Review: AMEX HighFlyer Card

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the AMEX HighFlyer Card (also known as the AMEX Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card), the business card for SMEs that once upon a time represented outrageous value.

In the not-too-distant past:

1. The first year annual fee was waived
2. You earned miles for GrabPay top-ups
3. You got an Accor Plus Explorer membership with one free hotel night

It’s hard to overstate what a sensational deal this was. Not only did you get a free Accor Plus Explorer membership just by signing up, you could also earn miles on GrabPay top-ups and use the balance to settle bill payments via AXS, be it personal tax, corporate tax, insurance premiums, MCST fees etc.. What’s more, those GrabPay top-ups would count towards the minimum spend for your sign-up bonus, which meant more free miles!

Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last forever. Today, there’s no more first year fee waiver and no more miles for GrabPay top-ups (not that AXS accepts GrabPay anymore). And even though cardholders can now transfer up to 100,000 miles each year to nominated KrisFlyer accounts — a welcome change from the previous 30,000 miles cap — one can’t help but feel this change came a little too late.

With the welcome bonus, you might have a decent “one year card” on your hands, but it’s not quite the magic wand it used to be.

AMEX HighFlyer Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
The AMEX HighFlyer Card is probably the best corporate card you could hope for, though it’s not quite as good as it was a few years ago.
👍 The good	👎 The bad
Highest earn rate for local general spending Accor Plus Explorer membership with one free hotel night Two lounge visits per year Restrictions on KrisFlyer miles conversions have been lifted	No overseas spend bonus Exclusion categories now more or less the same as other banks
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: AMEX HighFlyer Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the AMEX HighFlyer Card.

Apply
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a.	Points Validity	3 years
Annual Fee	S$304.59	Min. Transfer	N/A
Miles with Annual Fee	None	Transfer Partners	1
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	None
Local Earn	1.8 mpd	Points Pool?	N/A
FCY Earn	1.8 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes: 2x Priority Pass
Special Earn	2.5 mpd on SIA Group*	Airport Limo?	No
*Up to 6 mpd extra on SIA tickets, depending on ticket type Cardholder Terms and Conditions

How much must I earn to qualify for an AMEX HighFlyer Card?

The AMEX HighFlyer Card has an annual income requirement of at least S$30,000 p.a., the MAS-mandated minimum to hold a credit card in Singapore. 

The real barrier isn’t the income requirement, however. Because this is a business credit card, you’ll need a valid Unique Entity Number (UEN) to apply. This means registering your business with ACRA, be it a sole proprietorship, limited liability partnership or company. 

American Express does not require a minimum turnover nor number of employees. If you’re running a home business, giving tuition or engaged in some other side hustle, registering your business with ACRA would qualify you to apply.

In fact, the S$30,000 minimum income need not come from the registered business itself. For example, I could earn S$30,000 from my day job with Company A, and have a separate side hustle with my own Company B. I could then apply for an AMEX HighFlyer Card on behalf of Company B, using my income from Company A to qualify. 

How much is the AMEX HighFlyer Card’s annual fee?

	Principal Card	Supp. Card
First Year	S$304.59	First 2 waived, 3rd onwards S$100.85
Subsequent	S$304.59	First 2 waived, 3rd onwards S$100.85

The AMEX HighFlyer Card has an annual fee of S$304.59 for principal cards. The supplementary card’s annual fee of S$100.85 is permanently waived for the first two cards. 

While the first year’s fee can no longer be waived, subsequent years’ fees are waivable, subject to approval. Fee waivers are based on your total spend and overall tenure with AMEX, and there is no published eligibility criteria that I’m aware of. 

What sign-up bonus or gifts are available?

New AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders who submit their applications between 7 August and 16 September 2024 and receive approval before 17 October 2024 will receive 24,600 bonus HighFlyer points and a Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 luggage when they:

• Pay the first year’s annual fee
• Spend at least S$3,000 within 90 days of approval

There is no requirement that you be new-to-AMEX, and the offer applies even if you hold an existing AMEX consumer card. Applicants who have cancelled the AMEX HighFlyer Card previously for the same company are not eligible. 

For more on the offer, refer to the post below.

AMEX HighFlyer Card offering 24,600 bonus points & Samsonite luggage welcome gift

How many miles do I earn?

🇸🇬 SGD Spend	🌎 FCY Spend	⭐ Bonus Spend
1.8 mpd	1.8 mpd	2.5 mpd on SIA Group (+ 6 mpd for SIA tickets)

SGD/FCY Spend

AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders earn:

• 1.8 HighFlyer points every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars
• 1.8 HighFlyer points every S$1 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

1 HighFlyer point is worth 1 KrisFlyer mile, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.8 mpd for local and overseas spend.

