Back in March, UOB announced that it would be revising the Scoot privileges offered to KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders, removing perks like a one-time booking flexibility waiver, and trading the extra baggage allowance for travel companions for complimentary standard seat selection instead.
Now, if it feels like I’ve written about this a lot of times, it’s because I have. These changes were originally meant to come into effect from 19 March 2024, before getting pushed to 23 April 2024. Then UOB pushed the date even further and said that the changes would be postponed “until further notice”.
Well, further notice is now here, and the implementation date has been set at 10 June 2024.
Unless they change their minds again, I guess!
Scoot privileges are changing for KrisFlyer UOB cardholders
As a reminder, here’s the current set of privileges that KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cardholders enjoy on Scoot flights.
✈️ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards (Current) |
||
For Principal Cardholder | For Companions (on same booking) |
|
Priority Check-in and Boarding | ✅ | ✅ |
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance (with purchase of min. 20kg allowance) |
✅ | ✅ |
Standard Seat Selection | ✅ | ❌ |
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver | ✅ | ✅ |
Here’s how that will change from 10 June 2024.
✈️ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards (From 10 Jun 24) |
||
For Principal Cardholder | For Companions (on same booking) |
|
Priority Check-in and Boarding | ✅ | ✅ |
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance (with purchase of min. 20 kg allowance) |
✅ | ❌ |
Standard Seat Selection | ✅ | ✅ |
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver | ❌ | ❌ |
The good news is that the complimentary standard seat selection perk, currently valid for the principal cardholder only, will be extended to all members of the travelling party on the same booking.
That’s a positive development, because the current perk feels like a bit of a gotcha. Most people want to sit together when they fly, so if one traveller has complimentary standard seat, the other will need to purchase the seat next to him/her. If neither had the perk, they could wait for seats to be automatically assigned at check-in, where they would be seated together on a best-effort basis (so at least there’s a chance they don’t need to pay to be seated together).
The bad news is that the complimentary 5kg upsize upon purchasing at least a 20kg baggage allowance will now be restricted to the principal cardholder only.
More importantly, the one-time booking flexibility waiver will no longer be available. That’s probably the biggest loss here, since budget carrier tickets are notoriously inflexible. If you want the flexibility to change dates or times, you’ll need to pony up some extra money by purchasing Scoot’s MultiFlex product, ranging from S$20 to S$40.
🛬 MultiFlex |
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Book via the Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal
Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB |
As always, you’ll need to book your Scoot tickets via the dedicated Scoot x KrisFlyer UOB portal to enjoy these perks. This involves registering an account and linking your KrisFlyer UOB Credit or Debit Card.
I’ve not done an exhaustive comparison, but from what I’ve seen the prices are the same whether you book via this portal or the public website.
Perks for KrisFlyer and PPS Club members
If you’re a KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Silver, or Solitaire PPS Club or PPS Club member, you’ll still enjoy additional perks when travelling on Scoot regardless of how you book your tickets.
✈️ Scoot Privileges for SQ Elites |
||
KrisFlyer Elite Gold/Silver | Solitaire PPS/PPS Club | |
Priority Check-in and Boarding | ✅ | ✅ |
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance^ (with min. purchase of 20 kg allowance) |
✅ | ✅ |
Free Standard Seat Selection* | ✅ | ✅ |
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver | ✅ KF Elite Gold only |
✅ |
SilverKris Lounge Access | ❌ | ✅ Solitaire PPS Club only |
^Only applies to the elite member, and not travelling companions *Only applies to bookings made directly on the flyscoot.com website |
With the revision to KrisFlyer UOB privileges, the perks are now identical to those enjoyed by KrisFlyer Elite Silver. KrisFlyer Elite Gold members have the added benefit of a one-time booking flexibility waiver, a perk that was added recently.
For more details on these benefits, refer to the dedicated guides below.
Conclusion
KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cardholders will enjoy their current Scoot privileges till 10 June 2024, after which they will lose the booking flexibility waiver, and extra baggage allowance for companions, in favour of free seat selection for companions.
The good news is that if you book your tickets now, you can lock in the current set of benefits- most crucial of which is the booking flexibility.