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:
- The first year annual fee was waived
- You earned miles for GrabPay top-ups
- 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 |
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What do these ratings mean? |
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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 |
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💳 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) |
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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 |
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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 |
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Bonus for HighFlyer Cardholders
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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:
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.
Exclusions
a) Charges processed and billed prior to the Enrolment Date or charges prepaid on any Card Account prior to the first billing statement for that Card Account following the Enrolment Date.
b) Cash Advance and other cash services.
c) Finance charges – including Line of Credit charges and Credit Card interest charges.
d) Late payment and collection charges.
e) Tax refunds from overseas purchases.
f) Balance Transfer.
g) Instalment plans, except where American Express determines otherwise.
h) Annual membership fees.
i) Amount billed for purchase of HighFlyer Points to top-up your points balance.
j) Purchase and top-up charges for EZ-Link cards using American Express Cards.
k) Bill payments and all transactions via SingPost (e.g. SAM kiosks, mobile app, online portal) (with effect from 4 April 2023);
l) Payments to insurance companies (except payments made for insurance products purchased through American Express authorized channel) (with effect from 4 April 2023);
m) Payments to Singapore Petroleum Company Limited (SPC) service stations (with effect from 4 April 2023);
n) Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups (with effect from 4 April 2023);
o) Payments to utilities merchants (with effect from 4 April 2023);
p) Payments to public/restructured hospitals, polyclinics and other public/restructured healthcare institutions and facilities (with effect from 4 April 2023);
q) Transactions relating to education and other non-profit purposes (including charitable donations) (with effect from 1 October 2023);
r) Charges at merchants or establishments that are excluded by American Express at its
sole discretion and notified by American Express to you from time to time.
Do note that the AMEX HighFlyer Card also does not support CardUp transactions, so you’ll have to use something else here.
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.
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.
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.
Fast Track T&Cs: AMEX HighFlyer Card
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American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card Members who charge S$15,000 or more on eligible spend with the Singapore Airlines Group within the first 12 months of Card Membership, will be eligible for an upgrade to the KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership tier (“Upgrade”) or to nominate a registered corporate traveler to receive the Upgrade. The Upgrade will not be available to nominees of Card Members who are existing PPS Club or KrisFlyer Elite Gold members, or who have previously qualified for the Upgrade on the Card. If there is more than one basic American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card Member (as determined with reference to your unique business or company registration number), only the first basic Card Member who meets all the required eligibility criteria will be entitled to receive the Upgrade (or nominate a registered corporate traveller to receive the Upgrade). The KrisFlyer Elite Gold status will be valid only for the first qualification and shall take effect from the date of successful redemption. You must comply with the redemption instructions, Terms and Conditions stipulated failing which the Upgrade may lapse. Subsequent re-qualification shall be in accordance with Singapore Airlines Terms and Conditions for KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership qualification. For current information on the benefits of being KrisFlyer Elite Gold member and re-qualification towards KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership, please visit: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/ppsclub-krisflyer/krisflyer/krisflyer-elite-gold/. Singapore Airlines reserves the right to vary these Terms and Conditions or terminate this benefit without prior notice at their sole discretion. |
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.
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?
FYI: If you’re a foreigner who runs their own company (which sponsors your EP/whatever in SG), you’ll need to be able to show two personal IRAS NOAs for approval.
That basically means you can only apply for this thing if you’ve spent two years in SG already.
This is a silly policy given it’s a corporate focused card to begin with. They’re not willing to accept bank statements, or form 21 from your company.
(As an aside, you can get 5.5 out of the 8 MPD for SIA spend by just signing up for SIA HighFlyer independently)
Hi
Just wonder the acra application requires any fees or annual fees?
Yes. And don’t forget filling requirements.
One should have a legit business then get the card…not purposely go to register a business just to get this card.
what makes you the gatekeeper? acra won’t say no to free $$ for nation building.
Actually there is a no annual fee option . But no bonus points will be awarded
But the points come at a cheap rate so no reason to not take
Can confirm if the following is factual ? My understanding from cso is different and I vaguely recall earning 8.5 on my 2020/2021 tickets
“HighFlyer points are not earned on award redemptions, so if you’re using the AMEX HighFlyer Card to pay for taxes and surcharges on award tickets, you’ll earn just 2.5 mpd.”
sorry for the noob question, but does the company or the individual get the credit bill? and the annual fee is paid by the company or individual?
in other words is this like a company card or is this a card for an individual who just need to be able to prove he is a director/major shareholder of a company?
Starting from Apr 4, they will be excluding grab top ups.
https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/sg/benefits/SGexclusions_Mar2023.pdf
Can you retain your Highflyer account and CC if you dont renew your company’s registration on ACRA annually?
yes
Just received an email yesterday saying “Starting 4 April 2023, changes will be made to the list of eligible purchases for the award of HighFlyer points. For the latest list of non‑eligible transactions, please visit go.amex/sgexclusions.”
New exclusion:
“Payments for the purpose of GrabPay top-ups”
Glad I managed to clock my miles before this coming nerf!
Does this still have miles for grabpay top ups?
With the cap of Highflyer to Krisflyer (Each selected KrisFlyer account may receive a maximum of 30,000 KrisFlyer miles converted from HighFlyer points per calendar year, regardless of which HighFlyer accounts the points are converted from), will the strategy be to move all points from Amex Rewards > Krisflyer > Highflyer + Citi Rewards > Highflyer + Highflyer Card auto to Highflyer then book tickets from Highflyer site?
If you have a business can’t you just register for HighFlyer and use any other card to purchase tickets and get the 5 HighFlyer points on top of the card earn? Use a 6/4mpd card or uncapped 3mpd on UOB KrisFlyer and spend $6k per annum to get the additional 30k miles. Without using this AMEX
What if the fare category is Value for 1 sector and Standard for another. Does it apply the 50% (i.e 3mpd) across?