This makes the AMEX HighFlyer Card the highest-earning corporate card on the market, period. It’s even better than most general spending cards, as the table below shows.

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards (income req.: S$30K)
Cards	Local Spend	FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles	1.4 mpd	2.4 mpd
AMEX HighFlyer Card	1.8 mpd	1.8 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card	1.2 mpd	2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude	1.3 mpd	2.2 mpd
OCBC 90°N Card	1.3 mpd	2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
StanChart Journey	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	1.2 mpd	2 mpd*
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	1.1 mpd	2 mpd*
BOC Elite Miles	1 mpd	2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	1.2 mpd	1.2 mpd
*In June and Dec only, otherwise 1.1 mpd

While the AMEX HighFlyer Card earns a market-leading 1.8 mpd for local spend, other entry-level general spending cards go as high as 2.4 mpd for overseas spend.

AMEX was the last card issuer with a sub-3% FCY fee (2.95%), but in October 2023, joined the rest of the market in charging 3.25%. 

💳 FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network
Issuer	↓ MC & Visa	AMEX
Standard Chartered	3.5%	N/A
American Express	N/A	3.25%
Citibank	3.25%	N/A
DBS	3.25%	3%
HSBC	3.25%	N/A
Maybank	3.25%	N/A
OCBC	3.25%	N/A
UOB	3.25%	3.25%
BOC	3%	N/A
CIMB	3%	N/A

With a 3.25% fee, using your AMEX HighFlyer Card overseas represents buying miles at 1.81 cents each.

SIA Group

AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders earn 2.5 mpd on SIA Group spend, defined as transactions with:

• Singapore Airlines
• Scoot
• KrisShop

For Singapore Airlines tickets specifically, you can earn up to 8.5 mpd, but this figure needs some explaining:

💳 From HighFlyer Card	✈️ From HighFlyer Account
2.5 mpd on SIA Group spend	5 mpd (Base, Silver) or 6 mpd (Gold, Platinum) for eligible tickets Bonus for HighFlyer Cardholders 1 mpd for eligible tickets

The extra 6 mpd is comprised of:

• The usual 5 mpd awarded to HighFlyer Base and Silver members (or 6 mpd for Gold and Platinum)
• A bonus 1 mpd awarded to HighFlyer members with the AMEX HighFlyer Card

The HighFlyer account does not award points on tickets issued in the V or K booking classes (Economy Lite). Tickets issued in the Q or N booking classes (Economy Value) will only be eligible for 50% accrual. 

Fare Type	Fare Code	HighFlyer Accrual
Economy Lite	V, K	0%
Economy Value	Q, N	50%
All others	All others	100%

If all that’s too confusing for you, here’s a summary of how many miles you can expect to earn, depending on the ticket type you purchase. 

Fare Type	AMEX HighFlyer Card Earn Rate
Economy Lite	2.5 mpd
Economy Value	5.5 mpd
All other commercial tickets	8.5 mpd
All award tickets	2.5 mpd

For avoidance of doubt, using the AMEX HighFlyer Card to pay for taxes and surcharges on KrisFlyer award tickets will earn the regular 2.5 mpd, whether it’s for Singapore Airlines or any other partner airline.

When are HighFlyer points credited?

HighFlyer points are credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days.

How are HighFlyer points calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the HighFlyer points earned on your AMEX HighFlyer Card.

Local Spend	Multiply transaction by 1.8, then round to the nearest whole number
FCY Spend	Multiply transaction by 1.8, then round to the nearest whole number

The minimum spend to earn points is therefore S$0.28. 

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

Local Spend	=ROUND (X*1.8,0)
FCY Spend	=ROUND (X*1.8,0)
Where X= Amount Spent

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for HighFlyer points?

Historically speaking, the AMEX HighFlyer Card has been very liberal with awarding points, keeping its exclusions list to a bare minimum.

Sadly, those days are now over, and the exclusions list reads like any other bank.

Do note that the AMEX HighFlyer Card also does not support CardUp transactions, so you’ll have to use something else here.

Explained: American Express restrictions on CardUp payments

What do I need to know about HighFlyer points?

