Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Silver benefits

KrisFlyer Elite Silver is the first rung on the Singapore Airlines elite tier, and it’s a far cry from KrisFlyer Elite Gold, much less the rarefied air of the PPS Club.

The list of benefits is shorter than a pair of daisy dukes, though I’m ashamed to admit that in my younger and more vulnerable years, I once pulled a DYKWIA in the belief that my mighty KrisFlyer Elite Silver status should warrant additional compensation for a malfunctioning IFE system.

That said, it’s not completely devoid of perks, and we’ll examine them in more detail in this post.

❓ KrisFlyer Elite Silver Guide
At a Glance: Benefits Qualification Elite Miles KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards 25% Mileage Accrual Bonus Priority Reservation Waitlist Priority Check-In	Additional Baggage Priority Boarding Complimentary Seat Selection Double Miles Extension Period Discounted Service Fees Birthday Bonus Scoot Perks

If you’re looking for the benefits of Solitaire PPS, PPS Club or KrisFlyer Elite Silver, you can refer to the comprehensive guides below.

❓ Solitaire PPS & PPS Club Guide	❓ KrisFlyer Elite Gold Guide
Details	Details

At a glance: KrisFlyer Elite Silver benefits

Here’s a summary of KrisFlyer Elite Silver benefits, with KrisFlyer Elite Gold added for comparison.

✈️ Overview: KrisFlyer Elite Silver & Gold
	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold
Elite Miles Req. (in 12-mth period)	25,000	50,000
Mileage Bonus	25%	25%
Priority Waitlist	✅	✅
Complimentary Seat Selection	✅ (Standard)	✅ (Forward and Standard)
Birthday Bonus	✅ (1,500 miles)	✅ (1,500 miles)
Discounted Service Fees	✅	✅
Extra Baggage	✅	✅
Priority Check-in	✅	✅
Priority Boarding	✅	✅
Priority Baggage		✅
Lounge Access		✅
Waived Service Fees		✅
Shangri-La Jade Fast Track		✅
Heathrow Express Upgrade		✅

Qualification

KrisFlyer Elite Silver requires accumulating 25,000 Elite miles within a 12-month period.

Upon meeting 25,000 Elite miles, your status will be upgraded within the next day, and your membership will last for a 12-month period. Do note that any Elite miles earned in excess of the 25,000 required for qualification before the upgrade takes place will not count towards membership renewal.

However, unlike qualification for KrisFlyer Elite Gold, your Elite miles total will not reset to zero upon qualification for KrisFlyer Elite Silver. Instead, you’ll continue to earn Elite miles above and beyond the 25,000 mark until the end of the membership year. 

• Should you accumulate 25,000-49,999 Elite miles, you will requalify for KrisFlyer Elite Silver in the following membership year
• Should you accumulate 50,000 Elite miles or more, you will qualify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold

Fast-track for KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can enjoy a fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver if they spend at least S$5,000 on SIA Group transactions (Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop) within the first membership year. 

Review

Even though it’s called a “fast track”, in reality it’s anything but! Qualifying cardholders will receive their status upgrade within 6 weeks from the last month of the first membership year. You could hit the qualifying spend on your first day, and still have to wait 13+ months to get your status!

This benefit is only valid for one year. Subsequently, you’ll have to requalify by flying at least 25,000 Elite miles in a 12-month period, just like everyone else.

Also, this benefit cannot be used to renew KrisFlyer Elite Silver. If you’re already a KrisFlyer Elite Silver, the fast-track offer does not apply to you. 

Instant status for Shangri-La Circle elites

Shangri-La Circle Tier	Instant Match	Accelerated Status
Jade	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold (3x flights within 4 months)
Diamond		KrisFlyer Elite Gold (1x flight within 4 months)

As part of the Singapore Airlines x Shangri-La Infinite Journeys partnership, Shangri-La Circle Jade or Diamond members can register to get instant KrisFlyer Elite Silver status for 12 months. 

A further upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold is granted if they complete:

• Jade: Three qualifying flights within four months of registration
• Diamond: One qualifying flight within four months of registration

If a Shangri-La Circle Jade or Diamond is already a KrisFlyer Elite Silver, registration for Infinite Journeys will extend their existing membership’s expiry date by a further 12 months.

