kris+ earn rates are changing from 1 April 2024:

Out of 434 merchants:

• 418 are unchanged
• 10 are cutting their earn rate from 6 mpd to 3 mpd
• 4 are cutting their earn rate from 6 mpd to 2 mpd
• 1 is cutting its earn rate from 3 mpd to 0.5 mpd (though this might be inaccurate- see the note below on Esso)
• 1 is cutting its earn rate from 1 mpd to 0.5 mpd

Following these changes, the average earn rate of all Kris+ merchants will drop from 5.9 mpd to 5.8 mpd (for perspective, it was 6.2 mpd in October 2023). That’s still great, insofar as it’s on top of your credit card miles, but there’s certainly a downwards trajectory going on here. 

Kris+ has published a PDF that summarises the revised earn rates, but this document is highly misleading. On first glance, you might be tempted to say “Yay! Everything’s going up!” 

But on closer inspection, you’ll realise the “before” column shows the base rate, and not the actual rate you’re earning now. For example, the way Aburi-EN is shown in the table suggests it’s increasing from 1 mpd to 3 mpd, when in reality it’s decreasing from 6 mpd to 3 mpd!

You can also see in the app which merchants are getting a rate cut, as it’ll be highlighted on their individual Kris+ page. 

Which merchants are changing?

Here’s a summary of the merchants which are changing their earn rates from 1 April 2024. 

The big movers here are popular dining chain Aburi-EN and its affiliates Ka-EN, Wa-EN and EN Dining, which see their earn rates cut in half from 6 mpd to 3 mpd. There’s also a similar cut to 3 mpd for Bottles & Bottles, which is bad news for wine lovers. 

CDG Zig will see its earn rate cut from the current 1 mpd to 0.5 mpd, though the recent removal of the S$0.30 platform fee means the extra miles are essentially free.

Esso’s earn rate is supposedly being cut from 3 mpd to 0.5 mpd, but I’m quite certain that’s a typo. There’s an ongoing promotion which upsizes the earn rate to 3 mpd till 31 May 2024, and there’s no indication that Kris+ intends to end that offer early (the landing page still cites a 31 May 2024 end date, and unlike the rest of the merchants which are seeing rate cuts, there’s no similar notification on the Esso Kris+ page).

As a reminder, earlier in March we also saw a cut to the earn rate for Arteastiq, which went from 9 mpd to 3 mpd.

Earn status credits with Kris+

Details

As a reminder, from 5 March to 4 June 2024, PPS Club and KrisFlyer members can earn PPS Value and Elite miles respectively for spending made at:

• Kris+ (both in Singapore and Australia)
• KrisShop
• Pelago

Earn rates for PPS Club and KrisFlyer members are as follows:

	PPS Club	KrisFlyer
Earn Rate	1 PPS Value per S$3 spent*	1 Elite mile per S$1 spent**
Cap	2,500 PPS Value	5,000 Elite miles
*Or 1 PPS Value per A$3 spent via Kris+ in Australia **Or 1 Elite mile per A$1 spent via Kris+ in Australia

PPS Club members will earn 1 PPS Value per S$3 spent, with an overall cap of 2,500 PPS Value, while KrisFlyer members will earn 1 Elite mile per S$1 spent, with an overall cap of 5,000 Elite miles. Caps apply for the entire campaign period. 

Status credits earned via Kris+ will post instantly (unless you visit Pelago via Kris+, in which case they’ll be credited within 14 days after 4 June 2024).

Refer to the article below for the full details.

Details: Earn PPS Value or KrisFlyer Elite miles without flying

Earning miles via Kris+

To earn miles at Kris+ merchant, all you need to do is:

1. Scan the merchant’s Kris+ QR code
2. Enter the amount to be paid, and press “Pay” to pay via Apple/Google Pay

Don’t forget to transfer any KrisPay miles you earn to KrisFlyer within seven days of the transaction, in their entirety. If you wait longer than seven days, or spend any of the accrued miles, the balance will be stuck in Kris+ (where they expire after six months).

A big “Transfer to KrisFlyer” button appears after every transaction, so there’s no excuse!

What card should I use with Kris+?

In general, Kris+ maintains the MCC of the underlying merchant (though there are some exceptions such as travel agencies), so you can use whatever card you’d normally use for that particular merchant.

When in doubt, the following cards are the safest to use with Kris+, as they earn 3-4 mpd regardless of Kris+ merchant.

💳 Best Cards for Kris+ (All Categories)
Card	Earn Rate	Remarks
DBS WWMC Apply	4 mpd	Max. S$1.5K per c. month
Citi Rewards + Amaze Apply	4 mpd	Max. S$1K per s. month. Do not use Citi Rewards Card alone- no bonuses
KrisFlyer UOB Card Apply	3 mpd	No cap

However, there are also other cards you can use that will earn up to 6 mpd, depending on MCC. Refer to the post below for more details. 

What’s the best card to use for Kris+?

Conclusion

S$5 for new Kris+ Users

Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

Kris+ will be revising the earn rates at 15 merchants from 1 April 2024, but unlike the last major overhaul in October 2023, the impact this time round is relatively small.

What isn’t so small is the fact that Kris+ just lost all its healthcare and dental merchants, which is tragic enough to make me hit the bottle- and then I realise Bottles & Bottles is getting its earn rate cut in half too! 

As always, don’t forget to transfer any miles earned via Kris+ to your KrisFlyer account immediately, and pair the right card for extra miles.