❌ Expiry	↔️ Pooling	✈️ Transfer Fee
3 years	N/A	None
⬆️ Min. Transfer	✈️ No. of Partners	⏱️ Transfer Time
N/A	1	Once a month

Expiry

HighFlyer points expire after three years on the last day of the equivalent month in which they were earned. For example, all HighFlyer points earned from 1-31 July 2023 would expire at 2359 hours Singapore time on 31 July 2026. 

However, when you convert HighFlyer points to KrisFlyer miles, you get a fresh three year validity, so in total you have up to six years (though it’s never a good idea to sit on miles for too long, since that leaves you open to devaluations). 

Pooling

This is the only credit card which earns HighFlyer points, so pooling is not relevant.

Transfer Fees & Partners

HighFlyer points earned from the AMEX HighFlyer Card are batched and automatically transferred to your HighFlyer account once per month, on your statement closing date. No transfer fees apply.

HighFlyer points can be instantly converted to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio, also with no transfer fees. While there used to be restrictions on the maximum number of nominees, the limit per nominee and an overall limit per account, these were removed on 1 July 2024. 

✈️ HighFlyer Account Changes
	Till 30 Jun 24	From 1 Jul 24
Maximum Nominees	5	None*
Limit Per Nominee	30,000	100,000
Overall Limit	150,000	No limit
*If you wish to convert points for more than 15 nominees, you’ll need to contact HighFlyer_Support@singaporeair.com.sg

Now, in one sense this change comes a bit too late.

Back when GrabPay top-ups could earn points with the AMEX HighFlyer Card, and AXS accepted GrabPay payments, this would have been amazing. AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders were minting miles by paying taxes, insurance premiums and every manner of bills via AXS, restricted only by the S$30,000 annual GrabPay limit (which you could still circumvent by using multiple GrabPay accounts).

That party ended in early 2023, but those who participated are no doubt sitting on a significant pile of HighFlyer points. In that sense, the increase in the annual receiving limit will enable them to liquidate their stash much faster than originally anticipated.

For instance, I currently have about 260,000 HighFlyer points. At 30,000 miles per year, that would take almost 9 years (!) to cash out. Who knows what devaluations we’d have seen by then? With the revised 100,000 miles limit, however, that time is cut by a third.

So it’s still a welcome change in my book, just that I wish it’d happened sooner. 

What else can you do with HighFlyer Points?

In addition to KrisFlyer miles redemptions, HighFlyer Points can also be used for:

Item	Cost
12-month KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership	125,000 points
LoungeKey pass	8,000 points
S$50 KrisShop voucher	6,250 points
S$10 off SIA tickets or S$10 Scoot voucher	1,050 points
Award flights on Lufthansa Group	Award chart
SIA Academy courses	Not stated

You can read the full details about each redemption option below.

What can you do with Singapore Airlines HighFlyer Points?

Other card perks

Business offers

AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders are eligible for the following business offers:

• S$4,000 annual spending credits for Meta Ads Campaign Management fees with First Page Digital
• S$4,000 annual spending credits for Google Ads Campaign Management fees with First Page Digital
• 10% off Fiverr for first hire
• 6% off monthly AWS bills and up to 90% off Amazon CloudFront through AppSquadz
• 20% off iStock new subscriptions
• S$350 credits for Mailchimp partner services with Ematic
• S$500 credits for Shopify partner services with Ematic

Now, if these were credits for Meta, Google Ads, AWS etc., they’d be fantastic. But they’re not. Instead, you’ll need to engage one of the respective vendors to use the credits, and I have little knowledge about their services or standards.

The only codes which are valid for direct use are Fiverr and iStock, and even that’s a one-time discount. So even though I use some of these services myself, I personally don’t place a lot of value on these business offers.

Annual spending bonuses

AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders who spend at least S$500 on Singapore Airlines, Scoot or KrisShop transactions within their first membership year will receive a bonus of 5,000 HighFlyer points. 

AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders who spend at least S$10,000 on Singapore Airlines, Scoot  or KrisShop transactions within any membership year will receive a bonus of 15,000 HighFlyer points.

In other words, spending S$10,000 on Singapore Airlines, Scoot or KrisShop transactions would earn you:

• 20,000 bonus HighFlyer points in your first membership year
• 15,000 bonus HighFlyer points in your second and subsequent membership years

Accor Plus Explorer membership

Principal AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders receive a complimentary Accor Plus Explorer membership with one complimentary hotel night each year. This membership will be automatically renewed each year you retain the card.

This normally retails for S$418, and includes benefits such as:

• Up to 50% off dining at participating Accor hotels across Asia Pacific
• 15% off drinks bill in Asia
• 10% off the best available public rate
• Access to Red Hot Room sales with up to 50% off
• Accor Live Limitless Silver status

The full list of benefits can be found below.