Instant status for Marriott Bonvoy elites

Marriott Bonvoy Tier	Instant Match To…	Status Accelerator Challenge
Ambassador	KrisFlyer Elite Silver	KrisFlyer Elite Gold (4 flights in 6 months)
Titanium
Platinum
Gold	N/A	KrisFlyer Elite Silver (2 flights in 6 months)

As part of the Singapore Airlines x Marriott Bonvoy partnership, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, Titanium or Platinum members can register to get instant KrisFlyer Elite Silver status for 12 months. 

A further upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold is granted if they complete four qualifying flights within six months of registration. 

If a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, Titanium or Platinum is already a KrisFlyer Elite Silver, registration will extend their existing membership’s expiry date by a further 12 months.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold members can register and earn KrisFlyer Elite Silver if they complete two qualifying flights within six months of registration. 

Qualifying flights?

Qualifying flights include any commercial booking on Singapore Airlines in any booking class, and exclude the following: 

• Award tickets
• Codeshare flights
• Group fares in the ‘G’ booking class

A round-trip journey will count as two flights. For more information on how qualifying flights are counted, refer to the article below (it’s written in the context of the Marriott Bonvoy fast track, but the same definition applies to Infinite Journeys as well).

How to get KrisFlyer Elite Gold with just four flights

Elite miles

Elite miles are how KrisFlyer tracks and awards KrisFlyer Elite Silver & Gold status.

Unlike KrisFlyer miles, Elite miles cannot be redeemed for award flights, though accumulation does grant KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards which we’ll address later. 

Elite miles can be earned when flying on:

• Singapore Airlines
• Scoot
• Star Alliance partners
• Juneyao Air
• Virgin Australia (for SIA codeshare flights operated within Australia, Trans-Tasman, and between Australia and the Pacific Islands)
• Vistara (for SIA codeshare flights operated within India)

No Elite miles will be awarded for flights on Virgin Atlantic, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Olympic Air, notwithstanding their partnerships with Singapore Airlines.

Do note that Elite miles can only be earned by the person whose name is on the ticket. Also, you will not earn any Elite miles for award tickets. If you mix KrisFlyer miles and cash for payment, the number of Elite miles earned will be in proportion  to the amount paid with cash (excluding taxes). 

Flying on Singapore Airlines

Here’s how many Elite miles you’ll earn for Singapore Airlines flights:

Flying on Scoot

When flying on Scoot, the accrual rate is 2.5 Elite miles for every 1 KrisFlyer mile earned.

Scoot awards 1 KrisFlyer mile for every S$1 spent on base fare and add-ons like meals and luggage (except e-Visa, travel insurance/Scoot Protect).

For flights that are partially paid with KrisFlyer miles, only the cash portion (i.e. paid by credit or debit card, etc.) are eligible for miles accrual. Flights that are fully paid with miles or Scoot vouchers are not eligible for miles accrual.

Flying on mixed itineraries

If your itinerary has a mix of Singapore Airlines and Scoot sectors, you will earn Elite miles for the Singapore Airlines sectors based on the table mentioned previously, and on Scoot sectors based on a percentage of the actual miles flown and your Scoot booking class.

When flying on Star Alliance and other eligible partners, Elite miles are based on fare code and distance flown. Refer to this chart for more information.

Earn on the ground

Details

Elite miles can normally only be earned by flying, but from 5 March to 4 June 2024, Singapore Airlines is running a special campaign that allows PPS Club and KrisFlyer members to earn PPS Value and Elite miles respectively for on-ground 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. 

You will only earn PPS Value or Elite miles for cash spending, excluding any amount paid for taxes and delivery charges where applicable. Should you choose to redeem KrisFlyer miles on Kris+, KrisShop or Pelago (not a great idea in the first place), that dollar value will not be eligible to earn status credits.

Under this promotion, PPS Value can only be earned by PPS Club members, and Elite miles can only be earned by KrisFlyer members.

Therefore, for PPS Club members:

• A current PPS Club member can requalify for PPS Club, or upgrade to Solitaire PPS Club
• A current Solitaire PPS Club member can requalify for Solitaire PPS Club

And for KrisFlyer members:

• A current entry-level KrisFlyer member can qualify for either KrisFlyer Elite Silver, or KrisFlyer Elite Gold
• A current KrisFlyer Elite Silver can requalify for KrisFlyer Elite Silver, or upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold
• A current KrisFlyer Elite Gold can requalify for KrisFlyer Elite Gold

In other words, if you’re currently a KrisFlyer Elite Gold member in the midst of racking up PPS Value through flying to upgrade to PPS Club, you won’t be able to earn extra PPS Value on the ground via this promotion. 

KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members are eligible to earn KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, per the table below. 

This awards you various gifts as you progress towards requalification and beyond, with 10 different Milestone Rewards on offer up to 100,000 Elite miles.

Two important things to note here:

• KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards are awarded based on Elite miles accumulated with a given calendar year (not membership year!)
• While Elite miles can be accrued when flying on Star Alliance or other Singapore Airlines partners, only Elite miles accrued on Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights will count towards the attainment of KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards.

For more on KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards, refer to the post below.

Complete Guide: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards

25% mileage accrual bonus

Every time KrisFlyer Elite Silver members fly with Singapore Airlines or Scoot, they’ll earn a 25% bonus KrisFlyer miles on all fare classes except:

• Economy Lite (V, K)
• Economy Value (Q, N)

This applies on top of the booking class bonus, as illustrated below:

The 25% bonus applies to KrisFlyer miles only, not Elite miles or PPS Value. 

For example, if a KrisFlyer Elite Silver were to buy a return Economy Class ticket in fare class H from Singapore to San Francisco (8,440 miles distance each way), he would earn:

• 12,660 base miles (8,440 miles x 2 x 75%)
• 4,220 bonus miles (8,440 miles x 2 x 25%)
• 12,660 Elite miles (8,440 miles x 2 x 75%)

When flying on Scoot, the 25% bonus is applied to the usual rate of 1 mile per S$1 of base fare and add-ons (excluding e-Visa, travel insurance or Scoot protect), i.e. 1.25 miles per S$1 spent. 

For passengers travelling on a mixed itinerary containing both Scoot and Singapore Airlines sectors, you’ll earn KrisFlyer miles for the Singapore Airlines sectors based on the table above, and for the Scoot sectors based on a percentage of actual miles flown on Scoot with a 25% bonus.

Priority reservation waitlist

In theory, KrisFlyer Elite Silver should have higher priority than KrisFlyer members when it comes to clearing waitlists, be it revenue or award tickets.

In practice, it’s really hard to tell, since you’re so low down the pecking order anyway. 

Priority check-in

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members can check-in at specially designed check-in counters with the KrisFlyer Elite Silver logo, where available.

Additional baggage

KrisFlyer Elite silver members receive an additional checked baggage allowance when flying with Singapore Airlines.

For countries where the weight concept is used (everywhere except Canada and the USA), members will receive an extra 10kg allowance, on top of the usual entitlement.

For countries where the piece concept is used (Canada and USA), members will receive an extra one bag, on top of the usual entitlement (effectively matching the KrisFlyer Elite Gold entitlement). The additional bag can weigh up to 32kg in First and Business, or 23kg otherwise. 

With regards to Scoot, this benefit only applies if your itinerary includes a transfer to Scoot from Singapore Airlines, or to Singapore Airlines from Scoot. Pure Scoot itineraries do not qualify.

When flying on Scoot, KrisFlyer Elite Silver members will continue to enjoy an additional 5kg baggage upgrade with a minimum purchase of 20kg. 

For avoidance of doubt, there is no additional check-in baggage benefit when travelling on Star Alliance or any of SIA’s other partners.

Priority boarding

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members enjoy priority boarding “before Economy Class passengers”.

In terms of overall hierarchy, however, they’re still close to the bottom. Still some priority is better than no priority at all!

1. Passengers who require special assistance, as well as those with infants and toddlers
2. Suites and First Class passengers
3. Business Class passengers and PPS Club members
4. Premium Economy Class passengers, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members
5. KrisFlyer Elite Silver (though in practice this could be lumped into the previous group)
6. Economy Class passengers (further split into 3-4 zones depending on aircraft)

Complimentary seat selection

While seat selection is complimentary for Singapore Airlines First/Suites and Business Class passengers, Premium Economy and Economy Class passengers may be required to pay. 

💺 Seat Selection Fees
	Standard	Forward Zone	Extra Legroom
Band 1	US$8	US$15	US$25
Band 2	US$10	US$20	US$60
Band 3	US$15	US$25	US$80
Band 4	US$20	US$40	US$100
Band 5	US$25	US$50	US$120
Band 1: Singapore to/from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; between Denmark and Italy, between Spain and Italy Band 2: Singapore to/from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, India. Japan, Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and UAE Band 3: Singapore to/from Australia and New Zealand Band 4: Singapore to/from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom; between United States and Germany Band 5: Singapore to/from USA

If you’re a KrisFlyer Elite Silver member, you can choose any Standard seat in Economy Class for free, regardless of fare type. This saves you between US$8 to US$25, depending on route.

KrisFlyer Elite Silvers are still required to pay for:

• Forward Zone seats (US$15-50)
• Extra Legroom seats (US$25-120)
• Premium Economy Solo seats (US$140; only available on the A350-900 ULR flights to the USA)

However, they will receive a 10% discount off the cost. Unlike KrisFlyer Elite Gold, there is no discount on seat selection fees for travelling companions booked on the same itinerary. 

Don’t forget that all Singapore Airlines seats can be selected for free by any passenger at the T-48 hours mark, i.e. when online check-in opens.

Complimentary seat selection does not apply when flying on other Star Alliance carriers. 

For a full rundown of seat selection fees, refer to the article below. 

Complete Guide: Singapore Airlines seat selection fees

Double miles extension duration

Singapore Airlines has ended its COVID-era miles extension policy, and since July 2023, KrisFlyer miles (except those earned by Solitaire PPS and PPS Club members) expire at the end of three years once again.

While I highly advise against it, KrisFlyer members can pay a service fee of 1,200 miles or US$12 (~S$16) per 10,000 miles to extend their miles by a further six months. KrisFlyer Elite Silver & Gold members enjoy double the extension period, i.e. 12 months. 

Should you pay the extension fee in cash or miles? It boils down to how much you value a mile:

• If your value per mile is below 1.34 cents, pay with miles
• If your value per mile is more than 1.34 cents, pay with cash

Perhaps a better question is whether you should pay to extend miles in the first place, and I lean towards no. This merely kicks the can down the road, and even if you can’t fly in the near future, there’s still ways of getting some value out of them. 

What to do with expiring KrisFlyer miles

Discounted service fees

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members will receive a discount on the usual fees required to change redemption nominees for KrisFlyer awards. 

However, they will have to pay the usual service fees for making changes to award tickets- even top-tier Solitaire PPS Club members aren’t exempt!

Birthday bonus

PPS Club and KrisFlyer members can earn a birthday bonus of 1,000 to 2,000 bonus miles when they travel on a commercial Singapore Airlines or Scoot flight during their birthday month, or the subsequent two calendar months.

Membership Tier	🎂 Birthday Bonus
KrisFlyer Member	1,000 bonus miles
KrisFlyer Elite Silver	1,500 bonus miles
KrisFlyer Elite Gold	1,500 bonus miles
Solitaire PPS & PPS Club	2,000 bonus miles

The flight must be completed within three months from the first day of the KrisFlyer member’s birthday month. For example, if your birthday is 14 April 2024, you will need to fly between 1 April to 30 June 2024 to qualify (note how the flight can be before your actual birthday).

There is no minimum duration or distance required for the bonus to be triggered, but codeshare flights (sold by another carrier and operated by SIA/Scoot) are not eligible. Also, it does not matter when the booking was made, only when it is flown. 

Do note that the birthday bonus only applies to commercial flights paid fully with cash. No Birthday bonus will be awarded if you:

• Redeem an award flight
• Partially or fully pay with miles
• Partially or fully pay with vouchers

The birthday bonus will be earned on a maximum of one flight segment, so even if your itinerary involves multiple segments, like SQ26 from SIN-FRA-JFK, you’ll only earn a single birthday bonus.

No registration is required for this offer; it will apply automatically to all KrisFlyer or PPS Club members.

This benefit is currently valid for all of 2024, and is subject to further extension. 

Scoot perks

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members enjoy additional benefits on Scoot, as summarised below.

✈️ 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

These benefits will be added to your booking within 24 hours after the booking is confirmed. You’ll receive an email notification when that happens. This also means that if you make your booking within 24 hours of departure, you will not be able to enjoy any elite benefits.

If you were not a KrisFlyer Elite Silver at the time you created the booking, but are subsequently upgraded to such a tier, you will enjoy the benefits provided the upgrade takes place at least 24 hours before departure. The benefits will be automatically applied, with no action required from your side. However, you will not be refunded for any previously paid ancillaries that overlap with your new benefits. 

Conclusion

KrisFlyer Elite Silver members don’t really have much to look forward to, except perhaps a 25% mileage accrual bonus, complimentary standard seat selection, and some additional perks when flying Scoot. 

If you want priority check-in, additional baggage or lounge access, you’ll need to work your way up to KrisFlyer Elite Gold, where benefits start becoming more substantial. 

What’s your favourite KrisFlyer Elite Silver perk?