The free hotel night can be redeemed at participating Accor properties across the Asia Pacific region, including the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, Mondarin Seoul Itaewon, and Sofitel Darling Harbour Sydney. 

How does the Accor Stay Plus free hotel night benefit work?

The other big draw of an Accor Plus membership are the dining discounts. The discount structure works like this:

• 25% off dining: 1 member only
• 50% off dining: 1 member and 1 guest
• 33% off dining: 1 member and 2 guests
• 25% off dining: 1 member and 3 guests
• 15% off drinks in Asia

Some examples of participating Accor Plus restaurants in Singapore include Prego, Mikuni and Asian Market Café at the Fairmont, SKAI, The Stamford Brasserie, and CLOVE at Swissotel and The Cliff and Kwee Zeen at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort.

Lounge visits

Principal AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders enjoy two complimentary lounge visits per membership year via Priority Pass. These visits can be used for the cardholder or his/her guests. Any visits beyond the complimentary entitlements will be billed at US$32 each. 

Two free lounge visits is par the course for entry-level cards in this segment. 

Card	Network	Free Lounge Visits (per year)
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend	Plaza Premium	4X
HSBC TravelOne Card	DragonPass	4X
AMEX HighFlyer Card	Priority Pass	2X
Citi PremierMiles	Priority Pass	2X
DBS Altitude	Priority Pass	2X (Visa Version Only)
StanChart Journey Card	Priority Pass	2X
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card	N/A	N/A
BOC Elite Miles	N/A	N/A
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	N/A	N/A
OCBC 90°N Card	N/A	N/A
UOB PRVI Miles	N/A	N/A

Do note that AMEX-issued Priority Pass memberships are barred from “non-lounge airport experiences” like set meals at restaurants and spa treatments. However, this restriction is not absolute, and you can still use it to visit selected capsule hotels and relaxation pods, where participating. 

For more on this restriction, refer to the article below. 

Explained: Non-lounge restrictions for AMEX-issued Priority Pass cards

KrisFlyer Elite Gold fast track

Principal AMEX HighFlyer Cardholders can enjoy a fast-track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold when they spend at least S$15,000 on the Singapore Airlines Group within the first 12 months of card approval. If you miss that opportunity, you won’t get another chance to try in the following membership year, barring a promotion.

The Singapore Airlines Group is defined as:

• Singapore Airlines
• Scoot
• KrisShop

Note how this is a wider scope than the AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s Elite Gold fast-track, because it includes not just Singapore Airlines, but Scoot and KrisShop as well. There is also no requirement that the purchases be made in Singapore Dollars, or that that the flights originate from Singapore.

Eligible spending includes both commercial tickets, and paying for taxes and surcharges on a KrisFlyer award ticket with your card (whether the award flight is on Singapore Airlines or one of its partners).

Crucially, these tickets need not be flown by the cardholder. Think about the scenario of someone who often buys air tickets for his entire organisation. He can’t accrue the Elite miles on their tickets (only the person whose name is on the ticket can), but can nonetheless achieve KrisFlyer Elite Gold through his total card spending. 

This benefit is only valid for the first year; subsequently, you’ll have to requalify by flying at least 50,000 elite miles in a 12-month membership period.

KrisFlyer Elite Gold grants additional benefits when flying on Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance carriers, such as:

• A 25% accrual bonus on KrisFlyer miles
• Lounge access
• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• Priority luggage handling and additional 20kg allowance

For more details on KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits, refer to the post below.

Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Gold benefits

Summary Review: AMEX HighFlyer Card

Apply

🦁 MileLion Verdict

☐ Take It ☑ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It

Now, here’s the struggle I have with the AMEX HighFlyer Card. Are we judging it as a corporate card, or a consumer card?

If it’s the former, then this is a fantastic product. You won’t find any other corporate card matching its earn rate and perks, and if you’re a company who wants centralised control over employee expenses, then this is probably the best corporate card you’ll find. 

If it’s the latter, then it’s much less compelling since you’ll find many other cards with higher earn rates. It might still be worth taking a one-year punt, since the combined value of the welcome bonus and Accor Plus membership can make it worthwhile, but after that it’s more a question of whether you value the Accor Plus membership enough to pay the annual fee (it’s still cheaper than buying an Explorer membership, for what it’s worth).

So that’s my review of the AMEX HighFlyer Card. What do you think?